The gallbladder can be found under the liver and is a pear shaped organ. This four inch organ is responsible for storing bile, which is a combination of the various fluids as well as fat and cholesterol. These are essential for the body and its metabolism, as the bile helps in breaking down the food that enters the digestive system. With the help of the gallbladder, this bile divides the food into smaller parts within the intestine. This ensures that the energy released by the food is more easily absorbed into the bloodstream. There are a host of problems that can attack the gall bladder including stones, infection and more.

Let us find out the symptoms of a gallbladder attack and the various ways in which it may be successfully treated.

    Pain: One of the most common symptoms of a gallbladder attack includes pain. This can be felt in the section that lies in the middle and the upper right portion of the abdomen. The patient may initially experience mild pain that comes and goes intermittently. Eventually, if the pain is not treated, it can start to radiate on a constant basis and hold the patient in its grip.
    Nausea: Nausea and vomiting are also common symptoms of any gallbladder related problem. Chronic cases usually end up experiencing these symptoms. Nausea and vomiting in such conditions are a result of digestive problems like acid reflux which can be caused due to the gall bladder condition.
    Fever: If there is an infection in the gall bladder, then the patient may also experience fever and chills. This will require immediate treatment and the prescription of antibiotics. If it is not treated on time, the problem can become serious and dangerous.
    Loose Motions: Diarrhoea is a problem faced by many patients suffering from this condition along with jaundice and lighter coloured stools.

Treatment: Mostly, doctors will recommend surgical methods to deal with gall bladder attacks and conditions. A laparoscopic surgery may be conducted to remove the gallbladder. Also, medication will be prescribed to dissolve the gallstones that may have been caused by cholesterol. The patient will also have to undertake many lifestyle changes in order to successfully treat this condition over a period of time.

One will have to avoid greasy and oily food. Also, the fat intake of the patient will have to be reduced so that the cholesterol build up does not affect the gallbladder again. The patient will also have to add fibre to his or her daily diet, in the form of fruit and oats. This will help in improving the bowel movements as well.

The Symptoms and Treatment of Gallbladder Attack

It is an extremely embarrassing situation to have a bladder leakage. Social life could be altered, with reduced socialising for fear of losing control in the presence of others. Though not discussed frankly, it is an extremely common issue and about 25 million people in the United States suffer from this, with 75% of these being women.

Treatment depends on the type of incontinence, such as stress, urge, overflow, functional, or mixed. It starts with least invasive methods like lifestyle changes moving over to surgical approaches.

Ways to manage it

With trips to the toilet increasing considerably when you have urinary incontinence, simple measures can help manage leakage.

Bladder training: Train your bladder to control the urge for another 10 minutes. This happens by voluntarily contracting the muscles and holding up the urge to go to the toilet. Gradually, it will help increase the frequency of the visit to 4 to 6 hours.
Scheduled toilet trips: Whether or not there is an urge, visit the toilet every 4 to 6 hours.
Double emptying: Even after you have voided, force yourself to void one more time. The residual urine, which is almost always present in the bladder, also gets emptied.
Food/diet modifications: Stress incontinence is worsened by alcohol, spicy foods, acidic foods, and caffeine. Avoiding these can help reduce bladder leakage.
Kegel exercises: The simple repetition of contracting the pelvic floor muscles, holding it in place, and releasing it can do wonders for strengthening the pelvic floor. This can be done anywhere and any time of the day and is very effective for improving bladder control.
Catheters: These can be used if the incontinence is short-lived; the person would need to learn how to safely insert and remove it.
Absorbent pads and medical devices: The absorbent pads are helpful in preventing embarrassment during social situations. On the other hand, medical devices like pessary are inserted into the vagina to support the bladder neck and thereby prevent leakage from the bladder.
Drugs: Anticholinergics/antimuscarinics are useful to control a leaking bladder. Botox injections can help paralyse the overactive bladder muscles and provide a solution. Topical oestrogen may be used in small amounts to improve tone and reduce incontinence. Alpha blockers are also used in some people with good results. There are muscles that relax the bladder and increase the amount of urine it can contain.
Surgery: In the event that all these measures are not useful, surgical correction is possible. Sling procedure where an artificial mesh is used to support the urethra. Bladder neck suspension is where the bladder neck is given support to prevent leakage. If there is a pelvic organ prolapse, that is corrected to rectify the bladder leakage.

 Bladder Leakage - Solutions To Help You Manage It!

Surgeons perform the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Procedure when there is an obstruction to the flow of bile from the gallbladder to the digestive system. This may happen due to the formation of stones in the gallbladder. 

In case there is stone in the gallbladder, it calls for the removal of gallbladder. If the gallbladder is not removed, it may give rise to abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, pain in the shoulder, arms, etc. It may also lead to jaundice and infection and put the pancreas in difficulty. The gallbladder removal procedure can be carried out through the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

In this procedure, the gallbladder is removed from the abdomen through small incisions using a laparoscope and other surgical instruments. A total of five incisions are made into the abdomen.

Role of Gallbladder and Why Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy is Needed?

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located at the right side of the liver. It helps the digestive system of the body. The gallbladder stores the bile juice made by the liver. This bile juice helps in digesting the fat. If there are stones in the gallbladder, it can block the flow of bile fluid, which affects the functionality of digestive system. This problem is known as Gallstones. A Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy is performed when there is a stone in the gallbladder.

What Is a Laparoscope and How Is It Used?

A laparoscope is a narrow tube-like structure that carries a camera in front of it. This instrument is inserted through a small incision and the doctor manipulates it to view the targeted area clearly. He can view the area clearly on the monitor. Surgical instruments are then inserted through other incisions, and the gallbladder is removed.

The Procedure:

Before the procedure, the patient is administered with general anesthesia. This relaxes the muscles and prevents pain. The patient falls asleep and the doctor carries out the procedure. Carbon dioxide is inserted into the abdomen to inflate it. After this, a small incision is made in the navel and the laparoscope is inserted through it. The surgeon may also perform an X-ray to confirm the existence of stones in the common bile duct. Once he is confirmed about the existence of stones, he inserts surgical instruments through other incisions. The surgeon removes the gallbladder through these incisions.

What Are the Benefits of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Procedure?

There are many benefits of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy over open gallbladder removal:

The patient suffers less discomfort compared to regular surgery.

The patient also needs to stay in the hospital for a lesser number of days as compared to open surgery.

The patient also suffers smaller tears as compared to open surgery.

Risks of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy:

The risk of complications is low in a laparoscopic procedure. However, there are still some risks, that include:

Infection

Business

Injury to the common bile duct

Shoulder Pain

Leakage of Bile

Conclusion:

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become a popular option for patients suffering from gallbladder stone. Surgeons often suggest this procedure so that patients can recover quickly and there is minimal bleeding. However, the laparoscopic surgeon must be experienced to perform this type of surgery. An experienced laparoscopic surgeon can ensure that there are minimal bleeding and little risk of other side effects during the procedure. The patient must be able to recover quickly and get back to his routine.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Procedure!

Diet and other lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise and high waist-hip ratio are seen to be the significant contributing factors of certain medical conditions, gallstones one among them. Gallstones have become a highly prevalent issue in India, with an increasing number of patients reporting abdominal pain and discomfort. And it is also seen to be more common in females than in males. If your doctor suspects this problem, then he would proceed with the diagnosis and treatment as applicable.

How are gallstones treated?
If gallstones are not leading to any signs or symptom, then in such cases the treatment is not required. However, if an individual suffers from any symptoms or a gallbladder attack, then the health care provider normally recommends undergoing surgery. This surgery is used for removing the gallbladder. Sometimes, the individual may not be in a condition to undergo surgery and, in such cases, conventional treatment may be used for curing the disorder.

The surgery for the removal of the gallbladder is known as the cholecystectomy and is one of the most common surgical interventions performed for people with gallstones. The gallbladder is not considered to be a significant organ in the human body. This means that an individual can easily survive without the gallbladder. As the gallbladder is removed, bile starts flowing out of the liver through common and hepatic bile ducts without creating any issues.

What are the surgical options required for removal of gallstones?
There are two types of surgeries used for removal of stones in the gallbladder. These are explained below.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: In this surgery, the surgeon makes small incisions in the abdomen for the insertion of a laparoscope, which has a tiny camera attached to it. This camera enables a magnified image to be sent to the video monitor so that the surgeon can see the tissues and organs clearly. At the same time, the surgeon uses certain instruments for carefully separating the gallbladder from the liver, bile ducts and other organs. Then the gallbladder is carefully removed through one of the small incisions. This is the most suitable options for the removal of the gallbladder since it is performed on an outpatient basis, which means that the patient can go home the same day.
Open cholecystectomy: This is done when the gallbladder has severe inflammation or infection or scars from different operations. This may also be performed at the time of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In such cases, the surgeon switches to open cholecystectomy as a safety means for the patient.
What to expect after the procedure?
A small percentage of the patients have softer and more frequent stools after the removal of the gallbladder. These changes in bowel habits are normally temporary, and they are required to be consulted with the expert.
Since the incidence of gallstones is found to be related to gallbladder cancer, it is essential to work with your doctor to avail proper treatment and avoid such dire complications.

Surgical Option To Remove Gallstones - Know Which One Will Be Better For You!

Gallstone Pancreatitis is the result of a blockage in the pancreatic duct by a gallstone. Due to the blockage in the pancreatic duct, inflammation occurs and causes the problem to begin.

This can be a life-threatening situation and should be immediately checked. If the stones from the gallbladder travel down the common bile duct and get stuck at the sphincter, it can stop the outflow of all materials from the pancreas as well as the liver and become quite severe. There are a lot of risks involved when a person suffers from this issue. Rapid weight loss, high cholesterol levels, diabetes are a few of the risks of the disease.

Symptoms of Gallstone Pancreatitis
There are a number of symptoms like pangs of pain in the upper left abdomen and the back, swollen and tender abdomen, vomiting and nausea, increase in the heart rate, fever and more can be seen in a patient suffering from gallstone pancreatitis. Any individual who notices any of the following symptoms should get themselves checked immediately. Any pain in the upper abdominal area can be aggravated by eating foods which are high in fat as well.

Diagnosis of Gallstone Pancreatitis
In order to be completely sure about having gallstone pancreatitis, a number of tests are performed. Blood tests are followed by abdominal CAT scan to check for the inflammation of the pancreas. This also shows how severe the inflammation of the pancreas is. Sometimes abdominal ultrasound is also suggested as CAT scans are sometimes not as sensitive in identifying the problem. Once the problem has been detected, immediate treatment is recommended by doctors.

The Treatment of Gallstone Pancreatitis
The best treatment for pancreatitis is done in the initial stage of the problem. By avoiding taking in liquids and solid food up until the inflammation subsides is one of the best treatments. If the inflammation is relatively modest, the swelling can reduce in a few days by intravenous delivery of fluids for a couple of days.

1. If a CAT scan or MRI of abdomen suggest that a stone in present in the Common bile Duct (CBD), the an Endoscopic treatment referred as ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography) is done. 

2. After the acute pancreatitis episode settles down, patient must undergo a Gall Bladder removal surgery. This is done as gall bladder is the factory of gall stones and patient is at-risk to another episode of Acute Pancreatitis.

In case of severe inflammation, fever and persisting pain, intravenous delivery of food should continue if oral intake of food does not start within 5 to 7 days. Anti-nausea medications are used to treat severe nausea and vomiting along with nasogastric tube. In certain cases, it is important to remove the gallstones from the bladder immediately while in some cases doctors suggest waiting for a period of 24-48 hours before starting the removal procedure. Sometimes a surgical removal of the gallstones is also required but only if the stones do not pass out of the system on their own.

All You Need to Know About Gallstone Pancreatitis

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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