Gallbladder Disease

Post by **tex** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:04 pm

Hi All,

Since gallstones and related gallbladder problems seem to be rather common among patients with MC, at Becky's suggestion, I decided to set up a poll to see if it is as common as it appears to be. Since GBD is primarily a disease of females, I set up separate categories for each gender, so as not to skew the results because of that distinction.

Tex

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:12 pm

This is an interesting poll.....
To date I have helped 5 women who have had their gallbladders removed and they ended up with the bile dumping diarrhea, not being able to figure out what was causing their problem..
Out of the 5, none of their doctors even mentioned that D could become a problem after their gallbladder removal.

Love
Dee~~~~~~

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:51 pm

Never had mine removed, and don't know if I have a problem with it as I've never had it tested. Though at times I've felt it act funny so I've wondered if it's an issue. And by funny I mean I've felt it ache at times and also felt it "vibrate" or what feels like something was vibrating there.

barbaranoela · Post by **barbaranoela** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:27 pm

Every now and agin I would get this god awful pain--in the middle of my boobs and it came outta nowhere and left in the same manner---by just stopping???
I thought GB but had a testing done and no GB problem??

My nurse friend said GB and this is what she had me do---saying that something was blocking the *ducts*---
drink a warm glass of water
guzzle down CLUB SODA and then after I did that came a BIG BURP??and total relief---

Yet again--they say no GB problem??

so who knows--
Barbara

Kellyerin222 · Post by **Kellyerin222** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:29 pm

Barb--- thats interesting. When I had GB pain (it just came on suddenly without any signs) it was right in the middle of my breasts, so painful it almost hurt to breathe. I had several attacks before the surgery and every time it would just--- stop-- out of no where as well. Actually the first night it happened thought I was going to die, lol, we were just about ready to walk out the door to the emergency room, I turned to my husband and said "It's gone". I think he thought I had lost my mind, lol-- one minute I acted as if I was dying the next I was fine.

It has been a while since I had it, but I think I remember my Doctor saying the stones were getting caught in the liver(?)--- or something like that.

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 2:53 pm

Ok, this is strange, but guess what I found out about today that I hadn't known before. That gallstones can contain bacteria, and it seems that the majority of times when there is gallbladder disease with gallstones that the stones contain bacteria. Wow, this may not be news to others here, but I had wondered about this but never spent the time looking into it much.

One thing that had me wondering is why in the world would bacteria have even a chance of showing up in the gallbladder, I would have thought that it wouldn't have time to stay there and that the bile would cause it problems with living.

Then I got to thinking of our cat that had to be put to sleep recently due to liver failure. Then one thing that came to mind is that the cat "food" that folks normally feed their cats are high in carbohydrates and not so high in fats. So if you don't consume as much fats then the gallbladder isn't going to be puting out much bile, thus causing this flow to slow down, and then perhaps allow bacteria to stay resident there for longer. Perhaps the gallstones are a way that the gallbladder protects itself from the bacteria by covering it up, or it might be that the biofilm the bacteria use to protect themselves causes the stuff that forms gallstones to adhere to it.

I remember how much better I felt when I first went on a low carb diet, part of which I associated with gluten intollerance, but perhaps this might have also played a role as I had been sucked into the cult of fat is bad eat more carbs and cut the fat sort of eating.

Anyway, more ramblings from Mike's mind. :)

Thanks,
Mike

Post by **tex** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:07 pm

Ah, but the physiologic pH of bile is typically in the 7.0 to 7.7 range, (not acidic, as would seem to be intuitive). This slightly alkaline environment may be more bacteria-friendly than we realize, and as you imply, their presence may indeed be related to bacterial overgrowth issues in the GI tract.

Tex

Momster · Post by **Momster** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:35 am

As some of you already know, I had an acute attack of pancreatitus and have been told I must have my gall bladder removed. Will keep you all posted on my progress after the surgery, which will be some time in the first or second week of April.

Momster

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:04 am

tex wrote:Ah, but the physiologic pH of bile is typically in the 7.0 to 7.7 range, (not acidic, as would seem to be intuitive). This slightly alkaline environment may be more bacteria-friendly than we realize, and as you imply, their presence may indeed be related to bacterial overgrowth issues in the GI tract.

Tex

Interesting, I'd assumed that it was more alkaline than that. That's pretty darn neutral.

So to get there (into the gallbladder), they'd either have to go back up through the duct, or enter via the liver. Via the duct might happen if things were slowed down or not moving, and would probably require the stomach acid to be pretty low as well. Via the liver would mean that the bacteria would be present in the bloodstream, which is a possiblity given what gluten/virus/bacteria can do to the gut lining allowing it to enter places where it shouldn't.

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:10 am

Momster wrote:As some of you already know, I had an acute attack of pancreatitus and have been told I must have my gall bladder removed. Will keep you all posted on my progress after the surgery, which will be some time in the first or second week of April.

Momster

I don't get why Drs are so insistent on removing body parts instead of fixing or figuring out the problem. Did they biopsy the gallbladder? Do you have any gallstones? Any liver enzyme lab results out of wack? How well do you digest fats?

Also, if you do have the gallbladder removed, please get them to do a biopsy/test to see what the problem was. I'd rather not see it removed FWIW, but if it's a must or something your Dr highly recommends then don't give it a second thought. Perhaps even a second opinion might be a good idea, I don't know. I'm sorry for second guessing your Dr as I don't know as much as most about this particular area.

Mike

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:13 am

When I told my GI doc my symptoms (which turned out to be LC), she asked if I had had my gallbladder removed. I have not. Now it's on my 12th of never list. I do have a gallstone.

alexandraCA · Post by **alexandraCA** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:26 am

I was dx with MC this year, at age 31. At the age of 20, I was a healthy, fit college student though I'd had IBS-D for 7 years. I had recently been dx with an ulcer, the pain was inconsistent but sometimes extremely painful. In the middle of a November night (Thanksgiving eve so I was home) I was in pain like I'd never known and I thought, "Do I have a bleeding ulcer?" I went to the ER and it turned out my gallbladder was rupturing. I had amassed so many stones that they had become severely infected. I had surgery a few hours later and my GI was dumbfounded b.c. the idea of looking at my gallbladder had never crossed his mind. For years I have wondered about that experience and when I saw an abstract about MC and gallstones I was intrigued. As I read this I wonder if the dots are connecting.

I did not take a bile sequester for about 4 years following the surgery as I'd had IBS-D for years and wasn't sure if it was any worse post-op. But an endocrinologist did a bile scan and found I was producing a lot. I think he compared it to pouring battery acid into my gut. I took cholysteramine for several years but then another doctor had me stop with concerns of absorption of medication. I started it again when I was dx with MC.

Thanks for posting this poll!

Alexandra

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:12 am

Would you please post the URL of that abstract? Thanks.

alexandraCA · Post by **alexandraCA** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:27 pm

These are the things I came across that I found curious. And I coudn't believe the dates. I was born in 1978, my GI problems began in 1992, had a cholestectomy in 1998, MC dx in 2009. When "mainstream medicine" questions Dr. Fine, I would really like someone to review my medical records and explain why it took them so long.

I don't know if either came up in this thread.

Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1983 January 8; 286(6359): 142–143.
Microscopic colitis associated with gall stones.
http://ukpmc.ac.uk/articlerender.cgi?artid=686584

David S. Rampton1 Contact Information and Suhail I. Baithun1
Is microscopic colitis due to bile-salt malabsorption?
Journal Diseases of the Colon & Rectum 13 May 1987
http://www.springerlink.com/content/e23p2v5575532j5u/

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:45 pm

Thanks a bunch. :bouqueofpinkroses:

MICROSCOPIC COLITIS SUPPORT

Gallbladder Disease

Have you been affected by gallbladder problems in the past?

Gallbladder Disease

Me too

Re: Me too

gallbladder connection

abstracts of interest