Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: The 1st year IBS book-Heather

Hi Randi - glad you liked the book! I'm not too wild about the title myself, but it was the publisher's call so I didn't have much say so. It annoys me that it gives the impression that it's only for people who are newly diagnosed, as that's not accurate.

You can ask about the Questran with your doc and actually probably try the drug to see if it helps - it works very quickly, and if it's going to make a difference you'll know within just a few days. It's something to seriously consider if your symptoms started or were really exacerbated after you had your gallbladder out. The chief symptom related to gallbladder removal is chronic (and urgent) diarrhea. If that's your main (or only) symptom, and it started right after your surgery, there is a pretty good chance that you don't actually have IBS, just a chronic intestinal irritation from the bile acids now being dumped directly into your intestines (instead of stored in your gallbladder). If Questran (generic is cholestyramine) solves your problem, that may be all you need, and you won't have to do anything else at all to control your symptoms as the IBS was a misdiagnosis. You might still have to watch your fat intake though, as fat stimulates production of bile, so high fat foods or meals could still cause some problems above and beyond what Questran can manage.

Let us know what you find out, and how things go!

Best,
Heather

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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