This procedure requires only an overnight hospital stay and a week of recovery at home. You can easily live without a gallbladder. The liver produces enough bile for normal digestion. When the gallbladder is removed, bile simply flows directly into the small intestine through the common bile duct.
When no food is present, loose stools may result, but you can treat that with a bile acid—binding medication, such as cholestyramine Questran. If you can't or don't want to undergo surgery and your gallstones are small, one option is to take ursodiol Actigall, Urso , a naturally occurring bile acid that helps dissolve cholesterol stones when taken by mouth two to four times a day.
It's also used to prevent the formation of gallstones in people who are losing weight quickly. Ursodiol dissolves only those gallstones made of cholesterol, and it may take several months before it has an effect.
Drug therapy is occasionally combined with lithotripsy, in which sound waves from outside the body are used to break gallstones into pieces that dissolve more easily or are small enough to safely pass through the bile duct.
Unfortunately, stones are likely to recur after medical treatment. There's no proven way to prevent gallstones, but research suggests some possibilities. Eat three well-balanced meals daily, maintain a normal weight, and get regular exercise at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week.
Several studies have linked moderate alcohol consumption to a lower risk for symptom-causing gallstones. The Nurses' Health Study also found that women with more fiber in their diets and those who ate several 1-ounce servings of nuts per week were less likely to need gallbladder surgery. Avoiding fatty foods won't prevent or get rid of gallstones, but it may reduce the frequency of attacks.
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When your digestive system is running smoothly, you tend not to think about it. Once trouble begins, your gut — like a squeaky wheel — suddenly demands your attention. This Special Health Report, The Sensitive Gut , covers the major sources of gastrointestinal distress: irritable bowel syndrome, gastric reflux, upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, and excess gas.
It also includes a special Bonus Section describing how emotional stress and anxiety can cause gastrointestinal distress. Thanks for visiting. Your liver will continue to produce bile. The body adjusts and you can function just fine.
Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What Causes a Gallbladder Attack? A gallbladder attack can cause sudden and severe pain. What does the gallbladder do? Gallbladder Attack Symptoms When gallstones get stuck while traveling through the duct tube to the stomach, they block the outflow of bile, which causes the gallbladder to spasm. Other common symptoms of a gallbladder attack include: Pain that lasts several hours Abdominal pain after eating Nausea or vomiting Fever or chills Light-colored stool Brownish-colored urine Yellowing of skin or whites of eyes Seek immediate medical care if you are having some of these symptoms.
Advancements have been made in better understanding the gallstone formation process. Gallstones may be caused by:. When the bile contains too much cholesterol and not enough bile salts, cholesterol gallstones may develop. Aside from a high concentration of cholesterol, there are two other factors that seem to be of importance in causing gallstones.
Movement of the gallbladder is referred to as gallbladder motility. This small but muscular organ squeezes to force bile into the bile duct. If the gallbladder does not perform as it should, the bile may not be able to makes its way into the bile duct, instead becoming concentrated and forming small crystals.
Gallstones may also be created by proteins in the liver and bile. These proteins may either promote cholesterol crystallization into gallstones. Gallstones affect approximately one million people every year, with women being twice as likely to become afflicted than men. They will join the estimated 20 million Americans —roughly 10 percent of the population— who already have gallstones.
A person with gallstones may have what are called "silent stones". Studies show that most people with silent stones may not experience any symptoms at all for awhile, remaining symptom-free for years and requiring no treatment. Silent stones may go undiagnosed until they begin to cause discomfort.
A common complication cause by gallstones is blockage of the cystic duct. Sometimes gallstones may make their way out of the gallbladder and into the cystic duct, the channel through which bile travels from the gallbladder to the small intestine. An inflammation of the gallbladder cholecystitis can occur if the flow of bile in the cystic duct is severely impeded or blocked by any gallstones.
A less common but more serious problem occurs if the gallstones become lodged in the bile ducts between the liver and the small intestine. This condition, called cholangitis, can block bile flow from the gallbladder and liver, causing pain, jaundice and fever.
Gallstones may also interfere with the flow of digestive fluids into the small intestine, leading to an inflammation of the pancreas, or pancreatitis. Prolonged blockage of any of these ducts can cause severe damage to the gallbladder, liver, or pancreas, which can be fatal. When actually looking for gallstones, the most common diagnostic tool is ultrasound.
An ultrasound examination, also known as ultrasonography, uses sound waves to create images of the various abdominal organs … including the gallbladder. If stones are present, the sound waves will bounce off the stones, revealing their location. Occassionaly, other tests needed to detect small stones, or verify their non-existance, may be required. Acalculus cholecystitis, or inflammation of the gallbladder without stones, may occur in conjunction with other severe illnesses.
This condition occurs when the gallbladder fluids become infected as a result of being stagnant during a long illness. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Cholelithiasis. Merck Manual Professional Version. Accessed June 16, American Gastroenterological Association. Feldman M, et al. Gallstone disease. Elsevier; Rajan E expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 22, Related Gallbladder cleanse: A 'natural' remedy for gallstones?
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