Around 80% of people who have gallstones have no symptoms and their gallbladder can remain in place unless problems develop. In the remaining 20%, gallstones can cause inflammation and a condition called cholecystitis. If you have this, you tend to develop symptoms of biliary colic – intense abdominal pain accompanied by nausea, vomiting and fever – that are usually only relieved by removal of gallbladder, part of the bile duct and all the stones that can be found. This article on gallbladder removal is by Kathryn Senior, a freelance journalist who writes health, medical, biological, and pharmaceutical articles for national and international journals, newsletters and web sites.
It is also possible for the gallstones to shift out of the gallbladder and block the bile duct, the tube leading from the gallbladder into the intestine. This leads to obstructive jaundice, which causes the skin to yellow and become very itchy. Stones can also escape to block the pancreatic duct, causing acute pancreatitis. Again, removal of gallbladder and stones is necessary to relieve the immediate symptoms and to take away the source of the problem.
Although gallbladder removal is a necessary and sometimes life-saving operation, it is not without its risks and long-term effects. Learning more about these can help you cope if you do have to have to undergo removal of gallbladder surgery.
Gallbladder removal can be done in one of two ways. The traditional surgical technique of open surgery involves having a fairly large incision in the abdomen. This is still done if the gallbladder is very inflamed, or if stones have lodged in the bile duct or the pancreatic duct as the surgeon needs to see the surrounding tissues. However, most gallbladder removal is now performed using a keyhole technique as this takes less time and you recover more quickly afterwards. In both cases, removal of gallbladder is done under general anaesthetic and involves at least a couple of nights in hospital.
If you have removal of gallbladder and stones by laparoscopic surgery, your abdomen will be very sore for a few days but as healing takes place, you will start to feel better. The severe symptoms that you may have had before the operation will have gone away and you may feel healthier than you did for several weeks before. However, it is important to bear in mind that the gallbladder is an important organ. It is a storage sac for the bile produced by the liver, a fluid that is released into the intestine after meals to help with the digestion of fatty foods. Removal of gallbladder can have various long-term effects on digestion and the digestive system and there are important signs to look out for that may mean you need follow up treatment.
Once gallbladder removal has taken place there is nothing to store bile released from the liver, so this just then drips in a steady way into the intestine. It is not released just after meals, so your digestion of fatty foods is not as efficient as before the operation. You may find that eating fatty meals causes vomiting or diarrhoea as your system cannot digest enough of the fat.
Eating a low-fat diet, rich in fibre and fresh fruit and vegetables can help a lot, as can taking several smaller meals each day, rather than three larger ones.
This is the medical term for a recognised collection of symptoms that tend to appear in around 40% of people after removal of gallbladder and stones. These symptoms are not particularly related to eating fatty meals – they tend to occur most of the time. People with post-cholecystectomy syndrome often have constant diarrhoea, bloating and wind because of the constant production of bile. Eating high fibre foods help, as can avoiding caffeine and dairy products. It is also a good idea to drink plenty of water.
Some people also find they are plagued by nagging abdominal pains. These may be due to surgical adhesions and scarring after removal of gallbladder by open surgery but they can still occur in people who have had laparoscopic surgery. Both forms of operation tend to damage the valve that controls the flow of bile into the intestine and this, and the lining of the intestine near to the point of bile release can become very irritate and inflamed.
Symptoms range from mild to severe in a few cases but can usually be controlled by drug treatment and by adjusting your diet.
There seems to be evidence for a slight increased risk of developing colon cancer in people who have undergone gallbladder removal. This is thought to be connected with continual bile release.
It is possible for gallstones to recur after gallbladder removal and for the intense pain and discomfort to come back. These symptoms may be from stones forming in the bile duct, but are more likely to be stones that were in the ducts and missed at the time of gallbladder removal. These can be removed in a second operation or they can be dissolved using drugs.
It is important to remember that most people – 60% of those who have gallbladder removal – do not experience any after effects and live normal and healthy lives. If you do experience discomfort or digestive problems after your removal of gallbladder surgery, it is better to get help and treatment sooner rather than later.
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