A Simple Guide to Gallbladder Disorders, Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Gallbladder Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Disorders

They had me on the operating table all day. They looked into my stomach, my gall bladder, they examined everything inside of me. Know what they decided? No stones but I need glasses.
Joe E. Lewis

Gall indicate something bitter to endure such as bile or something disagreeable.
Asterix the Gall in the comic represents someone irritating to his enemies.

The gall bladder is a small sac on the underside of the liver that is used to store bile.

Bile is produced in the liver and kept in the gall bladder until it is needed to help the digestion of fat.

The most frequent reason for gallbladder disorder is gallstones.

Risk factors for Gallbladder Disorders

1. Forty: Over age 40 and increase in risk as one starts to age
2. Fat: Overweight
3. Female particularly those who have had children
4. Flatulent: gas in abdomen
5. Alcohol intake
5. Low stomach acid
6. Chronic Heartburn
7. Frequent use of Antacids
8. Rapid weight loss
9. High triglycerides, high LDL cholesterol, decreased HDL cholesterol,
10. Cholesterol-lowering drugs, immunosuppressive drugs
11. Antidepressants which slow down gallbladder contractions
12. Estrogen intake and birth control pills
13. Disorders such as chronic inflammatory bowel disorder, Crohn's disorder, Hemolytic anemias
14. Hypothyroidism
15. Diet high in saturated fats
16. Family history of gallbladder disorder

The most frequent symptoms are

1. Indigestion,
2. Gas, bloating,
3. Burping, belching
4. Constipation
5. Weight gain

It may progress to
6. Constant tenderness or discomfort under the rib cage on the right side.
7. Pain is worse after taking oily food

Diagnosis

To diagnose gallbladder disorder, the doctor will ask the patient about the medical history and perform an abdominal exam.
The doctor may conduct a special maneuver during the abdominal examination to find what is termed as “Murphy’s sign.”
If the patient feels significant pain taking a breath when the doctor palpates the area of the gallbladder, it suggests the patient may have gallbladder disorder.

An ultrasound can evaluate the gallbladder for the presence of gallstones, thickened walls, polyps, or masses.

A HIDA scan with the use of a harmless radioactive substance examines the duct system within the gallbladder and liver.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a very invasive but rather useful test because it can remove any blockage during this procedure

The treatment is dependent on the specific gallbladder disorder and may be:

1. Lifestyle Changes
2. Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicines, such as ibuprofen
3. Prescription pain medicines, such as hydrocodone and morphine
4. Lithotripsy, a procedure that uses shock waves to break apart gallstones

Gallbladder surgery continues to be the most effective method for treating active gallbladder disorder.
The surgery can be done either by opening the abdomen with an incision or laparoscopically.

Inflammation causes the majority of gallbladder disorders due to irritation of the gallbladder walls, known as cholecystitis.

This inflammation is often caused by gallstones blocking the ducts that lead to the small intestine and inducing bile to build up producing cholangitis in the bile duct.

It may ultimately lead to empyema (pus formation) or necrosis (tissue destruction) or gangrene.

Gallbladder polyps and cancers are rare.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Gallbladder Disorders
Chapter 2 Gallstones
Chapter 3 Cholecystitis
Chapter 4 Cholangitis
Chapter 5 Gallbladder Polyp
Chapter 6 Biliary Dyskinesia
Chapter 7 Gallbladder Rupture
Chapter 8 Gallbladder Cancer
Epilogue

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Jun 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005607470

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

A

Simple

Guide

To

Gallbladder Disorders,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2021 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Gallbladder Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Disorders which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Gallbladder Disorders)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Gallbladder Disorders

They had me on the operating table all day. They looked into my stomach, my gall bladder, they examined everything inside of me. Know what they decided? I need glasses.

Joe E. Lewis

Gall indicate something bitter to endure such as bile or something disagreeable.

Asterix the Gall in the comic represents someone irritating to his enemies.

What are Gallbladder Disorders?

The gall bladder is a small sac on the underside of the liver that is used to store bile.

Bile is produced in the liver and kept in the gall bladder until it is needed to help the digestion of fat.

The most frequent reason for gallbladder disorder is gallstones.

What are the risk factors for Gallbladder Disorders?

1. Forty: Over age 40 and increase in risk as one starts to age

2. Fat: Overweight

3. Female particularly those who have had children

4. Flatulent: gas in abdomen

5. Alcohol intake

5. Low stomach acid

6. Chronic Heartburn

7. Frequent use of Antacids

8. Rapid weight loss

9. High triglycerides, high LDL cholesterol, decreased HDL cholesterol,

10. Cholesterol-lowering drugs, immunosuppressive drugs

11. Antidepressants which slow down gallbladder contractions

12. Estrogen intake and birth control pills

13. Disorders such as chronic inflammatory bowel disorder, Crohn's disorder, Hemolytic anemias

14. Hypothyroidism

15. Diet high in saturated fats

16. Family history of gallbladder disorder

What are the symptoms of Gallbladder Disorders?

Symptoms

Many of the symptoms will be similar.

The most frequent symptoms are

1. Indigestion,

2. Gas, bloating,

3. Burping, belching

4. Constipation

5. Weight gain

It may progress to

6. Constant tenderness or discomfort under the rib cage on the right side.

7. Pain is worse after taking oily food

Gallbladder disorders share similar symptoms:

Pain

The most frequent symptom of a gallbladder problem is pain.

This pain normally happens in the mid- to upper-right section of the abdomen.

Pain can be mild and sporadic, or it can be quite severe and recurrent.

In some patients, the pain can spread to other regions of the body, including the back and chest.

Nausea or vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are frequent symptoms of all types of gallbladder problems.

Only chronic gallbladder disorder may cause digestive problems, such as acid reflux and gas.

Fever or chills

Chills or an unexplained fever may signal that the patient has an infection.

If the patient has an infection, the patient need treatment before it worsens and becomes dangerous.

The infection may be life-threatening if it moves to the other parts of the body.

Chronic diarrhea

Having more than four bowel movements per day for at least three months may be a sign of chronic gallbladder disorder.

Jaundice

Yellow-tinted skin, or jaundice, may be a sign of a block or stone in the frequent bile duct.

The frequent bile duct is the channel that leads from the gallbladder to the small intestine.

Unusual stools or urine

Lighter-colored stools and dark urine are possible signs of a frequent bile duct block

How is gallbladder disorder diagnosed?

Diagnosis

To diagnose gallbladder disorder, the doctor will ask the patient about the medical history and perform an abdominal exam.

This will involve checking for pain in the abdomen.

One or more of these tests and procedures may be done:

Detailed medical history

A list of symptoms experienced and any personal or family history of gallbladder disorder are important.

A general health assessment may also be performed to determine if there are any signs of a long-term