Cholecystectomy (Gallbladder Removal) Improved Symptoms?

[LisaInLJ]

Hello, quick history and then my question.

I have had lymphocytic colitis symptoms (frequent BM/diarrhea and some bloating) since 1998 shortly after I had open heart surgery to replace a bad mitral valve. I can't say that the onset was related to the surgery, but that''s how it happened nonetheless. It wasn't diagnosed until 2010 because that's when I finally got up the courage to mention it to a doctor and had a colonoscopy with biopsy to confirm. It seems to run in my family because I have a cousin who was diagnosed a couple of years ago, and my grandmother had the same symptoms, but was never diagnosed. I've taken many medications over the years - Budesonide (did nothing), Cholestyramine (helped, but damaged my tooth enamel), Colestid (helped, but still had some symptoms), and most recently Alosetron, which worked better than anything else, although I still had occasional bouts of diarrhea and no "normal" BMs.

On February 3, I had an unplanned gallbladder removal and since then, my symptoms have improved. My BMs are soft and sporadic, but not diarrhea. I stopped taking Alosetron and the symptoms remain almost gone. Has anyone else seen improvement after having their gallbladder removed? If so, how long did it last?