After cholecystectomy for rapid weight loss, I experience postcholecystectomy syndrome. Please help.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Well, I understand that a year back you have been diagnosed with gallbladder dyskinesia or dysmotility as reported by HIDA scan (hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid). I was wondering whether you have weight loss as the only primary symptom or associated with abdominal pain. Because gallbladder dyskinesia most commonly causes pain and diarrhea rather simply weight loss. Or one should have to have evidence that the weight loss was due to gallbladder dyskinesia and not otherwise, then surgery was probably the right decision. I cannot figure out whether you have other symptoms or not.

And now what sort of typical symptoms you feel suggesting you as postcholecystectomy syndrome (PCS). I can understand actually that symptoms of PCS can be at times very distressing and unbearable. The common symptoms are bloating after meal, freqeunt reflux or pain in the upper part of the belly, diarrhea after meals or sometimes otherwise, and this even can cause weight loss. This syndrome basically occurs secondary to an excessive pool of bile stored within a small bowel instead of gallbladder which is otherwise a sole bile reservoir. But PCS usually resolves within some time the maximum it can take is two to three years until the time your small intestine is adapted to it.

You can try tablet Cholestyramine 4 gm (bile acid sequestrants) twice daily 1 hour before meal or 4 hours before meals. This is a bile sequestrant and will bind and remove excessive bile from the gut.

To be honest, I still do not understand the reason for your surgery year back but cannot completely argue with physician because I was not and he was the best person to decide while understanding your condition at that time.