Post Gallbladder removal constipation?

My name is jason and my gf had her gall bladder out on friday 5/19 and since has been constipated. I have read that diahrrea is common post surgery and since this is the oppposite of her issues i'm becoming concerned. Can anyone shed light on this?

Yes, diarrhea is pretty common to occur after having the gallbladder removed, but also there is a possibility that she could get constipated. When is the constipation more likely to happen? Is it all the time that she is constipated or is it just occasional thing to happen? Is she bloated as well?
Someone once happened if you are using calcium after the surgery, this could cause the constipation. To ignore this, she can start taking another type of calcium but she might experience some gases and indigestion as well.
What is your girlfriend’s diet like now that she has had it removed? What kind of meals is she eating, has she changed the eating habits since the surgery? I would always suggest eating lots of fresh vegetables, is raw and cooked. She should also use lots of fish and poultry, depends on what she prefers, but she should eat various kinds of food and of course, avoid fat as much as you can, and also she should eat fruit that is low in sugar, which means she shouldn’t be eating much bananas as they have the high level of sugar.
Maybe you should tell your girlfriend to consult some nutritionist about what she should eat as I believe that constipation could be the result of the non-adequate nutrition after the surgery.

Hi,

I also had my gallbladder removed in December last year (2008). I battle with constant constipation. Nothing is working at the moment. I am watching what I eat. I eat considerably less then what I used to before my gallbladder problems started. I am maintaining my weight since I lost quite a bit ever since this fiasco. However, I fell bloated 80% of the time. Does any one have advise on what to use to have my tummy going again.

Kind regards,
Lené

Hi I'm 23, and just had my Gallbladder removed last Tuesday. I was on vacation, and got a terrible attack, the first one in almost a year. Anyway it was worse than ever so i went to the Emergency room. Sure enough, the sonogram showed my gallbladder was inflamed and full of stones. The doctors at the hospital wanted to take it out right then and there, there was no way though. I was 3500 miles away from home, and had to catch my flight in 4 hours. Anyway, I made it through probably one of the worse days of my life. I spent that next day in bed waiting to see my doctor first thing Monday morning. He confirmed what I already knew, and hooked me up with an awesome surgeon, and sent me on my way to the hospital where I spent the next 4 days at the mercy of my nurses. Lol.

Monday was a testing day, blood, CT Scan, X-rays... oh and of course the nurse was always right on time for those vital signs every 4 hours. I wanted to kill myself.

Tuesday was doomsday. Woke up bright and early (not that you get sleep in a hospital anyway, i found that to be ironic) for the MRI, followed by the HIDA Scan which lasted for almost two dreadful hours. After all of this, my surgeon was finally convinced that none of my ducts were blocked, and that my liver was ok. I had abnormal traces of Bilirubin in my blood which was causing me to have brown urine, one sign of Jaundice. Surgery was a blast! I went in crying, and came out crying!

Wednesday they kept me all day and night again! Couldn't complain too much though, those shots of Dilaudid right into my bloodstream ever 4 hours felt Utopian-like.

Thursday I was released, and by Saturday I was great! Returned to work yesterday. I feel fine. I've eaten anything I've wanted to from Italian Ice to Pizza, Crabs, Pasta, Salad, Fruit, Ham, Soup.. prolly some more crap I can't think of. I've noticed I don't eat a lot when I do eat, and that I pee about 5 more times in a day then I used to. I have been rather constipated though. I've always been like this. Im lucky if I poo 4 times a week. But I've seriously only gone twice since the 17th, which was the night my Gallbladder attacked my life.

I have definitely heard that gallbladder surgery can lead to intestinal distress so the best bet for you is to make sure that you eat a good diet--avoiding hard cheese and rice will help with constipation. Does anyone else have ideas?

Well, I'm sure glad to hear I'm not the only one having this problem. I had my gallbladder removed 8/08 and ever since then I have had nothing but trouble going to the bathroom. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time, I thought it was the diet pills I was on, but I realized I had been having trouble prior to taking them. I some times almost have to go to the ER it gets so bad. I am very physically active, I drink at minimum a gallon of water a day, and my diet consists of lots of lean protien, fruits and veggies...I was even trying to take extra fiber supplements, and those colon cleansing pills. Nothing helps me. I go for a week or more at times with out going at all. It kills me! I have even opted to drink warm salt water cause I heard that helps flush your system...let me warn you don't try it, not only does it taste horrid its uncomfortable and you really don't flush your system like it needs to. I'm at a loss. My surg was of course done laproscopic but I could swear my intestines got all twisted up some how. This can't be right or normal. :0( I wish I could fix it though, I'm only 28 I can't imagine living the rest of my life like this. :0(

Have you ever tried just doing any soft stool tablets? I know that those work pretty well for combatting constipation? Or am I wrong about that? Can someone tell me if they tried?

i had my gallbladder removed laproscopically in march & in the last 2 or 3 months i started having the same trouble, constipation, bloating & gas. i was told by my chiropractor that i need to take "bile salts" to aid in digestion. he said to take them with every meal. he recommended standard process but there are many different kinds. i haven't started taking them but i am ordering them this week & will let u know what happens, good or bad.

i had the surgey 10/21/09 i have constipation and i have been taking milk of magnesia 4 tablespoons and a stool softener. it works pretty well except it turns the stool to complete slush...be prepared to be in the bathroom for two days.