Gallstone removal surgery is mainly of two types i.e. keyhole surgery and open surgery. In the case of the former, the patient is not required to stay in the hospital after the surgery, but in the case of the latter, the patient cannot be immediately discharged. Even though after the surgery the amount of bile that is necessary is made by the liver, still patients sometimes feel difficulty in digesting foods with fatty acids. But there are some steps which you can undertake that will give you relief from the complications that arise after the surgery.

A proper diet: A proper diet is very necessary for the fast recovery of your gall bladder. So, introduce different food groups gradually. To start with you can have liquid foods like broth or gelatin and then progress to solid foods. You should avoid fatty foods and fried foods as much as you can. Maintain a low-fat diet. Hence, the food items which you must discard from your list includes pizzas, creamy soups, burgers, chocolate, spicy foods, meat gravies and oily foods. And probably after a month, you can start eating the high fiber foods like nuts, legumes, whole-grain bread, broccoli, cabbage and others which would help prevent constipation.
Do some mild exercise: Exercise is essential in improving body condition in any circumstance, and gallstone removal surgery is no exception. Heavy exercise that will place stress on your wounds is not recommended. You can go for a walk or indulge in such mild workouts. Any physical activity that causes discomfort should be stopped immediately.
Increase your fluid intake: Don t let your body be dehydrated. Drink water from time to time. Dehydration will slow down the recovery process and also result in fatigue. Drink fruit juices too as they will not help in restoring the nutrients in your body but also prevent dehydration.
Take care of your incision area: Taking care of the cuts is very important otherwise they might get infected. So take care of your incisions and change the bandage regularly. Wash the area carefully, and you can apply any antiseptic too but only with the advice of the doctor. You must avoid swimming pool or warm water or bathtub till the incision is completely healed.
Take pain medications if it becomes unbearable: If you experience too much after the surgery, then you can ask your doctor to prescribe some pain medications that will help you with the pain. However, don t panic as the pain is completely normal in the initial days and you may even feel pain in other portions of the body like your shoulders as well.
With these points in mind, you will be able to recover very fast and resume your normal day-to day activities in no time.

Gallstone Removal Surgery - Get Relief In A Fast And Easy Way!

This surgery involves the removal of Gallbladder, which is a pear-shaped organ that lies right beneath the right side of the liver. The main function of the gallbladder is to collect and concentrate bile, which is a digestive juice produced by liver after eating, aiding digestion. The most common disorder of the digestive system is presence of Gallstones, which are the stones made up of a mixture consisting of cholesterol, bile pigment and calcium salts.

These Gallstones don t cause any problems in most cases. But prompt treatment is required if stones block ducts and cause infections and inflammation in the pancreas. This may lead to removal of the gallbladder through a surgery, known as cholecystectomy, which further includes techniques such as laparoscopic (keyhole) cholecystectomy or open surgery.
Although it is a less vital organ, the body can cope up even after removal.

Procedure of surgery:

    The surgery involves removal of gallbladder and gallstones through several incisions in the abdomen. In order to see clearly, the surgeon inflates the abdomen with air or carbon dioxide.
    A lighted scope attached to a video camera is inserted into one incision near the belly button. The video monitor is used as a guide for inserting other surgical instruments into the other incisions to remove the gallbladder.
    Intraoperative cholangiography is the X-ray procedure which shows the anatomy of bile ducts. This is done before the surgeon removes the gallbladder.
    Bile flows from the liver through the common bile duct after the surgery into the small intestine. As the gallbladder has been removed, the gallbladder can no longer store bile between meals but has no effect or little effect on digestion.
    In case of open surgery, the surgeon reaches the gallbladder through a large, single incision in the abdominal wall.

Complications after gallbladder surgery:
This surgery carries some degree of risk like any other surgery. Complications such as internal bleeding, infection, injury to nearby digestive organs, injury to the bile duct and injury to blood vessels.

Types of gallstones:
There are three main types of gallstones. They are
1. Mixed stones: They are made up of cholesterol and salts. They tend to develop in batches.
2. Cholesterol stones: Mainly made of cholesterol, which is crucial to many metabolic processes. They can grow large enough to block the bile ducts.
3. Pigment stones: The colour of bile is greenish-brown, due to some particular pigments.

Medical factors to consider before cholecystectomy:
The most important factor is a consideration of your medical history. This is because the pre-existing conditions influence decisions on surgery and anaesthetic and information about any bad reactions or side effects from any medications would be helpful for surgery.

Self-care after the surgery:
Taking rest is the most important thing after surgery. Avoid things such as heavy lifting and physical exertion. The usual recovery period after the surgery is one week. 

Gallstone Surgery - Things You Should Know About It 

Sometimes, when it comes to problems in the abdominal area, an ultrasound is not clear enough for a diagnosis. In such cases, an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) may be performed. This procedure gives the doctor a clear view of the duodenum, bile duct, pancreatic ducts, gallbladder and papilla of Vater.

This procedure is usually performed under intravenous sedation without general anesthesia. This procedure involves the use of a duodenoscope, which can be described as a thin, long, flexible tube with a camera at one end. It also has a fiber optic bundle that transmits lights to the camera and a chip to transmit video images to a TV screen.

This is inserted through the patient s mouth and sent down the throat through the food pipe to the stomach and duodenum while the patient is lying on his or her back. The air pipe is left undisturbed so as to not interfere with the patient s breathing. Since the patient is not under general anesthesia, he or she can move and turn according to the doctor s needs. The papilla of Vater is a small nipple like structure with an opening to the bile duct and pancreatic duct. Once this has been identified, a small plastic catheter is passed through the duodenoscope into the bile duct or pancreatic duct through the papilla. Dye is then injected into the area and X-rays are taken of the bile ducts and pancreatic duct. In cases where a biopsy is needed, other instruments can also be passed through the endoscope. Plastic or metal stents can also be passed through this to relieve obstructions in the bile ducts and pancreatic ducts.

ERCP can be used to diagnose and treat a number of conditions in the liver, bile ducts, gall bladder, pancreas and papilla of Vater. These include:

  Blockage of the bile duct by gallstones, cancer, scars, tumors or compression from adjacent organs.

  Jaundice due to an obstructed bile duct. This can also cause light stools and dark urine.

  Persistent upper abdominal pain

  Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite

  Diagnosing a Dysfunctioning Sphincter of Oddi within the Papilla of Vater

ERCP can also be used to confirm pancreatic cancer and cancer of the bile duct. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctors can customize treatment according to the patient s needs.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography - Procedure and Results

Gall bladder stones can be painful. Until and unless it is surgically removed and cured from within, the pain continues to hinder daily life. The good news is that there are ways by which pain from gall bladder stones could be managed. 

Here is a list of quick, easy-to-follow remedies to counter the pain.

Heat Pack: Applying a heat pack or hot water bottle on to the stomach making sure that the heat is directly passed on to the gall bladder can give instant relief from the pain. The heat should be applied at an interval of half an hour and a layer of cloth should be placed in between the skin and the heat pack.
Over the counter medicine: In most cases, over the counter pain relief meds can make the pain go away. NSAIDs should be avoided until and unless suggested by the doctor. A pain relief medicine with anti-inflammatory properties will perfectly suit the gall bladder condition.
Try vegetable juice: While gulping vegetable juice might sound a little indifferent, it has instant benefits with no side effect. All it needs is to mix beetroot, cucumber, and carrot in equal proportions and extract the juice from it. The juice extracted from this mixture should be consumed twice in a week to flush out the toxins from the system and ease the gall bladder pain.
Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits such as lemon, orange etc. contains pectin that is believed to be a remover of stones and blockages. This is also believed to be a great agent for countering pain originating from the gall bladder. Consumption of 10-12 tablespoon of lemon juice extracted from fresh lemons followed by a glass of water will wither the pain away in few weeks.
A mixture of honey and turmeric: Honey s antiseptic nature prevents infection and the curcumin found in turmeric makes the bile more soluble in the gall bladder. These two herbs in tandem can ease the gall bladder pain and get relief from the stones too. A tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of turmeric should be consumed daily to get the benefits.
Take the herbal route: There are several herbals that are believed to be extremely effective in treating pain origination from the gall bladder. Some of them include goldenseal, quebrapedra, catnip, fennel seed, yellow dock, rosemary, nettle, peppermint herbal tea etc.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is acidic in nature and consumption of a quarter of a glass followed by a quarter of a glass of apple juice can show instant results. It should be consumed daily after breakfast. There are instances where the pain eases out within a matter of 15 minutes.

Gall Bladder Stone Pain - Tips To Help You Manage It!

These Gallstones don t cause any problems in most cases. But prompt treatment is required if stones block ducts and cause infections and inflammation in the pancreas. This may lead to the removal of the gallbladder through a surgery, known as cholecystectomy, which further includes techniques such as laparoscopic (keyhole) cholecystectomy or open surgery.

Although it is a less vital organ, the body can cope up even after removal.

Procedure of surgery:

The surgery involves removal of gallbladder and gallstones through several incisions in the abdomen. In order to see clearly, the surgeon inflates the abdomen with air or carbon dioxide.
A lighted scope attached to a video camera is inserted into one incision near the belly button. The video monitor is used as a guide for inserting other surgical instruments into the other incisions to remove the gallbladder.
Intraoperative cholangiography is the X-ray procedure which shows the anatomy of bile ducts. This is done before the surgeon removes the gallbladder.
Bile flows from the liver through the common bile duct after the surgery into the small intestine. As the gallbladder has been removed, the gallbladder can no longer store bile between meals but has no effect or little effect on digestion.
In case of open surgery, the surgeon reaches the gallbladder through a large, single incision in the abdominal wall.
Complications after gallbladder surgery:

This surgery carries some degree of risk like any other surgery. Complications such as internal bleeding, infection, injury to nearby digestive organs, injury to the bile duct and injury to blood vessels.

Types of gallstones:

There are three main types of gallstones. They are

Mixed stones: They are made up of cholesterol and salts. They tend to develop in batches.
Cholesterol stones: Mainly made of cholesterol, which is crucial to many metabolic processes. They can grow large enough to block the bile ducts.
Pigment stones: The colour of bile is greenish-brown, due to some particular pigments.
Medical factors to consider before cholecystectomy:

The most important factor is a consideration of your medical history. This is because the pre-existing conditions influence decisions on surgery and anaesthetic and information about any bad reactions or side effects from any medications would be helpful for surgery.

Self-care after the surgery:

Taking rest is the most important thing after surgery. Avoid things such as heavy lifting and physical exertion. The usual recovery period after the surgery is one week.

Know Everything About Gallstone Surgery!

Ever heard of that phrase  I can taste bile at the back of my mouth ? It is generally used to express disgust. However, in medical parlance,  bile , the English synonym for disgust, plays an important role in the digestive system. It helps in the digestion of fats (breaks the fats down to smaller particles) and contains the waste products of the blood. Bile is secreted from the gallbladder which is a small organ (sac-shaped) present below the liver.

Gallbladder surgery is carried out to treat gallbladder related problems such as gallbladder stones. Presence of gallstones in the gallbladder can hamper bile production. The symptoms that you may experience include feeling unwell and fatigued, the color of the skin turning yellow and an intense tummy ache. The first method of treatment for gallstones is to dissolve them with the help of natural means. However, if this does not work, then gallbladder surgery is done.

Pre-surgery
A pre-surgery assessment is carried out by the doctor a few weeks prior to the surgery. A general health check and blood tests are carried out to determine the procedure of the surgery. Your concerns regarding the surgery are addressed by the doctor; he/she also advises you on how to prepare for your surgery.
Procedure

Gallbladder surgery can be performed in two ways; an open surgery or a laparoscopic surgery. The type of surgery you will undergo will depend on your tests.

Laparoscopic surgery: In this procedure, an incision is made on the belly button (naval region). Following this, two or three other incisions are made on the right side of the stomach. Carbon dioxide is then pumped into the stomach to make the abdomen inflated and a laparoscope is then inserted to see the insides of the abdomen. Through the other incisions, surgical instruments are inserted to remove the gallbladder. Once the removal procedure is completed, the carbon dioxide is pumped out and the incisions are closed.
Open surgery: In an open surgery, a larger incision (as compared to laparoscopic surgery) is made in the abdomen, right below the ribs. The gallbladder is removed using surgical instruments and then the incision is closed.
Post-surgery: In case of laparoscopic surgery, the recovery period is shorter; around two weeks. An open surgery, on the other hand, requires a longer recovery period of 6-8 weeks. You can live a normal life without the gallbladder, as the bile will then directly travel to the digestive system. Mild symptoms of diarrhea and bloating may be experienced. However, they should be temporary and subside within a few days.

Gall Bladder Problems - Which Surgical Procedure Can Help?

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