The gall bladder is a very small organ located behind the liver. This organ stores the bile created by the liver and releases it whenever needed. We rarely pay attention to this organ until there is a problem and most gallbladder related problems are very painful. Unknowingly you may be harming your gall bladder by eating certain types of food like red meats and saturated fats. On the other hand, eating some types of food can improve your gall bladder health. Some such foods are:

Fiber-rich foods: Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of fiber and a must in a balanced diet. Fiber helps keep the gall bladder healthy and also helps prevent gallstones from developing. An easy way to add more fibre to your diet is to incorporate a salad with your lunch and dinner.
Water: Water not only helps hydrate the body but also helps maintain the water levels required in bile. Ideally, a person should drink 8 glasses of water a day. This should not all be drunk at one time but should be spaced out through the day. Drinking too much water at one time will result in the body expelling it in the form of urine instead of absorbing it.
Foods rich in Pectin: Pectin is a dietary fiber that binds cholesterol in the stomach and helps in its removal from the body. Since cholesterol is one of the major causes for gall stones, eating pectin-rich foods helps reduce the risk of gallstones. Some foods that are rich in pectin include citrus fruits, strawberries and apples.
Flaxseeds: Eating just one tablespoon of flax seeds a day can boost your health in a number of ways. One of the many benefits of including flaxseeds in your diet is a healthy gall bladder. Flax seeds contain mucilaginous fiber or fiber that forms a gel. This type of fiber aids in the liver s synthesis of bile acids and thus keeps the gall bladder healthy.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Not all fats are bad for the body. Omega three fatty acids play an important role in producing anti-inflammatory compounds. Some rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids include olive oil, avocados and flax seeds.
Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits are very rich in vitamins like vitamin C. a deficiency of this particular vitamin can cause gall stones. For this reason, eat plenty of citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables such as bell peppers and broccoli that are rich in vitamin C. 

Gallbladder Health - Foods that Can Help maintain it!

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!

The gallbladder is a small organ in the abdomen that stores bile. Bile is necessary to digest fat that people take with food.

Unlike other cancers, Gallbladder cancer is not very common. It is also treatable in the early stages. However, in most cases, Gallbladder Cancer is detected in late stages. At these stages, the chance of a recovery is remote. What makes early diagnosis uncommon is the absence of specific signs or symptoms.

However, there are some signs that people need to look out for.

Signs of Gallbladder Cancer

Though there are not many specific symptoms, following signs can indicate a broad range of abnormalities, including some cancers.

Pain in the upper right quadrant of abdomen

Bloating

Fever

Weight loss

A feeling of nausea

Yellowing of the skin and eyes (sign of jaundice)

Many of these symptoms may involve other organs or indicate completely different ailments. This is why people need to see the symptoms in light of other concomitant symptoms and gauge the seriousness of the problems. If a person feels that a particular symptom is not solely a gastrointestinal problem, rush to the doctor immediately.

Causes of Gallbladder Cancer

Causes of Gallbladder Cancer are not entirely clear. However, in most cases, cancer spreads from the glandular cells of the gallbladder. These cells are found in the inner body of the gallbladder. This is also known as Adenocarcinoma. Slowly, it spreads from the inner body to other organs of the body.

Risk Factors

Though the reasons for Gallbladder Cancer are not yet known, certainly there are some factors that exacerbate the risk:

Gender
More women than men suffer from Gallbladder Cancer.

Age
The risk of Gallbladder Cancer increases with age.

History of Gallbladder Stone
It has been observed that most of the Gallbladder Cancer patients have had a history of gallbladder stones. However, this does not mean that Gallbladder Cancer is common in people with a history of gallbladder stone.

Chronic gallbladder infection, gallbladder polyps, etc. can increase the risk of Gallbladder Cancer.

Stages of Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder Cancer is categorized into different stages in accordance with its spread:

Stage I
If cancer is confined within the glandular cells of gallbladder, it is put in this stage.

Stage II
If cancer has grown out of the inner layers and has invaded the outer layer of the organ, it is put in the second stage.

Stage III
If cancer has grown to such an extent as to invade nearby organs like liver, stomach, small intestine, etc., Gallbladder Cancer is put in this stage.

Stage IV
The last stage of Gallbladder Cancer is characterized by large tumors, taking into their fold multiple organs in the vicinity. Tumors may also spread to distant parts of the body.

Treatments of the Gallbladder Cancer

The treatments depend a lot on the stage of cancer and overall health. The primary goal is to remove the diseased gallbladder. It may also be possible to resect part of the liver and bile duct along with the gallbladder.

However, if that is not possible, doctors may need to resort to other therapies to prevent the disease from spreading. This may involve Radiation Therapy or Chemotherapy or a combination of both.

There are many treatments available for Gallbladder Cancer depending upon the severity of the cancer. This is why it is important to consult a doctor before opting for any treatment.

Gallbladder Cancer - Signs, Causes & Treatment Of It!

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

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

Gallstones are solid deposits/stones of digestive fluids that form in the gall bladder. The size of these stones varies from person to person. While some people may develop only one stone in the bladder, others may develop multiple gallstones simultaneously.

Signs you must watch out for-

Abdominal pain
Pain in the back or between the shoulder blades
Vomiting and nausea
Heartburn
Bloating and indigestion
Change in bowel movement
Dark urine
Fever and chills
Rapid heartbeat
Yellowish skin and pale eyes (Jaundice)
These are the most common symptoms that a person with gallstones encounters. One should consult the doctor right away upon experiencing these symptoms. If ignored for long, these signs can aggravate and lead to further complications.

Complications that may arise from gallstones-
There are quite a few complications of gallstones, including the following-

Cholecystitis- when gallstones become stuck at the neck of the gallbladder, it causes inflammation.
Obstruction in the pancreatic duct- a gallstone blocking the pancreatic duct can cause pancreatitis followed by intense abdominal pain.
Blockage in the bile duct- if the gallstones create a blockage in your bile duct, the outcome may be an infection or jaundice.
Gallbladder cancer- people, who have a history of gallstones, are more likely to develop gallbladder cancer.
Treatment of Gallstones-
Gallstones can certainly be treated, if diagnosed early in time. To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor may perform a CT scan, X-ray, Ultrasound or an ERCP. Once the condition is diagnosed, your doctor will recommend a surgery to remove the stones in the gallbladder (known as Cholecystectomy). The preferred choice of surgery includes the following-

Laparoscopic removal- In most of the cases, the doctor adopts this minimally invasive approach to remove gallstones. First, he makes a small incision in the abdomen. He will then insert a tube-like instrument with an attached camera into the gallbladder to have a clear sight of the gallstones, and surgically remove them from the gallbladder.
Open surgery- This is performed under general anesthesia. During this procedure, a single, long incision of roughly 3-6 inches is made on the upper side of your right abdomen. The tissues and muscles are pulled back to divulge the gallbladder. The gallstones are then removed, and the incision stitched up. Open surgery is performed when laparoscopic surgery is not suitable for the patient.
Gallstones cannot be managed with just diet and medications. A surgery is usually needed to remove the stones and cure the patient. For Laparoscopic surgery, the rate of success is nearly over 95%. Identify the symptoms before it aggravates, and consult a doctor for treatment.

Gall Stones - Is Surgery The Only Treatment?

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