WHAT CAUSES A GALLBLADDER ATTACK

Yes, you can get help with your gallbladder problem
and there are alternatives to gallbladder surgery. There is hope!

 

GALLBLADDER ATTACKS can be both very painful and frightening. It is easy to understand why so many people opt for gallbladder surgery after experiencing even one gallbladder attack. But there are both natural supplements and natural foods that can manage gallbladder disease to help prevent both surgery and the discomfort of gallbladder colic.

GALLBLADDER ATTACK SYMPTOMS may include one or more of the following:

• chest pain in the right side below the rib cage
• pain in the back right shoulder blade
• nausea or queasiness
• vomiting
• gas
• belching or burping

The gall bladder, which sits just below the rib cage to the right of the stomach, is very tender to touch. It can be so painful that it takes your breath away. You may not be able to walk without bending over. Sometimes the pain radiates through to the back shoulder blade on the right side or in the middle between the shoulder blades. This is pain from the gallbladder referring to the back of the shoulder. This back shoulder blade chest pain is one of the most common yet unknown symptoms of a gallbladder disorder. This can come and go or be constant. It may be sharp, excruciating or dull. It may also occur especially at night.
A gallbladder attack will typically last for one to four hours.

Is this a gallstone attack or what else could it be?

Pain in the right side of the chest or in the upper right quadrant (area) of the body can be due to more than gallbladder problems. The differential diagnosis should be done by examination and questioning by your doctor.
If the pain is severe, tests may be done to rule out stomach, pancreas, liver or gallbladder. If you have come to this site, you have some suspicion yourself that your gallbladder is involved. The questionnaire provided for you is a helpful indicator since additional gallbladder symptoms help to confirm your suspicions. Pain alone is not usually enough. If the pain is located mid-center beneath the rib cage, this can also be gallbladder related. Appendicitis pain can also be referred to the mid-center.


WHAT CAUSES A GALLBLADDER ATTACK

The pain can come from a stone making its way down the biliary duct or bile tube toward the duodenum of the small intestine. It can also be caused by a back up of bile in the gallbladder (with or without stones) that causes it to swell from fullness causing discomfort. Or it can come from an infected gallbladder itself that becomes inflammed known as cholecystitis.

That's what's happening in the moment. But the underlying causes of stone forming or bile thickening or low-functioning gallbladder are important to understand in order to heal the root of the problem. Hypothyroidism is a major conrtibuting cause to gallbladder disease of all kinds. The thyroid is responsible for metabolism and when it is not working optimally, metabolism in general slows down. Your digestion may be slower, the bowels may be slower, gallbladder emptying may be slower, even thinking may be slower. Food allergies are also major contributors to gallbladder disease. They cause a histamine release that can cause excessive fluid in the bile ducts, causing them to back up. It is important to isolate those specific foods by eliminating them and introducing them back in one at a time and watch for reactions, so that you know just what is causing the problem. There is an entire page dedicated to just this allergy sleuthing and one for hypothyroid as well which you will want to peruse at your leisure.
What do I do now?

But for now, step one is to see your doctor for a diagnosis. It's important to know exactly what is going on. Then, if you haven't already done so, fill out the gallbladder symptom questionnaire. It will give you suggestions on what to do at this moment based on your individual symptoms for example, get out of pain and discomfort. If it's weight gain due to gallbladder disease, it may be trying the allergy elimination diet to start. Order what you need to get started, and if you need help, you can always schedule a consultation to get pointed in the right direction. We might order blood tests for you to check your thryoid or to check if insulin resistance is contributing to high cholesterol and/or to gallstone formation. Then read up on your areas of interest on this site, from weight gain to gallbladder removal; it's all here.

I have put together combinations of products for specific problems. But they are not enough without major dietary changes. Read the gallbladder diet page from top to bottom. And if everything you eat causes pain, go to my gallbladder pain relief recipes on the diet page and implement them immediately. The flax seed tea is the simple to make and extremely effective.

If you want to improve your gallbladder health, you need to educate yourself about the workings of the gallbladder and whole biliary system. You need to understand the root of your problem. Treat this site like a book. Read it all.

Even if you don't have a gallbladder, if you're on this page
you still have gallbladder symptoms. If you don't have
gallstones, you could develop them in the future if you
don't make changes now. There is hope. But it's up to you. Educate yourself. Implement the necessary changes.

The gallbladder starter kit can kick start your program and help to reduce the pain or discomfort. It is designed to
improve the health of the bile and your overall digestion.
Good luck and good reading.
Gallbladder symptoms (non-attack)

For non-attack, general symptoms that may be related to the gallbladder please go to gallbladder symptoms or to specific diseases at gallbladder disease

Gallbladder Symptoms

Yes, you can get help with your gallbladder problem and there are alternatives to gallbladder surgery.

There is hope!

What are the symptoms of a gallbladder attack?

Gallbladder attacks can be both very painful and frightening. It is easy to understand why so many people opt for gallbladder surgery after experiencing even one gallbladder attack. But there are both natural supplements and natural foods that can manage gallbladder disease to help prevent both surgery and the discomfort of gallbladder colic.

GALLBLADDER ATTACK SYMPTOMS specifically

Please note that if you are in severe pain and particularly if your attack symptoms are accompanied by fever DO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. The following symptoms are typical of a gallbladder attack.

• Moderate to severe pain under the right side of the rib cage
• Pain may radiate through to the back or to the right shoulder
• Severe upper abdominal pain (biliary colic)
• Nausea
• Queasiness
• Vomiting
• Gas
• Burping or belching
• Attacks are often at night
• Attacks often occur after overeating
• Pain will often but not always follow a meal with fats or grease
• Pain may be worse with deep inhalation
• Attacks can last from 15 minutes to 15 hours

SYMPTOMS OF GALLBLADDER PROBLEMS

Gallbladder disease is more common than you may think. Gallstones affect more than 25 million Americans with 1 million new cases diagnosed annually, according to the American Gastroenterological Association. And there are other things that go wrong with the gallbladder besides just gallstones.
People can go for years with digestive symptoms and never realize that they may be related to a gallbladder problem. That's because they are so inter-woven with other digestive symptoms such as indigestion, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea and nausea.

The list provided here may be related to gallbladder but bear in mind that it could also be something else. Gluten intolerance or celiac disease should also be considered depending on the specific symptoms. The first four mentioned below I feel are most indicative of gallbladder issues. It is not necessary to have all or many symptoms to have gallbladder problems but the more you have from this list, the more confirmation you have that the gallbladder is involved.

Please note that it is still advisable to consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. Gallbladder attack symptoms are listed above and again with more detailed explanation when you answer the three-minute gall bladder symptom questionnaire. To get a good understanding of what caused your gall bladder problems, study the list of risk factors for gallbladder disease.

GALLBLADDER SYMPTOMS

• Pain or tenderness under the rib cage on the right side
• Pain between shoulder blades
• Stools light or chalky colored
• Fatty stools
• Indigestion after eating, especially fatty or greasy foods
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Bloating
• Gas
• Burping or belching
• Feeling of fullness or food not digesting
• Diarrhea (or alternating from soft to watery)
• Constipation
• Headache over eyes, especially right
• Bitter fluid comes up after eating
• Frequent use of laxatives

SYMPTOMS OF GALLSTONES

Symtpoms of a gallbladder attack are often caused by gallbladder stones. A stone may block the neck of the gallbladder or get stuck in a bile duct inhibiting the flow of bile or possibly causing a backing up of bile. However, short of causing an actual attack, stones may be present for years and never cause any symptoms at all. "Biliary pain can occur in about a third of the gallstone patients" (which leaves two thirds NOT experiencing pain) and "sometimes the gallstone symptoms are difficult to differentiate from that of dyspepsia." (indigestion)3 The gallstones can impair the functioning of the gallbladder, however, which can result in any of the common gallbladder symptoms.

Gall bladder symptoms can look and feel the same with or without stones. Therefore, all of the symptoms on listed on this page can accompany gallstones.

SILENT GALLSTONES

70-80% of people with gallstones never know they have them. These are called "silent gallstones". However, the remaining 20-30% still results in 500,000-700,000 gallbladder removals every year. And since the diet of the general American population is not improving, those numbers are rising.

The risk of silent gallstones causing a gallbladder attack is about 1% per year.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the mortality rate from emergency surgery performed for obstructing gallstones with the mortality rate from routine, scheduled gallbladder surgery and concluded that the latter gallbladder surgery is actually more dangerous. They advised that "silent" gallstones should not be subjected to surgery but left alone.

And another study reports:

"We conclude that innocent gallstones are not a myth, and that in some populations the majority of silent gallstones are inconsequential. We believe that routine prophylactic operation for silent gallstone disease, at least in white American men, is neither necessary nor advisable."2.

So now that you know you have gallbladder problems....

Gallstones and gallbladder disease - Risk Factors

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of gallstones.

Alternative Names

Cholecystitis; Choledocholithiasis; Bile duct stones

Risk Factors:

More than 25 million Americans have gallstones, and a million are diagnosed each year. However, only 1 - 3% of the population complains of symptoms during the course of a year, and fewer than half of these people have symptoms that return.

Risk Factors in Women

Women are much more likely than men to develop gallstones. Gallstones occur in nearly 25% of women in the U.S. by age 60, and as many as 50% by age 75. In most cases, they have no symptoms. In general, women are probably at increased risk because estrogen stimulates the liver to remove more cholesterol from blood and divert it into the bile.

Pregnancy. Pregnancy increases the risk for gallstones, and pregnant women with stones are more likely to have symptoms than nonpregnant women. Surgery should be delayed until after delivery if possible. In fact, gallstones may disappear after delivery. If surgery is necessary, laparoscopy is the safest approach.

Hormone Replacement Therapy. Several large studies have shown that the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) doubles or triples the risk for gallstones, hospitalization for gallbladder disease, or gallbladder surgery. Estrogen raises triglycerides, a fatty acid that increases the risk for cholesterol stones. How the hormones are delivered may make a difference, however. Women who use a patch or gel form of HRT face less risk than those who take a pill. HRT may also be a less-than-attractive option for women because studies have shown it has negative effects on the heart and increases the risk for breast cancer.

Risk Factors in Men

About 20% of men have gallstones by the time they reach age 75. Because most cases do not have symptoms, however, the rates may be underestimated in elderly men. One study of nursing home residents reported that 66% of the women and 51% of the men had gallstones. Men who have their gallbladder removed are more likely to have severe disease and surgical complications than women.

Risks in Children

Gallstone disease is relatively rare in children. When gallstones do occur in this age group, they are more likely to be pigment stones. Girls do not seem to be more at risk than boys. The following conditions may put children at higher risk:

• Spinal injury
• History of abdominal surgery
• Sickle-cell anemia
• Impaired immune system
• Receiving nutrition through a vein (intravenous)

Ethnicity

Because gallstones are related to diet, particularly fat intake, the incidence of gallstones varies widely among nations and regions. For example, Hispanics and Northern Europeans have a higher risk for gallstones than do people of Asian and African descent. People of Asian descent who develop gallstones are most likely to have the brown pigment type.

Native North and South Americans, such as Pima Indians in the U.S. and native populations in Chile and Peru, are especially prone to developing gallstones. Pima women have an 80% chance of developing gallstones during their lives, and virtually all native Indian females in Chile and Peru develop gallstones. Such cases are most likely due to a combination of genetic and dietary factors.

Genetics

Having a family member or close relative with gallstones may increase the risk. Up to one-third of cases of painful gallstones may be related to genetic factors.

A mutation in the gene ABCG8 significantly increases a person's risk of gallstones. This gene controls a cholesterol pump that transports cholesterol from the liver to the bile duct. It appears this mutation may cause the pump to continuously work at a high rate.

Defects in transport proteins involved in biliary lipid secretion appear to predispose certain people to gallstone disease, but this alone many not be sufficient to create gallstones. Studies indicate that the disease is complex and may result from the interaction between genetics and environment. Some studies suggest immune and inflammatory mediators may play key roles.

Diabetes

People with diabetes are at higher risk for gallstones and have a higher-than-average risk for acalculous gallbladder disease (without stones). Gallbladder disease may progress more rapidly in patients with diabetes, who tend to have worse infections.

Obesity and Weight Changes

Obesity. Being overweight is a significant risk factor for gallstones. In such cases, the liver over-produces cholesterol, which is delivered into the bile and causes it to become supersaturated.

Weight Cycling. Rapid weight loss or cycling (dieting and then putting weight back on) further increases cholesterol production in the liver, which results in supersaturation and an increased risk for gallstones.

• The risk for gallstones is as high as 12% after 8 -16 weeks of restricted-calorie diets.
• The risk is more than 30% within 12 - 18 months after gastric bypass surgery.

About one-third of gallstone cases in these situations have symptoms. The risk for gallstones is highest in the following dieters:

• Those who lose more than 24% of their body weight
• Those who lose more than 1.5 kg (3.3 lb.) a week
• Those on very low-fat, low-calorie diets

Men are also at increased risk for developing gallstones when their weight fluctuates. The risk increases proportionately with dramatic weight changes as well as with frequent weight cycling.

Bariatric Surgery. Patients who have either Roux-en-Y or laparoscopic banding bariatric surgery are at increased risk for gallstones. For this reason, many centers request that patients undergo cholecystectomy before their bariatric procedure. However, doctors are now questioning this practice.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that includes obesity (especially belly fat), low HDL (good) cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. Research suggests that metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for gallstones.

Low HDL Cholesterol, High Triglycerides and Their Treatment

Although gallstones are formed from the supersaturation of cholesterol in the bile, high total cholesterol levels themselves are not necessarily associated with gallstones. Gallstone formation is associated with low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels. Some evidence suggests that high levels of triglycerides may impair the emptying actions of the gallbladder.

Unfortunately, some fibrates (drugs used to correct these conditions) actually increase the risk for gallstones by increasing the amount of cholesterol secreted into the bile. These medications include gemfibrozil (Lopid) and fenofibrate (Tricor). Other cholesterol-lowering drugs do not have this effect. [For more information, see In-Depth Report #23: Cholesterol.]

Other Risk Factors

Prolonged Intravenous Feeding. Prolonged intravenous feeding reduces the flow of bile and increases the risk for gallstones. Up to 40% of patients on home intravenous nutrition develop gallstones, and the risk may be higher in patients on total intravenous nutrition. It is suspected that the cause is lack of stimulation in the gut, because patients who also take some food by mouth have less risk of developing gallstones. However, treatment for gallstones in this population is associated with a low risk of complications.

Crohn's Disease. Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder, leads to poor reabsorption of bile salts from the digestive tract and substantially increases the risk of gallbladder disease. Patients over age 60 and those who have had numerous bowel operations (particularly in the region where the small and large bowel meet) are at especially high risk.

Cirrhosis. Cirrhosis poses a major risk for gallstones, particularly pigment gallstones.

Organ Transplantation. Bone marrow or solid organ transplantation increases the risk of gallstones. The complications can be so severe that some organ transplant centers require the patient's gallbladder be removed before the transplant is performed.

Medications. Octreotide (Sandostatin) poses a risk for gallstones. In addition, cholesterol-lowering drugs known as fibrates and thiazide diuretics may slightly increase the risk for gallstones.

Blood Disorders. Chronic hemolytic anemia, including sickle cell anemia, increases the risk for pigment gallstones.

Heme Iron. High consumption of heme iron, the type of iron found in meat and seafood, has been shown to lead to gallstone formation in men. Gallstones are not associated with diets high in non-heme iron foods such as beans, lentils, and enriched grains.

Resources

• http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov -- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
• www.gastro.org -- American Gastroenterological Association
• www.acg.gi.org -- American College of Gastroenterology
• www.liverfoundation.org -- American Liver Foundation

References

Afdhal NH. Diseases of the Gallbladder and Bile Ducts. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D. (eds.). Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.

Chambrlain RS, Sakpal SV. A comprehensive review of single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) techniques for cholecystectomy. J Gastrointest Surg. 2009 May 2 [Epub ahead of print].

Chari RS, Shah SA. Biliary system. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. St. Louis, MO: WB Saunders;2007:chap 54.

Dray X, Joy F, Reijasse D, et al. Incidence, risk factors, and complications of cholelithiasis in patients with home parenteral nutrition. J Am Coll Surg. 2007;204(1):13-21.

Gurusamy, KS, Samraj K. Cholecystectomy versus no cholecystectomy in patients with silent gallstones. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;(1):CD006230.

Ito K, Ito H, Whang EE. Timing of Cholecystectomy for Biliary Pancreatitis: Do the Data Support Current Guidelines? J Gastrointest Surg. 2008 Jul 18 [Epub ahead of print].

Konstantinidis IT, Deshpande V, Genevay M, Berger D, Fernandez-del Castillo C, Tanabe KK, et al. Trends in presentation and survival for gallbladder cancer during a period of more than four decades. Arch Surg. 2009;144(5):441-447.

Liu B, Beral V, Balkwill A, Green J, Sweetland S, Reeves G, et al. Gallbladder disease and use of transdermal versus oral hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. BMJ. 2008;337:a386. Doi: 10.1136/bmj.a386.

Portenier DD, Grant JP, Blackwood HS, et al. Expectant management of the asymptomatic gallbladder at Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2007; 3(4):476-479.

Rosing DK, de Virgilio C, Yaghoubian A, et al. Early cholecystectomy for mild to moderate gallstone pancreatitis shortens hospital stay. J Am Coll Surg. 2007;205(6):762-766.

Strasberg SM. Acute calculous cholecystitis. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(26):2804-2811.

Tse F, Liu L, Barkun AN, Armstrong D, Moayyedi P. EUS: a meta-analysis of test performance in suspected choledocholithiasis. Gastrointest Endosc. 2008;67(2):235-244.

Verbesey JE, Birkett DH. Common bile duct exploration for choledocholithiasis. Surg Clin N Am. 2008;88(6):1315-1328.

Williams EJ, Green J, Beckingham I, et al. Guidelines on the management of common bile duct stones (CBDS). Gut. 2008;57(7):1004-1021.

• Reviewed last on: 6/26/2009
• Reviewed by: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/who_gets_gallstones_gallbladder_disease_000010_4.htm#ixzz2QnxUrMTi
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Gallstone removal experience Experience of a long term gallstone patient

I tell you what a gallstone is, gallstone is a nasty rock that sits in your gallbladder and annoys you every day, every hour, every second of your life.

Hi, my name is Eugene from Estonia living in London, UK. Let me share my experience with gallstone.

Since childhood I had this problem, when I was running I suddenly had pain and was not aware of what was that, but I am pretty certain now that it was a growing little stone

Gallstone was discovered only recently maybe ten years ago first time it was 11mm then later it grew to 15mm and then to 18mm

And on day of operation it was a massive 24 mm that was unpleasant surprise

Exponential growth, more surface it gets faster it grows

I tried to use Ursodiol acid for months to dissolve my stone, but it did not work well, but maybe reduced speed of growth a little, also tried to drink special teas, apple juice and other home remedies like flushes and detoxes.

They do not work, you want to believe they do but they don’t, it a myth, no such thing.

Did you notice how none of the “cured” people present us with evidence?

Me on the other hand will show you every piece of evidence I have on my hands



If you want to try to soften up your gallstones with ursodiol, you can buy them from Andorra, contact these Spanish people at info@farmaciaandorra.es or visit website http://farmaciaandorra.es/

They speak mostly Spanish or English with Google translator. They sell URSOCHOL it is Spanish version of Ursodiol, average price would go like these ( at least for me on jueves, 10 de noviembre de 2011 12:08). Here is an example of their email to me (copy paste)

5 URSOCHOL 150 MGRS X 60 COMP… 9,71 €………………………..48.55€

TRANSPORT………………………………………………………………28.00€

TOTAL………………………………………………………………………76.55€

Need to make delivery address, whose name was, telephone.

If for payment by CREDIT CARD makes the number , expiry date and the three number behind the card.

If done by mail to the address of pharmacy:

FARMACIA FONT FREDA

CASA NOVA JOANET S/N

ORDINO AD 300.





Check out NHS review of my gallstone, this is a special medical software Sectra Image Viewer with all images of gallstone download it here
In year 29 October 2009 gallstone was smaller, then a little bigger in year 2011 8th march, and last time ( middle 2012 ) I did ultrasound scan it was relatively same size.

Almost every year I was thinking to cut my gallbladder out, pain was increasingly unpleasant, but I did not want to give up.

I was hoping for new technologies to come, I gambled and I won my bet

Googled for new technology almost every 2 months or so for many many years, and nothing came on radar, lots of false alarm… at some point this year 2012 I almost gave up and decided to cut my gallbladder out, was sick and tired of constant pain and burning sensation in my upper abdomen…





and only in September 2012 by random luck found this tiny article in med. journal http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22299994

Doctor Chiao (Qiao) Tie made an upgrade of old technology and invented some new techniques to extract gallstones from a gallbladder. Pretty sure after 5 years to the future he will invent liquid hungry nano robots, they will chew up gallstones in a week time after injection into gallbladder

This article was dated February 2012, how it slipped my attention is a mystery. Shame, I could have been treated much sooner than end of October 2012. In fact Dr. Tie Chiao had made this technology available to the public in year 2009! it was well tested and widely practiced in China Guangzhou for years, and I was suffering here in Europe UK and almost went along with local surgeons suggestion to cut my gallbladder loose. One surgeon said “Nobody is going to do you a favor and just take your stone out” … Indeed I am a future liability for NHS, I might come back some day again with new gallstones, and it is bad for Health Care System’s budget

But life without gallbladder is not that easy as life without appendix, that’s totally different game here. There are some serious consequences when gallbladder is taken out, like for example bile is dripping every minute to your intestines and you get a bad stool and you have to eat all the time in small portions, and stones are growing now in your bile duct and elsewhere…



Well, then went to odesk to find assistant to investigate this new treatment

Found Amanda https://www.odesk.com/users/~~928f3e34d11e4eba she did a great job investigating and arranging meeting with doctors in China
Her email is amanda9815 at gmail dot com, phone number is 0086-158-551-26719 (0086 is the code of mainland China.) Helped us a lot, great assistant, her fees roughly 15 USD per hour
My mistake I should have kept in touch with her when I was in China. I should have bought me Chinese SIM card right when I got to Hong Kong first, before entering China Guangzhou via speed ferry.

Bought 12000 Chinese Yuan from ICBC in City of London at a good price 10.6 CNY for 1 GBP. HSBC and Barclays were giving me bad rate ~9.4 CNY per GBP, ICBC was closest to the actual market rate.

Did Twinrix injections just in case Hep A + Hep B + some Asia vaccines before leaving to China. HEP A/B Injections need lots of time, so plan ahead.

Bought Chinese visa for 56 quid also, took 4 days to get it

NHS Sectra Image Viewer Gallstone Report, costs 15 GBP to get CD from them, not always they record images and videos into the database

Doctors greeting new patient from abroad. Surgeon & Inventor Dr. Tie Chiao, first right, holding one kilo of British chocolate, a token of appreciation from me. Most left is Dr. Wang surgeon also performs operations, most right is good assistant of doctor Wang, helped me with making initial tests like X-Ray, UltraSound, Cardio tests, and stuff ( costs 1300 CNY by the way, about 130 GBP), he speaks some basic English. Second left is anesthesia master if not mistaken, and second right somebody also important in surgery.




Here is video of fetching gallstone out. One big rock size of 24 mm, weighs about 4 grams. Great relief getting it out
details of the operation: cut a small right subcostal incision(about 1-3cm) under the monitoring of laparoscopy which entered through umbilicus and grasped gallbladder with forceps and extracted it outside of the abdominal wall, then cut off the gallbladder on the bottom (less than 6mm), explored in it, then drained the bile with a sterile ventricular drainage tube. When the bile drained out, gallbladder was explored with CHiAO cholecystoscope
(Chinese National Patent Number: ZL200820188856.6, China).
The large stones (Φ≥0.5cm) were removed by the various stone extracted basket, while the small stones (Φ<0.5cm), the bile sludge and sand-like stones were removed by the sand–like stones absorbing box using negative pressure. At last, double interlocking sutured the incision of the gallbladder bottom with absorbable catgut, made sure the suture was tight and then sutured the abdominal wall layer by layer.


Testing my gallstone in hospital

Me right after operation, not amused I might say:) Felt massive pain everywhere	After 4 days from operation, time to checkout from hospital

This is my room view in hospital where I spent my best 6 days of my life




Hospital view outside


Hospital bill for gallstone removal, roughly should be about 10 000 CNY or 1000 GBP (see current exchange rate here)but got some discounts from free meals. Meals are on average 10 CNY per meal.


Bills in details, first bill was for initial check up on me: xray, ultrasound, cardio, blood and stuff, 130 GBP cost, in total ~9300 CNY ~ 930 GBP



Hospital crew & me & my beloved girlfriend before leaving hospital for good


Crystal (mail: 710672705 at qq dot com ) the best nurse in China, understands and speaks English, helped us a lot with everything. Mad respects to her


Measuring gallstone size in cm and inches, pretty big one

Weighing gallstone, about 3 grams with cut off section, and probably 4 grams full size

Gallstone water tests


These are photos from their lab, under microscope we can see structure of my gallstone, under direct light it shines and sparkles, definitely there are lots of crystals in it








My scar on abdomen left from surgery, in belly button scar is almost invisible



Oh, also don’t forget to feed the hungry fish just across the road from the hospital, there is a small lake and lots of hungry golden fish


Questions and Answers:

 The Chinese name of Dr. Tie Chiao is 乔铁. According to the Baidu (the no.1 search engine around Chinese community), searching result, he is the president of the Second People’s Hospital of Panyu District and also an expert in the area of removing gallstones while leaving the gallbladder intact).

 From the “Online Inquiring” page of the hospital’s website, I found a reservation hotline of gallstone surgery. It is 020-34935551. I called this number several times and finally reached a doctor named 王兴强（Xing-Qiang Wang）. The information below are from him:

1. The endoscope in this surgery was created by their hospital.
2. Wan-Chao Huang is their engineer，who was involving in the creation of the endoscope. He is not able to do the gallstones operation.
3. Xiao-Bing Luo works in their clinical laboratory. He was involving in the project, but he is not able to do this operation too.
4. President Dr. Tie Qiao and he himself (Xing-Qiang Wang) can do this operation, but he recommended President Qiao as Qiao is by far the best doctor in this area. He often traveled around China and overseas to show this operation. For example, he will go to Ukraine etc. to do this operation during the first half of Oct.
5. Doctor xing-Qiang Wang said that the whole process needs about one week and the cost for it is approximately
CNY10,000. Generally, they can arrange the operation within about 2 days after you have some necessary examinations in their hospital.
6. Doctor Xing-Qiang Wang said that it is better to tell them some basic information about the patient, for example, the age. If it is possible, please fax them the B-ultrasonography examination results. Their fax number is 020-34935551. You should write “To: 王兴强 医生”。 If it is not convenient for you to do that, you can email it to me and I will fax it to them.
7. The phone number of Xing-Qing Wang is 133-1629-5262. President Tie Qiao’s number is 133-1629-5988. I haven’t called president Qiao yet because I think it is better to call him after you tell me some basic information about the patient.

 Yang-De Zhang (张阳德) is the director of the “National Ministry of Heal Hepatobiliary and Enteric Surgery Research Center” and also the Doctor of the Xiang Ya Hospital, Central South University.

Here is the website of the research center: http://www.nhec.net.cn/, but it seemed that this website is not that professional as many pages don’t work.

Also I found a doctor named Jian Li (李坚)， who is the professor and archiater of Xiang Ya Hospital of Central South University. He has a personal website (http://lijian869.haodf.com/), in which many people left messages asking about the operation of removing gallstones while leaving the gallbladder intact.

 There are no contact information of the two doctors in their website. I haven’t contact with Yang-De Zhang and Jian Li from Xiang Ya Hospital of Central South University. Do you want me to try to contact with them?



2 The cost of about CNY10,000 includes the fees for the operation and other fees during your stay in the hospital. They don’t charge any fee to your girlfriend for stay with you in the hospital.
3 The hospital provides three meals a day. The cost for one meal, one person is about CNY 7-10.(Both of you and your girlfriend need to pay for meals.). Please tell your taboos on diet if you have.
4 He would like to do the operation for you. You’d better make a reservation at least 3 to 5 days in advance. (I suggest you to make the reservation one month in advance because he seemed is very busy.)
5 If you go there in December, after December 20th, it’s Ok.(“After December” is not very clear, I suggest you to tell a specific time as much as possible. As far as I know, the President of a hospital are usually very busy.)
6 For the details and reservation, please contact with doctor Wang.(Number:13316295262 020-34935551)
7 It is better to have a translator with you, but it is Ok if you don’t. They have people who can use English to do the daily communications with you.
8 It’s better to bring your previous medical materials, like examination results etc.
9 You need to pay in RMB (CNY) and must be pay in cash.
10 Notes: if you have an acute cholecystitis attacks, you need to firstly accept anti-inflammatory treatment and then have the operation two weeks after that.



English Chinese
Name
名称 The Second People’s Hospital Panyu Guangzhou

http://www.dgrmyy.com/index.html

番禺第二人民医院

http://www.dgrmyy.com/index.html

Address
地址 Address: No.7 Xingye Road, Dagang Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong.
Post Code: 511470
地址：广东省广州市番禺区大岗镇兴业路7号
邮政编码：511470

Contacts联系人 Qiao Tie：133-1629-5988 020-34994386
乔铁：133-1629-5988 020-34994386

Doctor Wang：133-1629-5262 020-34935551
Fax: 34935551
王兴强：133-1629-5262 020-34935551
Fax: 34935551

Google Map http://maps.google.com.hk/maps?hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=active&q=The+Second+Peoples+Hospital+Panyu+Guangzhou&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1284&bih=619&wrapid=tlif135011937028110&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ei=2S95UI2gA8ndigfg7IDwDw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

(In this page, “A” refers to the hospital)
Baidu
Map http://map.baidu.com/?newmap=1&ie=utf-8&s=s%26wd%3D%E5%B9%BF%E4%B8%9C%E7%9C%81%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E%E5%B8%82%E7%95%AA%E7%A6%BA%E5%8C%BA%E5%A4%A7%E5%B2%97%E9%95%87%E5%85%B4%E4%B8%9A%E8%B7%AF7%E5%8F%B7

(In this page, “B” refers to the hospital)
How to get to the Hospital:

Doctor Wang said that you can go to the hospital from Hongkong to Panyu Hotel by “Direct Bus” (直通巴士). He knew that there is the bus station at Hongkong airport and other stations in Honkong, but he don’t know where they are.

Since you would live in Hongkong for one night, maybe you can ask hotel where the “Direct Bus” stations are. I will also do some research about this and will tell you once I got the details.

If you take the bus, please get off at “Panyu Hotel” (番禺宾馆). They will pick you up there.

Doctor Wang suggested you to call him twice. One is a day before you arrive Panyu, the other is before you get on the “Direct Bus”. (You can buy a special cell phone card, so that you can make phone calls from Hongkong to mainland China. In Hongkong, you can find the card in many stores, like Seven Eleven. This card can only use to call from Hongkong to mainland China. If you arrived mainland China, it would not work. So you’d better call doctor Wang before you leave Hongkong.)



More detailed info about this technology and doctors involved see here http://www.zgbdw.com/ and http://www.qpnj.net



PS. Don’t forget to mention that I, EUGENE GOOGLE, referred you to this hospital, you will get VIP treatment then