If I have gallstones, do I have to have surgery?!
Question: If I have gallstones, do I have to have surgery!?
I believe I have have suffered from gallstones for years!. I did have an ultrasound done this week which shows that I do have gallstones!.
If I am careful about my diet, it doesn't really bother me!. But, yes, if I eat too much fat, I do get a lot of indigestion and discomfort!. Last week I did have a full blown gallbladder attack that was baad from too much fattening food!
I have a feeling my doctor is going to want me to have the gallbladder out!. But, if I prefer to not have surgery and just stick to a low fat diet, would this be a safe alternative!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
If I am careful about my diet, it doesn't really bother me!. But, yes, if I eat too much fat, I do get a lot of indigestion and discomfort!. Last week I did have a full blown gallbladder attack that was baad from too much fattening food!
I have a feeling my doctor is going to want me to have the gallbladder out!. But, if I prefer to not have surgery and just stick to a low fat diet, would this be a safe alternative!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
A very low fat diet buys you time- but it won't deal with the underlying problem!. That's going to continue, unfortunately!. And the gallstones tend to just get bigger!. Plus you run the risk of having one slip into the common duct it shares with the pancreas and blocking that off!. That will bring on an attack of not only the gallbladder, but pancreatitis as well!. The gallbladder is nothing but a storage facility, so removing it isn't going to change anything about how you digest food!. The laproscopic procedure is not that bad, and you go home the same day it's done!. Inside about three, four days, you are back on your feet and eating normal food again!. The only change afterwards is to lean to a lower fat diet, which you are already doing, but at least you won't suffer the gallbladder attacks anymore!. Once you have an attack, you can fairly well guarantee there will be more!. It will progress to a point that you essentially eat nothing to speak of!. You can avoid the surgery for now if you like, but it's just buying time honestly!. There is medicine that can dissolve the stones, but it's expensive and you have to take it for a year!. During that time you have to have regular ultrasounds and liver function tests to monitor your progress!. And unfortunately once you quit taking it, the stones tend to reform again- putting you back where you started from in about a year or so!. I can understand not wanting surgery unless it's really necessary, but I truly think in this case it is your best option!. It's not going to improve, it's only going to continue getting worse!. And you generally recouperate from the surgery better if things are not all irritable from an ongoing attack!. I don't think you will miss it when it's gone, really!. I never met anyone who wanted the old one back, anyway!. Good luck, dear- whatever you choose!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
There are different types to resolve gallstones problem nowadays!.
If you have "silent stones", meaning you didn't experience any symptoms and the gallstone don't interfere with your gallbladder, liver or pancreas functioning!. Then you don't need treatment considering it will just flush out of your system!.
But if you have frequent gallbladder attacks sometimes accompanied by prolonged pain and fever which means you have inflamed gallbladder due to blockage of gallstones (peanut size) in the bile ducts!. Once the gallstones blocked the bile ducts, the actual size of gallbladder which is approximately 4 inches long and 1 inch wide may become bigger!. So the doctor may perform the surgical removal of the gallbladder called cholecystectomy!.
Aside from surgery, there are other option like Oral dissolution therapy and contact dissolution therapy!.
So always avoid fatty food and high cholesterol diets!. And always remember, gallstones can cause serious problems!.
Removing the gallbladder is still safe, because it has no major function in our body!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
If you have "silent stones", meaning you didn't experience any symptoms and the gallstone don't interfere with your gallbladder, liver or pancreas functioning!. Then you don't need treatment considering it will just flush out of your system!.
But if you have frequent gallbladder attacks sometimes accompanied by prolonged pain and fever which means you have inflamed gallbladder due to blockage of gallstones (peanut size) in the bile ducts!. Once the gallstones blocked the bile ducts, the actual size of gallbladder which is approximately 4 inches long and 1 inch wide may become bigger!. So the doctor may perform the surgical removal of the gallbladder called cholecystectomy!.
Aside from surgery, there are other option like Oral dissolution therapy and contact dissolution therapy!.
So always avoid fatty food and high cholesterol diets!. And always remember, gallstones can cause serious problems!.
Removing the gallbladder is still safe, because it has no major function in our body!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
There is a method using sound waves to break them up so they pass!. There are also medications to dissolve them over time!. If the doctor feels the best way is to remove the gall bladder, do it artheroscopically as I know people who were up and running the next day will no pain!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Topic Overview
Related Articles
Gallstones - Treatment Overview
Bowel Obstruction - Topic Overview
? More overview Articles
What are the gallbladder and gallstones!?
The gallbladder is a small sac found just under the liver!. It stores bile made by the liver!. Bile helps you digest fats!. Bile moves from the gallbladder to the small intestine through tubes called the cystic duct and common bile duct!.
Gallstones are made from cholesterol and other things found in the bile!. They can be smaller than a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball!.
Most gallstones do not cause problems!. But if they block a duct, they usually need treatment!.
What causes gallstones!?
Gallstones form when cholesterol and other things found in bile make stones!. They can also form if the gallbladder does not empty as it should!. People who are overweight or who are trying to lose weight quickly are more likely to get gallstones!.
What are the symptoms!?
Most people who have gallstones do not have symptoms!.
If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly!. Pain may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area!. Sometimes the pain is more severe!. It may be steady, or it may come and go!. Or it may get worse when you eat!.
See a picture of where pain may occur in the belly!.
When gallstones keep blocking a bile duct, you may have pain with fever and chills, or your skin or the whites of your eyes may turn yellow!. Call your doctor right away!. Having stones in your bile duct increases your chance of having a swollen pancreas (pancreatitis)!. These symptoms may also be a sign of an infected gallbladder!.
Call your doctor right away if you have sudden or bad pain in your belly or chest and you are not sure what is causing it!. Symptoms of gallstones may feel like chest pain caused by a heart attack and other serious problems!.
How are gallstones diagnosed!?
You may go to the doctor because of pain in your belly!. In this case, your doctor will ask you questions about when the pain started, where it is, and if it comes and goes or is always there!. Your doctor may order imaging tests!. These take pictures of the inside of your body!. An ultrasound of the belly is the best test to find gallstones!. This test does not hurt!.
Your ultrasound may not show gallstones!. But if your doctor still thinks you have a problem with your gallbladder, he or she may order a gallbladder scan!. In this test, a doctor injects dye into a vein in your arm!. Then a machine takes X-rays as the dye moves through your liver, bile duct, gallbladder, and intestine!.
Most people have gallstones but do not know it because they do not have symptoms!. Gallstones may be found by accident when you have tests for other health problems, or when a woman has an ultrasound during pregnancy!.
How are they treated!?
If you do not have symptoms, you probably do not need treatment!.
If your first gallstone attack causes mild pain, your doctor may tell you to take pain medicine and wait to see if the pain goes away!. You may never have another attack!. Waiting to see what happens usually will not cause problems!.
If you have a bad attack, or if you have a second attack, you may want to have your gallbladder removed!. A second attack means you are more likely to have future attacks!.
Many people have their gallbladders removed, and the surgery usually goes well!. Doctors most often use laparoscopic surgery!. For this, your surgeon will make small cuts in your belly and remove your gallbladder!. You will probably be able to go back to work or your normal routine in a week or two, but it may take longer for some people!. Sometimes the surgeon will have to make a larger cut to remove the gallbladder!. It will take longer for you to recover from this type of surgery!.
Do I need my gallbladder!?
Your body will work fine without a gallbladder!. Bile will flow straight from the liver to the intestine!. There may be small changes in how you digest food, but you probably will not notice them!.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about gallstones:Www@Answer-Health@Com
Related Articles
Gallstones - Treatment Overview
Bowel Obstruction - Topic Overview
? More overview Articles
What are the gallbladder and gallstones!?
The gallbladder is a small sac found just under the liver!. It stores bile made by the liver!. Bile helps you digest fats!. Bile moves from the gallbladder to the small intestine through tubes called the cystic duct and common bile duct!.
Gallstones are made from cholesterol and other things found in the bile!. They can be smaller than a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball!.
Most gallstones do not cause problems!. But if they block a duct, they usually need treatment!.
What causes gallstones!?
Gallstones form when cholesterol and other things found in bile make stones!. They can also form if the gallbladder does not empty as it should!. People who are overweight or who are trying to lose weight quickly are more likely to get gallstones!.
What are the symptoms!?
Most people who have gallstones do not have symptoms!.
If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly!. Pain may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area!. Sometimes the pain is more severe!. It may be steady, or it may come and go!. Or it may get worse when you eat!.
See a picture of where pain may occur in the belly!.
When gallstones keep blocking a bile duct, you may have pain with fever and chills, or your skin or the whites of your eyes may turn yellow!. Call your doctor right away!. Having stones in your bile duct increases your chance of having a swollen pancreas (pancreatitis)!. These symptoms may also be a sign of an infected gallbladder!.
Call your doctor right away if you have sudden or bad pain in your belly or chest and you are not sure what is causing it!. Symptoms of gallstones may feel like chest pain caused by a heart attack and other serious problems!.
How are gallstones diagnosed!?
You may go to the doctor because of pain in your belly!. In this case, your doctor will ask you questions about when the pain started, where it is, and if it comes and goes or is always there!. Your doctor may order imaging tests!. These take pictures of the inside of your body!. An ultrasound of the belly is the best test to find gallstones!. This test does not hurt!.
Your ultrasound may not show gallstones!. But if your doctor still thinks you have a problem with your gallbladder, he or she may order a gallbladder scan!. In this test, a doctor injects dye into a vein in your arm!. Then a machine takes X-rays as the dye moves through your liver, bile duct, gallbladder, and intestine!.
Most people have gallstones but do not know it because they do not have symptoms!. Gallstones may be found by accident when you have tests for other health problems, or when a woman has an ultrasound during pregnancy!.
How are they treated!?
If you do not have symptoms, you probably do not need treatment!.
If your first gallstone attack causes mild pain, your doctor may tell you to take pain medicine and wait to see if the pain goes away!. You may never have another attack!. Waiting to see what happens usually will not cause problems!.
If you have a bad attack, or if you have a second attack, you may want to have your gallbladder removed!. A second attack means you are more likely to have future attacks!.
Many people have their gallbladders removed, and the surgery usually goes well!. Doctors most often use laparoscopic surgery!. For this, your surgeon will make small cuts in your belly and remove your gallbladder!. You will probably be able to go back to work or your normal routine in a week or two, but it may take longer for some people!. Sometimes the surgeon will have to make a larger cut to remove the gallbladder!. It will take longer for you to recover from this type of surgery!.
Do I need my gallbladder!?
Your body will work fine without a gallbladder!. Bile will flow straight from the liver to the intestine!. There may be small changes in how you digest food, but you probably will not notice them!.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about gallstones:Www@Answer-Health@Com