Should I Have My Gallbladder Removed?

If you have gastrointestinal pain, nausea, and vomiting, don’t ignore your symptoms. You could have gallbladder disease, and you need to seek medical care.

At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, our board-certified bariatric and general surgeons, Dexter Turnquest, MD, and Victoria C. Chang, MD, have many years of experience and perform numerous complex surgeries.

Gallbladder removal is considered a more routine surgery, so you can rest easy knowing you’re in safe hands with Dr. Turnquest and Dr. Chang.

What is the gallbladder and what does it do?

Your gallbladder is an organ in the upper part of your abdomen on the right side. It’s a part of your digestive system. Your liver produces bile to break down fat in the foods you eat and help it pass through your digestive system. Your gallbladder receives the bile from your liver and stores it until needed.

When your gallbladder isn’t working as it should, you can develop gallstones that can cause other health problems.

Gallstones

Sometimes small bits of cholesterol that haven’t dissolved in your system turn into gallstones. Gallstones can be as small as a speck of sand or as large as a golf ball. You could have one gallstone or several.

The stones prevent the normal flow of bile that helps digest your food. As a result, your gallbladder becomes inflamed. Many people develop gallstones but never have symptoms.

If a stone moves out of your gallbladder, it could get stuck in a bile duct. Then bile backs up in your system. You could develop jaundice in which your skin and the whites of your eyes turn yellow. You need treatment for jaundice before more serious complications occur.

Pancreatitis, a complication of gallstones

When gallstones are stuck in your bile duct and the bile can’t drain out of your gallbladder as it normally does, your pancreas can become inflamed, and the result is pancreatitis, a serious complication of gallstones.

When you need gallbladder surgery

If we diagnose gallbladder disease and you have recurrent symptoms, we usually recommend surgery to avoid more serious health problems. You may experience any of the following symptoms with gallbladder disease:

Upset stomach that includes heartburn, gas, and/or bloating
Pain in your abdominal area (can radiate to the back and chest with pancreatitis)
Nausea and/or vomiting
Fever
Jaundice

Gallbladder surgery

We use minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery to remove your gallbladder. The operation takes 45 minutes and is an outpatient procedure. You should be able to return to an office environment in one week.

If you are concerned about gallstones and gallbladder disease, call one of our two Houston, Texas, locations. You can also book an appointment online.