Ask you DR about this problem My DH had his gall bladder removed several years ago, and had to watch certain things, like donuts, greasy foods for awhile. Your Dr should suggest what foods to stay away from etc or the dietitian at the medical center/hospital should help. You can also go on line especially to the Mayo Clinic website etc.
I find if I stay off of all carbonated drinks and watch coffee and chocolates, and some candies it makes a big difference for irritated bowel syndrome. Hope this helps a bit.

I've had trouble digesting fats since I was a teenager, but no other digestive problems that I noticed. Then about a year and a half ago I started getting a lot of upper abdominal bloating and what I later realized were IBS symptoms. (At first I thought I had a parasite, and the doctor thought so, too.)

I had a bunch of tests, all of which were normal. The GI doctor didn't take my bloating very seriously, but it was a big (literally!) problem for me. Finally he said I might have an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut, and recommended a relatively new antibiotic that works only in the small intestine. When he said I'd probably have to repeat the dose every three months, I declined and decided that was a last resort.

What helped me the most, and what I suggest that you do, was to eliminate various foods to see which might be causing the problem. When I gave up chocolate and popcorn, most of the IBS symptoms subsided. Red meat was problematic, too, but only if I ate a lot of it at once--like a steak.

The bloating remained, and some days it's still with me, but I eliminated a lot of it by giving up yogurt (who would have thought that would be a problem?) and cutting down on fats, including nuts. I love nuts (and chocolate, and popcorn), but I don't love the bloating and other symptoms.

Alcohol and fats are the two hardest things for the liver to deal with. The liver and gall bladder are closely related, so even though you don't have your gall bladder anymore, it's possible your liver is stressed in some fashion. I would definitely look at your fat intake. All the fats I eat are good ones--olive oil, nuts, etc.--but for my liver and gall bladder they are apparently too much of a good thing.

Good luck with this. I can relate!

Susan

My husband was diagnosed with celiac disease after being hospitalized for dehydration (loose stools). The doc was puzzled, and the bloodwork came back positive for celiac.

We went on a radical diet change, because a true celiac reacts to gluten everywhere, and it's in everything. We found out that a true celiac cannot even use the same toaster that other non-celiac members of the household use.

He also showed an area of minor inflammation in his colon, the doc says there's no real name for the condition. After about 8 months of this (lousy) diet, the doc said that he didn't think that celiac was the problem. Jim's symptoms were more controlled with Asacol, and he had not problems when we added gluten back into the diet. Seems that he was so messed up when he was really sick that his bloodwork showed the gluten auto anti-bodies even without having CD.

I suspect that you don't have CD, like he didn't have it. it is very rare that it comes on full-blown at your (our) age. Ask your doctor about trying Asacol, which is specific for colitis, etc.

As a good note, my DH is just fine now. I think you'll be fine, too, when you get to the bottom of the problem.

Good luck! A true gluten-free diet is a bear to live with, and my heart goes out to all who have this problem (about 1 in 133 people in the population.)

My oldest son was diagnosed as Celiac when he was 2 1/2 years old. Back then, a blood test didn't find it, but a biopsy did. He's been on a VERY strict gluten free diet ever since. I remember asking his pediatrician why my baby looked like a starving baby. He was literally a stick with a basketball for a belly. His poor tummy would bloat so bad! I should show you pictures.......... The doctor just shushed me off and said there was nothing wrong with him. Never mind that he only weighed about 10 pounds and was TWO YEARS OLD! He ended up in the hospital with something unrelated when a resident took it upon himself to try to prove I was starving my baby. Nobody told me about this, the pediatric staff was all behind him. They fed him and fed him and fed him. And he lost a pound. Just like I did at home. This 10# child could eat a pork chop, mashed potatoes and a WHOLE can a spinach, then want more. Before he went to bed at night I would try to fatten him up with a bowl of cream of wheat then I put him to bed with a bottle of whole milk mixed with pablum. Normally that's very bad, but I figured he would keep eating during the night when he found his bottle. NO weight gain. When the resident saw even he couldn't fatten up my baby behind my back, they called in the specialist who ran tests. The day he was diagnosed, he went on a 100% NO gluten diet. It took about a year to see any difference in his weight gain. Because all of the villa in his small intestine had been stripped clear from all the gluten, we had to give it time to regenerate. He still eats like a horse and has to be watched 24/7 because he doesn't know how to read and will eat anything. ONE wrong food can set him back months.

I don't know that taking out a gall bladder could cause Celiacs, because I'm no doctor............ but I was told back them Celiac's is comparable to an allergy. Why? Because it's your bodies way of reacting to something it shouldn't have. While it is not an allergy, it's like one. And it is possible, I suppose, that you developed it and having the surgery before the symptoms started is just coincidence. Again, I'm no doctor but you should bring up your concerns to him and ask for some tests to set your mind at ease. If you want though in the meantime, take gluten out of your diet. But that means reading each and every label and knowing how to find gluten in those labels. It's not always labels as wheat, rye, oats or barely and rarely if ever labeled as gluten. Some medications also have gluten in them, so you would have to let the pharmacist know. Processed sandwich meats and cheese slices are also full of gluten. As another person said, it's everywhere.

In reading your responses several red flags jumped out at me; caffeine, chocolate and fats.
At this time of year they're in nearly everything.

Susan, that makes sense, that the liver and gall bladder are closely related.
I appreciate your responses. If anyone else has personal knowlege please jump in.

Cream

I had my gall bladder out many years ago and had many of the symptoms that you have Green peas was something that I couldn't eat and also fats. An elderly neighbour told me to drink a bottle of room tempeature coke. I thought she was crazy. One night I was in enough agony that I decided to give it a try. It worked wonders. Don't ask me why, as I don't know. Anyway, as time went on it gradually sraightened around. I do think that even after gall bladder removal, you do have some of the original symptoms. I also have severe diverticulosis.

All the best and let us know if it settles down. Hopefully it won't be too long but it proably will be awhile.

cream, you don't have an email available..
Will you please email me through my page, I have some reading I'd like to direct you too.

Terri

I have diverticulitis and my docs' PA told me to avoid corn. I haven't had an attack in 10mos. nor have I had any corn. I had already eliminated pop corn and nuts. Also, things w/ seeds, i. e. tomatoes, okra, you know the drill. I have some IBS and if I eat small meals (tough, I know) but I can control it. When I travel I lose weight b/c I just eat enough to be satisfied. I've left some wonderful food behind in some touristy places. You just have to experiment and see what helps you. Chocolate, coffee, fats, cabbage, lots of lettuce in a salad send me straight to the bathroom. You'll learn. Good luck.

My FIL and several of his siblings are celiac. He is hard because he had alot of his intestines and colon removed before he was diagnosed so his symptoms are a little different because he also has a colostomy.

I was told by one Dr. that I had IBS and then another one told me to go on a lactose free diet and to look into probiotics for the bloating and squirts.

I had many of your same symptoms after having my gallbladder out. My doctor put me on a course of antibiotics for five days and suggested that I take probiotics. I am much much better. I take one Phillips Colon Health Probiotic each day.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm reading them all and thinking about what you say.
Seems as if there are similarities, but each situation is also unique.

Cream