Gallstones are tiny stone deposits in bile, which is reserved in gall bladder. Bile aids the process of digestion. Gallstones formation is one of the most common gallbladder diseases. Gallstones surgery needs to be undergone to remove these stone deposits. This surgical removal of gallstones in the gall bladder is termed as cholecystectomy, which helps to alleviate acute pain caused due to gallstones. Bile imbalance is one of the most common gallstone causes.
Sometimes, people may develop gallstone signs and symptoms such as gallstone ileus, which is defined as a big gallstone obstructing the small intestine, empyema, which is accumulation of pus in gall bladder and perforation in the gall bladder. Hence for gallstones treatment, surgery remains to be the best option.
Gallstones Surgery Procedures
General anesthesia is administered before starting the surgery for gallstones. Usually, it's effect lasts for about a couple of hours. There are 2 surgery options for surgery for gallstones, such as, open gall bladder surgery and laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. Open gall bladder surgery is done by giving a large cut for removing gall bladder. Open gall bladder surgery for gallstones removal remains to be the best option if laparoscopic surgery can't be done and in case of blood scarring in former surgery, or when blood clotting does not take place properly. Laparoscopic gall bladder surgery is the most commonly opted method to remove gall bladder with gallstones. It involves blowing up the stomach with carbon di oxide or air to get a clear view and then insertion of a viewing instrument, called laparoscope and tools for surgery into abdomen through an incision. Video monitor then guides the surgeon for other cuts to be given for gall bladder removal. Laparoscopic surgery removes gallstones from the gall bladder and not from the common bile duct. Rarely, gallstones can develop in bile duct after gallbladder stones removal. This surgery is comparatively safe and the time for this gallstones surgery recovery is approximately 1 week. A person can resume daily activities within approximately 10 days of surgical removal of gallstones. In case of laparoscopic gall bladder surgery, it takes 2 -3 weeks for the pain to alleviate.
Side Effects and Risks
Gallstones surgery side effects include exertion of strain on metabolism of fat digesting, which is performed by biliary system. It also causes reduction in bile secretion. For break down of fats, bile secretion is necessary and this bile is hold up in gall bladders. Gall bladders removed causes reduction in bile secretion and it puts burden on liver on consuming hydrogenated and saturated fats. Gallstones surgery complications can involve damage to common bile duct, internal bleeding and infection caused due to incision. There are some gallstones surgery risks involved as well, such as, general anesthesia risk and damage to cystic duct, which transports bile to the common bile duct, leakage of bile into abdominal cavity and sometimes propelling of gallstones after surgery into common bile duct. Gallstones after gallbladder surgery also may continue to be present in abdominal cavity. After gallstones surgery, bile is transported into small intestine via common bile duct from liver, where it is created. Gallbladder removal makes the body unable to store bile between diets. In some cases, people show abdomen related complaints such as gas and bloating of stomach. After gallstones surgery a person may feel extensive muscle pain triggered due to anesthesia, swelling at the site of surgery, diarrhea, nausea and aversion of food.
This was about gallstones surgery, risks and complications and recovery after gallstones surgery. It is imperative that the person consults the doctor immediately on spotting symptoms such as pain due to gallstones. The delay in surgery may trigger other complications such as obstruction the duct from gallbladder leading to other organs totally
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Gallstones Surgery Recovery Time
There was a time when gallstone removal surgery was one of the most feared and painful procedures. However, due to many technological advances in the field of medicine, there are many new and easier approaches towards getting gallstones removed from the gallbladder and live a healthy life. In extreme cases, the gallstone surgery includes the removal of the entire gallbladder along with the gallstones in it! Therefore, the gallstones surgery recovery time depends upon the surgical procedure used to perform the gallstone removal. You will understand the varied surgical approaches for gallstone removal and their recovery time as we proceed further with this article. Have a look...
Gallstones Surgery Procedures and Recovery Time
As per statistics, women are twice as likely to develop gallstones in their bladder as compared to men. There are other factors like ethnicity, obesity, diabetes, high fat diet, rapid weight loss, levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, and so on, which add to the risk of gallstones formation. The gallstones surgery cost and recovery depends upon the condition of the gallstones and the respective procedure used for treatment. The surgery used for gallstones removal is known as Cholecystectomy. There are basically two ways of performing cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a procedure wherein a laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen with attached video camera. The video camera helps the surgeon to locate the position of the gallstones and dissect the gallbladder from the liver and remove the gallbladder completely. This surgical procedure is known to be one of the best treatment in terms of faster recovery time, which is usually 4 to 6 weeks. However, the patient is discharged the next day after the procedure.
If the case is complicated and laparoscopic cholecystectomy cannot be used, then the doctor may suggest the older way of doing the surgery which is referred to as open cholecystectomy. Although, in the older days, this approach involved a lot of gallbladder removal side effects, nowadays, with revised surgical approach, it is not as complicated as it used to be. In this surgical procedure a larger incision is given in the abdomen and the recovery time is much more than the laparoscopic surgery. The patient is required to stay in the hospital for at least a week and the recovery also takes up to a few months.
Gallstones Surgery Risks
Although a gallbladder surgery is pretty much safe and doesn't involve much risks, at times certain gallbladder treatments and surgeries can lead to gallbladder surgery complications. The risks involved include injury of the neighboring organs, leakage of the bile in the gallbladder, debris of the gallstone remaining even after surgery and so on. Although these incidences occur very rarely, but they have resulted in many complications and repeated surgeries. Yes, many times, gallbladder surgery needs to be repeated because of some previous error, or re-occurrence of the gallstones. In this situation, the doctors may opt for open cholecystectomy instead of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, if the gallbladder has been removed effectively, then there are rarely any chances of re-occurrence of gallstones.
After going through this write-up, you might have understood that the recovery time from a gallstones surgery varies from person to person, depending upon various factors. Many times the gallstones end up blocking the movement of the bile and can also lead to pancreatitis. The area becomes highly infected and inflamed due to which the surgery may become more complicated and it may take more time for the patient to recover. It is highly advisable for you to get in touch with your doctor if you still have problems regarding the same. Going through this article on gallstones home remedy would also prove to be helpful in this case. Make sure that you refrain yourself from exerting too much and also eat low fat and acidic diet. Take proper rest and follow the doctor's instructions as advised for a speedy recovery. Get well soon.
Gallstones Surgery Procedures and Recovery Time
As per statistics, women are twice as likely to develop gallstones in their bladder as compared to men. There are other factors like ethnicity, obesity, diabetes, high fat diet, rapid weight loss, levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, and so on, which add to the risk of gallstones formation. The gallstones surgery cost and recovery depends upon the condition of the gallstones and the respective procedure used for treatment. The surgery used for gallstones removal is known as Cholecystectomy. There are basically two ways of performing cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a procedure wherein a laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen with attached video camera. The video camera helps the surgeon to locate the position of the gallstones and dissect the gallbladder from the liver and remove the gallbladder completely. This surgical procedure is known to be one of the best treatment in terms of faster recovery time, which is usually 4 to 6 weeks. However, the patient is discharged the next day after the procedure.
If the case is complicated and laparoscopic cholecystectomy cannot be used, then the doctor may suggest the older way of doing the surgery which is referred to as open cholecystectomy. Although, in the older days, this approach involved a lot of gallbladder removal side effects, nowadays, with revised surgical approach, it is not as complicated as it used to be. In this surgical procedure a larger incision is given in the abdomen and the recovery time is much more than the laparoscopic surgery. The patient is required to stay in the hospital for at least a week and the recovery also takes up to a few months.
Gallstones Surgery Risks
Although a gallbladder surgery is pretty much safe and doesn't involve much risks, at times certain gallbladder treatments and surgeries can lead to gallbladder surgery complications. The risks involved include injury of the neighboring organs, leakage of the bile in the gallbladder, debris of the gallstone remaining even after surgery and so on. Although these incidences occur very rarely, but they have resulted in many complications and repeated surgeries. Yes, many times, gallbladder surgery needs to be repeated because of some previous error, or re-occurrence of the gallstones. In this situation, the doctors may opt for open cholecystectomy instead of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, if the gallbladder has been removed effectively, then there are rarely any chances of re-occurrence of gallstones.
After going through this write-up, you might have understood that the recovery time from a gallstones surgery varies from person to person, depending upon various factors. Many times the gallstones end up blocking the movement of the bile and can also lead to pancreatitis. The area becomes highly infected and inflamed due to which the surgery may become more complicated and it may take more time for the patient to recover. It is highly advisable for you to get in touch with your doctor if you still have problems regarding the same. Going through this article on gallstones home remedy would also prove to be helpful in this case. Make sure that you refrain yourself from exerting too much and also eat low fat and acidic diet. Take proper rest and follow the doctor's instructions as advised for a speedy recovery. Get well soon.
Gallstones Surgery Procedure
Formation of gallstones in the gallbladder leads to various unexpected complications and symptoms which may require a gallstones surgery as a cure. The gallbladder is a small balloon shaped organ situated right beneath the liver. This organ stores a little amount of fluid known as the bile, which helps in the digestion of food items that are high in fats and cholesterol. However, many times, due to many reasons like consuming too much of high cholesterol diet, eating less fibers, rapid weight loss, diabetes, birth control pills, etc., the fluid present in the gallbladder may crystallize and form hardened stones which can prove to be very discomforting and painful.
The fluids present in the gallbladder consists of bile, cholesterol, calcium, water, fats, bile salts, and bilirubin (old red blood cells). When these elements start crystallizing and get hardened, stones develop in the bladder. If the stones are small or not hard, then they can be removed through non surgical gallstones treatment. However, most of the time, people prefer to get a surgery done and remove the entire gallbladder as there are chances that the stones would re appear over due course of time.
Procedure of Gallstones Surgery
The gallstones surgery procedure has two approaches. The traditional surgery procedure, which is also known as the open surgery; and the modern procedure which is known as the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Your doctor would carefully observe the symptoms that you are experiencing and perform certain tests like the ultrasound scan, CT scan, abdominal X-ray, and MRI scans, especially to diagnose stones in the bile duct. Depending upon the size of the stones and the symptoms, your doctor would advice you whether you should go for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy or an open cholecystectomy. Usually, doctors advice to go for an open cholecystectomy if this is not the first time that the patient is being operated for a gallstones surgery, or if the patient has some health issues like heart problems. You will understand the reason for the same as we explain the surgery procedures further in this article.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
This procedure uses a laparoscope to remove the gallstones from the gallbladder, or the entire gallbladder along with the gallstones! A general anesthesia is given to the patient for this surgery, which lasts for almost 2 hours. Several small incisions are made in the abdomen for the surgeon in order to enter the laparoscopic devices into the incision near the belly button with a video camera attached to it. The abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide gas so that the surgeon has more space for mobility. The surgical instruments are inserted through other smaller incisions and with the help of the video camera, movements are controlled until the gallbladder is safely separated from the liver, bile ducts, and other organs, and is successfully removed from the body!
Open Cholecystectomy
An open cholecystectomy is considered when the surgeons find it difficult to complete the gallstones removal surgery using the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This happens very rarely and the conversion rate is only between 1% to 5%. Also, people with heart problems are advised to go for an open cholecystectomy as the pressure due to the carbon dioxide may prove to be risky. Another reason why doctors ask some patients to go for an open cholecystectomy is if they are going for a gallbladder surgery more than once. A larger incision is made on the patient's abdomen, under the rib cage and the gallstones are removed from the body. This approach is less costlier than the laparoscopic surgery, but takes more time to heal and recover.
Gallstones Surgery Risks
The laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure is probably the most safe and the least complicated procedure to remove gallstones. Which is the reason why this gallstones surgery costs much more than the traditional open surgery! The doctor permits the patient to leave the next day itself, and the recovery time too is only 1-2 weeks as compared to the gallstones surgery recovery time in the case of open cholecystectomy, which is about 4-6 weeks! Although, there are less chances of internal injuries in an open cholecystectomy. The most rarely observed complications involved in a gallstones removal surgery are as follows. •Bile duct injury
•Internal bleeding
•Infection due to the incision
•Injury in the small intestine or liver due to the surgical instruments
•Leakage of the bile
•Fluid retention in the abdomen.
•Post operative tiredness
•Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot)
•Sleep disturbances
•Inflammation of lungs, due to carbon dioxide
So, these were the gallstones surgery procedures that are used for gallstones or gallbladder removal. Most of the patients hardly suffer any problems due to the absence of the gallbladder. However, the patient needs to take extra care of their movements and eating habits until they completely recover from the surgery! The doctor may advice the patient to follow a gallstones diet after surgery which is low in fats and cholesterol. The patient should also take proper rest and refrain from activities like lifting, running, exercising, etc, that can result in stress to the operated area. Gallbladder surgery is a very safe procedure and the person can recover within a few weeks itself. I hope this article helped you gain a better knowledge about the surgical procedures for gallstones removal. Have a safe and healthy tomorrow!
The fluids present in the gallbladder consists of bile, cholesterol, calcium, water, fats, bile salts, and bilirubin (old red blood cells). When these elements start crystallizing and get hardened, stones develop in the bladder. If the stones are small or not hard, then they can be removed through non surgical gallstones treatment. However, most of the time, people prefer to get a surgery done and remove the entire gallbladder as there are chances that the stones would re appear over due course of time.
Procedure of Gallstones Surgery
The gallstones surgery procedure has two approaches. The traditional surgery procedure, which is also known as the open surgery; and the modern procedure which is known as the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Your doctor would carefully observe the symptoms that you are experiencing and perform certain tests like the ultrasound scan, CT scan, abdominal X-ray, and MRI scans, especially to diagnose stones in the bile duct. Depending upon the size of the stones and the symptoms, your doctor would advice you whether you should go for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy or an open cholecystectomy. Usually, doctors advice to go for an open cholecystectomy if this is not the first time that the patient is being operated for a gallstones surgery, or if the patient has some health issues like heart problems. You will understand the reason for the same as we explain the surgery procedures further in this article.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
This procedure uses a laparoscope to remove the gallstones from the gallbladder, or the entire gallbladder along with the gallstones! A general anesthesia is given to the patient for this surgery, which lasts for almost 2 hours. Several small incisions are made in the abdomen for the surgeon in order to enter the laparoscopic devices into the incision near the belly button with a video camera attached to it. The abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide gas so that the surgeon has more space for mobility. The surgical instruments are inserted through other smaller incisions and with the help of the video camera, movements are controlled until the gallbladder is safely separated from the liver, bile ducts, and other organs, and is successfully removed from the body!
Open Cholecystectomy
An open cholecystectomy is considered when the surgeons find it difficult to complete the gallstones removal surgery using the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This happens very rarely and the conversion rate is only between 1% to 5%. Also, people with heart problems are advised to go for an open cholecystectomy as the pressure due to the carbon dioxide may prove to be risky. Another reason why doctors ask some patients to go for an open cholecystectomy is if they are going for a gallbladder surgery more than once. A larger incision is made on the patient's abdomen, under the rib cage and the gallstones are removed from the body. This approach is less costlier than the laparoscopic surgery, but takes more time to heal and recover.
Gallstones Surgery Risks
The laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure is probably the most safe and the least complicated procedure to remove gallstones. Which is the reason why this gallstones surgery costs much more than the traditional open surgery! The doctor permits the patient to leave the next day itself, and the recovery time too is only 1-2 weeks as compared to the gallstones surgery recovery time in the case of open cholecystectomy, which is about 4-6 weeks! Although, there are less chances of internal injuries in an open cholecystectomy. The most rarely observed complications involved in a gallstones removal surgery are as follows. •Bile duct injury
•Internal bleeding
•Infection due to the incision
•Injury in the small intestine or liver due to the surgical instruments
•Leakage of the bile
•Fluid retention in the abdomen.
•Post operative tiredness
•Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot)
•Sleep disturbances
•Inflammation of lungs, due to carbon dioxide
So, these were the gallstones surgery procedures that are used for gallstones or gallbladder removal. Most of the patients hardly suffer any problems due to the absence of the gallbladder. However, the patient needs to take extra care of their movements and eating habits until they completely recover from the surgery! The doctor may advice the patient to follow a gallstones diet after surgery which is low in fats and cholesterol. The patient should also take proper rest and refrain from activities like lifting, running, exercising, etc, that can result in stress to the operated area. Gallbladder surgery is a very safe procedure and the person can recover within a few weeks itself. I hope this article helped you gain a better knowledge about the surgical procedures for gallstones removal. Have a safe and healthy tomorrow!
More on Gallstones
Pigment stones:
These are dark green in color, small in size, usually multiple and irregular in shape. They are usually seen inside the gall bladder and rarely in the common bile duct. They are formed due to blood disorders like haemolytic jaundice, chronic myeloid leukemia (blood cancer) and other chronic infections that maintain the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at a high level. These conditions, due to blood destruction, cause increased serum bilirubin level. These bilirubins are trapped in the liver and excreted in the bile. If the bile doesn't flow properly, these pigments accumulate as sediment and form stones.
Cholesterol stones are yellow in color and usually seen in singles. It is oval in shape, soft in consistency and smooth. This type of stone is usually seen in the hartmann's pouch in the neck of the gall bladder since these types of stones usually float.
Septic stones are more than aseptic stones.
Mixed stones are brown in color, large in size, usually multiple and irregular in shape. These types constitute 70-80 per cent of stones. These stones are composed of cholesterol, pigments, salts and other chemicals. Since it is somewhat larger in size, it is usually seen in the body of the gall bladder as it cannot escape into the intestine and outweigh the risk of blockage in the common bile duct.
Causes of gallstones:
Mainly, stagnation of bile in the gall bladder or duct for a prolonged time evokes stone formation as the outcome of precipitation or sediment. It may also be due to variation in concentration ratio of cholesterol with bile salts (normal it is 1:20-1:30) in the bile. In general, routine causes are:
Functionless gall bladder i.e. thick walled gall bladder with no contraction at all
Untimely, unconditioned diet and starvation often. Also reduced food intake can reduce the secretion of bile acids from the liver. This causes difference in composition ratio of bile salts and cholesterol, which finally results in cholesterol stones.
* Prolonged use of drips, by avoiding oral foods in case of hospital stay
* Fatty, flabby belly and pregnancy can relax the gall bladder and thus cause stones
* Malfunctioning of liver which secretes less bile with less bile salts
* Infection of gall bladder (acute or chronic cholecystitis)
* Injury in the gall bladder area which causes inflammation of gall bladder
* Taking non-veg foods, fast foods, pastry, oily and spicy foods often.
* Increased blood cholesterol level
Diseases of the intestines - for example, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Here, absorption of bile salts from the intestine or recycling of bile salts is interrupted, so the liver secretes bile containing very low bile salts. These lowered bile salts can't maintain the cholesterol in solution, thus forming cholesterol gallstones.
Symptom of gallstones
Even though many gallstones are silent or symptom-less, its presence can be gauged from:
* Intermittent or constant uneasy feeling or fullness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen
* Pain occurring just below the center of the right lower rib pointing to the gall bladder area
* Vague pain after eating in the right upper quadrant of abdomen. The pain is more while bending or moving (since the rib presses the gall bladder) or due to infection
* Pain may radiate to the right back or just below the right shoulder blade or right shoulder
* Fever in case of infection or obstruction Bilious symptom complex - headache, nausea, constipation and abdomen discomfort. These complaints are usually better after vomiting.
* Indigestion, gas trouble, eructation or heartburn and vomiting
There are many times that stone pain arises at night, similar to tooth ache. This is because small stones block the neck of the gall bladder while the person is in a horizontal position.
These are dark green in color, small in size, usually multiple and irregular in shape. They are usually seen inside the gall bladder and rarely in the common bile duct. They are formed due to blood disorders like haemolytic jaundice, chronic myeloid leukemia (blood cancer) and other chronic infections that maintain the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at a high level. These conditions, due to blood destruction, cause increased serum bilirubin level. These bilirubins are trapped in the liver and excreted in the bile. If the bile doesn't flow properly, these pigments accumulate as sediment and form stones.
Cholesterol stones are yellow in color and usually seen in singles. It is oval in shape, soft in consistency and smooth. This type of stone is usually seen in the hartmann's pouch in the neck of the gall bladder since these types of stones usually float.
Septic stones are more than aseptic stones.
Mixed stones are brown in color, large in size, usually multiple and irregular in shape. These types constitute 70-80 per cent of stones. These stones are composed of cholesterol, pigments, salts and other chemicals. Since it is somewhat larger in size, it is usually seen in the body of the gall bladder as it cannot escape into the intestine and outweigh the risk of blockage in the common bile duct.
Causes of gallstones:
Mainly, stagnation of bile in the gall bladder or duct for a prolonged time evokes stone formation as the outcome of precipitation or sediment. It may also be due to variation in concentration ratio of cholesterol with bile salts (normal it is 1:20-1:30) in the bile. In general, routine causes are:
Functionless gall bladder i.e. thick walled gall bladder with no contraction at all
Untimely, unconditioned diet and starvation often. Also reduced food intake can reduce the secretion of bile acids from the liver. This causes difference in composition ratio of bile salts and cholesterol, which finally results in cholesterol stones.
* Prolonged use of drips, by avoiding oral foods in case of hospital stay
* Fatty, flabby belly and pregnancy can relax the gall bladder and thus cause stones
* Malfunctioning of liver which secretes less bile with less bile salts
* Infection of gall bladder (acute or chronic cholecystitis)
* Injury in the gall bladder area which causes inflammation of gall bladder
* Taking non-veg foods, fast foods, pastry, oily and spicy foods often.
* Increased blood cholesterol level
Diseases of the intestines - for example, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Here, absorption of bile salts from the intestine or recycling of bile salts is interrupted, so the liver secretes bile containing very low bile salts. These lowered bile salts can't maintain the cholesterol in solution, thus forming cholesterol gallstones.
Symptom of gallstones
Even though many gallstones are silent or symptom-less, its presence can be gauged from:
* Intermittent or constant uneasy feeling or fullness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen
* Pain occurring just below the center of the right lower rib pointing to the gall bladder area
* Vague pain after eating in the right upper quadrant of abdomen. The pain is more while bending or moving (since the rib presses the gall bladder) or due to infection
* Pain may radiate to the right back or just below the right shoulder blade or right shoulder
* Fever in case of infection or obstruction Bilious symptom complex - headache, nausea, constipation and abdomen discomfort. These complaints are usually better after vomiting.
* Indigestion, gas trouble, eructation or heartburn and vomiting
There are many times that stone pain arises at night, similar to tooth ache. This is because small stones block the neck of the gall bladder while the person is in a horizontal position.
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