Advice needed

I'm not sure if it's IBS I have or if it's something else!  I suffer from severe bloating and gas. I don't have alot of pain associated with my symptoms, but I do suffer from achiness from the tightness of my belly.  I too like some of you, look like I am 9 months pregnant and miserable.  Some days more than others and after some meals more than others. I recently had my gallbladder removed because it wasn't working properly. I thought the surgery would alleviate some of bloating and the feeling of fullness, but they just persist. The bloating starts at the top of my stomach directly under the breast to the top of my pelvic area. My stomach is usually really tight and hard, it actually feels like a pregnant belly.  Before gallbladder surgery I did suffer from bouts of constipation and then occassional cramping and diarrhea. (more constipation though) Since gallbladder surgery I am having more frequent bowel movements and I am not as constipated.  Even though I am going to the bathroom more often I still have a feeling of fullness even after a bowel movement.  I also have a slight nagging achiness midline right above the umbillicus.  If any of these symptoms sound familiar and you have any helpful insight,it's welcomed.  I would appreciate any and all help given. I don't want to live my whole life bloated and feeling sluggish. Thank You, Shanda

Bloating is, as far as I am aware, not a symptom of either a bad gall bladder or the lack of one. It's nothing I have ever suffered from, nor heard tell of. So it's likely you have something else going on there. Possibly you have IBS on top of not having a GB, or it might be something as simple as a bacteria or yeast problem. If you experience frequent vaginal yeast infections, urinary tract infections and/or have a white coating in your mouth known as thrush, then you may have too much yeast in your digestive tract and that's causing the gas and bloating. You need to see a G.I. and get checked for that. I think the typical treatment is antibiotics to kill off the yeast. The other thing it might be is a bacteria imbalance. You may have too much bad bacteria or just not enough good bacteria in your intestines. You can try taking probiotics for a month and see if they help you any on that account. They seem to help a lot of people with gas problems, if not bowel problems. You may also have a bad bacteria in your stomach called H. Pylori. That can cause stomach swelling and pain in that region and some bowel problems. They test for it via a biospy done with an endoscopy. They treat it with one or more rounds of antibiotics.

Now not having a gall bladder can mess up your bowels because you have no way to regulate the flow of your bile. Too little and you end up constipated. Too much and you get diarrhea. Most people tend to have too much, but some do go the other way. I have found from my own personal experience that a low fat/low calorie diet will constipate you up bad in a hurry. So, even though you lack a gall bladder to regulate the bile that breaks down fat, I don't usually recommend people go low fat since you can swing from severe diarrhea to severe constipation. There's supposedly some sort of old-fashioned remedy out there called bile salts that are supposed to help replace the bile you're not producing and unconstipate you. I couldn't find any in a regular drug store, but I did read about them online. If you tend to have too much diarrhea, then you can either try the Caltrate 600 w/vitamin D calcium supplements--probably a good thing to try since you only have mild diarrhea or none at all--or you can get a prescription for a cholesterol medicine like mine--Welchol--which absorbs the excess bile and keeps you from having diarrhea. I have found the calcium is not as strong, so it would be better for someone that can easily swing back to being constipated. You just need to monitor your poops all the time and adjust your medicine accordingly. If you start getting constipated, skip a dose of whatever medicine you're on or only take half a dose until you start getting a little too loose, then add it back in.

If you can manage it, a fairly constant diet--especially constant in the level of fat you eat--will help your body to get situated. My body expects a certain level of fat and reacts in a fairly predictable way until I alter how much fat I have eaten. Luckily I have never been a person who has craved great variety and am content eating the same thing for breakfast and lunch everyday with little variation and will often eat the same thing for supper several nights in a row. I think this helps a lot.

You don't mention how recently your had your gb out, but I have been told/read that you need to allow 6-8 weeks for your body to get the kinks worked out. After that time, the performance that you are left with is generally what you can expect from then on out. But since you were bloated and gassy before the GB surgery and that's not typically a symptom, you should look at trying to deal with that now.

Shanda,

I was wondering if you have been back to the doctor and how you've been feeling.  I have been playing phone tag with my doc for over a week now.  Very frustrating.  I have an appt with him on the 17th at least.  I am really curious to know what's happening with you since are symptoms are practically identical.

Hope to hear for you!