The gallbladder can be found right under the liver and it helps store bile before it reaches the small intestine. The interesting part is there is more than one way for bile to make its way to your intestine, making the gallbladder sometimes more of a nuisance than necessary. As such, Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy — better known as Gallbladder Removal Surgery—is an ideal practice.
The gallbladder is a pear-shaped small organ sharing real estate in the abdomen area with other digestive organs—namely the stomach.
The gallbladder should help your body break down food. But often deposits can build up called gallstones. These can become serious enough to prompt doctors to just have the entire organ removed.
The surgery is only minimally invasive, requiring a few small incisions.
The hard deposits that form along the bile duct are most associated with women who are over 40 years old, overweight, and have carried children.
Keep an eye out for these symptoms:
Doctors have been known to use ultrasounds to detect any problems. Good news for us because these tests are quick and painless.
The bad news is something like gallstones do not go away on their own. The good news is diet chan help relieve pain while removing the gallbladder altogether is the best treatment.
These surgeries entail very little post-op recovery as they only require just a handful of small incisions—as little as three. The patient sometimes goes home the very same day and soon returns to their normal everyday routine.
Seek professional consultation. Again gallbladder problems will not go away without intervention.
Your surgeon will walk you through any preparations you will need to do. These are run-of-the-mill instructions such as how early to take a shower before your operation, or when to stop eating, and what medications you are allowed to take the morning of your surgery.
The incisions are made after the patient is put under anesthesia. The stitches used to path the patient up afterwards disappear on their own.
Through the incisions, a small camera is inserted and the surgeon to uses long instruments to disconnect the gallbladder.
There are a bevy of reasons some patients might not be able to undergo laparoscopic surgery. Often doctors will instead choose to perform open surgery because excessive damage, obesity levels, or scar tissue for previous operations.
The main reason for cholecystectomy’s popularity over open surgery is its minimal complications. It’s less invasive and its patients return to everyday activities in a single week.
Like any surgery, infection, hernias, blood clots and excessive bleeding are possible but rare when it comes to gallbladder surgery.
The anesthesia will not allow you to get behind the wheel of a car for at least 24 hours. After a day you will be able to remove your bandages and take a shower. And in a week’s time, your normal physical activity should be easy.
Expect to visit your doctor again no later than three weeks following your surgery.
Open surgery requires you to stay in the hospital. You can’t immediately go back home. Full, everyday routine will not be allowed for as long as six weeks.
Interested in learning more about gallbladder surgery? Contact our office today to speak with an experienced member of our team.