Bad Gallbladder

What are the causes and symptoms of a bad gallbladder?

It's been estimated that about 20% of Americans, with the majority being over the age of 40, develop a bad gallbladder along the road of life. Both lifestyle (eating habits) and genetic factors play a role. If you're overweight, suffer from gastrointestinal disease and have high serum cholesterol levels, you're far more vulnerable to developing a bad gallbladder. Women also have a higher incidence of gallbladder disease, as do certain ethnic groups, such as Native Americans and Mexican Americans. If you eat a diet high in fats and spicy foods, this is another contributing factor. In fact, you can develop a bad gallbladder due to certain, common foods to which you have an allergic response, such as eggs, dairy products, carbonated drinks, chocolate and even coffee! First, let's take a look at some of the symptoms you might experience due to a bad gallbladder:

sharp pain in the abdomen, just under the sternum. In some cases, you may feel pain in the middle of your back, or under your right arm. If the pain is sharp enough, you may have difficulty taking a deep breath.
Nausea, diarrhea and vomiting
alternating sweats and chills, with a loss of color in your face
sudden, severe pain following a sudden movement of your body, or heavy physical exertion

You may not experience all of these symptoms, but if you have a bad gallbladder, it's undeniably painful and is typically exacerbated following a fatty meal, especially if you've eaten late. These painful attacks can last for a few hours and should not be ignored. If symptoms persist, it's best to seek medical attention. Your gallbladder can rupture, causing a serious medical crisis!

If you fall into one of the high risk groups, you'll do well to start mending your dietary habits now. Include lots of fish and those dark, green leafy veggies. Go for wheat in your grains. These foods are least likely to feed into the allergenic syndrome.

Your liver and gallbladder are inextricably tied in to how well – or ill – your gallbladder works. Bile is an end product of the liver, which is fed to the gallbladder, and is an essential component in the proper digestion of fat. In a healthy gallbladder, the bile is released to the stomach and then the small intestine, periodically, without ill effect. However, if you have certain risk factors, such as those named above, this process can go awry. A poor diet, or simply genetic factors can cause blockages in the proper flow of the bile, with the result being the development of gallbladder stones within your gallbladder.

The usual treatment for a bad gallbladder is to remove this organ. Don't worry, somewhat like your appendix, you can live without it. Your body has other mechanisms of dealing with the bile transportation. The usual procedure involves a small incision and the use of a laparascope, a small camera-like instrument which allows the physician to safely and easily remove your bad gallbladder.

Here we offer one valuable tip you'll be glad you had after your surgery: do not ingest even a sip of a carbonated beverage before or after your surgery! If you do, you will experience such severe gas pains, you may well believe that bad gallbladder is still there! As your physician about this for the best guidance.

Good luck and stay healthy!