Hello. I had gastric sleeve done 3/19/14. Everything is going great except for one issue. Since about day 5-6 Post-Op I have had foul smelling gas and yellow diarrhea. Every day, multiple times a day. Now on puree diet. It also occurred on liquid diet.

Is this normal? Please help!

Call your surgeon. May be nothing, but my yellow watery diarrhea turned out to be a Clostridial infection that I haven't been able to get rid of (2 1/2 months and counting). Not to mention it's pretty easy to get dehydrated with diarrhea and our limited ability to take in enough fluid immediately postop.

7 days out today. Even with all the massive training and classes I went through, I don't feel like I was warned enough about normal diarrhea occurring after surgery. Another peer in my surgical support group told me she had identical problems with diarrhea. She said it resolved for her once her diet progressed to more solid foods because it gives the colon something to digest and do it's job correctly. For me, it started out like bile with a sour odor and progressed to yellow / brown with a grainy quality to the Fluid. Infection has more of a foul / rotten odor. Also watch for "coffee ground" flakes in the diarrhea, which can mean bleeding. When in doubt, call your surgeon. I pushed as much fluid as I could take and it is getting better now that I started on Protein shakes.

I had lots of a diarrhea early on, and I continue to struggle with it every other day or so. Early on it was greenish and watery (ouch!), which I understand is the bile not having time to do it's job as things are passing too quickly through the plumbing. It's starting to calm down now, looking more like a normal color, and not as watery. When I told my surgeon what was happening, he didn't seem too concerned and said it takes time for everything to adjust. He also said taking Immodium every couple/few days was fine.

Definitely discuss it with your medical team. Try to keep hydrated, and feel better soon!

Be well…

Call your surgeon to have it tested. Mine turned out to he a nasty c diff infection I'm still fighting.

I have just the opposite, constipation. I just started benefiber 3 times a day. It is so bad, I am having bright red bleeding with every bowel movement. Hoping the fiber helps.

Call your surgeon to have it tested. Mine turned out to he a nasty c diff infection I'm still fighting.

Ditto. What treatment plan have you been on for your C. diff? I've had it since January. I did 3 rounds of metronidazole and now I'm on the second round of vancomycin. The antibiotics clear it up great, but then it comes back after a week of being off the meds. I'm scheduled for a fecal transplant on Thursday. Ironically, the gastro doesn't think it's related to VSG surgery. Started 5 weeks postop after I had been on clindamycin for a tooth abscess. He said that's one of the worst antibiotics for causing. C. diff.

I'm on my first round of antibiotics but the symptoms aren't gone. Way better but not gone

Thank you all so much. I did call my surgeon and talk to his nurse. She didn't seem to concerned. She said many people do this pre and post op, including herself. Some people do have constipation as well. Everyone's system re-acts different etc.

I am worried that it could be the infection many have talked about because of the foul smell. However, I did notice yesterday that the color changed (to brown) and the smell lessened. I also note that I didn't eat eggs. I wonder if eggs may play a part in this?

Thank you all for responding. Sorry about such a gross topic!

I had the same gas and diarrhea and figured out that I had developed an aversion to sugar. Anything over 12gm sends me running. At first I was confused because everything I was eating was sugar free then I realized that the 1% milk had 12gm of sugar. I replaced with a milk substitute and no more problems.

Edited April 8, 201412 yr by TheWigster