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Could Your Gallbladder Be the Cause of Your Digestive Issues
Most people experience some digestive distress at some point, which could be caused by the gall bladder. Dr. Owen Kieran, general surgeon, discusses what the gall bladder does and how it can cause some digestive issues.
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Learn more about Owen Kieran, DO
Owen Kieran, DO
Dr Owen R. Kieran began his medical training at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine. Upon graduating medical school, he entered the general surgery residency program at St Barnabas Hospital, a busy Level 2 trauma center, in the South Bronx of New York City, featured in several documentaries, including Discovery Channel's 911: The Bronx. During residency, Dr Kieran received training in the full spectrums of general and trauma surgery as well as surgical critical care and served as Chief Resident in his last year of training.Learn more about Owen Kieran, DO
Transcription:
Prakash Chandran (Host): We all experience digestive issues like gas, nausea or acid reflux from time to time but did you know these common issues might actually be caused by your gallbladder? Let’s talk about it today with Dr. Owen Kieran, a Surgeon at Poinciana Medical Center. This is Helmet of Health, the podcast from Poinciana Medical Center. I’m Prakash Chandran. So, Dr. Kieran let’s start with the basics. What exactly is the function of a gallbladder?
Owen Kieran, DO (Guest): The gallbladder is a storage organ. It’s job is to store the bile that’s produced by the liver and concentrated so that when you eat fatty foods, it’s available for use for digestion.
Host: And when your gallbladder isn’t functioning properly, what are some of the conditions or symptoms that arise when this happens?
Dr. Kieran: So, the common ones we see are that when the gallbladder doesn’t function properly, people can develop stones within the gallbladder and that’s called gallstones. Or sometimes, the gallbladder doesn’t squeeze out the bile properly in which case it’s called dysfunctional gallbladder. And in both of those times, it causes a lot of GI symptoms and it can cause pain as well.
Host: Okay. So, I understand, and this is what we are talking about today that a lot of digestive issues can actually be caused by the gallbladder. So, can you get into that a little bit?
Dr. Kieran: Sure. So, when it comes to GI symptoms, especially upper GI symptoms, there’s a lot of overlap. The classic gallbladder pain is generally what we call biliary colic, it’s generally pain near the epigastrium. It can go to the right side where the liver is and can cause pain, and sensations of bloating and nausea and reflux especially when people eat certain foods that contain maybe a lot of fatty food or a lot of spicy food. And then if it gets really bad and gets to the point where it becomes acutely inflamed or even infected; then they can start experiencing more serious issues like fevers, severe pain and jaundice.
Host: Okay so when people are experiencing these symptoms that you are mentioning; how can people make the distinction between whether it’s coming from the stomach or the gallbladder?
Dr. Kieran: Unfortunately, because like I said, there is a major overlap of symptoms; usually patient will go to their primary doctor or the emergency room first and they’ll say I have a lot of heartburn or I have abdominal pain and then the doctor will start working them up. If it’s an acute doctor, a lot of times they will go immediately and get an ultrasound of the right upper quadrant and they’ll see a gallbladder with maybe stones in it or inflammation and then they say okay, it’s probably your gallbladder. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, they’ll say oh it’s probably just heartburn and they will give them some antacids, the antacids won’t work, so then they’ll try something else and then ultimately, they wind up getting imaging and shows a dysfunctional or defective gallbladder.
Host: And so what happens in that case? I imagine I’m experiencing these symptoms. I take antacids or some Tums. I go into the doctor. I see that there’s an issue with the gallbladder; what does the treatment look like for that?
Dr. Kieran: So, the gold standard for almost all biliary disease, gallbladder disease is what’s called the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. That’s where we go in with a small camera through a small bell button incision and we remove the gallbladder intact with the stones in it. And we take it out through that small incision. And that’s the gold standard. There are medical alternatives that aren’t widely used because they do have quite the horrific side effect panel and most people don’t tolerate it.
Host: And what is the process of removing your gallbladder? Is it an intensive surgery? Is it a long recovery time? Talk to us a little bit about that.
Dr. Kieran: Sure. So, again, the gold standard is what’s called the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. That’s what we perform here at Poinciana Medical Center. We can also perform what’s called the robotically assisted cholecystectomy, which is essentially the same surgery, but we use a robotic surgical system that may help patients with postop pain. They tend to have less pain and it makes the surgery a little easier. But either way, laparoscopically or robotically; we go in, again we find where the gallbladder is, we unhook it from the ducts that connect it to the liver and the biliary system and then we remove it, like I said, through a small belly button incision generally. Very rarely nowadays, we may have to do the old fashioned gallbladder surgery with the kind of the bigger incision that maybe grandma or grandpa has. But we don’t have to do that very often anymore.
And then from a recovery standpoint; most of the time, we are able to do this as a same day surgery meaning you come to the hospital or the surgery center, you go home that same day. Or if you’ve already been admitted to the hospital, we can usually get you home within a day or two after the surgery. Recovery; you are back on your feet within a day or two doing light activities around the house, chores, going to the grocery store, light exercise an di tend to just keep people on that light exercise for about four weeks just to kind of protect the incisions. And then after that, people are essentially completely healed and ready to go back to full activities.
Host: Okay, that’s really good to hear and it sounds like the recovery time is relatively short. But just as a preventative measure, what can people do to actually maintain good gallbladder health?
Dr. Kieran: Again, gallbladders are very common in the community. It’s estimated that about 10 to 15% of Americans have gallstones but only about 20% of those people actually have symptoms from it. so, there’s a lot more people out there that have gallstones than we know about. We do know that most of the time, the risk factors are not modifiable. However, of the modifiable risk factors; obesity, and rapid weight loss seem to be two of the factors that can be changed and if you think about the common denominator there, they are both generally have higher cholesterol or fatty levels, so reducing that cholesterol, if you are overweight, losing weight in a steady fashion not like say a fad diet where you lose excessive amount of weight up front an doing it in a healthy manner, may help prevent gallstones.
Host: All right Dr. Kieran, I really appreciate your time today. That’s Dr. Owen Kieran, a Surgeon at Poinciana Medical Center. Thanks for checking out this episode of Helmet of Health. And you can head to //This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get connected with a provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks and we’ll see you next time.
Prakash Chandran (Host): We all experience digestive issues like gas, nausea or acid reflux from time to time but did you know these common issues might actually be caused by your gallbladder? Let’s talk about it today with Dr. Owen Kieran, a Surgeon at Poinciana Medical Center. This is Helmet of Health, the podcast from Poinciana Medical Center. I’m Prakash Chandran. So, Dr. Kieran let’s start with the basics. What exactly is the function of a gallbladder?
Owen Kieran, DO (Guest): The gallbladder is a storage organ. It’s job is to store the bile that’s produced by the liver and concentrated so that when you eat fatty foods, it’s available for use for digestion.
Host: And when your gallbladder isn’t functioning properly, what are some of the conditions or symptoms that arise when this happens?
Dr. Kieran: So, the common ones we see are that when the gallbladder doesn’t function properly, people can develop stones within the gallbladder and that’s called gallstones. Or sometimes, the gallbladder doesn’t squeeze out the bile properly in which case it’s called dysfunctional gallbladder. And in both of those times, it causes a lot of GI symptoms and it can cause pain as well.
Host: Okay. So, I understand, and this is what we are talking about today that a lot of digestive issues can actually be caused by the gallbladder. So, can you get into that a little bit?
Dr. Kieran: Sure. So, when it comes to GI symptoms, especially upper GI symptoms, there’s a lot of overlap. The classic gallbladder pain is generally what we call biliary colic, it’s generally pain near the epigastrium. It can go to the right side where the liver is and can cause pain, and sensations of bloating and nausea and reflux especially when people eat certain foods that contain maybe a lot of fatty food or a lot of spicy food. And then if it gets really bad and gets to the point where it becomes acutely inflamed or even infected; then they can start experiencing more serious issues like fevers, severe pain and jaundice.
Host: Okay so when people are experiencing these symptoms that you are mentioning; how can people make the distinction between whether it’s coming from the stomach or the gallbladder?
Dr. Kieran: Unfortunately, because like I said, there is a major overlap of symptoms; usually patient will go to their primary doctor or the emergency room first and they’ll say I have a lot of heartburn or I have abdominal pain and then the doctor will start working them up. If it’s an acute doctor, a lot of times they will go immediately and get an ultrasound of the right upper quadrant and they’ll see a gallbladder with maybe stones in it or inflammation and then they say okay, it’s probably your gallbladder. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, they’ll say oh it’s probably just heartburn and they will give them some antacids, the antacids won’t work, so then they’ll try something else and then ultimately, they wind up getting imaging and shows a dysfunctional or defective gallbladder.
Host: And so what happens in that case? I imagine I’m experiencing these symptoms. I take antacids or some Tums. I go into the doctor. I see that there’s an issue with the gallbladder; what does the treatment look like for that?
Dr. Kieran: So, the gold standard for almost all biliary disease, gallbladder disease is what’s called the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. That’s where we go in with a small camera through a small bell button incision and we remove the gallbladder intact with the stones in it. And we take it out through that small incision. And that’s the gold standard. There are medical alternatives that aren’t widely used because they do have quite the horrific side effect panel and most people don’t tolerate it.
Host: And what is the process of removing your gallbladder? Is it an intensive surgery? Is it a long recovery time? Talk to us a little bit about that.
Dr. Kieran: Sure. So, again, the gold standard is what’s called the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. That’s what we perform here at Poinciana Medical Center. We can also perform what’s called the robotically assisted cholecystectomy, which is essentially the same surgery, but we use a robotic surgical system that may help patients with postop pain. They tend to have less pain and it makes the surgery a little easier. But either way, laparoscopically or robotically; we go in, again we find where the gallbladder is, we unhook it from the ducts that connect it to the liver and the biliary system and then we remove it, like I said, through a small belly button incision generally. Very rarely nowadays, we may have to do the old fashioned gallbladder surgery with the kind of the bigger incision that maybe grandma or grandpa has. But we don’t have to do that very often anymore.
And then from a recovery standpoint; most of the time, we are able to do this as a same day surgery meaning you come to the hospital or the surgery center, you go home that same day. Or if you’ve already been admitted to the hospital, we can usually get you home within a day or two after the surgery. Recovery; you are back on your feet within a day or two doing light activities around the house, chores, going to the grocery store, light exercise an di tend to just keep people on that light exercise for about four weeks just to kind of protect the incisions. And then after that, people are essentially completely healed and ready to go back to full activities.
Host: Okay, that’s really good to hear and it sounds like the recovery time is relatively short. But just as a preventative measure, what can people do to actually maintain good gallbladder health?
Dr. Kieran: Again, gallbladders are very common in the community. It’s estimated that about 10 to 15% of Americans have gallstones but only about 20% of those people actually have symptoms from it. so, there’s a lot more people out there that have gallstones than we know about. We do know that most of the time, the risk factors are not modifiable. However, of the modifiable risk factors; obesity, and rapid weight loss seem to be two of the factors that can be changed and if you think about the common denominator there, they are both generally have higher cholesterol or fatty levels, so reducing that cholesterol, if you are overweight, losing weight in a steady fashion not like say a fad diet where you lose excessive amount of weight up front an doing it in a healthy manner, may help prevent gallstones.
Host: All right Dr. Kieran, I really appreciate your time today. That’s Dr. Owen Kieran, a Surgeon at Poinciana Medical Center. Thanks for checking out this episode of Helmet of Health. And you can head to //This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get connected with a provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks and we’ll see you next time.