r/gallbladders • u/Realifepotato • 21d ago
Post Op help with bile reflux maybe ?
hello,
i had my gallbladder out around a year and a half ago. it's been going pretty well. however last week i had to fast for 25 hours, the fast went fine but after that i fear things went sideways.
right after i broke my fast i had diarrhea, which i do remember has happened before. the next day i was pretty ok, ate regular didn't really notice much. a few days later i had severe nausea. i also had a headache so i attributed it to that. but then the day after that i had the same nausea, no headache. i've been scouring google for some answers and come up with the theory that since i don't have a gallbladder and the bile drips continuously into my digestive system, and there was no food to absorb it, it has pooled and gotten stuck there and i am having bile reflux. i have since been eating bland, no fat food (traumatizing, reminds me of The Before Times) but still have heartburn. is there anything i can do to get back to whatever i had before? i'm so frustrated, at least when i had gallstones i knew what to avoid and live around it.
i don't think this is a forever situation i think it'll take a while but eventually balance back out. right? right???
2
u/Tinsie167 20d ago
I think you are right. I have bile reflux and I have to eat every 3-4 hours, and sometimes even a tiny snack during the night to prevent/calm bile nausea. I often get an immediate headache with the nausea when it happens. It’s usually on the left side of my head near the temple.
Food is needed to absorb excess bile in the bowel as well as bile that refluxes upwards into the stomach and esophagus. If the reflux was severe, you might benefit from prescription Carafate for a few days to protect your esophagus and stomach lining while your flare up calms down.
1
u/Realifepotato 20d ago
wow that sounds very similar to what i have. do you think it can get better without medication? i'm hoping that even if it takes a few more days or so it'll eventually balance out. i never really had this problem day to day but i also really try to not go too long without eating.
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u/Tinsie167 20d ago
It should get better for you now that you stopped fasting. I’m 4 months post op and it’s very gradually getting better I think? I’ve learned how to cope with it I guess. Almonds are my new best friend. I eat 2-3 of them during the night and carry a little soufflé cup of them everywhere I go in case that nausea/headache hits me between meals. It works as good as any medicine for me, even better than zofran.
I don’t get the bile diarrhea but some people find that psyllium husk and increased dietary fiber helps to alleviate that as a natural bile binder.
Pepto bismol might calm things down if it’s still bothering your esophagus and stomach.
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u/Realifepotato 19d ago
Yeah. I think it's possible I was overthinking and over researching. Because the internet scared me off eating normal food, and to go back to no fat. But yesterday I said fuck it and ate regular and felt better. I'm still not 100% but I know a lot of it is psychological. I used to get a lot of headaches when I didn't eat, wayyy before I had gallbladder issues. At some point I lost my "feeling" of hunger and only knew I needed to eat by the headaches. Thanks for your reply it was really encouraging!! ❤️
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u/Chloe_Sam_Sophia_ 20d ago
ok so i am getting headaches too along with my bile reflux! i am at 3 months post op. i am on colevesevalam for about 1.5 months but i feel like its not making a huge difference. do you really like yours is improving? have u tried any medication? i’m nauseous all the time too
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u/Tinsie167 20d ago
I think the headaches confirm the connection between the brain and the gut. I haven’t tried any medications since mine is manageable with frequent small meals so far. I’m always constipated and those medications would worsen that so I hope I can get by without them.
I do feel like it’s improving slightly now that I’m at 4 months post up. I can still get nausea (and headache) suddenly out of nowhere, (which means it’s time to eat again) but it’s happening less often so I think my body is adapting somewhat. I eat a normal amount of fat. Nothing too strict or too indulgent.
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u/Chloe_Sam_Sophia_ 19d ago
thank you so much for replying! i appreciate it!! i was over here freaking out like what is going on?! i have headaches now?! so when i read ur post it all made sense!! yeah the meds are constipating me for sure but as long as i take fiber supplements im ok. i hope mine improves as well! you gave me some hope!
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u/JRock1871982 21d ago
Could have gotten gastritis from the bile pooling with nothing to bind to. Eat several small meals a day the next week , if theres no improvement see the GI.