Because of the nature of what we eat many of us develop stones in the gallbladder. It’s interesting to know that most gallbladder stones given no pain. However, sometimes the stone in the gallbladder can be stuck in its neck, giving severe abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting. Even a single attack qualifies you to have the operation.

I am sure that once your family doctor hears that you have had such symptoms, you will be sent for an abdominal ultrasound. An ultrasound is an excellent test for gallbladder stones. If you have stones documented on your ultrasound, your family doctor will refer you to my office to talk about gallbladder surgery.

Gallbladder surgery is one of the common operations that I do. It is done under a general anesthetic and you will go home the same day. The operation is done using a laparoscope (that is a tiny telescope connected to a special camera ). As soon as you’re asleep, I will put 4 small holes in the stomach area. I will place some gas inside the abdominal cavity to give me working space. I then remove your diseased gallbladder along with the stones inside of it and stitch the four holes closed again. The operation takes about one hour. Down time for recovery and recuperation is about one week. You will be happy to hear that within 3 months those skin scars would be barely visible.

Gallbladder surgery is very safe. Dangers and complications are very rare. One particular complication pertains to a tube close to the gallbladder called the common bile duct. If I cannot see this duct properly during the operation or I am worried that I have caused any sort of damage to it, this will be a reason to make the old-fashioned traditional cut to fix the problem. Such complication is very rare. Some patients note that there are stools are somewhat softer after gallbladder surgery.