Contents
What is Gall Stones?
Gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that’s released into your small intestine. Gallstones are hardened deposits of this digestive fluid that form in the gallbladder.Gallstones can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. The gallbladder can develop a single large gallstone, hundreds of tiny stones, or both small and large stones.
The two main types of gallstones are:
Cholesterol stones: Usually yellow-green in color, approximately 80% of gallstones are cholesterol stones.
Pigment stones: These stones are smaller and darker and are made up of bilirubin.
Recovery Time
Occasional and mild cases if managed by medications it may take years for the stones to get shrink. For severe cases usually surgery is recommended and the recovery depends on the type of surgery done.Diagnosis
Diagnosis is done by physical examination and tests used to detect gallstones or gallbladder inflammation include:- Abdominal ultrasound
- Abdominal CT scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Cholescintigraphy
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- Blood tests
FAQs prepared by doctor
1. What is gall bladder?Gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile thats released into your small intestine.
2. What are gall stones?
Gallstones are hardened deposits of this digestive fluid that form in the gallbladder. Gallstones can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. The gallbladder can develop a single large gallstone, hundreds of tiny stones, or both small and large stones.
3. What are the types of gall stones?
The two main types of gallstones are:
Cholesterol stones: Usually yellow-green in color, approximately 80% of gallstones are cholesterol stones.
Pigment stones: These stones are smaller and darker and are made up of bilirubin.
4. How do symptoms in gall stones arise?
Many people with gallstones will never have any symptoms. Symptoms usually start when one or more gallstones move out of your gallbladder and into your bile duct, where they can become stuck. This can cause sudden severe pain, which is called biliary colic, and inflammation, which is called cholecystitis.
5. What to do when one is suffering from such condition?
Drink six to eight glasses of water a day to keep the bile in your gallbladder fluid and help digest and absorb fat. If required to lose weight, do so slowly (crash dieting can lead to gallstone formation).
6. When shall one consult a doctor?
One shall consult a doctor if one experience symptoms like sudden severe persistent abdominal pain
associated with high temperature of 38øC (100.4øF) or above and chills or shivering attacks. Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice) along with Itchy skin and clay colored stools and tea colored urine require immediate consultation.
7. What will happen if I donot have my gallstones removed?
Gallstones that arent causing you any problems can be left alone. However, if you have symptoms, you may need to have the gallstones removed because they can lead to more serious problems.