Signs of Gallbladder Disease and When to Consider Surgery

Signs of Gallbladder Disease and When to Consider Surgery in Margate, FL

When it is working correctly, your gallbladder has a very important job that you will never know it is doing. When it has  a disease, you will know quite quickly that something isn't right. If you have issues with your bile duct and gallbladder in Margate, FL, Dr. Vladimir Donchev is a Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgeon who can provide all the treatment you may need to treat gallbladder disease. 

The gallbladder is in the upper right area of the abdomen, just below the liver. It is a small organ shaped like a pear. It stores and releases bile from the liver and helps break down fatty foods. It squeezes whenever anything gets into the stomach, but it has to work a lot harder when it is greasy or fatty foods. It has an important function but is not essential, so it is possible that when it gets diseased it may need to be removed. 

Signs of Gallbladder Disease

Some people with gallbladder disease will have no signs at all. The most common sign that you have an issue with your bile duct and gallbladder in Margate, FL is pain. It is in the mid to upper abdomen and can range from mild to quite severe. The pain usually occurs after eating a meal with a lot of fat. This can be because the gallbladder is not functioning correctly or because gallstones have blocked the pancreatic duct, or the bile duct. 

Symptoms

Symptoms of gallbladder disease include intolerance to fatty foods, abdominal pain, and gas, diarrhea, jaundice, dark urine, and light colored stools. You may also experience a loss of appetite and may become deficient in some of the fat-soluble vitamins that the body needs to function at its best. 

Treatment

When the symptoms of gallbladder disease are having an impact on the quality of your life or have led to a serious infection that can be life-threatening, it is time to think about getting your gallbladder removed. These days, gallbladder surgery usually doesn't require a hospital stay and is done laparoscopically. That means minimal scarring for you and a faster recovery. It is one of the most common series performed in the United States; nearly 600,000 are performed every year. 

Contact Us for More Information

When you have issues with your bile duct and gallbladder in Margate, FL, Dr. Donchev, your Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgeon, can help you to get back to good digestive health. To make an appointment, give the office a call at (754) 220-8100.