Q: My wife she is 60 years old, 5 feet tall. She had two operations in the last 5 years; one for cataract and the second for removal of her gall bladder due to the presence of stones. She used to be about 60 kg in weight and she was always trying to reduce but found it hard. But after her gall bladder operation she started losing her appetite and developed acidity. Her food intake was bear minimal and then started losing weight. Now she is 45 kg. She is worried now and trying to put on weight, but does not have an appetite for it. Kindly advise.

A:You did not mention whether the gallstones were causing any symptoms or they removed the gall bladder simply because it contained stones. The current thinking is that the gallbladder should only be removed if the are any symptoms from the gallstones. After the operation, most people actually put on weight because their symptoms are relieved and their appetite improves and they eat more. In your wife case the reverse has happened. It would seem that the symptoms for which the gall bladder was removed are still there or are even worse. You mentioned that she has acidity and loss of appetite. She may have peptic ulcer disease which would need investigation and treatment. I would suggest that you should consult the doctors who treated her gall bladder problem. Her loss of weight is a serious problem and you may have to consult a physician who can investigate it further.