Gallstones and surgery
Sharon Sweigart of Millersville was feeling sharp pains in her abdomen, and it would get even worse after a meal. She thought it was a gastrointestinal problem, but medicine didn’t make the symptoms go away. 
“I was still able to work, but I was miserable and losing weight,” she says. Sharon’s doctor suggested an ultrasound on her gallbladder, which revealed the source of her discomfort: a gallstone.
Gallbladder symptoms like these are common and can affect anyone young or old, although they are more prevalent in women in their 30s or 40s. Gallstones are usually the cause and the pain can be the same if a patient has one gallstone or one thousand.
For Sharon, the problem was one stone partially obstructing the duct. Once diagnosed she didn’t wait, and after one appointment with Lancaster Surgical Group she scheduled a procedure known as a cholecystectomy to remove her gallbladder.
“If symptoms persist, or if the person is diabetic, we recommend removal of the gallbladder,” says Frederick Beyer, MD, of Lancaster Surgical Group. “Ignoring your gallbladder if you are having symptoms can lead to more serious complications and infections.”
Dr. Beyer says if they removed the stones rather than the entire gallbladder, patients would likely experience a recurrence. “Usually, once the gallbladder is removed, it’s the last time they have gallstone problems.”
“I was in for the procedure at 8 a.m. and out by noon. Since then the pain has gone away completely,” Sharon says.
What causes gallstones?
The gallbladder acts as a storage reservoir for bile near the liver. So while it serves a function in the body, it is not essential to lead a full, healthy life.
Gallstones are formed when bile stored in the gallbladder hardens into a stone-like material, created when too much cholesterol, bile salts or bilirubin collect and crystallize. If the stones block the flow of bile they can cause sharp pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, the back, or the shoulder. Nausea, heartburn and vomiting can also result.
Dr. Beyer says there’s not much we can do to prevent gallstones from occurring. Even maintaining a low cholesterol diet doesn’t eliminate your risk.
Patients with a family history of gallstones, or who have experienced significant weight loss tend to be at a higher risk, Dr. Beyer says.
Testing for gallstones
Usually, doctors will recommend an ultrasound scan of the gallbladder to search for gallstones.
If more testing is needed to determine a problem, a doctor may also recommend a CT scan of the abdomen, which uses x-rays to create a detailed image of the problem area; or a hepatobiliary scan, which uses a safe radioactive fluid to check gallbladder function.
Surgical options
“If gallstones are detected but there are no symptoms, we will usually leave the gallbladder alone,” Dr. Beyer says. Doctors have two ways to remove the gallbladder.
In most cases, doctors use laparoscopy. This less invasive procedure requires only small incisions and allows for faster recovery. But in some cases, open surgery is safer or necessary, and requires a larger incision to reach the gallbladder.
And once the gallbladder is removed patients can eat the foods they enjoyed before surgery.
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