Know your gallbladder

Picture your gallbladder as a small, pear-shaped storage sack under your liver. It collects bile and then pumps it into our small intestine to help break down the fatty foods we eat. It’s a great system until it starts to malfunction. And the symptoms of a gallbladder problem can be alarming.

Most common gallbladder problem: Gallstones

Some 25 millions Americans have gallstones, and most never know they have them. We become painfully aware we have gallstones when one gets stuck in our gallbladder’s narrow outlet or in its drainage ducts. (They aren’t actual stones, but crystallized cholesterol.)

Gallstone facts:

• More women than men get gallstones
• Pregnancy increases the risk of forming them
• More women over 60 get them than younger women
• Obese women (and men) are more likely to get them
• They are more common as we age
• People with diabetes are at higher risk
• They are more common in people who lose a large amount of weight
• Most cases aren’t related to genetics

However, the majority of people who develop gallstones don’t have any of the known risk factions.

Gallstone symptoms:

Symptoms that indicate you have gallstones can be similar to other health problems, so it’s always best to see your doctor if you are experiencing;

• Pain in the upper right abdomen (where your gallbladder is located)
• Sudden, intensifying pain in your intestines (center of your abdomen)
• Stomach pain with fever and chills (especially after a big meal)
• Changes in urine and/or stool color
• Yellowing of your skin (jaundice)

Gallstone diagnosis:

There are simple ways to detect gallbladder problems including:

• Blood tests
• Bile flow scan

Gallstone treatment:

If your doctor should discover you have gallstones and you’re not having any symptoms, it’s usually fine to ignore them until you do. If and when you should have a gallbladder attack, or repeated attacks, your doctor will likely recommend surgery to remove not just the stones, but your gallbladder too. Very large polyps detected by an ultrasound might also be cause for gallbladder removal as a preventive measure. If you have any questions about your gallbladder health, call us today: 908-725-8755.