Gallbladder Problems:

Gallstones are often the cause but not all the times. Patient can have simply biliary colicky pain to long term post prandial pain to persistent severe pain. Many times, its noted that a thick concentrated bile can also lead to similar symptoms and even acute cholecystitis or pus within the gall bladder.

What are the threats / complications of Gall bladder stones?

• It can lead to pus formation and empyema.
• It can even lead to gangrene of the organ which can life threatening situation.
• If the stones migrate in common bile duct it can lead to Jaundice or infection within liver
• If the stones stuck at the lower end of bile duct it can lead to pancreatitis which is even more disastrous situation.

You are more likely to get gallstones if you:

• Are a woman,
• Have had children,
• Are overweight, or
• Are over 40.

You might also get gallstones if other people in your family had them.

What are the symptoms of gallbladder problems?

Symptoms can include:

• Sharp pain in your abdomen, in upper part on right side or in central upper part.
• Nausea and vomiting sometimes only once,
• Indigestion,
• Fever, and
• Yellow skin – Jaundice is the medical term for skin and eyes that look yellow. You might get jaundice if gallstones block your bile duct.

How do doctors find gallbladder problems?

The best test called an ultrasound is usually done.It is even better to CT scan for detection of Stones in GB

If you need more tests, you might have a CT scan / MRI-MRCP /EUS

How to treat gallbladder problems?

Taking the gallbladder out is usually the best way to treat gallbladder problems. You might get some relief from changing your diet to some extent. For example, eating less fat can help.

You might have heard about treatments to break up gallstones or make them melt away (dissolve). Unfortunately, these do not usually work well.
There are no ayurvedic / homeopathic /unani medicine to dissolve gall stones till date.

What are the advantages of laparoscopic gallbladder surgery?

• Smaller incisions – mostly holes.
• Almost NIL pain than open surgery.
• Quicker recovery than open surgery – You might go home the same day OR may in a day or so. You can also go back to regular activities more quickly.
• Less rest is needed, light work can be resumed in 2 days following surgery.
• Travelling is also possible following surgery.

The exact instructions depend on your surgeon before surgery, but here are some common things to do.

• Take a shower on the same morning.
• Stop eating and drinking at the time your doctor tells you before surgery. mostly a night before for morning surgery.
• The morning of your surgery, you may take medications your doctor told you are allowed (usually the blood presser or thyroid medicines). Take them with just a sip of water. Avoid diabetes medicines.
• You might need to stop taking certain medicines before surgery. These include blood thinners, supplements, and medicines that affect your immune system. Talk to your surgeon when you schedule your laparoscopic gallbladder removal.

How is Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal Done?

You will be given general anaesthesia for your laparoscopic gallbladder surgery removal. This means you are asleep during surgery.

Three or four ports are generally inserted for gall bladder removal surgery.

Incisions after minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery

We – at SIDS Hospital have highest experience of gall bladder removal surgery in entire South Gujarat, including most complex and most difficult cases are also done with laparoscopy.

What if I Cannot Have Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal?

In an extremely rare situations or in very difficult conditions laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery is done with open technique.

Such chances could be there in case of

• You have multiple scares on your tummy with obesity
• The surgeon cannot see very well inside your body through the laparoscope.
• You have bleeding problems during surgery.

It is not a complication (problem) if your surgeon decides to switch to open surgery. They will switch if open surgery is the safest option for you.

What are the Possible Complications of Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal?

Complications are problems that happen during medical care or after it. Most people who have laparoscopic gallbladder removal have very less complications or none at all.

Complications of laparoscopic gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) do not happen often.

They can include bleeding, infection in the surgery area, hernias, blood clots, and heart problems.

You should also know that any surgery has the risk of hurting other body parts. This is not likely, but it is possible. Gallbladder surgery could hurt nearby areas such as the common bile duct, large intestine (colon), or small intestine. You might need another surgery if this happens. It is also possible that bile might leak into the abdomen after gallbladder surgery.

Pain:

You will feel some pain after surgery. A minorpain at the incision sites and in your abdomen especially at naval site is common. You might also have pain in your shoulders. This is from the CO2 put into your abdomen during the operation. The shoulder pain should go away in 24 to 48 hours.

Nausea / Vomiting:

You might feel sick to your stomach (nauseated) or throw up (vomit) after your surgery. Having surgery and anaesthesia can make this happen. You should feel better in a day or two. Tell your doctor or nurse if you keep vomiting or feeling nauseated.

Activities

You should be as active as your body allows. Doctors recommend walking. You can go up and down stairs on the day of your surgery. The next day, you can take a shower with the dressings. You can expect to feel a little better each day after going home. If not, please call your doctor.

You can probably go back to normal activity within a week after laparoscopic gallbladder removal.

If you do a physical job with heavy lifting, ask your doctor when you can go back to work. You can drive 24 hours after you had anesthesia if you are not taking narcotic pain medicines.

Light exercises and aerobics including swimming is usually permitted after a week. Heavy weight lifting is usually warranted will 2-3 months.

If you had an open surgery with a large incision, you need more time to recover. You will probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days after surgery. Expect to go back to full activities in 4 to 6 weeks. You will probably recover more slowly in other ways, too.

Follow up

You need to see your surgeon 7 to 10 days after surgery, sutures are usually removed on the follow up visit, and don’t forget to collect the biopsy report in the follow up visit.

When to call your doctor after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Be sure to call your surgeon or family doctor if you have any of problems below.

• Fever over 101 degrees F.
• Severe pain or swelling in the belly
• Yellow skin (jaundice)
• Feeling sick and persistent nausea or vomiting.
• Blood or pus coming from any of the small cuts in the surgery area – Or redness that spreads or gets worse.

Pain that your medicines do not help

Breathing problems or a cough that does not get better.

This brochure is intended to provide a general overview of a surgery. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical care or a discussion between you and your surgeon about the need for a surgery. Specific recommendations may vary among health care professionals. Every individual is different and every human body behaves differently.