What is gallstones?
Gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located just below your liver. This organ is responsible for restoring bile salt, a digestive enzyme that will be released into the small intestine. The main function for bile salt is to break fat into smaller parts during digestion so that our body can absorb it easier. When the digestive enzyme hardens, it will form stones known as gallstones (batu hempedu). Some people will form a lot of stones inside the gallbladder while others can form only one stone. The size for the stones is also different among others. It can range from as small as sand to a very large size as big as a golf ball. If the gallstones cause discomfort to the patient, it will surely require a surgical removal procedure in order to provide relief. However, a removal surgery is not needed if it does not impair a patient’s daily activities.
What are the symptoms?
Some gallstones may not give any symptom because it is too small and not that significant. However, there is a possibility that it might block your gallbladder duct if it becomes too large. When blockage happens, it can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or rapid and sudden onset of intensifying pain in the centre or upper right portion of your abdomen. Not just that, most people experience pain radiation towards their back or right shoulder as well. This pain might last from a few minutes to hours.
What are the causes?
You must be thinking about what are the causes for gallstones now. The truth is, the actual cause is still unclear. However, doctors think that some of these theories might been related with the formation of gallstones in the gallbladder:
- Too much cholesterol in the bile. Cholesterol is a substance that contains fat. We all know that too much cholesterol will be unhealthy and very bad for our body. Although the function for bile salt is to dissolve cholesterol, it will become too overwhelmed for the enzyme to digest it if the body produces too much cholesterol. All of these excess cholesterol will form into crystals, and eventually turn into gallstones by some time. Hence, it is a good idea to cut down your food intake that contains a lot of fat such as fast foods, high calorie foods and sugary foods. Focus more on following a healthy diet plan and do regular exercise in order to remove those unwanted excess cholesterols in your body.
- Too much bilirubin in the bile. Bilirubin is a substance that is released from a breakdown of red blood cells. Certain medical conditions such as liver disease, biliary tract infection or blood disorder can produce too much unwanted bilirubin. The bilirubin then will go towards and mix with the bile salt in the gallbladder. This mixture then contributes to the forming of gallbladder stones. If you have any medical disease that can contribute to a gallstone formation, your doctor usually will advise you regarding this matter. So, please be aware about the gallstones symptoms and meet your doctor as soon as possible if you suspect that you have gallstones.
- The gallbladder does not empty correctly. Your gallbladder must empty the sac by releasing all the bile salt in a smooth flow. If it does not do this correctly, there is a chance that the bile will stuck in there and become hardened from time to time. This is another way on how your bile salt can turn into gallstones.
Having gallstones can be very painful and disturbing. However, it can be easily removed through a surgical removal procedure. So, please meet your doctor as quickly as possible if you experience any of the symptoms that was mentioned above. Remember that your quick action might save your life.
