Signs & Treatment of Gallbladder Disease

Baptist Health La Grange: Signs & Treatment of Gallbladder Disease

Thomas K. Hart, MD, explains gallbladder disease, including symptoms and treatment. Learn the signs of a gallbladder attack.

Signs & Treatment of Gallbladder Disease HealthTalks Transcript

Thomas K. Hart, MD, General Surgery:
What the gallbladder does is stores and concentrates the bile from the liver, and it’s released into the small intestine to help you digest your fats in your diet.

The signs and symptoms of a gallbladder attack are primarily right upper quadrant pain. The patient may also have some nausea and vomiting, fever or chills. They may notice that their urine is dark in color, or their stool is light in color.

People often look on the internet for answers to their health questions, and sometimes that can be problematic, particularly with gallbladder disease. There are certain diets called gallbladder purges. That is dangerous. It can increase your risk for getting pancreatitis, and I can’t emphasize [enough] that patients should stay away from this kind of self-treatment.

The main treatment for gallbladder disease would be surgical removal. Gallbladder surgery has evolved over the last 25 years. Now, most gallbladder surgeries are done laparoscopically or through the scope, with either three or four small incisions, and it’s generally done on an outpatient basis.

After your gallbladder is removed, there will be no restrictions on your diet. You’ll be able to eat whatever you would like that is healthy. You’ll feel well generally two weeks after your gallbladder is removed. Baptist Health La Grange treats people for gallbladder disease on a daily basis. We have a long history with this type of disease and this type of surgery.