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TMI - Diarrhea

Brenda2010

Brenda2010

Member
Not a pretty topic but are there others out there who experience Diarrhea multiple times a day?

I've always had a sensitive stomach but it got much worse after my emergency gallbladder removal in Aug 2018. I was told that I needed to avoid fatty foods which I've obviously been doing since I started my pre-op diet 11 months ago. I still have the urgent need to get to the bathroom with loose or completely liquid stools at least 4 times a day. I've had really bad days where it can be 10 times in a day!

I will not eat at work out of fear that something will trigger this. I'm someone who just cannot go in a public place. As soon as I'm home, I have to run to the bathroom, even with a very empty stomach. I worry one day I won't make it, YIKES! I have an appointment with a GI specialist next month but was hoping for feedback from the community because I don't want him to just automatically "blame" the issue on my RNY surgery.
 
Brenda2010 said:
Not a pretty topic but are there others out there who experience Diarrhea multiple times a day?

I've always had a sensitive stomach but it got much worse after my emergency gallbladder removal in Aug 2018. I was told that I needed to avoid fatty foods which I've obviously been doing since I started my pre-op diet 11 months ago. I still have the urgent need to get to the bathroom with loose or completely liquid stools at least 4 times a day. I've had really bad days where it can be 10 times in a day!

I will not eat at work out of fear that something will trigger this. I'm someone who just cannot go in a public place. As soon as I'm home, I have to run to the bathroom, even with a very empty stomach. I worry one day I won't make it, YIKES! I have an appointment with a GI specialist next month but was hoping for feedback from the community because I don't want him to just automatically "blame" the issue on my RNY surgery.
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Wow Brenda I sure hope they can find out what’s wrong.Thats gotta be tough for you I hate having the pre colonoscopy day before so I can imagine what you’re going through
Hope it’s not because of the RNY I would hate to have that problem too.
 
Brenda2010 said:
Not a pretty topic but are there others out there who experience Diarrhea multiple times a day?

I've always had a sensitive stomach but it got much worse after my emergency gallbladder removal in Aug 2018. I was told that I needed to avoid fatty foods which I've obviously been doing since I started my pre-op diet 11 months ago. I still have the urgent need to get to the bathroom with loose or completely liquid stools at least 4 times a day. I've had really bad days where it can be 10 times in a day!

I will not eat at work out of fear that something will trigger this. I'm someone who just cannot go in a public place. As soon as I'm home, I have to run to the bathroom, even with a very empty stomach. I worry one day I won't make it, YIKES! I have an appointment with a GI specialist next month but was hoping for feedback from the community because I don't want him to just automatically "blame" the issue on my RNY surgery.
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I do have days like this, but it’s not all the time, and mostly due to dumping. It is still preferable to when I had gastroparesis and only went once a week! Perhaps it is a food intolerance? Hope it clears up for you. I literally had to run for the bathroom the other day after my thanksgiving feast, at work :oops:
 
Bill S. said:
Wow Brenda I sure hope they can find out what’s wrong.Thats gotta be tough for you I hate having the pre colonoscopy day before so I can imagine what you’re going through
Hope it’s not because of the RNY I would hate to have that problem too.
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Thanks guys for the feedback. I really don't think it's due to RNY. As I mentioned, my stomach has always been like this to an extent but since my diet consisted of fatty, sugary foods, I assumed it was the price to pay and to be expected. Then the gallbladder removal made it worse. But now that I've been eating healthy for months without improvement, seeing a specialist seems to be the right call.
 
I wish I had an answer for you. I was very similar before the RNY but have not had the issue since. I am that person that just thought it was normal for me before surgery because that is how it had been for so long. I'm sorry yours didn't clear up and I hope your dr is able to give you answers and get things working correctly. Definitely keep us updated!
 
dianeseattle said:
Brenda, when you say you've always had a sensitive stomach, what does that mean? I'm sure you've done tons of research on this already, but if you have diarrhea four times every day, that doesn't seem to relate to the removal of the gallbladder. I'm glad you're seeing a specialist, but I'm also still concerned, since you're not the first person to mention this problem following surgery that included gallbladder removal. If you look back historically, what did your digestive process look like before surgery? Did you have an open procedure with either the emergency gallbladder removal or the subsequent WLS? Sorry I can't remember. So many people here seem to have had laparoscopic procedures and chose the sleeve, but you had RYGB, if I recall correctly, which means you probably had the open procedure. Why did you have a gallbladder emergency in the first place? Do you have a history of digestive problems? For everyone's benefit, I'm hinting at the digestive process where bile is created to help break down food, and the stones that can block the bile ducts if things aren't working right.

The doc took my gallbladder too, and I assume that's because after surgery for bypass, a gallbladder can just store too much bile, since the process of digestion is so different and much faster. Aside from the green stuff that poured out of me for a week or so after surgery, I've had no trouble whatsoever.

But since I've been reading posts here, I've noticed a rather large percentage of people who've had digestive problems, including constipation. I'm really curious as to why this seems to happen, since it doesn't usually happen. I'd be so alarmed by it, but the tack doctors take is just to treat the diarrhea or constipation with diet & chemicals.

And speaking of large, wow, your weight loss is phenomenal! And apparently you're only a few pounds from your goal after such a short time! I hate to think the diarrhea has contributed to this fast loss of such a lot of weight, but I am wondering. Congrats! So, did you have diarrhea before the WLS?

One of my sisters had an aversion to bowel movements in public bathrooms or even at home if anyone was there or was expected to be there. I don't know if this is why she developed a spastic colon, but that was what we thought at the time she was diagnosed. I couldn't keep my bowels from taking their own course of action if I had a cork up my butt! They tell me when to go and I just obey, or else! But I know I'm one of the lucky people who has no problem with digestion and evacuation on a daily basis. I had a problem a few months ago, which I wrote about here, but it turned out it was related to diverticulitis, which apparently I had recently developed. Having bowel problems is horrible and I hope you'll find a proper cure for yours that doesn't include compromising or medication.

So what's your history?
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Thanks Diane, I appreciate you thinking of me. :) I'll try to keep this as short as I can

Gallbladder history... I've been having un-diagnosed gallbladder "attacks" going back to 2003. Crippling abdominal pain, radiating to my back and shoulders for hours, always in the middle of the night. I'd go to the ER and they'd run bloodwork, give me pain meds and send me home. Followed up with multiple specialists for years without a diagnosis. I was made to feel like of course I'd have issues because of my weight and drinking. So after a while, I stopped following up because I felt they were saying it was my fault and until I made changes, they didn't care to dig further. Felt like that anyway. Flash forward to Aug 2018. Same pain, went to the ER, scan showed my gallbladder was full of stones & I needed immediate emergency surgery. I can only assume that I'd been walking around like a ticking time-bomb since my first attack in 2003. That surgery was laparoscopic as my RNY would be months later.

Diarrhea history... Since my early 20s I've had a 50/50 chance of diarrhea after any meal. My sister and mom also have this affliction. As miss mentioned above, I just thought it was "normal" for me with my genetics. Especially with my binge eating and drinking before I got sober in 2016. I've had times where it's improved out of the blue for months or even a year or so but I can't pinpoint why.

Anyway, as I said, since my gallbladder was removed, it's become much worse. When I went to my GI doc after the gallbladder surgery, I was told it was normal to have chronic diarrhea in the early months. To take Imodium and that avoiding fatty foods should help. But I've obviously been "off" fatty foods for almost a year now. I have my appointment in December with a new GI doc. I want someone who has never known me as obese or an alcoholic so maybe they can look at me with fresh eyes. Of course I'll disclose my medical history but I don't want to be seen as that first. And I don't want him blaming the weight loss surgery either, which is why I wanted to write to be sure it's not common.

So yeah... I've had the diarrhea issue long before my WLS. :(
 
Brenda2010 said:
Not a pretty topic but are there others out there who experience Diarrhea multiple times a day?

I've always had a sensitive stomach but it got much worse after my emergency gallbladder removal in Aug 2018. I was told that I needed to avoid fatty foods which I've obviously been doing since I started my pre-op diet 11 months ago. I still have the urgent need to get to the bathroom with loose or completely liquid stools at least 4 times a day. I've had really bad days where it can be 10 times in a day!

I will not eat at work out of fear that something will trigger this. I'm someone who just cannot go in a public place. As soon as I'm home, I have to run to the bathroom, even with a very empty stomach. I worry one day I won't make it, YIKES! I have an appointment with a GI specialist next month but was hoping for feedback from the community because I don't want him to just automatically "blame" the issue on my RNY surgery.
Click to expand...
Could it be IBS? Are you having any kind of pain or cramping
 
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