The gallbladder is an organ that is pear shape and is located right on the underside of the liver. The liver’s function is to store bile until it is needed and required to digest fat. When gallbladder disorders are present, it usually brings on severe pain and a discomfort. The most common gallbladder disorder or disease is gallstones. Gallstones are stones that are formed in the gallbladder and are a result from cholesterol, bile salts and calcium. Gallstones come in various sizes and when there is too much cholesterol, the cholesterol will form crystals in which creates gallstones.
Gallbladder disorders usually hit people who are on the obese side, have a family history of gallbladder disorders and have high levels of cholesterol. High cholesterol seems to be the main culprit when it comes to gallbladder disorders. Women who take birth control pills are also likely to experience gallbladder disorders as these birth control pills contain estrogen. Adults who are between the ages of 20 to 50 have a higher rate of gallbladder disorders and 90% of the gallbladder disorders come from gallstones.
There are several symptoms that are related to gallstones and they include: Nausea, vomiting, low grade fever, gas, difficulty digesting fatty foods, belching and bowel movements that are clay colored. Extreme pain is present and the person may wake up in chills and will be sweating. The pain begins in the stomach or abdomen region and will work its way up to the back, chest and shoulder area. The doctor will check to see if the person has jaundice and will do some blood test to rule out any other problems that may be present. This blood test will also determine the bile duct obstruction.
The doctor may advise the patient to watch his fat intake of foods and put him or her on a low fat diet. High fatty foods which can also cause high levels of cholesterol is usually the problem. If the patient has a high fever, skin turns a yellowish color and pain lasts more than 3 hours, a doctor should be notified. Several ways to help alleviate some of the pain is to use heat on the affected area, sip some water, take some Tylenol and get plenty of rest. If a person has a repeated attach, the doctor may suggest surgery to remove the gallbladder. Even if the gallbladder is removed through surgery, the patient may still experience problems, which then will result in the doctor removing any residual stones that may be present.
There may be times where a person cannot undergo surgery to remove the full gallbladder. In this case, just the stones are removed. Even when the stones are removed, the liver will still produce bile and the possibility of stones reforming is very likely. Exercise may be one of the best things a person can do to help prevent any gallbladder disorders from happening. Eating a low fat diet and watching your cholesterol is a couple of things you can do to help ensure you stay gallbladder disorder free.
