Gallbladder Problems

Can cholecystectomy be a new trend or fad in medicine today? When I was younger, the most frequently asked medical question was "do you have tonsils?" Then it becomes "do you have your attachment?" And now it seems, or at least becomes, "do you have your gall bladder?"

When Rock was diagnosed with "stomachache" and was diagnosed with gall bladder problems, I started to notice. I have been asking friends for years about their gall bladder and aches, but never paid attention because it wasn't "me," as in my family. It's closer to home now so I see the situation. Once you start paying attention, you realize how many people have been bitten by their gall bladder.

According to Merck.com there are more than 500,000 cholecystectomy performed each year in the US. Although the incidence of gall bladder disease remains relatively constant, according to LaparoEndoscopy.com, the performance of the colististectomy has increased dramatically. Laparoscopic surgery is revolutionizing the pathogenesis and treatment of gall bladder disease. The approach was introduced to the United States in 1989, and is now one of the top 10 surgeries performed in the US.

Are cholecystitis (glabbladder inflammation) and corals still a problem with modern Western diets? I suspect so. I'd like to briefly describe what type of bile duct problem is, what causes bile duct problems, and what options are there to help you feel better. I don't expect any absolute discoveries, but hopefully enough information is available to help you before you run into problems with your gall bladder.

Bile, a 3-inch (7-10cm) pear-shaped organ, tucks under your liver in the upper right quadrant of your abdomen. It stores bile, the digestive fluid produced in your heart, as a source of support for liver storage capacity. It's like a wheel with a single path (bile duct) in and out. Liver is used to help you digest foods, especially fat. Bile removal is performed through a laparoscopic procedure called cholecystectomy. And it seems to be done frequently. Is it the right choice for Rock? At 86?

What can happen to your gall bladder? List here, taken from various sources online:

• bile stones in the gall bladder (cholelithiasis)
• bile stones in bile ducts (choledocholithias)
• bile duct obstruction, damage bile flow (cholestasis)
• cancer
• polyp
• inflammation, or cholecycstitis
• bile reflux
• Bile disorders where it is not easily removed (biliary dyskinesia)
• bile duct inflammation (cholangitis)
• gallbladder hardening (major scholesteritis)

It seems like there is a lot that can go wrong with your gall bladder.

There are four major causes of gall bladder problems including bile stones, infections, injuries, and tumors. Prolonged labor, diabetes, hypothyroidism, overweight, food allergies, and ethnicity can also affect your chances of gall bladder problems. Symptoms, which usually occur after a meal - especially large or fatty - may include:

• severe and persistent pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, just below your ribs
• pain radiating from your stomach to your right or back shoulder
• soften your stomach in the gall bladder
• indigestion, complete with swelling / gas / bloating / heartburn
• chills / fever / sweating
• nausea vomiting
• constipation or diarrhea
• loss of appetite

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, 90 percent of bile stones are asymptomatic - meaning they don't cause any problems that patients are aware of - and for the first ten years of getting bile stones there is little chance (2 percent) of pain. Your chances of experiencing symptoms decline after ten years for some unknown reason. If you have a problem, you need to get it because there are serious consequences for ignoring "discomfort".

What can you do to prevent gallbladder problems? I found several approaches, most relevant to nutrition. Dietary solutions can be roughly categorized into diets that can potentially cause problems, refinements, and diets that support healthy bile function. The jury is whether the cleanup really makes a difference, and not without its own problems.

Attack.com has an interesting comment: "Major risk factors for bile diseases include inactive lifestyle and a diet rich in sugars. In genetically prone individuals, both of these factors lead to abnormal bile composition, microflora intestines, and hyperinsulinemia, with the formation of bile stones produced. "That certainly sounds like a Western lifestyle to me. So potentially, many of us are at risk here. They continue to say that regular aerobic exercise, removing offending foods, and replacing unhealthy carbohydrates for refined carbohydrates can help reduce the risk of gall bladder problems.

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