ADRIFT ON A SEA OF BILE … A VOYAGE AROUND YOUR GALL BLADDER
W L MEDICAL
CONOR MAGEE
ADRIFT ON A SEA OF BILE … A VOYAGE AROUND YOUR GALL BLADDER
BY CONOR MAGEE MD FRCS , CONSULTANT SURGEON
“ Are you sitting comfortably ? Then we ’ ll begin .” And thus generations of children were introduced to the joys of reading with Jackanory . But are you sitting comfortably ? Right now in this waiting room or on a platform waiting for a train - are you sitting comfortably ?
The reason that I ask this question is because I know that many of you will not be comfortable . Many of you will be in pain . And as a surgeon the type of abdominal pain that makes you uncomfortable - makes it difficult to keep still - is known as colic . And the commonest type of colic is biliary colic caused by Gallstones that sit in and irritate the lining of the gallbladder
In fact gallstones and the pain they cause is so common that I routinely remove ten of them per week . Come rain or shine there is always a gallbladder that needs removing - in fact it remains a standing joke amongst surgeons that patients in the North West must be growing them again as we seem to be removing so many !
But what are gallstones - how do I know I have them , and more importantly what can I do about them ?
Gallstones form in the gall bladder . The gall bladder is a pear shaped structure organ that sits under the liver . The gallbladder stores bile that dissolves fat from our diet and allows it to be absorbed . Gallstones are the pearls of the human body - they develop from tiny motes in the bile and over the years grow layer upon layer , eventually forming stones which can cause the most exquisite pain ! Gallstone pain typically lasts hours and can start soon after eating . The pain sits under the ribcage on the right and can be a like a band squeezing across the top of the abdomen . It is impossible to sit still - many patients describe it as worse than labour pain ! And despite the severity of the pain , this is only the milder trouble that gallstones can cause . There are rarer and serious complications such as acute cholecystitis
GALLSTONES
needing antibiotics , abscesses and inflammation of the pancreas . The best treatment for gallstones is to remove the gallbladder - there are no tablets or injections that can do better . Twenty years ago , removal of the gallbladder ( cholecystectomy ) required a very big cut across the abdomen and a week in hospital , followed by a good six months to recover fully .
Fortunately , today we can perform this procedure using keyhole surgery ( laparoscopic cholecystectomy ) - and you can be home the very same day as your operation . The operation involves a short general anaesthetic and using four tiny cuts I introduce a camera and special instruments . The operation can be done within an hour if the gallbladder is not badly diseased .
I expect my patients to have their operation and be home in time for tea and able to drive to my clinic within two weeks !! But best of all - those awful pains are cured and my patients are so grateful for that .
Mr Magee operates at Spire Murrayfield Hospital and can be contacted there . He can be followed on Twitter @ mageefrcs .
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