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The gallbladder is an organ located just below the liver and is approximately 8 cm long and 4 cm wide. This hollow organ looks like a pear lying on its left side. This organ, which opens to the duodenum through the cystic canal, is connected to the common gall duct from there. We will talk about how stones form in this organ or what the symptoms of gallstones are. But first, let’s discuss in more detail what the duties of the gallbladder are.
What Does the Gallbladder Do?
The main task of this organ is to collect some of the gall produced in the liver. An average of 1500 cc bile is secreted from the liver every day. 50 cc to 100 cc of this 1500 cc gall is secreted by the gallbladder organ. This organ is especially secreted when foods with high fat content or heavy chocolate and similar foods are consumed. The reason is that this organ is stimulated by a substance called cholecystokinin. The stimulated organ begins to secrete gall, which makes it possible to digest heavy meals. It should be noted that the gall secreted by this organ is dark.
Gallbladder Stone
When cholesterol, pigments and infection in this organ meet, gall sludge formation occurs. This mud turns into gallstones over time. Stones, on the other hand, may not show any findings over the years. For this reason, the presence of the stones in question is seen when the majority of patients have an ultrasound imaging for a different reason.
Gallbladder Stones Treatment
First of all, let us state that the treatment of stones in this organ is extremely important. If left untreated, the stones fall into the gall ducts, which may result in blocking of the gall flow or the pancreas from draining its secretions. It is possible to add new complications to these. Therefore, treatment must be performed for these stones.
Treatment cannot be done with the use of medication. These stones formed by surgical intervention need to be evacuated from the body. However, patients do not have to worry at this point. With the help of today’s developing medical technology, the surgical intervention in question is completed in a short time and after a short recovery period, patients can return to their daily lives.
Gallbladder Stone Symptoms
In the early stages, gallstones do not show any symptoms. In fact, researches show that these stones can remain in this organ for a lifetime without any symptoms. In some patients, it can cause various complaints. Symptomatic causes these stones to be detected earlier. Therefore, it is possible to remove stones without causing complications. The most common of these symptoms is a pain specific to the biliary system called ‘biliary colic’. The characteristic features of this pain can be listed as follows:
- Usually starts in the upper middle and right part of the abdomen
- May spread towards the patient’s right scapula
- Pain often starts suddenly after meals
- It increases for 15 to 20 minutes after its onset and can maintain its intensity for up to 5 hours.
- Does not respond to situations such as throwin up, defecation, farting, changing the position of the body.
- Does not respond to antacid drugs that prevent heartburn
- Pain may be accompanied by excessive sweating and nausea.
- It mostly resolves on its own after a while
- When a pain with these features is experienced, it is very important to consult a doctor without wasting time and to ensure that the necessary tests are performed.
How Does Gallbladder Pain Go?
One of the most curious questions about the response of the patients is how the pain caused by the stones in this organ can pass. At this point, you can choose to use pain medication by consulting your doctor. However, it should not be forgotten that pain medication is a temporary solution. After a while, these pains can be felt again.
The only way to get rid of the pain is to clean the stones by using surgical intervention. After the surgery, gallbladder pain may disappear completely and it may be possible for the patient to regain their daily life comfort. At this point, a critical element should be underlined. Indiscriminately used medicines or herbal remedies can harm your health. It cannot be said that all the information obtained from the internet is correct. For this reason, you should never use various herbal cures or medicines that are claimed to be good for this pain without consulting your doctor.
Gallbladder Surgery
It must be diagnosed before the operation. In addition to the patient’s history and physical examination, you may also be asked to have some tests to make a diagnosis. At this point, radiological examinations such as ultrasonography, computed tomography and MR imaging come into play. The results of these examinations are also evaluated by the doctor, so the diagnosis can be made and the operation planning stage can be started.
Nowadays, gallbladder surgeries are performed with much more advanced techniques. We can state that the most commonly used surgical technique is endoscopic. This method, which is based on the procedure of cleaning stones by entering through the mouth, is called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. If a complication does not develop, it is possible for the patient to be discharged on the day of the operation and return to his daily life. However, sometimes it may be necessary to perform the operation with an open technique.
In this case, it will be beneficial for the patient to rest for a few days. When the surgery to remove the stones in this organ is performed under anesthesia, it is not possible for the patient to feel any pain or pain. Therefore, patients do not have to worry about this.
You can support the digestive system to work more comfortably by making simple changes in your diet after the operation. You can get detailed information about this from your doctor. It can be preferred to consume high-fiber foods. We can give the following examples of these foods:
- Beans, lentils, peas, and potatoes
- Barley and oats
- Whole grain bread
- Raw nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews
- Raw seed varieties such as chia and poppy seeds
- Seasonal fruits and vegetables
- Lean meat and fish
Gallbladder Polyps
This is a thickening of the gallbladder wall in its most general form. In our clinic, surgery is not performed for polyps below 1 cm. Polyps larger than 1 cm have a 5% chance of becoming cancerous. Therefore, surgery is required.
Is There a Non-Surgical Solution for Gallstones? What is ERCP?
Patients often wonder if there is a non-surgical solution for the gallbladder, but it should be noted that there is no non-surgical solution. We can state that this problem is often confused with kidney stones. At the end of the bile ducts is the intestine and the end of this pathway has a narrower structure.
Stones falling from the gallbladder get stuck in this channel and cause obstruction of the bile ducts. It should not be forgotten that pancreatic fluids also flow to the same place. Therefore, this fluid begins to accumulate where the clogging occurs. It should be known that this situation is extremely dangerous as it can cause pancreatic inflammation. Therefore, you should definitely consult a doctor to surgically clean the stones in this organ. You can write all your questions you want to be answered on the subject in the comment section.
