
Feb
Your gallbladder is a small but mighty organ. It stores and releases the fluid [bile] produced by your liver to aid in breaking down or digesting fats. Many conditions, however, can affect the health and function of this important organ. These conditions include gallstones. By turning to a skilled and experienced general surgeon and colorectal surgeon, like Dr Shanthan Ganesh, you can finally get relief from the often intense symptoms associated with these hardened deposits of bile with gallstone or gallbladder removal surgery and other interventions. Effective treatment or management of this common condition also helps our patients across North Adelaide, South Australia avoid potentially serious complications.
These hard, pebble-like masses form as the result of bile sediment collecting and crystallising. These hardened, concentrated deposits form within the gallbladder or bile ducts.
Not always, and at least not right away. People can have gallstones and not realise it. One of the challenges associated with them is that they do not remain the same size; they tend to grow slowly as bile continuously washes over these stones and leaves yet another layer of sediment. So, what starts as the size of a grain of sand can grow big enough [even golf ball-sized] to produce potentially life-threatening complications.
The biggest threat is that these gallstones can travel through the biliary system [a network of organs connected by bile ducts] and grow enough to stop the flow of bile. When the gallstones get trapped in the bile duct, neck of the gallbladder, or elsewhere, they can cause acute inflammation [cholecystitis], jaundice, bacterial infections, and other complications that require emergency treatment.
Again, gallstones may be “silent” or not produce any symptoms. If you are having a gallbladder attack, however, you will likely notice a sharp, stabbing, cramping, and/or squeezing pain in the upper right abdomen. Pain may worsen right after eating because your gallbladder contracts and places pressure on the biliary system. Problems with gallstones may also be accompanied by abdominal swelling, tenderness, dark urine, light-coloured stools, sweating, and fever.
Surgery is the most common treatment for gallstones. Dr Ganesh may remove the gallstones or the entire gallbladder. Gallbladder removal, or cholecystectomy, may be performed laparoscopically through four “keyhole” incisions. Dr Ganesh has additional training in minimally invasive procedures. Whenever possible, these approaches are recommended as a lower-risk alternative to traditional open surgery techniques. Minimally invasive surgery also promotes comparatively faster healing and recovery.
Certainly, you can have a long, healthy life without your gallbladder. In fact, the risks associated with the conditions cholecystectomy treats largely outweigh the risks associated with not having a gallbladder. There are some important considerations, though, as the loss of your gallbladder results in changes in the structure of your biliary system and how your digestive tract functions. Following treatment, the bile necessary to digest heavy meals simply flows directly from the liver to the small intestine. It no longer has a place to be stored.
So, for around the first month after surgery, you may experience problems digesting fats, high-fibre foods, and heavier meals. The office of Dr Shanthan Ganesh can advise on how to gradually introduce certain foods and get back to a more “normal” diet in the weeks and months following treatment.
We welcome your specific questions. Phone 08 81646727 to speak with a member of our team in North Adelaide, SA, today.
Clara Evelyn
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Fady Daoud
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the printing and typesetting industry.
Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s
standard dummy text ever since the 1500s,