With the exception of very few extremely complicated cases, he performs all of his gallbladder surgeries laparoscopically with a few small incisions and usually with a minimal amount of post operative pain.\u00a0 The medical term for the procedure is laparoscopic cholecystectomy.<\/p>\n
The benefits of laparoscopic gallbladder surgery include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Less pain<\/li>\n
- Ability to go home the same day of surgery<\/li>\n
- Smaller incisions<\/li>\n
- Fewer wound issues<\/li>\n
- Less scarring <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why would I need gallbladder surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen you eat – especially when you eat fatty food – the gallbladder contracts and pushes bile into the intestines to help with digestion.\u00a0 Gallstones can block the gallbladder from being able to do this and this can cause pain (called biliary colic).\u00a0 This can also sometimes cause nausea and vomiting.\u00a0 Sometimes inflammation can develop as a result of gallstones and cause the gallbladder to become infected.\u00a0 Gallstones can also get out of the gallbladder and travel down the bile duct and block the bile duct and cause jaundice or pancreatitis.\u00a0 Very rarely pancreatitis or cholangitis can be life threatening.\u00a0 Sometimes an endoscopic procedure called an ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is needed to remove gallstones from the bile duct.\u00a0 An ERCP is done by a gastroenterologist.<\/p>\n
Patients with biliary colic should avoid fatty foods to help control their symptoms but sometimes this does not help very much.\u00a0 Some patients can deal with their gallstones by avoiding fatty foods for a long time but most patients get tired of a strict diet or their abdominal pain worsens and they want their gallbladder removed.<\/p>\n
Can my gallstones be removed without removing my gallbladder?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo, this is not an accepted treatment.\u00a0 If only the gallstones were removed, more stones will almost definitely reform.\u00a0 Also you will probably not be able to find a surgeon willing to do this as it is not the standard of care and could lead to a variety of serious problems.\u00a0 A lot of gallstones are very small and gravel or sand like and it would be difficult to remove all of them.\u00a0 Also, if they were broken up and passed through the bile duct into the intestines, this would create a rather dangerous situation where the patient might develop pancreatitis or a blocked bile duct.\u00a0 Treatment of gallstones is very different from kidney stones and generally requires gallbladder removal.<\/p>\n
Can I have gallbladder pain without gallstones?<\/b><\/h2>\n
There is also a gallbladder disease called biliary dyskinesia or chronic acalculous cholecystitis where there are no gallstones present but the gallbladder does not function properly.\u00a0 The symptoms are similar to those for patients with gallstones.\u00a0 A HIDA (hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid) scan is usually done to test for this problem.\u00a0 During this test, dye is taken up by the liver and excreted into the bile duct and flows into the gallbladder as well.\u00a0 Another medication called CCK or else Ensure is then given which causes the gallbladder to contract and the percentage of dye that is ejected from the gallbladder is calculated.\u00a0 If this percentage is 35% or less, the test suggests biliary dyskinesia.\u00a0 Patients usually get\u00a0relief of their symptoms with laparoscopic cholecystectomy.<\/p>\n
Also, a small number of patients can have a hyperkinetic gallbladder where the gallbladder is squeezing to much and the ejection fraction on a HIDA scan is too high (over 80%).\u00a0 This is a diagnosis of exclusion.<\/p>\n
What should I eat after gallbladder surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn order to reduce the risk of stomach upset such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, Dr. Harris recommends a bland diet for the first week after surgery.\u00a0 Avoid the types of foods that typically cause gallbladder attacks such as rich, creamy, fatty, or spicy foods.\u00a0 Stick with bland foods like breads, fruits, vegetables, and meats which are lower in fat such as chicken breasts.\u00a0 But regardless of what you eat, you are not going to do any permanent damage.<\/p>\n
What are the side effects of not having a gallbladder?<\/strong><\/h2>\nA small percentage of patients will have problems with diarrhea after cholecystectomy.\u00a0 If the diarrhea remains problematic after a few weeks, we recommend trying Imodium.\u00a0 If this doesn’t improve things significantly, we prescribe a bile acid binding medication such as Colestipol.<\/p>\n
Can my gallbladder perforate?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is extremely rare but yes it is possible.\u00a0 A CT scan would be able to tell this and surgery would likely be needed to deal with this problem.<\/p>\n
Is there a blood test for gallstones?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo there is not a blood test that would definitely tell if you have gallstones but some blood tests might identify the possibility of gallstones such as an elevated bilirubin level to help you determine if you require gallbladder surgery.<\/p>\n
Are there medications I can take for gallstones instead of having surgery?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou could try a medication called Ursodiol but it is not very effective and most physicians recommend gallbladder removal\u00a0 over this medication.<\/p>\n
Why do gallstones form?<\/strong><\/h2>\nGallstones form because of imbalance in the contents of bile which flows from the liver into the intestines.\u00a0 Risk factors include obesity, a diet high in fat and low in fiber, rapid weight loss, being female, and taking estrogen containing medications.<\/p>\n
How long is gallbladder surgery recovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEveryone is different but generally the first couple of days after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery may be a little rough.\u00a0 Hopefully after that you can just take over the counter medications for discomfort and get back to most activity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Adam Harris, MD, is a trusted General Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama<\/a>. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Schedule your appointment today at (205) 995-9700<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"gallbladder](\"https:\/\/surgeonadamharris.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/gallbladder-specialist-birmingham-alabama.jpg\" "\\"gallbladder")
\n\tContact Us To Learn we can help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why would I need gallbladder surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen you eat – especially when you eat fatty food – the gallbladder contracts and pushes bile into the intestines to help with digestion.\u00a0 Gallstones can block the gallbladder from being able to do this and this can cause pain (called biliary colic).\u00a0 This can also sometimes cause nausea and vomiting.\u00a0 Sometimes inflammation can develop as a result of gallstones and cause the gallbladder to become infected.\u00a0 Gallstones can also get out of the gallbladder and travel down the bile duct and block the bile duct and cause jaundice or pancreatitis.\u00a0 Very rarely pancreatitis or cholangitis can be life threatening.\u00a0 Sometimes an endoscopic procedure called an ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is needed to remove gallstones from the bile duct.\u00a0 An ERCP is done by a gastroenterologist.<\/p>\n
Patients with biliary colic should avoid fatty foods to help control their symptoms but sometimes this does not help very much.\u00a0 Some patients can deal with their gallstones by avoiding fatty foods for a long time but most patients get tired of a strict diet or their abdominal pain worsens and they want their gallbladder removed.<\/p>\n
Can my gallstones be removed without removing my gallbladder?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo, this is not an accepted treatment.\u00a0 If only the gallstones were removed, more stones will almost definitely reform.\u00a0 Also you will probably not be able to find a surgeon willing to do this as it is not the standard of care and could lead to a variety of serious problems.\u00a0 A lot of gallstones are very small and gravel or sand like and it would be difficult to remove all of them.\u00a0 Also, if they were broken up and passed through the bile duct into the intestines, this would create a rather dangerous situation where the patient might develop pancreatitis or a blocked bile duct.\u00a0 Treatment of gallstones is very different from kidney stones and generally requires gallbladder removal.<\/p>\n
Can I have gallbladder pain without gallstones?<\/b><\/h2>\n
There is also a gallbladder disease called biliary dyskinesia or chronic acalculous cholecystitis where there are no gallstones present but the gallbladder does not function properly.\u00a0 The symptoms are similar to those for patients with gallstones.\u00a0 A HIDA (hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid) scan is usually done to test for this problem.\u00a0 During this test, dye is taken up by the liver and excreted into the bile duct and flows into the gallbladder as well.\u00a0 Another medication called CCK or else Ensure is then given which causes the gallbladder to contract and the percentage of dye that is ejected from the gallbladder is calculated.\u00a0 If this percentage is 35% or less, the test suggests biliary dyskinesia.\u00a0 Patients usually get\u00a0relief of their symptoms with laparoscopic cholecystectomy.<\/p>\n
Also, a small number of patients can have a hyperkinetic gallbladder where the gallbladder is squeezing to much and the ejection fraction on a HIDA scan is too high (over 80%).\u00a0 This is a diagnosis of exclusion.<\/p>\n
What should I eat after gallbladder surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn order to reduce the risk of stomach upset such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, Dr. Harris recommends a bland diet for the first week after surgery.\u00a0 Avoid the types of foods that typically cause gallbladder attacks such as rich, creamy, fatty, or spicy foods.\u00a0 Stick with bland foods like breads, fruits, vegetables, and meats which are lower in fat such as chicken breasts.\u00a0 But regardless of what you eat, you are not going to do any permanent damage.<\/p>\n
What are the side effects of not having a gallbladder?<\/strong><\/h2>\nA small percentage of patients will have problems with diarrhea after cholecystectomy.\u00a0 If the diarrhea remains problematic after a few weeks, we recommend trying Imodium.\u00a0 If this doesn’t improve things significantly, we prescribe a bile acid binding medication such as Colestipol.<\/p>\n
Can my gallbladder perforate?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is extremely rare but yes it is possible.\u00a0 A CT scan would be able to tell this and surgery would likely be needed to deal with this problem.<\/p>\n
Is there a blood test for gallstones?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo there is not a blood test that would definitely tell if you have gallstones but some blood tests might identify the possibility of gallstones such as an elevated bilirubin level to help you determine if you require gallbladder surgery.<\/p>\n
Are there medications I can take for gallstones instead of having surgery?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou could try a medication called Ursodiol but it is not very effective and most physicians recommend gallbladder removal\u00a0 over this medication.<\/p>\n
Why do gallstones form?<\/strong><\/h2>\nGallstones form because of imbalance in the contents of bile which flows from the liver into the intestines.\u00a0 Risk factors include obesity, a diet high in fat and low in fiber, rapid weight loss, being female, and taking estrogen containing medications.<\/p>\n
How long is gallbladder surgery recovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEveryone is different but generally the first couple of days after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery may be a little rough.\u00a0 Hopefully after that you can just take over the counter medications for discomfort and get back to most activity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Adam Harris, MD, is a trusted General Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama<\/a>. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Schedule your appointment today at (205) 995-9700<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\tContact Us To Learn we can help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
No, this is not an accepted treatment.\u00a0 If only the gallstones were removed, more stones will almost definitely reform.\u00a0 Also you will probably not be able to find a surgeon willing to do this as it is not the standard of care and could lead to a variety of serious problems.\u00a0 A lot of gallstones are very small and gravel or sand like and it would be difficult to remove all of them.\u00a0 Also, if they were broken up and passed through the bile duct into the intestines, this would create a rather dangerous situation where the patient might develop pancreatitis or a blocked bile duct.\u00a0 Treatment of gallstones is very different from kidney stones and generally requires gallbladder removal.<\/p>\n
Can I have gallbladder pain without gallstones?<\/b><\/h2>\n
There is also a gallbladder disease called biliary dyskinesia or chronic acalculous cholecystitis where there are no gallstones present but the gallbladder does not function properly.\u00a0 The symptoms are similar to those for patients with gallstones.\u00a0 A HIDA (hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid) scan is usually done to test for this problem.\u00a0 During this test, dye is taken up by the liver and excreted into the bile duct and flows into the gallbladder as well.\u00a0 Another medication called CCK or else Ensure is then given which causes the gallbladder to contract and the percentage of dye that is ejected from the gallbladder is calculated.\u00a0 If this percentage is 35% or less, the test suggests biliary dyskinesia.\u00a0 Patients usually get\u00a0relief of their symptoms with laparoscopic cholecystectomy.<\/p>\n
Also, a small number of patients can have a hyperkinetic gallbladder where the gallbladder is squeezing to much and the ejection fraction on a HIDA scan is too high (over 80%).\u00a0 This is a diagnosis of exclusion.<\/p>\n
What should I eat after gallbladder surgery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn order to reduce the risk of stomach upset such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, Dr. Harris recommends a bland diet for the first week after surgery.\u00a0 Avoid the types of foods that typically cause gallbladder attacks such as rich, creamy, fatty, or spicy foods.\u00a0 Stick with bland foods like breads, fruits, vegetables, and meats which are lower in fat such as chicken breasts.\u00a0 But regardless of what you eat, you are not going to do any permanent damage.<\/p>\n
What are the side effects of not having a gallbladder?<\/strong><\/h2>\nA small percentage of patients will have problems with diarrhea after cholecystectomy.\u00a0 If the diarrhea remains problematic after a few weeks, we recommend trying Imodium.\u00a0 If this doesn’t improve things significantly, we prescribe a bile acid binding medication such as Colestipol.<\/p>\n
Can my gallbladder perforate?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is extremely rare but yes it is possible.\u00a0 A CT scan would be able to tell this and surgery would likely be needed to deal with this problem.<\/p>\n
Is there a blood test for gallstones?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo there is not a blood test that would definitely tell if you have gallstones but some blood tests might identify the possibility of gallstones such as an elevated bilirubin level to help you determine if you require gallbladder surgery.<\/p>\n
Are there medications I can take for gallstones instead of having surgery?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou could try a medication called Ursodiol but it is not very effective and most physicians recommend gallbladder removal\u00a0 over this medication.<\/p>\n
Why do gallstones form?<\/strong><\/h2>\nGallstones form because of imbalance in the contents of bile which flows from the liver into the intestines.\u00a0 Risk factors include obesity, a diet high in fat and low in fiber, rapid weight loss, being female, and taking estrogen containing medications.<\/p>\n
How long is gallbladder surgery recovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEveryone is different but generally the first couple of days after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery may be a little rough.\u00a0 Hopefully after that you can just take over the counter medications for discomfort and get back to most activity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Adam Harris, MD, is a trusted General Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama<\/a>. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Schedule your appointment today at (205) 995-9700<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\tContact Us To Learn we can help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A small percentage of patients will have problems with diarrhea after cholecystectomy.\u00a0 If the diarrhea remains problematic after a few weeks, we recommend trying Imodium.\u00a0 If this doesn’t improve things significantly, we prescribe a bile acid binding medication such as Colestipol.<\/p>\n
Can my gallbladder perforate?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is extremely rare but yes it is possible.\u00a0 A CT scan would be able to tell this and surgery would likely be needed to deal with this problem.<\/p>\n
Is there a blood test for gallstones?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo there is not a blood test that would definitely tell if you have gallstones but some blood tests might identify the possibility of gallstones such as an elevated bilirubin level to help you determine if you require gallbladder surgery.<\/p>\n
Are there medications I can take for gallstones instead of having surgery?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou could try a medication called Ursodiol but it is not very effective and most physicians recommend gallbladder removal\u00a0 over this medication.<\/p>\n
Why do gallstones form?<\/strong><\/h2>\nGallstones form because of imbalance in the contents of bile which flows from the liver into the intestines.\u00a0 Risk factors include obesity, a diet high in fat and low in fiber, rapid weight loss, being female, and taking estrogen containing medications.<\/p>\n
How long is gallbladder surgery recovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEveryone is different but generally the first couple of days after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery may be a little rough.\u00a0 Hopefully after that you can just take over the counter medications for discomfort and get back to most activity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Adam Harris, MD, is a trusted General Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama<\/a>. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Schedule your appointment today at (205) 995-9700<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\tContact Us To Learn we can help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
No there is not a blood test that would definitely tell if you have gallstones but some blood tests might identify the possibility of gallstones such as an elevated bilirubin level to help you determine if you require gallbladder surgery.<\/p>\n
Are there medications I can take for gallstones instead of having surgery?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou could try a medication called Ursodiol but it is not very effective and most physicians recommend gallbladder removal\u00a0 over this medication.<\/p>\n
Why do gallstones form?<\/strong><\/h2>\nGallstones form because of imbalance in the contents of bile which flows from the liver into the intestines.\u00a0 Risk factors include obesity, a diet high in fat and low in fiber, rapid weight loss, being female, and taking estrogen containing medications.<\/p>\n
How long is gallbladder surgery recovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEveryone is different but generally the first couple of days after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery may be a little rough.\u00a0 Hopefully after that you can just take over the counter medications for discomfort and get back to most activity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Adam Harris, MD, is a trusted General Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama<\/a>. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Schedule your appointment today at (205) 995-9700<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\tContact Us To Learn we can help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Gallstones form because of imbalance in the contents of bile which flows from the liver into the intestines.\u00a0 Risk factors include obesity, a diet high in fat and low in fiber, rapid weight loss, being female, and taking estrogen containing medications.<\/p>\n
How long is gallbladder surgery recovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEveryone is different but generally the first couple of days after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery may be a little rough.\u00a0 Hopefully after that you can just take over the counter medications for discomfort and get back to most activity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Adam Harris, MD, is a trusted General Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama<\/a>. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Schedule your appointment today at (205) 995-9700<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\tContact Us To Learn we can help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n\t