Question:
Im worried about the diahrea sometimes associated with bpd/ds. I already have it
bad since having my gall bladder removed. Would ds make it worse since I am predisposed to it now? Thanks. — Dianna N. (posted on January 27, 2003)
January 27, 2003
I am 12 days post op from my BPD/DS. I don't think anyone had more
bathroom issues pre-op than I did. I knew where every public restroom was
everywhere I went. I use to refer to it as an "oh my God I need a
bathroom now" moment, complete with cramping and sweating. I never
knew what would set it off, sometimes it was dairy sometimes fried food,
but there was no real pattern so I just learned to live with it.
Post-op I am experiencing none of this. I have one or two BM's in the am
right after I wake up and then I'm done for the day. They are soft but not
urgent. This is what a lot of post op DSers experience.
So post op things have greatly improved for me. Saturday afternoon I went
shopping with some friends and I had a chocolate shake with no worry that i
would need the bathroom, pre-op I would have been running to one.
This surgery is amazing, go for it!!!
Good luck,
Lisa
BPD/DS 1/15/03
-15 pounds already!!!
— Lisa S.
January 27, 2003
I am 5 months post-op DS. Pre-op, I would have the same problem
during/after a meal, RUN for the bathroom. Since surgery, my bowels are a
normal consistancy all the time. No urgent rushing for the bathroom. I
wish I had always been this regular!
— [Deactivated Member]
January 27, 2003
Hey there. I'm almost 7 months post-op - I had the BPD/DS with Dr.
Baltasar in Spain on July 2nd, 2002. Before surgery I had horrible
bathroom problems - not the same type, though - my rectum and colon were
compressed due to my weight - and having a BM was painful and difficult -
often resulting in a pretty significant amount of rectal bleeding. Since
surgery that problem has been completely eliminated (sorry, bad pun) - I
have a BM probably twice in the early morning (usually within about an hour
of getting out of bed) and that's usually it for the day. Before surgery
I'd go some in the morning, some in the middle of the day, some at night -
sometimes during the middle of the night, too. Now, everything is as
regular as could be. Gosh, I sure like that part! I've heard much the
same from other post-ops, too. Previous bathroom problems are a thing of
the past.
— Dina McBride
January 27, 2003
Dianna, for the vast majority of BPD/DS post-ops, diarrhea is only a
problem in the very early healing stage, when the gut is still somewhat
discombobulated. Things get progressively better with time, and for most of
us, the new "normal" BM is softer than pre-op, but not urgent
like diarrhea. There's more fat being passed in the stool, so this is why.
Occasionally we do see a further-out post-op with a bout of diarrhea, and
in those cases, it's usually an imbalance of the gut flora that can be
corrected by taking antibiotics and/or acidophilus. I know of very few DS
post-ops who have ongoing problems though. What I see most often is people
saying that they have several BMs in the morning, and then perhaps another
in the evening, but that it's fairly predictable and certainly not
problematic. I have seen lots of people say that the post-prandial diarrhea
that occurs after gallbladder removal is cured after DS -- this is even
documented in Dr. Hess study on the DS that can be found at this URL:
<p>
http://tinyurl.com/4zof
<p>
The pertinent excerpt follows:
<p>
"One interesting finding is that in taking our patients' history prior
to surgery, we find that of the patients that have had a cholecystectomy in
the past, between ten to fifteen percent of these patients are troubled
with post-prandial diarrhea since having their gallbladder removed. Our
first encounter with this in our obese patients was the one who had a very
high cholesterol, which caused us some concern for fear that the
post-pranial diarrhea may become more severe after surgery. In this cohort
of 440 patients we have had 21 patients who complained of post-pranial
diarrhea since their gallbladder was removed. Some of them were very
severe. After the BPD with the duodenal switch, 18 patients (85%) said the
post-prandial diarrhea was much improved and some claimed to be normal
since surgery. Three felt that it was unchanged. Because of our results
with our surgery on this particular patient problem we no longer feel that
post-cholecystectomy, post-prandial diarrhea is a relative contraindication
to this surgery. In fact, obese patients who have the problem of
post-cholecystectomy, diarrhea would probably be markedly improved by a
biliopancreatic bypass with a duodenal switch procedure.
Post-cholecystectomy, post-pranial diarrhea could be considered as an
additional indication for this surgery."
— mmagruder
January 29, 2003
The answer to this is simple. No.
— Pamela C.
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