I just had too much for dinner! She had abdominal pain for 6 hours and went to the doctor. She was shocked: the gallstones were so big that she needed surgery.
Abdominal pain after a meal does not necessarily mean a bad stomach! She was shocked when she checked: her gallbladder actually “hidden a huge boulder”
Upper abdominal pain and nausea are not necessarily a sign of a bad stomach, but are they a warning sign of gallstones? Dr. Chen Jiepu, the attending physician of the Department of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery at Chi Mei Hospital, said that he had previously treated a 43-year-old female patient with no history of chronic diseases. In the past two weeks, she began to suffer from upper abdominal pain due to eating a large dinner. At first, she thought it was Gastroenteritis is ignored until the symptoms worsen and the pain lasts for more than 6 hours, combined with the feeling of nausea and vomiting, before seeking treatment.
After physical examination and blood tests, it was found that the patient’s white blood cell index and inflammatory index (C-reactive protein) were relatively high, and computed tomography also detected gallstones combined with cholecystitis. Since the patient’s liver index increased significantly due to inflammation, Dr. Chen Jiepu decided to first perform “percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage” supplemented with antibiotic treatment, and then perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient recovered well after the operation and his abdominal pain improved.
In addition to gallstones, other common stones include common bile duct stones and intrahepatic bile duct stones. Smaller common bile duct stones can be removed with a gastroscope. If the stones are too large, minimally invasive common bile duct exploration can be used to explore the surgical site. Intrahepatic bile duct stones often cause chronic inflammation, which over time may even increase the risk of subsequent cholangiocarcinoma. Minimally invasive liver resection is currently the first choice for the treatment of intrahepatic bile duct stones.
The incidence of gallstones favors girls over boys! The older you get, the higher the risk. Don’t ignore it.
Dr. Chen Jiepu explained that gallstones are a common health problem, and the cause is mainly related to the concentration of bile. When the gallbladder is left unstimulated for a long time, and bile remains in it and water is absorbed, stones may gradually form. Women are twice as likely to suffer from gallstones as men. Studies have pointed out that it may be related to female hormones, especially women who have been pregnant more often, use oral contraceptives, or are receiving hormonal treatment. Hyperlipidemia and being overweight are also related. Is a high risk factor for gallstones.
Both men and women are at increased risk as they age. If you experience symptoms such as upper abdominal pain, you should seek medical attention promptly to rule out the possibility of gallstones. Most gallstones are composed of cholesterol or bile pigments. Different colors of stones also reflect different health conditions. For example, cholesterol stones are lighter in color and bile pigment stones are darker in color.
Dr. Chen Jiepu pointed out that symptoms of cholecystitis tend to occur at night, especially after dinner. Food entering the stomach and duodenum will promote the secretion of cholecystokinin, which in turn stimulates the contraction of the gallbladder and the discharge of bile into the bile duct. If the discharge process is blocked by gallstones, it is easy to cause biliary colic; over time, it will become Cholecystitis may lead to upper abdominal pain and nausea, which may even lead to cholangitis and hepatitis.
Asymptomatic gallstones can be observed and this surgery should be considered when experiencing severe pain
If a patient simply develops gallstones without obvious symptoms, it is usually recommended to conduct observation and follow-up first unless there are special circumstances (such as gall polyps at the same time, larger stones, calcification in the gallbladder, etc.). Medication and fossil powder folk remedies circulated in the public have little effect on the treatment of gallstones. Once gallstones cause painful symptoms, the most effective and permanent method is to perform “laparoscopic minimally invasive cholecystectomy”.
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery only requires three small abdominal incisions deep into the abdominal cavity to remove the gallbladder and stones together. Dr. Chen Jiepu pointed out that the operation and anesthesia time is about 2 hours, and the patient can be discharged from the hospital in about 2 days after the operation. Compared with traditional cholecystectomy, laparoscopic gallbladder surgery has a shorter recovery period, significantly reduced pain, and the wound size is only one-tenth of that of traditional surgery.
With the advancement and development of surgical technology, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has now progressed to the point where single-port laparoscopy can perform complete cholecystectomy. After the patient undergoes the surgery, only a small wound will be formed around the navel. Compared with the traditional three-hole laparoscope, the appearance of the injury is smaller, and it can effectively reduce the pain of the postoperative wound. The only disadvantage is that there is additional out-of-pocket expense. Equipment expenses. However, for those with severe inflammation or physical condition not suitable for surgery, “percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage” is a better choice. The drainage tube usually needs to be left in place for a period of time before being removed.
Up to 25% of patients have these two major problems! Diet rules after gallstone treatment
Dr. Chen Jiepu said that in addition to pain from the surgical wound, abdominal bloating and soft stool are also common symptoms that patients often face after surgery. About a quarter of the patients in the clinic will temporarily experience this after surgery. Abdominal bloating and loose stools, which usually resolve within a month after surgery, occur because bile is no longer stored in the gallbladder but is expelled directly into the intestine, causing irritation of intestinal reactions.
Dr. Chen Jiepu advises patients to eat small meals frequently after surgery and avoid eating too greasy foods to help the body gradually adapt to the new situation and improve symptoms. In addition, only a very small number of patients will develop complications of long-term diarrhea, and most patients do not need to worry too much.
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