Side Effects of Gallstones and Gallbladder Removal

Q1. Do gallstones cause constipation and bloating? I take a laxative every day for relief, and I’m reluctantly considering gallbladder removal.

— Terrie, Maryland

The most common symptom of gallstones is biliary colic, a crampy abdominal pain that often occurs right after meals, particularly fatty meals. The bloating you mention is very common during these attacks, which usually last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.

Gallstones can also cause cholecystitis, or inflammation of the gallbladder, when one of the gallstones blocks the flow of bile from the gallbladder. Symptoms can include fever, abdominal pain, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). Less commonly, gallstones can cause inflammation of the pancreas or cholangitis, the latter a very serious bacterial infection of the biliary tree. Constipation can occur, though rarely, as a complication of gallstones, most commonly because of pancreatitis or gallstone ileus, a pretty rare event in which a large gallstone passes from the gallbladder into the intestine and blocks the flow of digested food from the small intestine into the colon (large intestine).

Q2. Now that I’ve started menopause, I’m dealing with an increasing number of gallstones that leave me with nausea and indigestion. Will this stop once I’m postmenopausal, or should I have my gallbladder removed?

— Rae, West Virginia

Unfortunately, your gallstones — and the suffering they cause — aren’t likely to go away in the future. In fact, they’ll probably worsen. Developing gallstones (or cholecystitis) is a very common problem for people in their fifties, especially postmenopausal women. Once gallstones begin causing symptoms that disrupt quality of life, such as the nausea and indigestion you describe, it becomes pretty clear that it’s time to have your gallbladder removed.

If you’re looking for nonsurgical options, most will probably fall short. Some people do find that they’re able to lessen their symptoms by making lifestyle changes, such as losing a modest amount of weight and avoiding fried or fatty foods. If you haven’t tried making these changes yet, by all means do so. But know that they’re rarely successful in the long term; at best, they only delay the need for gallbladder surgery. This is because most people aren’t vigilant enough to make these changes stick, and others don’t get adequate relief. In fact, even when diet and lifestyle changes do work, and a patient puts his or her symptoms on pause, most doctors will still recommend having the gallbladder removed.

In my opinion, while all patients are different, there’s little to be gained from waiting to undergo gallbladder surgery. The risks of not having your gallbladder removed can include rupture, gallbladder infection, and sepsis (a general blood infection). While such problems are relatively uncommon and usually not life threatening, they add to the argument that the benefits of having your gallbladder surgically removed outweigh the risks.

Compared with the surgeries of decades past, which required a week in the hospital and a long period of healing, newer, less-invasive laparoscopic procedures require small incisions, have a very low risk of complications, and allow most patients to go home the next day. Some patients are even able to return home in as little as eight hours after surgery. If you’re interested in this option, ask your doctor if you’re a candidate for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is the technical name for this surgery.

Q3. I am 52 years old and I have multiple gallbladder stones. I’ve read about a remedy for gallstones where you drink apple juice for five days and then take a lot of lemon juice with olive oil. Do you think this really works?

— Ashok, New Delhi

There is no proof that a regimen of apple juice, lemon juice, and olive oil can dissolve gallstones. Some people who have tried this so-called gallstone cure have reported passing stones in their stool, but what they are actually seeing are the remnants of the oil and juice.

There are basically two types of gallstones, pigmented — which occur mostly in patients with chronic hemolytic anemias, a group of conditions where red blood cells are destroyed prematurely in the bloodstream — and cholesterol stones, which are the most common. Although some cholesterol stones can be dissolved by taking a prescription medication called ursodeoxycholic acid (Actigall), this only works for small stones that have no calcium deposits. Most stones, unfortunately, contain calcium and may not dissolve even with long-term treatment. Bottom line: Surgery is still the best way to get rid of gallstones.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Gallbladder Center.

Gallbladder Referred Pain, Constipation, & Gallstones

Gallbladder problems including gallbladder attacks are very common reasons for which people seek medical care. The pain and discomfort can unfortunately result in the removal of the little green organ followed by dietary restrictions (often low fat). But of course, all of our organs are there for one reason or another and although we can live without the gallbladder, removing it is simply removing a symptom of a problem, not the actual cause. In this two-part article on the gallbladder I’ll discuss why you have a gallbladder, why you should want to keep it (and keep it healthy), warning signs that your gallbladder isn’t working well, risk factors, and natural treatments and lifestyle changes you can make to improve your gallbladder and overall health; yeah! If I can just save one more gallbladder I’ll be a happy guy.

Gallbladder Physiology: Bile is so Good for You

Let’s take a brief lesson in gallbladder physiology here, and I’ll make it interesting and relevant to your everyday health. The gallbladder is a small organ that sits tucked up underneath the liver in the upper right side of your abdomen. It concentrates and stores bile produced by the liver, and along with the enzyme lipase secreted by the pancreas, it aids in the digestion of fats in the gut. When fats from food enter the digestive tract they stimulate the secretion of a type of hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) in the upper part of the small intestine – the duodenum. This, along with the stomach’s secretion of hydrochloric acid, signals the gallbladder to release some of its approximately 50mL of bile into the gut to help aid in digestion of those fats. Since by most, it’s viewed as a “storage tank” and nothing more, it’s often seen as only a nuisance when it comes to digestive problems and pain – expendable at the first sight of problems and removable with surgical ease. But there’s so much more to it than just storage.

Bile is a lovely dark green/yellow-brown fluid and contains about 10% bile salts. The bile acids (salts) have a strong relationship to hormonal regulation as they share many of the same synthesis pathways as hormones. This is why people with hormonal problems, especially women with estrogen dominance, are more susceptible to gallbladder problems. The more hormonal stress on the body the lower the bile acids which in turn disrupts normal hormonal metabolism. It’s not a coincidence that many women have their gallbladder removed at the same time they have a hysterectomy.

Speaking of hormones, just a few years ago it was demonstrated that the gallbladder also plays a role in insulin regulation and that β-like cells that produce insulin in the pancreas also occur in the gallbladder. Insulin is also metabolized by the liver and can therefore have an effect on the bile salts – so diets high in refined carbohydrates and those with insulin resistance will also be more likely to have troubles with their gallbladder.

Bile also increases the absorption of fats and especially the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. We all know the push for vitamin D by every doctor and health food store today. Consider that if you have an unhealthy gallbladder then your absorption of vitamin D, as well as the other fat soluble vitamins necessary for good health, will also be impaired. So just because your vitamin D level may be low as revealed by a blood test, doesn’t mean you should go vitamin D supplement-crazy; that’s not necessarily addressing the problem.

Bile and Cholesterol

A small percentage of bile is cholesterol but the majority of bile acid is made from cholesterol; actually about half of the cholesterol our body makes per day is used to make bile acid. These bile acids are recycled from the intestines and back to the liver and gallbladder. However if there are problems with digestion, such as an all-too-common poor diet, then the salts can become “dirty” – the bile becomes thick like a vehicle’s oil that is way past the oil change date.

Stones in the gallbladder

Eventually this thick, dirty bile can accumulate and form a gallstone, also known as a cholelithiasis. Usually these stones contain some or a significant amount of cholesterol, so it’s often cholesterol that gets blamed for causing the stones when really it’s an issue with oxidative stress, inflammation, and digestive problems caused by other factors, (discussed in a bit).  Gallstones in the gallbladder can lead to cholecystitis, which is an inflammatory condition of the gallbladder. The stones leaving the gallbladder can also obstruct the bile ducts which can be life threatening, especially if a stone blocks the pancreatic duct leading to pancreatitis.

Also, low levels of bile salts can be a reason for gallstones; this problem would ultimately fall on a production problem with the liver.

Should You Remove Your Gallbladder – You Don’t Need it Anyway (?)

The surgical removal of the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy. This is a common procedure that with rare exception, is unnecessary and does not address the problem. Some people who have had their gallbladder removed will see absolutely no change in their symptoms while others may have their symptoms 100% resolved. Others who have had a cholecystectomy may no longer be able to eat high fat foods as their body is unable to handle too much fat digestion at once due to the removal of their bile storage tank. However, the body in its infinite wisdom can often form a new little storage pouch in the area of the common bile duct to store some bile for when it’s needed.

So how do you know if your gallbladder is at the point of becoming a life threatening emergency or you’re simply experiencing gallbladder troubles that perhaps can be dealt with in a non-surgical manner? Well, without giving specific medical advice for every situation, a good rule is to look at the severity of the signs and symptoms. Someone who is having a gallstone attack typically has pain in the upper right side of the abdomen and/or pain in-between the shoulder blades, more often below the right shoulder. It’s uncomfortable and can get to the point of being very painful. Sometimes nausea and vomiting can occur which can last for minutes to hours. Now if the pain and vomiting get worse and worse then you should of course seek medical attention. (Gallbladder attacks and heart attacks can have very similar symptoms – heart attacks don’t always have pain down the left arm only.) Typically gallbladder attacks don’t just come out of nowhere where the person never had any symptoms of a gallbladder problem and now all of a sudden they have a huge stone lodged in their bile duct. So you have to know the symptoms of poor gallbladder function so you can address the issue before it gets too out of hand.

Gallbladder referred pain

When Your Gallbladder Isn’t Working Too Well – Gallbladder Referred Pain – Signs & Symptoms

There are many signs and symptoms of a gallbladder that isn’t functioning very well and most people just think they’re common “normal” symptoms so they think nothing more of it. Then, “all of a sudden” they get a major gallbladder attack and are puzzled as to how it could have happened to them. Well, I’m hopefully going to keep you from being surprised!

• Constipation, actually gallbladder constipation. Yes, a major reason for constipation is a poorly functioning gallbladder. When fat enters the small intestine it has to be metabolized by those bile salts and the lipase from the pancreas; (you learned this already, right?). But if the bile isn’t released efficiently from the gallbladder then the food and its fatty contents must wait longer and longer in the small intestine to be metabolized. So they wait. And wait. And wait. And you get constipated. So don’t necessarily think that you need more fiber, or you need probiotics if you’re constipated – consider your gallbladder.

• Aside from constipation and the gallbladder referred pain areas discussed (upper right abdomen and right shoulder area), another symptom of an unhappy gallbladder is burping after or while eating a meal – especially one containing fat. Typically this person will also feel “heavy” and even perhaps bloated if they’re having problems digesting a fatty meal because their gallbladder isn’t doing its job. Burping can be from eating too quickly too but burping from a gallbladder problem usually accompanies heaviness.

• Another symptom of a gallbladder issue is peeling of the skin on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. This is due to an inefficient fat metabolism system as well as metabolism problems with vitamin A (fat soluble). I’ve seen patients present with some pretty wild looking palm and sole peeling that nobody was ever able to understand why. This too, is often a gallbladder problem.

• Finally, and I discuss this in my articles on sleep, the horary time (acupuncture meridian) for the gallbladder is 11pm to 1am. So if you can’t fall asleep until after 1am or if you’re asleep before 11pm but then awaken between 11pm-1am it could very well mean your gallbladder is stressed. Also note that liver is next, from 1-3am, and this is the most common time a person has sleep difficulties for many, many reasons – caffeine, hormones, stress, medications – just to name a few, and all these can also affect the gallbladder too as well as bile production in the liver.

In Part II of Gallbladder Health I’ll discuss how to prevent problems with your gallbladder as well as natural treatments for optimum function of your gallbladder PLUS emergency help to calm down or resolve a gallbladder crisis.

Gall bladder emptying in severe idiopathic constipation

Gut. 1999 Aug; 45(2): 264–268.

Department of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract

BACKGROUND—It has been suggested that slow transit constipation (STC) may be part of a panenteric motor disorder.
AIM—To evaluate motility of an upper gastrointestinal organ, the gall bladder, in 16 patients with STC and 20 healthy controls.
METHODS—Gall bladder emptying (ultrasonography) was studied in response to neural, cephalic-vagal stimulation with modified sham feeding (MSF) for 90 minutes and in response to hormonal stimulation with cholecystokinin (CCK, 0. 5 IDU/kg/h) for 60 minutes.
RESULTS—Fasting gall bladder volume in patients with STC (17 (2) cm³) was significantly (p<0.01) reduced compared with that in controls (24 (2) cm³). Gall bladder emptying in response to MSF was significantly reduced in patients with STC expressed both as percentage emptying (11 (5)% versus 22 (3)%; p<0.05) and as absolute emptying (2.1 (0.7) cm³ versus 4.9 (0.7) cm³; p<0.02). However, percentage gall bladder emptying in response to CCK was not different between patients and controls (73 (4)% versus 67 (4)%) although the absolute reduction in gall bladder volume was significantly (p<0.05) smaller in patients (10.7 (1.1) cm³ versus 15.3 (1.4) cm³).
CONCLUSIONS—Patients with slow transit constipation have smaller fasting gall bladder volumes, impaired gall bladder responses to vagal cholinergic stimulation, but normal gall bladder responses to hormonal stimulation with CCK. These results point to abnormalities in gastrointestinal motility proximal from the colon in slow transit constipation and more specifically, impaired neural responsiveness.

Keywords: slow transit constipation; gall bladder emptying; sham feeding; cholecystokinin

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (87K).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

• Wald A. Colonic transit and anorectal manometry in chronic idiopathic constipation. Arch Intern Med. 1986 Sep;146(9):1713–1716. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Soybel DI. Colectomy as treatment for constipation. Gastroenterology. 1996 May;110(5):1666–1667. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Lubowski DZ, Chen FC, Kennedy ML, King DW. Results of colectomy for severe slow transit constipation. Dis Colon Rectum. 1996 Jan;39(1):23–29. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Kamm MA, Hawley PR, Lennard-Jones JE. Outcome of colectomy for severe idiopathic constipation. Gut. 1988 Jul;29(7):969–973. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Leon SH, Krishnamurthy S, Schuffler MD. Subtotal colectomy for severe idiopathic constipation. A follow-up study of 13 patients. Dig Dis Sci. 1987 Nov;32(11):1249–1254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Preston DM, Hawley PR, Lennard-Jones JE, Todd IP. Results of colectomy for severe idiopathic constipation in women (Arbuthnot Lane’s disease). Br J Surg. 1984 Jul;71(7):547–552. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Wexner SD, Daniel N, Jagelman DG. Colectomy for constipation: physiologic investigation is the key to success. Dis Colon Rectum. 1991 Oct;34(10):851–856. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Redmond JM, Smith GW, Barofsky I, Ratych RE, Goldsborough DC, Schuster MM. Physiological tests to predict long-term outcome of total abdominal colectomy for intractable constipation. Am J Gastroenterol. 1995 May;90(5):748–753. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Bassotti G, Stanghellini V, Chiarioni G, Germani U, De Giorgio R, Vantini I, Morelli A, Corinaldesi R. Upper gastrointestinal motor activity in patients with slow-transit constipation. Further evidence for an enteric neuropathy. Dig Dis Sci. 1996 Oct;41(10):1999–2005. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• van der Sijp JR, Kamm MA, Nightingale JM, Britton KE, Granowska M, Mather SJ, Akkermans LM, Lennard-Jones JE. Disturbed gastric and small bowel transit in severe idiopathic constipation. Dig Dis Sci. 1993 May;38(5):837–844. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Sjölund K, Ekman R, Akre F, Lindner P. Motilin in chronic idiopathic constipation. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1986 Oct;21(8):914–918. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Altomare D, Pilot MA, Scott M, Williams N, Rubino M, Ilincic L, Waldron D. Detection of subclinical autonomic neuropathy in constipated patients using a sweat test. Gut. 1992 Nov;33(11):1539–1543. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Schouten WR, ten Kate FJ, de Graaf EJ, Gilberts EC, Simons JL, Klück P. Visceral neuropathy in slow transit constipation: an immunohistochemical investigation with monoclonal antibodies against neurofilament. Dis Colon Rectum. 1993 Dec;36(12):1112–1117. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Masclee AA, Jansen JB, Driessen WM, Geuskens LM, Lamers CB. Plasma cholecystokinin and gallbladder responses to intraduodenal fat in gallstone patients. Dig Dis Sci. 1989 Mar;34(3):353–359. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Arhan P, Devroede G, Jehannin B, Lanza M, Faverdin C, Dornic C, Persoz B, Tétreault L, Perey B, Pellerin D. Segmental colonic transit time. Dis Colon Rectum. 1981 Nov-Dec;24(8):625–629. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Schwartz TW, Stenquist B, Olbe L. Cephalic phase of pancreatic-polypeptide secretion studied by sham feeding in man. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1979;14(3):313–320. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Hopman WP, Jansen JB, Rosenbusch G, Lamers CB. Cephalic stimulation of gallbladder contraction in humans: role of cholecystokinin and the cholinergic system. Digestion. 1987;38(4):197–203. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Ihasz M, Griffith CA. Gallstones after vagotomy. Am J Surg. 1981 Jan;141(1):48–50. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Fisher RS, Rock E, Malmud LS. Gallbladder emptying response to sham feeding in humans. Gastroenterology. 1986 Jun;90(6):1854–1857. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Hopman WP, Kerstens PJ, Jansen JB, Rosenbusch G, Lamers CB. Effect of graded physiologic doses of cholecystokinin on gallbladder contraction measured by ultrasonography. Determination of threshold, dose-response relationships and comparison with intraduodenal bilirubin output. Gastroenterology. 1985 Dec;89(6):1242–1247. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Hopman WP, Brouwer WF, Rosenbusch G, Jansen JB, Lamers CB. A computerized method for rapid quantification of gallbladder volume from real-time sonograms. Radiology. 1985 Jan;154(1):236–237. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Jansen JB, Lamers CB. Radioimmunoassay of cholecystokinin in human tissue and plasma. Clin Chim Acta. 1983 Jul 15;131(3):305–316. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Jebbink MC, Masclee AA, van der Kleij FG, Schipper J, Rovati LC, Jansen JB, Lamers CB. Effect of loxiglumide and atropine on erythromycin-induced reduction in gallbladder volume in human subjects. Hepatology. 1992 Oct;16(4):937–942. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Conter RL, Roslyn JJ, Taylor IL. Effects of peptide YY on gallbladder motility. Am J Physiol. 1987 Jun;252(6 Pt 1):G736–G741. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• van der Sijp JR, Kamm MA, Nightingale JM, Akkermans LM, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR, Jansen JB, Lennard-Jones JE. Circulating gastrointestinal hormone abnormalities in patients with severe idiopathic constipation. Am J Gastroenterol. 1998 Aug;93(8):1351–1356. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Masclee AA, Gielkens HA, Lieverse RJ, Penning C, Schipper J, Lamers CB. Gallbladder motility in response to sham feeding and cholecystokinin in lean and obese subjects. Digestion. 1997;58(1):43–49. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Tierney S, Pitt HA, Lillemoe KD. Physiology and pathophysiology of gallbladder motility. Surg Clin North Am. 1993 Dec;73(6):1267–1290. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Krishnamurthy S, Schuffler MD, Rohrmann CA, Pope CE. , 2nd Severe idiopathic constipation is associated with a distinctive abnormality of the colonic myenteric plexus. Gastroenterology. 1985 Jan;88(1 Pt 1):26–34. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Hemingway D, Neilly JB, Finlay IG. Biliary dyskinesia in idiopathic slow-transit constipation. Dis Colon Rectum. 1996 Nov;39(11):1303–1307. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Heaton KW, Emmett PM, Symes CL, Braddon FE. An explanation for gallstones in normal-weight women: slow intestinal transit. Lancet. 1993 Jan 2;341(8836):8–10. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Jazrawi RP, Pazzi P, Petroni ML, Prandini N, Paul C, Adam JA, Gullini S, Northfield TC. Postprandial gallbladder motor function: refilling and turnover of bile in health and in cholelithiasis. Gastroenterology. 1995 Aug;109(2):582–591. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Marcus SN, Heaton KW. Intestinal transit, deoxycholic acid and the cholesterol saturation of bile–three inter-related factors. Gut. 1986 May;27(5):550–558. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Shoda J, He BF, Tanaka N, Matsuzaki Y, Osuga T, Yamamori S, Miyazaki H, Sjövall J. Increase of deoxycholate in supersaturated bile of patients with cholesterol gallstone disease and its correlation with de novo syntheses of cholesterol and bile acids in liver, gallbladder emptying, and small intestinal transit. Hepatology. 1995 May;21(5):1291–1302. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Dowling RH, Veysey MJ, Pereira SP, Hussaini SH, Thomas LA, Wass JA, Murphy GM. Role of intestinal transit in the pathogenesis of gallbladder stones. Can J Gastroenterol. 1997 Jan-Feb;11(1):57–64. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• van Erpecum KJ, van Berge Henegouwen GP, Stolk MF, Hopman WP, Jansen JB, Lamers CB. Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on gallbladder contraction and cholecystokinin release in gallstone patients and normal subjects. Gastroenterology. 1990 Sep;99(3):836–842. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Festi D, Frabboni R, Bazzoli F, Sangermano A, Ronchi M, Rossi L, Parini P, Orsini M, Primerano AM, Mazzella G, et al. Gallbladder motility in cholesterol gallstone disease. Effect of ursodeoxycholic acid administration and gallstone dissolution. Gastroenterology. 1990 Dec;99(6):1779–1785. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Sylwestrowicz TA, Shaffer EA. Gallbladder function during gallstone dissolution. Effect of bile acid therapy in patients with gallstones. Gastroenterology. 1988 Sep;95(3):740–748. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Forgacs IC, Maisey MN, Murphy GM, Dowling RH. Influence of gallstones and ursodeoxycholic acid therapy on gallbladder emptying. Gastroenterology. 1984 Aug;87(2):299–307. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Figures and Tables

Gall bladder volumes (mean (SEM)) in the fasting state, during, and after modified sham feeding (MSF) and in response to cholecystokinin (CCK) infusion in controls (open triangles) and patients with slow transit constipation (STC; closed triangles).

Individual data and mean of fasting gall bladder volumes (cm³) in controls and patients with slow transit constipation (STC). Means are represented by horizontal bars.

Individual data and mean of absolute gall bladder emptying (cm³) induced by modified sham feeding (MSF) in controls and patients with slow transit constipation (STC). Means are represented by horizontal bars.

Individual data and mean of absolute gall bladder emptying induced by cholecystokinin (CCK) in controls and patients with slow transit constipation (STC). Means are represented by horizontal bars.

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

Your Complete Guide to Causes of Constipation and Finding Relief – Part 2: Low Bile Flow

Your Complete Guide to Causes of Constipation and Finding Relief – Part 2: Low Bile Flow

Constipation is incredibly uncomfortable for those who suffer from being stopped up. Often you feel uneasy, bloated, full, as though everything isn’t coming out, and even nauseous.

But constipation is more than discomfort. Stool that doesn’t pass fully through the digestive system actually rots and prevents absorption of nutrients from new food. Defined as fewer than three stool movements a week, it’s the most common gastrointestinal problem in the United States.

When you’re suffering from constipation, it seems easy to take over-the-counter laxatives or stool softeners – but you’d just be treating the symptom, not the underlying cause.

If you only treat the symptoms, you might continue to struggle with constipation for the rest of your life. How to get rid of constipation depends on the underlying causes, which we aim to help you identify in this guide.

In this six-part series, we are looking at the different causes of constipation in an effort to find you true constipation relief. The first part of the series, we discussed low hydrochloric acid or stomach acid levels, an often-overlooked cause of constipation.

The second part of this series, we are going to take a closer look at low bile flow, what causes it, and what helps constipation caused by low bile levels.

Part 2: Low Bile Flow

Bile is a digestive fluid created by your liver and stored in your gallbladder. Bile is important in digestion and absorption of fat in the small intestine. Bile’s makeup includes:

• Water
• Bile acids (also called bile salts)
• Bilirubin
• Fats (cholesterol and fatty acids)

Fat is digested differently than carbohydrates and proteins, it requires the help of bile to break it down after it passes through the stomach. When fat reaches the small intestine, it looks like large fat droplets. Your bile then breaks down these large fat droplets, with bile salts, which emulsifies (breaks)  them into fatty acids and monoglycerides. These particles are then small enough to pass through the intestine wall. Bile is also important in breaking down bilirubin (old blood cells byproduct) and cholesterol.

When your liver isn’t producing enough bile or it is too thick to flow freely (peanut butter vs water-like) fat can build up in the intestinal wall and cause slower movements via digestive tract therefore cause constipation. If your constipation is due to low bile flow, symptom treating medications won’t help you in the long run. Identifying low bile flow as the cause of your constipation brings you one step closer to lasting relief.

The Importance of Bile Flow

Why is bile so important? Bringing to mind a yellowish, green slime, it’s a common reaction to think of bile as vile, but it’s critical to gut health and smooth digestion. Bile is important in a number of critical roles, including:

• Aid in fat digestion and absorption (and some digestion of proteins and starches)
• Emulsify fats (the detergent-like reaction done by bile salts)
• Assist in absorption of fat-soluble substances, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K
• Helps regulate your intestinal microflora
• Encourages fecal matter movement through your digestive tract
• Serve as a route of excretion of bilirubin
• Help your liver rid your body of waste products
• Aid in destroying unwanted organisms that invade the body through the digestive system

When your body isn’t making enough bile, you can experience several uncomfortable and sometimes painful symptoms, such as:

• Fatigue
• Mood swings
• Constipation
• Acid reflux
• Acne
• Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• Gall bladder disease (stones and inflammation)
• Migraines
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Jaundice
• Poor gut microflora
• Impaired liver function
• High cholesterol
• Greasy, foul smelling, and light colored stools

If your body has low bile flow, your constipation is also probably contributing to nutritional deficiencies, even if you’re eating healthy. This is why it’s so important to find the cause of your constipation instead of reaching for a quick fix.

Nutritional deficiencies can lead to conditions that may appear unrelated to your constipation. If you experience regular constipation it’s important that you share that information with your functional medicine doctor.

Causes of Low Bile Flow

Since bile is produced in the liver, any impairment to the liver can cause low bile flow. Impairments of the liver include:

• Jaundice
• Bleeding in the liver
• Infection of the liver
• Liver inflammation
• Vitamin D deficiency

Additionally, because bile is stored in the gallbladder, any impairment of the gall bladder could lead to low bile flow, including:

• Gallstones
• Cholecystitis
• Gallbladder cancer
• Gallbladder polyps
• Abscess

Other causes of low bile flow could include:

• Obesity
• Having a high-cholesterol diet
• Diabetes
• Old age

If you suspect you are suffering from constipation caused by low bile flow, it should be taken very seriously – schedule an appointment with a certified  functional medicine doctor to get your constipation cause pinned down and be on your way to smooth digestion.

Home Remedies for Constipation Caused by Low Bile Flow

Remember, what helps constipation best is determined by the underlying cause. With that in mind, there are several natural remedies for constipation caused by low bile flow that you can take at home, including:

• Lemon juice – Lemon juice activates the liver and stimulates digestion. Try this in warm water on an empty stomach in the morning.
• Healthy, raw oils – Fish oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados are good sources.
• Promote good gut health – By reducing sugar, processed foods, and grains you’ll be encouraging a healthy gut.
• Foods believed to stimulate bile production – Add garlic, beets, radicchio, kale, endive, arugula, celery, and radish to your diet.

There’s also Betafood and Cholachol, two additional natural remedies that your functional medicine doctor may recommend.

• Betafood** – This is an extract derived from organic beet root and tops. It mobilizes the bile and transforms it from a thick, peanut butter consistency, to a water-like consistency.

With as much as 10 percent of the population suffering from gallstones, this is a great supplement that helps prevent and reduce gallstones and aid in fat metabolism.

• Cholacol** – These are purified bile salts, which are great for stasis and gallbladder relief. If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, these are a necessity. You’re missing the bolus bile release that occurs during normal food digestion. Those without a gallbladder suffer from fat digestion and therefore lack nutrients that are fat absorbent such as vitamin A, K, D, and E (and many others).

If you’ve had your gallbladder removed (cholecystectomy) and were left disabled in your ability to digest fats and other nutrients, you are not alone. Every year about 700,000 people have their gallbladder removed and require purified bile salts to aid in normalizing digestion.

These foods and supplements are a great way to start supporting your bile production. Be sure to see your functional medicine doctor in the early stages of your constipation issues. By seeing your doctor when constipation starts, prevents low bile production from going untreated and potentially leading to a cascade of conditions.

**To order these products you can call our office at 212-696-HEAL(4325)

When to See Your Functional Medicine Doctor for Constipation

As with many conditions, treating symptoms ignores the underlying cause. Additionally, waiting to see your doctor about your constipation can make diagnosis more difficult and the treatment more complicated. If you experience constipation that lasts longer than a couple of weeks, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your functional medicine doctor.

By working closely with a functional medicine doctor, you can discover constipation remedies that helps stimulate bile production and relieve your constipation discomfort for good.

Elena Klimenko, MD, a certified functional medicine physician, will help you choose the right course of action to identify the root cause and relief your unsettled symptoms. Call today to find out more about functional medicine and speak with Dr. Klimenko at 212-696- HEAL(4325).

If you want more information about Functional Medicine, contact us to receive a FREE copy of Dr Klimenko’s E-book.

Biliary Dyskinesia – What You Need to Know

1. CareNotes
2. Biliary Dyskinesia

This material must not be used for commercial purposes, or in any hospital or medical facility. Failure to comply may result in legal action.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

What is biliary dyskinesia?

Biliary dyskinesia is a condition that causes pain in your gallbladder (in your upper right abdomen). The gallbladder stores bile made by the liver. Bile is used to help break down fat in the food you eat. The gallbladder has a valve called a sphincter that prevents bile from flowing out of the gallbladder until it is needed. The bile moves through a duct and into the small intestine. If the sphincter is scarred or has spasms, bile cannot flow out of the gallbladder. The bile then flows back into the gallbladder and causes pain.

What increases my risk for biliary dyskinesia?

• Inflammation of the muscles that control bile flow from the gallbladder
• Problems with the way the muscles work together
• A chronic disease such as diabetes or celiac disease
• Obesity
• Hormone imbalance

What are the signs and symptoms of biliary dyskinesia?

• Pain in your upper right abdomen that lasts at least 30 minutes at a time, and comes and goes
• Severe pain that keeps you from doing your daily activities or wakes you from sleep
• Pain after you eat that continues even after you have a bowel movement or change position
• Jaundice
• Nausea, vomiting, or bloating
• Weight loss without trying, or loss of appetite

How is biliary dyskinesia diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will examine you and ask about your symptoms. Tell him when the pain happens and how long it lasts each time. Tell him if you have more pain after you eat certain foods. You may also need any of the following:

• A liver and gallbladder scan may also be called a HIDA scan. You are given a small amount of radioactive dye in your IV and pictures are taken by a scanner. Your healthcare provider looks at the pictures to see if your liver and gallbladder are working normally.
• Blood tests may be used to check your liver enzymes. This shows how well your liver is working.
• Ultrasound or CT pictures may be used to check for gallstones or other problems in your gallbladder area. Biliary dyskinesia pain happens without gallstones.
• An ERCP is a procedure used to check the ducts that carry bile out of the gallbladder. Your healthcare provider will guide an endoscope through your mouth and into an opening between your stomach and small intestine. X-ray pictures are then taken of the ducts. Contrast liquid is used to help the ducts show up better in the x-ray pictures. Tell the healthcare provider if you have ever had an allergic reaction to contrast liquid.

How is biliary dyskinesia treated?

Your symptoms may go away without treatment. You may need any of the following if your symptoms are severe or continue:

• Prescription pain medicine may be given. Ask your healthcare provider how to take this medicine safely. Some prescription pain medicines contain acetaminophen. Do not take other medicines that contain acetaminophen without talking to your healthcare provider. Too much acetaminophen may cause liver damage. Prescription pain medicine may cause constipation. Ask your healthcare provider how to prevent or treat constipation.
• NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen, help decrease swelling, pain, and fever. This medicine is available with or without a doctor’s order. NSAIDs can cause stomach bleeding or kidney problems in certain people. If you take blood thinner medicine, always ask if NSAIDs are safe for you. Always read the medicine label and follow directions. Do not give these medicines to children under 6 months of age without direction from your child’s healthcare provider.
• Surgery may be used to remove your gallbladder. Gallbladder surgery is usually not done on young children.

What can I do to manage biliary dyskinesia?

• Maintain a healthy weight. Extra body weight can increase your risk for gallbladder problems, and can make your pain worse. Try not to gain or lose a large amount of weight quickly. This can also increase or worsen your risk for gallbladder problems. Ask your healthcare provider to help you create a healthy weight loss plan if you are overweight.
• Eat a variety of healthy foods. Healthy foods include fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and cooked beans. Ask if you need to be on a special diet. Your healthcare provider may recommend a low-fat diet. Choose healthy fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, avocado, and nuts. Omega 3 fats are also healthy. Omega 3 fats are in fish, such as salmon, trout, and tuna. They are also in plant foods such as flaxseed, walnuts, and soybeans. You may also need to avoid any foods that trigger your symptoms.

When should I seek immediate care?

• You have a fever and chills.
• Your eyes or skin turn yellow.

When should I contact my healthcare provider?

• Your urine is dark.
• Your pain does not get better with pain medicine.
• You have clay-colored bowel movements.
• You have new or worsening symptoms.
• You have questions or concerns about your condition or care.

Care Agreement

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your healthcare providers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment. The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2021 Information is for End User’s use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes. All illustrations and images included in CareNotes® are the copyrighted property of A.D.A.M., Inc. or IBM Watson Health

Learn more about Biliary Dyskinesia

Associated drugs

IBM Watson Micromedex

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Medical Disclaimer

Living Without a Gallbladder | Digestion After Gallbladder Removal

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that stores and releases bile, a fat-digesting juice made in the liver. Gallbladder removal—cholecystectomy—is one of the most common surgeries in the United States. It’s a treatment for painful obstruction caused by gallstones and other gallbladder problems. 

The gallbladder is not a critical organ—you can live without it. But, it can take time for your body to adjust to its absence. Right after surgery, high-fat foods can cause stomach discomfort and diarrhea. Many people who have their gallbladder removed are able to get relief from these symptoms by changing their diet or taking medicine. Here’s what you need to know about living without a gallbladder.

Digestion After Gallbladder Removal

The gallbladder aids digestion by storing and concentrating bile. Normally, bile flows from the liver into the gallbladder for storage. When you eat a meal, the gallbladder normally releases a pool of bile into the small intestine to begin digesting fat. But this job is not critical for digestion or good health.  

Without the gallbladder, the liver still produces the bile necessary to digest fat in food. But instead of entering the intestine all at once with a meal, the bile continuously drains from the liver into the intestine. This means it may be harder and take longer for your body to digest fat.

Many people don’t notice changes to their digestion or other effects of gallbladder removal. Others experience bloating and diarrhea after eating fatty foods. For some people, symptoms last only a few weeks. Other people have chronic problems—including diarrhea—after gallbladder removal. Your doctor will probably recommend a special diet after gallbladder removal while your body adjusts. If diet and lifestyle measures don’t offer adequate relief, medicines may help. 

Many people worry that they won’t be able to eat normally after gallbladder removal. Generally, you can eat what you like—it just may take a few days for your appetite to return. If you find you’re having symptoms after your appetite returns, there are things you can try to help your digestion. Try making the following changes to your diet:

• Eat a low-fat diet. Avoid fried foods, junk foods, whole-milk dairy products, and fatty meats.
• Eat small, frequent meals instead of a few, large ones.
• Limit butter, oil and sweets.
• Avoid rich, creamy soups, sauces and gravies.
• Avoid spicy foods.
• Add fiber to your diet. Cereals, whole-grain breads, nuts, beans, vegetables, and fruit add bulk to your stool. These foods can worsen gas, so add them to your diet gradually.

Problems with digestion after gallbladder removal are usually temporary. If your digestive problems persist, talk with your doctor. Together, you can work out a treatment strategy that meets your needs.

The scoop on poop: what’s healthy, what’s not? | UCI Health

What does your poop say about your health? A lot, actually.

The color, shape and consistency of bowel movements may be a reflection of your overall health, says gastroenterologist Dr. C. Gregory Albers, medical director of UCI Health GI Diagnostic Services.

For example, pale stools can signal a problem with the gall bladder, pancreas or liver. Narrow stools may suggest a blockage. Very dark stools may indicate internal bleeding.

Albers, who also is a professor of gastroenterology at the UCI School of Medicine, explains what’s normal and when it’s time to see a doctor.

Assessing bowel health

Elimination varies from person to person, but generally here are some basics:

• Bowel movements are considered normal if they occur up to three times a day or three times a week.
• Most bowel movements are brown. The color comes from bilirubin in bile, which helps break down dietary fats into fatty acids and is produced by your liver and stored in your gallbladder.
• Stools are considered normal if they are easy to pass. One watery bowel movement a day is diarrhea; one hard stool a day is considered constipation.

But constipation also involves secondary symptoms such as straining and bloating, even with twice daily bowel movements, Albers says. Diarrhea refers to loose watery stools, especially in large volumes.

When a stool isn’t brown

The color of your bowel movements may tell your doctor a lot more about your health than its shape or consistency.

• Black stools may be a sign of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. But if the stool is tar-like and sticky in consistency, Albers says it’s time to get to the emergency room.
• Pale stools may be a sign of a bile duct blocked by anything from a stone to a tumor. This serious condition may be accompanied by jaundice and itchiness and should be evaluated by a doctor, although there are other things, including certain medicines, that can cause pale stools, Albers says.
• Yellow, greasy and foul-smelling stools that float indicates a problem digesting and absorbing fat. People with this condition who also are experiencing weight loss should get a doctor’s evaluation.
• Maroon or red stools may indicate bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract and always needs to be investigated.

Off-color isn’t always unhealthy

Although reddish stools often signal a serious condition that needs urgent attention, it also can be caused by other factors.

Albers recalls performing an emergency colonoscopy on a patient with blood-red stools only to find nothing wrong. On further investigation, he learned that the patient had recently eaten a huge plate of red beets.

Stool color is often a sign of what you eat, how foods move through your gut and the medications you’re taking rather than a medical condition. For example:

• Red stools can come not only from eating red beets, but also from red dyes in foods like popsicles and Jell-O.
• Black licorice, Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate and even iron supplements may turn stools black.
• Green stools can result from eating a lot of kale. Your body absorbs the nutrients, but can’t digest the leaves, themselves. Sometimes iron may also be the culprit.
• Yellow or green stools also can result from colonoscopy prep or diarrhea, when things move though the colon so fast there’s no time to digest the bile.
• Medicines like Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol may also result in pale stools.
• The stools of breast-fed babies is often yellow.

What about shape?

Healthy stools come out in either smallish pieces or snake-like coils.

Most people have an idea what constipation and diarrhea are. But constipation also involves secondary symptoms such as straining and bloating, even with twice daily bowel movements, Albers says. Diarrhea refers to loose watery stools, especially in large volumes.

A few other things also affect shape and consistency:

• Stools that look like rabbit pellets may be more a dietary problem than a medical one that can be resolved by adding more dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables.
• Fluffy stools can result from fiber supplements.
• Pencil-thin stools are something patients are sometimes concerned with. They could indicate a tumor, but most often Albers says doesn’t find one. Still, they should be evaluated.

Albers sees patients at the UCI Health H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center in Orange and at UCI Health Gottschalk Medical Plaza in Irvine.

Related stories

About health: how to determine the stagnation of bile in the body was told to patients in the “School of Health” of the Tsivilskaya Central District Hospital

At the initial stages, the stagnation of bile is easily corrected, but if you start the situation, the case can even end in an emergency operation.

Probably, everyone knows the sensation: you eat a piece of fatty food, but you still have the feeling that you have overeat. There is heaviness in the right side, food, it seems, is not digested for a long time. This is one of the symptoms of bile stagnation.

Together with the doctor of ultrasound diagnostics of the Tsivilskaya central district hospital Maria Alekseeva in the “School of Health” for the patients, they analyzed the main signs of trouble in the gallbladder and found out how it can be treated.

Signs of bile stagnation:

• aching and pulling pain in the right side after exercise;
• Feeling of discomfort in the right side – as if there was something interfering or squeezing;
• pain on the right when bending and turning;
• when sitting for a long time in the wrong position, the right hand begins to ache, pain appears in the right shoulder blade;
• dry or bitter mouth, slight changes in skin tone.

Bile stagnation, harmless at first glance, can turn into a big disaster.

Cholestasis (stagnation of bile) ranks third among diseases and pathologies of the digestive tract and is getting younger from year to year.

It affects people of retirement age, women over 40, pregnant women, office workers and schoolchildren (long restriction in movement and incorrect posture at the desk).

Bile is a product of the secretion of liver cells. It is produced in the liver, then through the hepatic and bile ducts it enters the gallbladder, where it accumulates.As soon as food has entered the oral cavity and the process of digestion has begun, bile enters the intestine (duodenum), where it neutralizes the remains of hydrochloric acid, breaks down fats (emulsifies to the desired condition so that they can be absorbed into the blood), helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, K, disinfects food and removes excess pathogenic bacteria in the small intestine, participates in other enzymatic reactions for complete digestion of food and assimilation of nutrients.For example, it activates lipase (pancreatic enzyme).

When digestion does not occur, bile accumulates in the gallbladder, a small pear-shaped organ located at the right intercostal arch.

If bile for any reason stagnates and does not enter the intestines, this leads to disruption of the entire digestion process. Cholestasis can lead not only to a dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, but also serious diseases associated with metabolic disorders: vitamin deficiency, osteoporosis, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, in severe cases – cirrhosis of the liver (accumulation of bile, its increased concentration changes and processes liver cells) , and can also cause the formation of diabetes.Therefore, this state cannot be triggered.

To prevent bile from stagnating, the doctor, specialist of the first category, Maria Mikhailovna, warned about what patients need to remember.

The stagnation of bile is partly promoted by the liver itself, which produces bile, and the ducts along which it moves, and the gallbladder.

To avoid problems, bile should always be liquid, and not viscous or jelly-like.

Bile is a highly concentrated secretion, when it is immobile for a long time, a sediment begins to form, first in the form of flakes, then they form stones. Do not forget that bile is secreted at every meal and the role of proper regular nutrition is very important in the prevention of stone formation!

The movement of bile is carried out along the ducts surrounded by muscles. It will not be superfluous to remember that any stress leads to spasm, including muscle spasm, which can lead to a banal clamping of the ducts themselves and their inlet and outlet sphincters. Bile can get stuck in the ducts. Therefore, eating should always be in a calm atmosphere and in the correct posture: give yourself pleasure – have breakfast, lunch and dinner beautifully.

Formed stagnation of bile can be recognized by the following signs:

• dull pain in the right hypochondrium;
• frequent belching;
• enlarged liver;
• dark urine and light stool;
• constipation or diarrhea;
• bad breath;
• chronic fatigue, drowsiness;
• bitterness in the mouth;
• persistent itching of the skin;
• yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes.

At the first sign of stagnation, it is better to immediately do an ultrasound. If you feel unwell, you should consult a doctor. With prolonged stagnation, both sand and stones in the gallbladder can form, and with any stimulation of the movement of bile, the movement of stones can also be provoked. If the stone is small, then even with pain, it will come out of the duct, and a large one is able to clog the duct. And in this case, an emergency operation is indicated.

For an accurate diagnosis of bile stasis, additional examination and treatment is required:

1. Ultrasound of the liver and bile ducts.It will help assess the extent of the lesion and the presence of stones. The presence of a bile sediment will indicate that the bile is thick and viscous, it is difficult to move through the bile ducts, and therefore may stagnate. The accumulation of bile in the ducts causes the liver to increase in volume.
2. General blood and urine tests will help assess the general condition of the body.
3. Blood biochemistry will give a complete picture of the work of the liver and gallbladder.
4. Analysis of bile will determine its composition.
5. Coprogram will help assess the work of the intestines, as well as the quality of the digestion process.

After all examinations, the doctor will prescribe a treatment. This is easily corrected in the early stages.

For prophylactic purposes, it is useful to do blind tubing, it brings relief, to drink choleretic herbs or preparations and add foods with a mild choleretic effect to your diet (bitterness, herbs, coarse fiber).

Remember that stagnation of bile is in most cases a problem created by a person’s lifestyle, and it has its own prerequisites (inappropriate nutrition, stress, lack of exercise …).

Enjoy life, clean up the premises and live healthy!

Cholelithiasis / Diseases / Clinic EXPERT

Cholelithiasis (GSD) is a disease of the hepatobiliary system caused by impaired cholesterol and / or bilirubin metabolism, characterized by the formation of gallstones in the gallbladder, hepatic bile ducts or in the common bile duct. More often, gallstones form in the gallbladder.

What factors contribute to the development of gallstone disease?

1. Belonging to the female sex.According to statistics, women get sick 2-3 times more often than men. Pregnancy and childbirth also increase the chance of developing this disease.
2. Age. The risk of developing the disease increases every year by 1% in women, and 0.5% in men
3. Hereditary predisposition.
4. Overweight.
5. Excessive nutrition with a predominance of fatty foods.
6. Low calorie diets.
7. Lipid metabolism disorder.
8. Hormonal disorders.
9. Taking medications (fibrates, hormonal contraceptives, octreotide).
10. Chronic bowel and pancreas diseases.
11. Anatomical changes in the biliary system.
12. Chronic inflammatory diseases of the biliary tract.
13. Functional biliary disorders.
14. Endocrinological pathology (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism).

If 2 or more points from this list are true for you,
then you are at risk.

Don’t take risks.

Seek an initial examination with a gastroenterologist.

Why do you need a doctor’s examination?

The first stages of gallstone disease are often not accompanied by pronounced symptoms or are asymptomatic for 10-15 years. The patient feels great and does not suspect that he already needs the help of a specialist.

Ignoring this, you lose the chance to suppress the disease with small forces and without serious consequences for the body.

Revealing violations of the composition of bile (the presence of thick bile in the gallbladder) in this period perfectly lends itself to treatment and prevents the formation of stones, and therefore minimizes the risk of surgical intervention in the future!

To treat complications and an advanced stage is longer, more difficult and more expensive.

Stages of cholelithiasis

I Stage – initial or pre-stone

At this stage, it is possible to reveal thick heterogeneous bile in the gallbladder, the formation of biliary sludge, the presence of putty bile, a combination of putty bile with microliths.

If treatment is skipped at this stage,

gallstones begin to form.

If you start treatment

It becomes possible to normalize the rheological properties of bile.You can prevent the process of stone formation and the further development of the disease.

Patients with diagnosed stage I are shown a consultation with a gastroenterologist-hepatologist:

• to determine treatment tactics
• to control the properties of bile, functions of the gallbladder and biliary system

Stage II – the formation of gallstones

At this stage in During the examination, the presence of gallstones is revealed:

• in the gallbladder, in the common bile duct, in the hepatic ducts
• by the number of calculi: single, multiple
• in composition: cholesterol, pigmented, mixed

The clinical picture is determined – in which the form of the disease manifests itself:

• latent (latent) course of the disease
• painful form with typical biliary colic
• dyspeptic form (the patient complains of a feeling of heaviness or a feeling of fullness in the right hypochondrium)
• gallstone disease proceeds under the mask other diseases

If you skip treatment at this stage,

further surgery will become inevitable.

If you start treatment

It becomes possible to dissolve cholesterol stones without resorting to surgery. Complications can be prevented.

Patients are shown a consultation with a gastroenterologist-hepatologist to prescribe treatment.

If indicated, the gastroenterologist-hepatologist will appoint a joint consultation with the surgeon to determine further treatment tactics.

Stage III – chronic recurrent calculous cholecystitis

With frequent exacerbations of the disease, a joint consultation of a surgeon and a gastroenterologist-hepatologist is indicated to resolve the issue of surgical treatment and special preparation for the operation.

IV Stage – complications

A joint consultation of a surgeon and a gastroenterologist-hepatologist is indicated.

Symptoms

Very often, especially in the initial stages, gallstone disease does not make itself felt and does not disturb the patient. In more than half of patients, stones in the gallbladder are discovered by chance during examination for other diseases.

Symptoms usually appear at more advanced and dangerous stages of the disease.Therefore, if you observe any of the following, you are advised to consult a gastroenterologist
.

Minimal manifestations of cholelithiasis:

• heaviness in the abdomen (heaviness in the right hypochondrium)
• belching
• nausea
• constipation
• flatulence

Cholelithiasis develops slowly over the years. Her symptoms gradually increase. For several years, you may feel heaviness in the right hypochondrium after eating (especially when eating fatty, fried meat, smoked, salted, pickled foods, as well as wine).In the future, nausea, vomiting and a sharp sharp cramping pain in the right hypochondrium – hepatic colic can join the unpleasant sensations.

If you observe a similar situation in yourself – do not put your health at risk and do not expect complications – contact a gastroenterologist
.

Serious manifestations of gallstone disease

This can be severe pain in the upper abdomen, accompanied by nausea and vomiting that does not bring relief (biliary or hepatic colic).

To the above symptoms may be added: jaundice (mucous membranes and skin are stained yellow), itching, a change in urine color to a darker one, lightening of feces (blockage of the common bile duct by a stone is the most common complication of biliary colic)

If you experience these symptoms, it is possible with a high probability to assume: gallstone disease at an advanced stage.

The described complications require surgical intervention, because lead to death.

Unfortunately, some of the negative consequences of the disease will last a lifetime – even if you receive the highest quality medical care. After surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy), about half of the patients continue to experience pain, nausea, and other unpleasant symptoms. This condition is called postcholecystectomy syndrome (PCES), and it is the task of a gastroenterologist and an ultrasound diagnostician to find the cause of its development. To solve this problem, an ultrasound method is used – dynamic echo-choledochography (ultrasound of the bile ducts).

Do not postpone your visit to your gastroenterologist.

Take care of your health today!

Complications of gallstone disease

Patients often know that they have stones in their gallbladder. However, if the stones do not show any symptoms, or these symptoms appear rarely and do not affect the quality of life, patients prefer not to pay attention to it.

If you do not pay attention to this, the very first attack of biliary colic can lead to very serious complications:

• Obstructive jaundice – stones from the gallbladder enter the ducts and prevent the flow of bile into the duodenum.It is accompanied by acute, excruciating pain in the upper abdomen, yellowing of the eyes and skin, darkening of urine, lightening of feces. This condition is dangerous because there is stagnation of bile in the system of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. Against this background, the liver is affected, and its cells begin to collapse (hepatitis develops). If the stagnation of bile continues for a long time, then this leads to impaired liver function and subsequently to liver failure.
• Choledocholithiasis – the formation of stones in the bile ducts or their entry into the ducts from the gallbladder. A common complication, accompanied by increased pain syndrome, nausea, vomiting, which does not bring relief.

Biliary colic is accompanied by the following condition:

• Biliary pancreatitis. The pancreatic duct, through which the enzymes are secreted, connects to the common bile duct and together, through one opening (large duodenal papilla), flow into the duodenum.The ingress of stones into the common bile duct below the level of the confluence of the pancreatic duct is accompanied by inflammation of the pancreas.
• Stenosing papillitis. This is a cicatricial narrowing of the large duodenal papilla, which most often occurs against the background of its trauma by small stones passing through it. The development of such a complication is accompanied by severe symptoms: frequent painful attacks, the development of jaundice, pancreatitis, inflammation of the gallbladder and bile ducts is possible.
• Cholangitis. This is an inflammation of the common bile duct. At the same time, intoxication and fever are added to all the above symptoms.
• Cholecystitis. Inflammation of the gallbladder. The most common complication. It is accompanied by acute pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, intoxication

Other complications

When is it necessary to be examined?

1. For chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. If any of your immediate family members suffer from cholelithiasis.
3. With overweight.
4. In case of rapid weight loss (for example, for the purpose of losing weight).
5. In case of improper nutrition (eating 1-2 times a day, taking insufficient amounts of liquid, preference for fatty, fried, spicy, smoked, salty foods).
6. In case of lipid metabolism disorders (hypercholesterolemia, dyslipidemia).
7. With long-term use of fibrates, hormonal contraceptives.
8. For anatomical abnormalities in the biliary system.
9. For diabetes mellitus, thyroid diseases.
10. After pregnancy and childbirth.

Any of the listed factors is a reason to consult a gastroenterologist-hepatologist. Don’t expect complications.

Diagnosis of gallstones

The first stage of diagnosis:

Consultation of an experienced gastroenterologist-hepatologist who will listen carefully to you, find out the history of the disease, conduct an objective examination, and determine the amount of additional examination required.

Second stage of diagnostics:

Laboratory and instrumental studies:

• general blood and urine analysis
• biochemical blood test
• coprological study
• fibrogastroduodenoscopy

and the shape of the gallbladder, the thickness of its wall, the number of calculi and their size.

The third stage of diagnostics:

Based on the data received, the gastroenterologist will provide extended recommendations on diet, maintaining a correct lifestyle, planned drug therapy, if necessary, refer to a surgeon for consultation.

Such diagnostics in our clinic helps to solve the patient’s questions:

• Determination of the stage of cholelithiasis
• Diagnosis and treatment of concomitant diseases
• Based on the results of the study, recommendations will be formed on adherence to a diet, maintaining a correct lifestyle, planned drug therapy, which will improve well-being and lead to recovery
• determination of indications for surgical treatment

Treatment of gallstone disease

Treatment tactics depend on the stage of the disease

The most effective method of treatment is treatment in the early stages, when the disease can be controlled as non-drug , diet) and medication.

In the later stages, there is a high risk of developing serious complications that can lead to disability or even death. At these stages, surgical treatment is inevitable.

In stage II of gallstone disease, the following are shown:

Consultation and supervision of a gastroenterologist-hepatologist, within the framework of which you will receive prescriptions and recommendations: exchange

In stage III of gallstone disease, the following are shown:

Consultation and supervision of a gastroenterologist-hepatologist, within which you will receive prescriptions and recommendations:

• on therapeutic nutrition and weight normalization body
• for the correction of lipid metabolism and drug dissolution of stones
• for the relief of an attack of biliary colic

The issue of surgical treatment – in the course of a joint consultation of a gastroenterologist-hepatologist and a surgeon.

Stage VI of cholelithiasis – surgical treatment

To prescribe surgical treatment, a joint consultation with a surgeon and a gastroenterologist-hepatologist is required. During this consultation, the tactics of such treatment will be developed and issues related to preparation for treatment will be resolved.

The indications for surgical treatment of patients with gallstones are:

• acute calculous cholecystitis
• stones of the common bile duct
• gangrene of the gallbladder
• intestinal obstruction
• chronic calculous cholecystitis with non-functioning gallbladder 9002 The operation is also indicated in cases where early clinical symptoms of calculous cholecystitis (colic, fever, absence of stable remission in the intervals between attacks) join.

  Currently, the following types of treatment are used:

  • open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy
  • choledystolithotomy
  • cholecystostomy
  • papillosphincterotomy

  The choice of treatment tactics is determined by the coordination of actions between the gastroenterologist and the hepatologist surgeon.

  Stages of treatment in stage IV of gallstone disease

  Non-surgical stage

  A gastroenterologist takes care of the patient from the moment the very first asymptomatic signs of the disease are detected.

  Why is the decision to remove the bladder made by the gastroenterologist together with the surgeon?

  At the Polyclinic EXPERT, a joint consultation of a surgeon and a gastroenterologist is held and further tactics are jointly determined.

  Only a gastroenterologist has complete information about the state of the patient’s gallbladder. When prescribing treatment (including the appointment for a surgical operation), such factors are taken into account as:

  • clinical manifestations
  • duration of the disease and its stage
  • size of stones, their number, the factor of the presence of stones in the gallbladder ducts
  • the number of biliary colic in the anamnesis, the presence of complications and concomitant pathology

  After clarifying all the factors described above, it is possible to determine the tactics of treating a particular patient.

  Surgical step

  Removal of the gallbladder is performed in a planned or emergency manner.

  Routine surgical treatment

  It is carried out after appropriate preoperative preparation, relief (suspension) of complications of cholelithiasis with the help of conservative therapy. The purpose of the preparation is to adapt the patient’s body to the upcoming operation (to remove inflammation in the gallbladder). In this case, the removal of the gallbladder will take place with minimal consequences for the patient (the risk of postoperative complications is greatly reduced).

  On an emergency basis

  Operations are performed in case of complications of gallstone disease, which, without urgent intervention, will lead to death. This type of intervention is considered the most traumatic for the body and recovery may take longer.

  When deciding on a planned surgical treatment, a gastroenterologist conducts a stage of preoperative preparation.

  Preparation minimizes the risks of complications and facilitates the course of surgical intervention, traumatic for the body.

  Post-surgical phase

  Patient follow-up after surgery.

  Periodic examinations are recommended, during which the gastroenterologist monitors the patient’s condition and the activity of the disease. This will allow the doctor to adjust the treatment in time when post-surgical complications appear.

  Why do you need the help of a gastroenterologist at the postoperative stage?

  First of all, a specialist:

  • will stop the development of complications of the postoperative stage (by medication)
  • will help the patient to adapt to life without a gallbladder
  • will make an individual diet for the patient
  • will give recommendations regarding lifestyle
  • with the help of planned diagnostics will be monitor the patient’s condition.In case of recurrence of complications, the gastroenterologist will prescribe appropriate treatment.

  With a removed gallbladder, the patient needs
  constant regular monitoring,
  as this affects the quality of his life.

  Without the help of a gastroenterologist or if his recommendations are not followed, the life of a patient with postcholecystectomy syndrome can turn into a hellish series of diarrhea and unbearable abdominal pain.

  In order not to get into a wave of complications and next problems, these patients should not forget about the need for constant regular monitoring by a gastroenterologist.

  If, after surgical treatment, symptoms of gallstones persist, then this is an alarming sign, in which it is necessary to consult a gastroenterologist as soon as possible. Most often this is due to the already developed complications of cholelithiasis and requires timely diagnosis and proper treatment.

  If the surgery is performed on time (not for emergency indications, before serious complications develop), then there will be no discomfort. However, this does not mean that after the operation there is a cure for gallstone disease.Therefore, in order to prevent the re-formation of stones, only not in the gallbladder, but in the bile ducts, it is necessary to be observed by a gastroenterologist, undergo an annual examination, primarily an ultrasound examination of the bile ducts (dynamic echo-choledochography) and, if necessary, conduct courses therapy.

  Consequences after removal of the gallbladder

  Why do you need the help of a gastroenterologist at this stage?

  Postcholecystectomy syndrome may develop after cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder).

  Occurs in 10-30% of patients who have undergone surgery. This syndrome greatly affects the patient’s quality of life. For example, improper food intake provokes severe bouts of diarrhea and abdominal pain. People suffering from postcholecystectomy syndrome have to follow a strict diet and adjust their rhythm of life to it.

  At this stage, the help of a gastroenterologist will greatly facilitate the patient’s life. However, compliance with all the doctor’s recommendations, in any case, requires tremendous efforts from the patient
  throughout his life.

  More about postcholecystectomy syndrome

  The development of postcholecystectomy syndrome is influenced by many factors, including the timeliness and quality of surgical treatment.

  Postcholecystectomy syndrome includes functional disorders, organic lesions associated with a relapse of the disease or concomitant diseases (chronic pancreatitis, peptic ulcer disease). Most often, it is manifested by persistent pain, sometimes nausea, bloating, belching, a bitter taste in the mouth, heartburn, diarrhea.

  There is a very high risk of developing this syndrome in those who had a complicated course of cholelithiasis and were operated on against the background of an inflammatory process on an emergency basis for health reasons. Moreover, the syndrome is organic in nature, and it is usually not easy to find an adequate therapy to eliminate disturbing symptoms. To find out the exact reason for the development of PCES, dynamic echo-choledochography (ultrasound of the bile ducts) is used as the start of the examination.

  If the removal of the gallbladder occurs in a planned manner, after appropriate preoperative preparation, then the chance of developing postcholecystectomy syndrome is sharply reduced.And if disturbing symptoms arise, then most likely they will be functional in nature, proceed more favorably and, if all the recommendations of the gastroenterologist are followed, will not affect the well-being and quality of life.

  Why is it recommended to treat gallstone disease at the EXPERT Polyclinic?

  What you get by contacting us:

  • effective and safe treatment
  • modern diagnostic equipment
  • gastroenterologists of the highest category, specializing in the treatment of this type of disease.
  • Joint consultation with a surgeon and a gastroenterologist
  • Individual treatment program, in accordance with the condition of the disease and the characteristics of your body

  When treating gallstone disease, the curator of the Polyclinic EXPERT is ready to accompany you at all stages of treatment. Starting from the initial consultation, ending with the period of post-surgical intervention, you can always count on the help and support of a curator.

  Prognosis

  The prognosis for cholelithiasis depends on many factors, including possible complications.There are rare cases of spontaneous recovery, when an attack of biliary colic ends with the release of a small stone into the intestinal lumen. As a rule, the prognosis is favorable and depends on a timely visit to a gastroenterologist-hepatologist, adequate conservative therapy or the quality of surgical treatment.

  Prevention and lifestyle recommendations

  1. Compliance with the regimen, diet: eating every 3-4 hours, exclude long periods of fasting, drink enough fluids per day.A dietitian doctor will help you draw up the correct nutrition program.
  2. Avoid fatty and fried foods, smoked foods, strong alcohol.
  3. Include dietary fiber in the diet.
  4. Leading an active lifestyle, physical education.
  5. Bring body mass index back to normal.
  6. Do not lose weight quickly, do it gradually.
  7. If possible, exclude the use of drugs that promote stone formation (oral contraceptives, antibiotics, fibrates).
  8. If you have diabetes, try to keep it at the stage of compensation.

  Diet Recommendations

  1. Sugar is a source of endogenous cholesterol and should be avoided.
  2. Increase the amount of protein balanced in amino acid composition.
  3. To increase the consumption of vegetable proteins: oat and buckwheat groats, seaweed.
  4. Accustom yourself to a regular diet of plant fiber.
  5. Avoid the consumption of legumes, animal fats, coffee.
  6. Neglecting breakfast increases the risk of developing gallstone disease.
  7. Vitamins E and C reduce the likelihood of gallstone formation.

  Unfortunately, in order to forget about gallstone disease at later stages, it is not enough just to follow the correct regimen and diet. Any doctor will tell you that “this is just an adjunctive therapy, not a primary treatment.”

  If you have:

  Nothing hurts.A deformity in the gallbladder was accidentally detected

  Deformation of the gallbladder often refers to anatomical features and can be asymptomatic for a long time. At the same time, there may be a violation of the outflow of bile from the gallbladder, oversaturation of bile with cholesterol, the formation of sediment, putty bile, the formation of biliary sludge, which is the most important condition for the formation of gallstones. Over time, complaints may appear:

  • for a periodic feeling of discomfort or dull pain in the right hypochondrium
  • bitterness in the mouth
  • flatulence
  • unstable stool with a tendency to diarrhea.

  In this case, an active lifestyle, exercise, normalization of body weight is recommended. It is necessary to consult a gastroenterologist in order to select drug therapy (if necessary), recommendations for proper nutrition, and further monitoring.

  Nothing hurts. Flakes, thick bile, biliary sludge in the gallbladder were accidentally detected

  In about half of the patients, biliary sludge does not cause any symptoms and is detected only by ultrasound of the gallbladder.Many patients do not attach importance to this pathology and do not go to the doctor. Meanwhile, the long-term existence of biliary sludge in more than half of patients may be complicated by biliary pancreatitis, dysfunction or stenosis of the sphincter of Oddi, acute cholecystitis, cholangitis, and gallbladder shutdown. Gallstones form in 20%. To prevent the development of gallstone disease and complications, it is recommended to consult a gastroenterologist-hepatologist in a timely manner. As a result, the causes that contribute to the formation of biliary sludge and the development of complications will be identified and eliminated.

  There are complaints. Revealed deformation of the gallbladder, flakes, thick bile, biliary sludge in the gallbladder

  In case of complaints, it is often not enough to do with recommendations for lifestyle changes, moderate physical activity, normalization of body weight. It is necessary to consult a gastroenterologist in order to select drug therapy that will improve the excretion of bile from the gallbladder, relieve pain, prevent the formation of gallstones and the development of complications in the future, and, as a result, will avoid surgical treatment in advanced cases.

  Stones have been identified for a long time, but nothing worries

  Latent (asymptomatic) stone carriage requires long-term observation by a gastroenterologist-hepatologist:

  • to determine the indications for chenotherapy – drug dissolution of calculi with the help of bile acid stones (in the presence of cholesterol )18
  • for ultrasound, which will determine the size and shape of the gallbladder, the thickness of its wall, the number of calculi and their size
  • to determine the dynamics of these indicators over time

  If necessary, a joint consultation with a surgeon is carried out and indications for surgical treatment are determined.

  There are complaints. Identified stones in the gallbladder

  Immediately consult a gastroenterologist, at which the specialist will determine:

  • indications for drug dissolution of stones
  • will select therapy in order to stop the patient’s complaints
  • will identify metabolic disorders underlying stone formation.

  The success of conservative treatment of cholelithiasis is determined by strict adherence to recommendations, the correct selection of litholytic therapy.The effectiveness of treatment is monitored by a gastroenterologist-hepatologist using an ultrasound scan, which must be carried out during the entire course of treatment. After the end of the drug course of dissolution of calculi, in rare cases, a relapse of stone formation is possible. Therefore, for the prevention of relapse, the gastroenterologist forms supportive and preventive therapy.

  Severity, discomfort, pain in the “spoon” and in the right hypochondrium

  These complaints are rather nonspecific and can be present in diseases of the liver, pancreas, stomach, duodenum, gallbladder (including cholelithiasis).

  If you are worried about the severity, discomfort, pain in the “spoon” and in the right hypochondrium, you should seek help from a gastroenterologist-hepatologist who:

There are stones, there was 1 colic

Compulsory observation of a gastroenterologist-hepatologist:

• to prescribe the necessary treatment
• to control the situation and constant observation

This simple measure:

• reduces the risk of recurrent colic
• prevents the development diseases and complications

There are stones, there were 2 colic

Repeated biliary colic, recurrent course of the disease increases the risk of complications and the risk of death by almost 4 times.

In this case, the obligatory observation of a gastroenterologist-hepatologist doctor together with a surgeon is indicated:

• to determine treatment tactics
• , if necessary, to resolve the issue of surgical treatment

It is necessary to remove the gallbladder – what to do?

In preparation for elective cholecystectomy, a joint consultation of a gastroenterologist-hepatologist and a surgeon is required:

• to determine the presence of indications and contraindications for surgery
• , if necessary, to plan an additional examination

a number of instrumental and laboratory tests that are included in the standard of examination before surgery.

The gallbladder has already been removed. Do I need a doctor’s supervision, and which specialist to see?

The gallbladder is an important organ of the gastrointestinal tract. In its absence, the following are often observed:

• change in hormonal function
• change in concentration function
• disorders associated with changed conditions of food assimilation in the intestine.

This leads to impaired motility and secretory function of the stomach, ulcerative lesions of the stomach or duodenum, duodenitis, pancreatitis, intestinal lesions, impaired metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins, protein and carbohydrate, fat metabolism and calcium metabolism.

Patients who have undergone cholecystectomy (that is, surgical removal of the gallbladder) need constant supervision by a gastroenterologist-hepatologist.

In most cases, removal of the gallbladder does not relieve the patient of metabolic disorders underlying stone formation. The separated bile contains many cholesterol crystals, remains thick and viscous. After the operation, the pathological processes underlying the gallstone disease proceed under new conditions: due to the absence of the gallbladder, the physiological function performed by it is no longer possible, the motility of the biliary tract is impaired, the regulation of the processes of bile formation and biliary excretion is absent.

The loss of the physiological role of the gallbladder, namely the lack of concentration of bile in the interdigestive period and its release into the duodenum during meals, is accompanied by impaired excretion of bile and indigestion. A change in the chemical composition of bile and its chaotic entry into the duodenum disrupts the digestion and absorption of lipids, reduces the bactericidal properties of the intestinal contents, which leads to microbial seeding of the duodenum, and weakening the growth of normal intestinal microflora.

In this regard, the patient may be disturbed by:

• nausea
• vomiting
• heartburn
• bitterness in the mouth
• flatulence
• unstable stools
• constipation
• frequent loose stools
• abdominal pain

Excessive growth in the intestine leads to disturbances in protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, calcium metabolism and fat-soluble vitamins. This leads:

• to frequent profuse diarrhea
• to a decrease in body weight
• to osteoporosis (disorders of bone mineralization)
• to vitamin deficiencies, which are manifested by loss of skin elasticity, fine wrinkles, peeling, depigmentation, dry skin, lip lesions (hyperemia , swelling, peeling, cracking and crusting, getting wet in the corners of the mouth), damage to the tongue (ulceration of the papillae, the appearance of cracks), damage to the gums (loosening and bleeding, weakening of the fixation of the teeth and their loss)

At least once every 4 months – with such a frequency, it is recommended to regularly observe a gastroenterologist-hepatologist and conduct ultrasound of the bile ducts (dynamic echo-choledochography) after cholecystectomy in order to early diagnose possible complications.

A year after removal of the gallbladder, the previous symptoms appeared: pain in the right side, nausea, loose stools

In patients after removal of the gallbladder, the existing clinical manifestations can be associated with a variety of factors:

• change in the chemical composition of bile
• violation of excretion bile into the duodenum
• impaired motility of the biliary tract
• excessive growth of pathogenic microflora in the intestine
• impaired digestion of food, absorption of nutrients

echo-choledochography)

Treatment histories

History No. 1

Patient T., 42 years old, turned to the EXPERT Clinic to a gastroenterologist with complaints of decreased appetite, nausea, bitterness in the mouth, heaviness and pain in the right hypochondrium after eating.

From the anamnesis of the disease it is known that after giving birth 15 years ago, she gained 23 kg in body weight, eats irregularly, loves sweet and fatty foods. For the last 3 years he has been taking hormonal contraceptives. From the anamnesis of life it was possible to find out that the mother and grandmother of the patient suffer from cholelithiasis (cholelithiasis). Both were operated on.

When examining the patient, attention was drawn to grade 2 obesity, non-intense pain on palpation of the right hypochondrium, lining of the tongue. In the course of the consultation, an ultrasound scan of the abdominal organs was carried out, where it was established that a single cloud-like formation occupying 1/3 of the volume of the gallbladder with its compaction

90,000 Biliary dyskinesia: symptoms, treatment

Abdominal pain, nausea, constipation are the most common symptoms of biliary dyskinesia.Why this disorder occurs and how it can be overcome, we asked Yulia Anatolyevna Saltymakova, a gastroenterologist at the Expert Clinic, Tula.

– Yulia Anatolyevna, what is biliary dyskinesia?

– This is a disruption of the entire biliary system, and especially the gallbladder. This refers to both hypermotor disorders, i.e., excessive contraction of the gallbladder, and hypomotor disorders – insufficient (weak) contractility of the organ.This disease occurs in both adults and children.

– What are the causes of biliary dyskinesia?

– There are many reasons. The most common is, of course, eating disorders. If we talk about small children (I mean up to three years old), then it can be difficult to feed them. Therefore, quite often parents, grandmothers, grandfathers begin to act according to the principle: let him eat at least something. And this, as a rule, is something sweet, tasty, that is, fast carbohydrates: juices, buns, sweets, pancakes or sausages.Children love these foods and are easy to feed. But, unfortunately, this almost always leads to very unfavorable consequences.

If you take older children, then their diet often changes when a school, sections, circles appear. Between extra classes and school, the child can quickly eat something dry, come home late. And it turns out that he can have a full meal only after 7 pm. Naturally, his hunger increases during the day, and heavy late meals have a very negative effect, first of all, on the work of the gallbladder.

In adults, the same thing. They say: “We are so busy that it is impossible to eat well, so we eat twice a day – at lunchtime and then at night.” This is where the problems begin.

In addition, the nervous system is closely connected with the digestive system. Increased emotional overload, some stressful situations in the family, school – all this negatively affects the work of the entire digestive system, and most of all, the gallbladder is susceptible to such factors.

Its functioning is also strongly influenced by the work of the intestines.Sometimes constipation, rare stools (once every two to three days) can affect the functioning of the gallbladder and cause biliary dyskinesia.

In children, almost all diseases of the gallbladder (in 99% of cases) are secondary. That is, they are associated, for example, with inflammation in the small intestine, more often in the duodenum. Reactive changes in the pancreas always affect the work of the gallbladder, due to the anatomical proximity of their ducts. Therefore, the doctor always seeks to get to the bottom of the true cause of the dysfunction of the biliary tract.

Under the diagnosis “biliary dyskinesia” can hide diseases of other organs, not only the gallbladder. Therefore, the diagnosis of abdominal pain often requires extensive examination, which does not always arouse understanding on the part of the parents.

Read related materials:

Is there a stress vaccine?
The congestion again! What to do if a child is constipated?
Constipation in adults: looking for causes and getting rid of
Pancreas: the one and only.How to keep her healthy?

– How is biliary dyskinesia manifested in children and adults?

– The main symptom in both children and adults is abdominal pain. Preschool children, if you ask them where it hurts, most often point to the navel, that is, the umbilical region. But an additional examination of the child is definitely required to determine whether the pain is in the umbilical region or somewhere else. Because sometimes kidney disease can manifest itself as abdominal pain.It is better to consult a narrow specialist, for example, a gastroenterologist.

In 80% of children, gallbladder dyskinesias occur as a hypomotor type. Clinically, the types of dyskinesias can be distinguished. Spastic, stabbing pains are more characteristic of hypertonicity of the gallbladder or the sphincter of Oddi (a muscular valve located in the duodenal papilla of the duodenum). Aching, almost constant pain that occurs an hour after eating, is characteristic of hypotension of the biliary tract.

In addition to pain, there are often nausea, irregular or abrupt stools, changes in appetite (it can be either increased appetite or decreased appetite).

Read related materials:

Mom, my stomach hurts! What is behind a child’s abdominal pain?
Insidious pain mask. Does abdominal pain always indicate gastrointestinal problems?

– What are the consequences if you ignore the symptoms of the disease?

– Suppose a patient has insufficient (weak) contractility of the gallbladder. Accordingly, the separation of bile from the biliary tract will be impaired. Ie.a certain stagnation of bile will form. When carrying out an ultrasound of the abdominal organs, we see that a sediment or sometimes even sand appears in the gallbladder. This can lead to the development of chronic inflammation in the gallbladder itself or even to the formation of stones. Sand, dense sediment – this is already the primary stage of gallstone disease.

90% of chronic diseases in adults begin in childhood. The gallbladder is a “silent” organ, and it rarely hurts in children.Ignoring any changes in the ultrasound of the abdominal organs means providing the child with chronic diseases of the digestive system in the future.

– What studies are prescribed for the diagnosis of biliary dyskinesia?

– First of all, ultrasound of the abdominal organs. Checking the function of the gallbladder is possible only with cholecystography. Its most affordable option is an ultrasound of the gallbladder with a test breakfast. In this case, ultrasound of the gallbladder is done three times, and only then it is possible to judge the variants of organ dysfunction (hyper- or hypodysfunction).Changes in the volume of the gallbladder, its size, deformations (constrictions, kinks) and even sand, sludge syndrome (sediment in the gallbladder formed during stagnation of bile) appear when bile outflow is disturbed or liver diseases.

A general analysis of blood and urine, a coprogram is also prescribed. A coprogram is an analysis of feces, by which one can judge which organ of the digestive system suffers the most: the gallbladder, stomach or pancreas, and whether there are inflammatory changes in the large intestine.

– Yulia Anatolyevna, how is biliary dyskinesia treated?

– Treatment of biliary dyskinesia consists primarily in the normalization of the diet. At the appointment, we discuss the diet with the patient in great detail: how often and at what time to eat, which foods are better to exclude from the diet. Dyskinesia treatment begins with the simplest drug therapy. It can be mineral waters or some herbal preparations. Well, as a rule, choleretic drugs and enzymes that improve the functioning of the gallbladder, its contractility, sometimes even improve the appetite of children who are difficult to feed.

Of course, the treatment plan is always developed individually, taking into account all the nuances of the disease, contraindications. For example, choleretic drugs cannot be used for acute inflammatory changes in the biliary system (including cholecystitis), reactive hepatitis, ulcerative and erosive diseases of the upper digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum). Therefore, any treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, preferably a gastroenterologist.

– How should you eat with biliary dyskinesia?

– The excess of carbohydrate foods, preservatives, dyes in our food “hits” the gallbladder most of all.Therefore, we always emphasize that the more natural the food, the better. Chocolates, sweets, juices, and baked goods that young children and teenagers alike love should be limited. There must be parental control.

You can always find an opportunity to normalize nutrition – both yours and your child’s. If, for example, children are very busy, you can collect some small plastic containers to school, or take them with you when you are taking your child to sections or mugs. Everything can be adjusted, and gradually cope with the problem.

– How to prevent the development of biliary dyskinesia? Have preventive measures for this pathology been developed?

– Yes. I would like to say that, first of all, it is, of course, proper nutrition, but good sleep and rest are no less important. In some families, depending on the parents’ work schedule, school-age children start learning their lessons late, go to bed late, and get up early for school. And the child’s body does not have time to recover completely. Hence, overwork, which also affects the functioning of the digestive system.

Another important point – you need to move more. Unfortunately, hypodynamia is now a scourge that is inherent not only in adults, but also in children. Due to the fascination with cell phones and similar gadgets, there is a lack of movement. Physical inactivity in children entails the appearance of excess weight and, accordingly, disruption of the digestive system. It is very important to prevent these problems, since some chronic pathologies can develop due to overweight or obesity. It is very difficult to change eating behavior, for example, in a child aged 12-13, when it has already formed.Therefore, it is important to think about these things as early as possible.

Read related materials:

Childhood – for movement! What does hypodynamia lead to?
How to bring a child to obesity?

Make an appointment with a gastroenterologist here
You can make an appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist here

ATTENTION: services are not available in all cities

Interviewed by Marina Volovik

The editors recommend:

Not always gastroscopy.Examination for abdominal pain
Remove or keep? What to do if gallstones are found?
Not Just Colonoscopy: What Can Fecal Analysis Tell You?
How to protect the stomach from ulcers?
When the gut riots: what is irritable bowel syndrome?

For information:

Saltymakova Yulia Anatolievna

Graduated from the Tver State Medical Academy in 2003.

2004 – internship in pediatrics.

2006 – primary specialization in gastroenterology at the Research Institute of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nizhny Novgorod.

At present, he is a gastroenterologist at the Expert Clinic in Tula. Accepts at the address: st. Boldina, 74.

90,000 Smoking and its effect on the digestive organs

Smoking is a type of household drug addiction, the most common form of which is
nicotinism – tobacco smoking.

Nicotine, which is part of tobacco, is one of the
most powerful drugs.The report by the US Chief Physician, entitled Nicotine Addiction
, concluded: “The pharmacological and behavioral processes
determine tobacco dependence are similar to those that determine
dependence on drugs such as heroin and cocaine.”
Tobacco smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke from dried and smoldering
tobacco leaves. In this case, smoking cigarettes involves inhaling smoke from the lungs of a person,
when smoking pipes or cigars, tobacco smoke does not enter the lungs, only
the human oral cavity is filled with smoke.
Tobacco smoke is a serious threat to human health. It causes
significant harm to those people who are near the smoker. This phenomenon is
called “passive smoking”. Those who do not smoke, but are together with
smokers in a closed, poorly ventilated area, inhale about 75% of all
substances contained in cigarette smoke. Such secondhand smoke is especially harmful to the health of pregnant women,
breastfeeding mothers, children and adolescents,
elderly people and those suffering from chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system and
respiratory organs.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 different substances, of which more than 200
are dangerous to the human body. Among them, nicotine, tobacco tar,
carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide), arsenic, formaldehyde, hydrocyanic acid, etc. are especially harmful. The composition of tobacco smoke
also includes radioactive substances and heavy metals. More than 40
chemical compounds contained in it are capable of causing cancer.
The most dangerous in this regard are benzopyrene and the radioactive isotope polonium-
210.
There is not a single organ or system in the human body that would not be adversely affected
by tobacco smoke and its constituents. It is widely known about its negative effects on the lungs and cardiovascular system
. Smokers significantly
more often develop inflammatory lung diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema
), lung cancer, coronary heart disease, including
myocardial infarction, obliterating endarteritis of the lower extremities, etc.However,
in this article I would like to dwell on the harmful effects of tobacco smoking on
diseases of the digestive system.
Smoking begins to exert its negative effect already from the oral cavity. When tobacco smoke gets into the
oral cavity, which has a high temperature of about 50-60 degrees,
causes the destruction of tooth enamel, the development of caries, the appearance of yellow plaque on the teeth,
bleeding of the gums. The smoker’s mouth smells unpleasant, their tongue is coated with gray
bloom. Due to irritation of the salivary glands, increased salivation is noted.Tobacco smoke reduces the acuity of smell and taste,
therefore smokers often poorly distinguish the taste of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.
of them have appetite deterioration. Due to a decrease in the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter in
smokers, conditions are created for the occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux,
of which is the appearance of heartburn.
Smoking is the third leading cause of stomach ulcers and 12
duodenal ulcers after Helicobacter pylori infection and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
and aspirin.This is due to a decrease in the amount of
bicarbonates secreted by the pancreas and necessary to neutralize
hydrochloric acid in the duodenum 12, in some cases, an increase in the level of hydrochloric acid
in the stomach, damage to the gastric mucosa due to increased reflux
(throwing) of the contents of the duodenum 12 into stomach (bile acids and other
components of the duodenum 12), narrowing of the blood vessels supplying the stomach
and duodenum 12, leading to a disruption in the supply of oxygen and
nutrients.It should be noted that smoking not only causes
the appearance of gastric ulcers and 12 duodenal ulcers, but also affects the frequency of exacerbation and
the duration of their healing. Smokers are significantly more likely to experience exacerbations of the disease
and ulcers heal for a longer time. This
depends especially strongly on the number of smoked cigarettes. Thus, studies conducted in Germany showed
that those who smoked more than 30 cigarettes a day relapsed ulcers within 3 months were observed in
100% of patients.Complications of gastric and duodenal ulcers, such as bleeding and
perforation, are also more common in smokers. Mortality from ulcers in smokers is 2 times
higher than in non-smokers.
Smoking causes disturbance of intestinal motility, which subsequently leads to
recurrent constipation and diarrhea. Rectal spasms,
caused by the action of nicotine, obstruct blood flow and contribute to the formation of hemorrhoids
. When considering chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such
as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, it should be noted that smokers get sick 4,
times more often than nonsmokers with Crohn’s disease, but 2 times less often – ulcerative colitis.
This phenomenon in ulcerative colitis is not well understood. Quitting smoking reduces
the likelihood of relapse in Crohn’s disease. At the same time, in persons suffering from ulcerative colitis
who started smoking after the onset of this disease, the number of
exacerbations of the disease did not decrease.
The effect of smoking on the pancreas is manifested in the violation of its secretory
activity, in particular, inhibition of the secretion of bicarbonates is noted. Smoking
promotes the development of atherosclerosis in the vessels of the pancreas.The harmful substances
of tobacco smoke, getting into the smoker’s body, have a toxic effect
on the pancreas, support the inflammatory processes in it, and contribute
to the development of diabetes mellitus.
Smoking causes significant harm to a healthy liver and exacerbates the course of already
existing diseases. It increases the production of proinflammatory cytokines,
which are damaging to liver cells. Smoking is capable of
activating a number of enzymes, such as cytochrome P450, which can increase the hepatotoxicity of drugs
, including drugs used to treat liver diseases
.By affecting the immune system of the body, tobacco smoke
can have a negative effect on the course of a number of liver diseases associated with this system
, such as viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis
. In the presence of liver cirrhosis, when the detoxifying function of the liver is significantly affected,
toxic substances of tobacco entering the body of
patients suffering from this disease cause significant harm to the entire
body, especially the nervous system, causing in some cases severe brain diseases
.
Free radicals from tobacco smoke can increase inflammation in the gallbladder
. By causing bile stasis and affecting blood cholesterol levels
, smoking can contribute to the formation of gallstones.
As mentioned above, tobacco smoke has a pronounced carcinogenic effect
. Carcinogens of tobacco smoke are deposited in the oral cavity, with food and saliva
enter the esophagus and stomach, enter the bloodstream. In addition, the carcinogenic role of smoking
is associated with mechanical and thermal irritations – the mouthpiece
of a cigarette, the stem of a pipe, burns with smoldering cigarette butts, the ingress of high temperature tobacco smoke
into the oral cavity.Smoking contributes to the development of a number of
malignant neoplasms of the digestive system, such as cancer of the oral cavity,
of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas. It has been established that smoking tobacco, especially with the help of a pipe
, is one of the reasons for the development of cancer of the lower lip. According to the data of
of the World Health Organization, among smokers, cancer of the oral cavity and
of the esophagus is 4 times more common among smokers than among non-smokers, pancreatic cancer
glands – 2 times. The incidence of malignant neoplasms in humans is directly proportional to the amount and duration of tobacco smoking.

90,000 Poor digestion: what to do, causes of the disorder

Symptoms in case of indigestion

Indigestion can manifest itself in many ways. For example, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, heartburn, a bitter or sweet taste in the mouth, bad smelling belching, bloating, and loud rumbling in it. In some cases, mild nausea may appear, which we are used to describing with the word
“Muddies”. ^1.2

In any case, it is important to remember how much time has passed after eating and the appearance of the first such symptoms.Knowing this, it is easier to guess what caused the disturbed digestion.

So, for example, if complaints appeared less than half an hour after eating, then the work of the upper gastrointestinal tract may have been disrupted: the esophagus, stomach, duodenum. Or, in this way, non-ulcer functional dyspepsia manifests itself. Another option is disruption of the gallbladder and biliary tract, pancreas
glands. ^1.2

If the complaints appeared much later and are of a different nature – upset stools, increased gas formation and bloating, then they could be caused by a delay in the work of the intestines, a lack of enzymes or a violation of microbial
balance. ^{1, 2}

Possible causes of poor digestion

Quick chewing

The digestion process begins in the mouth. If a person is used to chewing quickly, then the saliva enzymes do not have time to soften the food lump. This makes it difficult for food to pass through the esophagus, causing excessive irritation. In addition, dry food lasts longer in the stomach, and is more slowly soaked in the nipple and digestive enzymes. ^1.2

Food on the run

When we, rushing from one meeting to another, being late for important things or just walking around the city, decide to have a snack on the go, our digestion is not very happy with such an attitude.The food on the run turns out to be poorly chewed, but not only this should worry us. The fact is that the fast rate of absorption of food is associated with the involuntary swallowing of large amounts of air. And this can cause
belching ¹ .

Frequent snacking

Food is retained in the stomach for several hours. To process it qualitatively, the body spends resources that need to be restored. Therefore, if a person constantly has a snack, not observing the food intake schedule, then the digestive organs work with overload.As a result, the risk of failures in their
work. ¹

Early breakfasts and late dinners

There is a concept of “periodic activity of the digestive system.” Its essence is that at different times of the day the gastrointestinal tract and its enzymes work with less or more intensity. These cycles are partly related to the alternation of periods of daytime activity and nocturnal rest. Frequent or constant disruption of these cycles can also cause poor
digestion ¹ .

Most of the above factors and causes that are not related to diseases can be eliminated by organizing a proper diet, normalizing the psychological state, forming healthy
habits ² .

External factors that can impair digestion

Incorrect nutrient balance

Nutrients are not only proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the balance of which, in principle, can be controlled. Your diet may contain too much salty or smoked food, fiber, or bile-causing foods that require additional enzymes to process.This creates an additional burden on the digestive system, which can turn bad
digestion ^1.2 .

Unhealthy lifestyle

Lack or excess of sleep, weak physical activity, long stay in one position, smoking, alcohol, fast food and ready-made snacks – all this badly affects the work of the gastrointestinal
path ^1.2 .

Self-medication

As well as the wrong medication regimen or hobby for traditional medicine.Many of these can have side effects, some of which are in the form of indigestion ¹ .

Loose Nerves

Sometimes poor digestion is associated with the state of the human nervous system – there is even a special term “psychological constipation”. The fact is that we often “seize” stress or a bad mood, which also has a bad effect on work.
Gastrointestinal tract ¹ .

What to do to improve digestion?

Observe food intake

Ideally 5 or 6 times a day, in small portions.You need to eat slowly, without swallowing air. Chew food thoroughly to keep it moist and feel good.
crushed ^1.2 .

Do not get carried away with spicy food

Food should not be greasy, overly spicy or salty.

Forget about bad habits

Say goodbye to cigarettes and alcohol. It is also worth saying goodbye to chips, crackers, burgers and hot dogs – fast food is poorly compatible with a healthy lifestyle and normal
digestion ^1.2 .

Less nervous

Indigestion sometimes occurs due to stressful situations. To calm your nerves, you can do auto-training and learn methods of psychological relaxation. In very difficult situations, it is worth contacting a specialist – a psychologist, a psychotherapist.

Go in for sports

Adequate physical activity increases the tone not only of the gastrointestinal tract, but of the whole organism. It can be walking before going to bed, cycling and skiing, swimming, fitness, medical
physical education ^1.2 .

What can a specialist recommend?

In case of complaints of poor digestion, a specialist may advise taking medications containing enzymes that normalize the digestion process and the work of the gastrointestinal tract. One of these drugs is
Festal ® ² .

It helps to improve the breakdown and absorption of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, fiber, acts as a choleretic agent, and can also reduce the formation of intestinal gases. This can be achieved through a complex of enzymes and bile acids.Similar properties of the drug “Festal” ® can be used to correct functional disorders of the digestive
path ³ .

Constipation after removal of the gallbladder: what to do, how to treat?

Constipation after removal of the gallbladder is a fairly common problem. People who have it should know that it is easy to deal with.

The process of digestion in the human body has its own characteristics. The gallbladder is involved in it.It secretes bile, which is essential for normal digestion. But it happens that, for medical reasons, the above-named organ is removed from a person. And then the digestion process ceases to be complete. Surgery to remove this organ is called cholecystectomy.

Constipation often occurs in patients after removal of the gallbladder. The treatment should, of course, be individually selected by the doctor. But it will be based on special food.

Diet

During normal operation of the gallbladder, bile is secreted from it, which enters the stomach.The acids contained in it take an active part in digestion. Removing the bladder is not a threat to human life. But the digestion process requires a more careful approach. If you have constipation after removing the gallbladder, your doctor will tell you what to do. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of doctors and adhere to a special diet.

It must be started immediately after surgery. First of all, remember that you cannot overload the body with food that is difficult for the digestive process.It also cannot be tolerated. You should go to the toilet on time. One of the dietary recommendations is more frequent meals. In this case, the portions should be small. This will ensure that bile does not accumulate. If, nevertheless, this happens, it will lead to the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the body. Patients need to be aware that the composition of bile changes after this operation. Therefore, fatty foods are not digested and cause constipation after removal of the gallbladder. Choleretic foods will help normalize the work of digesting food.For example, dairy products are useful during such a period.

When constipation occurs after removal of the gallbladder, what should I do? What diet is prescribed after surgery? A person who has experienced such a surgical intervention needs to tune in to proper nutrition. The diet will help you quickly bounce back and establish the digestion of food without an excised organ.

Nutrition in the early days

How to get rid of constipation after removal of the gallbladder? Immediately, within 24 hours after the intervention, you should refuse to take any food.Also, you can not drink water and other drinks. The patient is allowed to wet his lips and rinse his mouth with infusions of special herbs. After 24 hours have passed, you can drink water without gas. It is allowed to add rose hips to it. Do not sweeten the water. The volume of liquid should not exceed one liter.

On the second day, you can add dried fruit compote or tea to your diet. In this case, it is not recommended to add sugar. You can also use kefir, it should be low-fat. The total volume of liquid can be two liters.

Fourth day after surgery. What is?

Consumption of solid food can be started from the 4th day after surgery. Better to start with mashed potatoes, vegetable puree soup. In this case, food should be cooked in plain water. You can also eat boiled fish, omelet without adding yolks. On the 4th day, sugar can be added to the tea. It should be remembered that you can eat food in small portions, but often.

You shouldn’t expand your diet every day.It is better to introduce new products gradually, for example every other day. Then you can start eating crackers or stale bread, then porridge. It should be noted that the latter must be boiled in water. After that, it is allowed to enter meat and dairy products. It must be ensured that the food is rubbed. This will help the stomach to digest.

Tips for cooking

In the postoperative period, a person must follow a diet for two months.At this time, it is necessary that all food be cooked in the form of puree. Meat should be consumed only boiled or steamed. The same rule should be followed with fish. Stewed vegetables are allowed. You should refrain from eating food that is cooked by frying. This is because fried food can irritate the stomach.

Patients who have undergone surgery are recommended to observe the stomach for several months. If it works consistently, then you can try to include heavier foods in your diet.You can try to cook soup with meat broth, porridge with milk. The meat should be lean. It is recommended to stop eating pork. Better to cook beef or poultry. New foods should be added to the diet gradually. You should watch how the body reacts, namely how the stomach works.

General dietary guidelines

What about a person who has constipation after removing the gallbladder? What should he do? There are products that recommend eating without fail.These include:

1. Vegetable soups without broth.

2. Diet meat.

3. Low-fat marine fish. There are limitations here, namely, it cannot be consumed more than once a week.

4. Porridge should be present in the diet. It is recommended to eat pearl barley, oatmeal and rice.

5. The use of fermented milk products is recommended twice a day. It is advisable to do this in the morning and in the evening.

6. Small amounts of butter can be used, both vegetable and butter.

7. Eggs (should be eaten once a week).

9. From sweets you can eat marshmallows, honey or jam. These desserts should be consumed in limited quantities.

Forbidden food

There is a list of foods that should be excluded from the diet. Since they are stomach irritants. They can also cause constipation after gallbladder removal surgery. Such food includes:

1.First of all, it is salty, spicy, sour food.

2. All types of smoked meats.

4. Condiments, spices.

7. Fatty meat. For example, pork. It is also forbidden to eat fatty fish.

8. Canned food and marinades.

9. All kinds of sweets.

10. Those foods that contain a lot of fiber (for example, cabbage).

11. Alcoholic drinks.

12. Soda, ice cream.

Tips

A man who has lost his gallbladder will have to give up a lot.But this must be done to maintain the body in a healthy state. It won’t be very easy at first. But in the future, if you constantly adhere to the diet, addiction will come.

The list of products that can be consumed is also rather big. Therefore, if you turn on your imagination, then you can come up with a varied menu. You need to learn to replace familiar foods with those that can be consumed. For example, sweets can be replaced with fruits, and fried fatty meats can be replaced with boiled chicken.

In addition to diet, there is a set of measures that will help get rid of constipation.It happens that they pass by themselves after a certain time. And it happens that the situation cannot return to normal for several months.

Reasons for a delicate problem

Why does constipation occur after removal of the gallbladder? If, after the operation, a person begins to be bothered by constipation, then this is a sign of low acidity of the body.

In order to remove it, it is necessary to ensure better bowel function. For this, acidic foods should be included in the diet.For example, apples, cherries, plums, pomegranates and others.

Conversely, if there is increased acidity in the human body, then it should be reduced. As a rule, fermented milk products with a low fat content help in this case, namely: yoghurts, kefirs, etc.

Another way to normalize acidity in the body is to drink plenty of pure water. It is necessary that it be non-carbonated. You can use a filter to purify water or buy a special one.Its consumption is an important part of maintaining the body in a normal state. It happens that the cause of constipation lies in dehydration of the body. As a rule, an indicator of this condition is a low urine excretion from the body. In this case, the color becomes bright, and the consistency becomes concentrated.

Prunes are very good for constipation. It can be consumed fresh or dried. It is also worth buying baby food with prunes.

Conclusion

Thus, if a person follows the doctor’s recommendations after the operation, he will be able to avoid constipation.You need to adhere to the prescribed diet, make a bias towards permitted food, refuse prohibited food. If constipation occurs, then you need to drink more water and eat food, either to increase the level of acidity in the body, or to lower it. If it is impossible to solve the problem on your own, it is recommended to consult a doctor who will prescribe a treatment regimen. As a result of therapy, you will forget about constipation after removing the gallbladder. Reviews of people who have coped with this problem indicate that the cause of it was improper nutrition.

Constipation after removal of the gallbladder – causes and treatment

After surgery to remove the gallbladder of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy), many patients suffer from constipation. This is because surgery causes intestinal congestion, and bile causes the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to malfunction. Compliance with a diet, doctor’s recommendations does not always help to quickly get rid of the symptom.

Reasons

Constipation after removal of the gallbladder can disturb the patient immediately or several months later.They are caused by the weakness of the intestinal walls, a decrease in physical activity, and a change in diet. There is a restructuring of the digestive tract in the absence of an organ. The recovery period takes about 1 year, during this time the work of the digestive system is getting better. What causes constipation:

• Weakened intestinal peristalsis. As a result of the operation, the digestion of food slows down, the feces harden.
• Medicines used after removal of the gastrointestinal tract have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal microflora.
• Change in diet and diet. Eating a low fiber diet with little food.
• Poor physical activity.
• Insufficient water intake.
• Uncontrolled release of bile – leads to indigestion due to fluctuations in the level of acidity in the stomach.
• The appearance of adhesions.
• Psychological reason – the patient’s fear of possible pain during bowel movements.

Atony of the intestinal region is a frequent occurrence.The body needs time to adapt. For a year, he restores the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

But constipation after removal of the gallbladder may remain after the end of the recovery period, they are caused by:

• wrong diet;
• bad habits;
• other gastrointestinal diseases.

Physical activity is of great importance for stool normalization. Rare constipation should not be scary, it is not a pathology. A cause for concern is when blood and mucus, undigested food, and pain during emptying appear in the stool.In this case, you must seek medical attention.

Treatment – what to do for constipation

Therapy of constipation with a removed gallbladder is carried out in a complex manner. It includes medication, exercise, massage, traditional medicine. Treatment is prescribed by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the causes and symptoms of discomfort, the patient’s condition.

Preparations

Medicines for constipation after removal of the gallbladder are used if diet and physiotherapy exercises (exercise therapy) do not give an effect.In such cases, gastroenterologists prescribe enemas or mild laxatives that cleanse the intestines without affecting the cause. Medicines are released in tablets, drops, suppositories. These drugs include:

• Guttalax. The result will appear in 6-9 hours. Herbal remedy, not addictive.
• Microlax (enemas). The medicine will help quickly, the effect of the combined drug comes in 15 minutes.
• Fortrans (sachet). Has an osmotic effect.
• Bisacodyl. The result comes within 8 hours (tablets), 1 hour (candles).

In addition, pro- and prebiotics (Linex, Acipol, Bifiform), enzymes (Creon, Pancreatin, Micrasim) are prescribed.

Enemas can be done no more than 1 time per week, as they wash out the beneficial microflora. Treatment of constipation after removal of the gallbladder with laxatives is not carried out for a long time, since drugs contribute to intestinal atony.

Folk remedies

To normalize bowel activity, you can turn to traditional medicine.What to do and how to use:

Herbal remedies can be treated after consultation with a gastroenterologist.

Exercise, massage and exercise therapy

What to do with a removed gallbladder, in order to avoid a problem, you need to be more active. The tasks of exercise therapy and massage are aimed at preventing adhesions, improving intestinal motility. Physiotherapy is allowed 1-2 months after the operation, it depends on the patient’s well-being.The basis is a set of exercises, correct breathing.

Exercise therapy begins with hiking, the time of which is gradually increasing. Their goal is to strengthen the body, activate metabolism, and restore the functioning of the liver and ducts. Physical education includes exercises in the supine and side position, standing, sitting. You need to devote at least half an hour daily to classes.

Increase the load gradually. Do not overload the abdominal muscles, especially in the period after surgery. The final stage of charging is breathing exercises.Common Exercises:

• lying on your back, pull your knees to your chest;
• in the same starting position, bend and straighten both knees at the same time;
• while walking, raise your knees high;
• Standing straight, draw in and round the stomach.

The treatment complex should be performed in the morning, when the body is full of energy. Regular exercise will save you from a delicate problem.

Abdominal massage is a superficial (spiral) stroking of the navel area, engaging the abdominal muscles.It is necessary to knead, pinch, press in the longitudinal and transverse directions.

Nutritional rules

Diet is important to restore bile outflow. A correct diet will help to avoid constipation after removal of the gallbladder. Fasting is indicated for the first day after the operation. On the 2nd day, it is allowed to drink water, rosehip broth. From the 3-4th day, kefir, compote are introduced, then the food expands. A new product is added every 2 days. Nutritional rules during the recovery period:

• daily food intake is divided by 5-6 times;

90,017 small portions;

• fluid intake at least 2 liters per day;
• food, drinks must be warm;
• fatty, salty, spicy foods are excluded;
• some methods of food preparation are canceled – smoking, frying;
• alcoholic and carbonated drinks are prohibited.

The diet No. 5 according to Pevzner is taken as a basis.

Prevention

After removal of the gastrointestinal tract, the body needs to recover. Often the consequence of the intervention is intestinal atony. How to avoid constipation after removal of the gallbladder and what to do if it occurs:

• eat often, in small portions;
• include physical activity, walking;
• The volume of liquid drunk is 2 liters.

Proper nutrition and an active lifestyle will help prevent and get rid of this problem.

Constipation is a common consequence of cholecystectomy. Arising after surgery, it becomes a serious problem for the patient. The treatment takes place in a complex. The basis of therapy is diet. In addition to it are exercise therapy, massage. Laxative medications provide temporary relief but do not address the cause. Passion for them provokes a decrease in the tone of the intestinal wall. Folk remedies are effective for elimination, but they must be used after consultation with a doctor.

Videos

What to do with constipation after removing the gallbladder

Disorders in the work of the digestive system after cholecystectomy (the scientific name for the removal of the gallbladder) are not uncommon, and poor peristalsis is one of the possible consequences.To restore the function of the gastrointestinal tract, constipation should be eliminated after removal of the gallbladder: what to do to solve a delicate problem? To do this, you need to follow a diet, take medications, use traditional methods.

About the gallbladder

The organ is an integral part of the digestive system. It is located under the liver and is designed to collect bile. The latter is produced by hepatocytes – liver cells. Thanks to smooth muscle contractions, bile is regularly supplied to the intestines.Then it begins to be digested in the duodenum. For the normal functioning of the intestinal tract, 2 conditions are necessary: ​​that the bile components are in the correct ratio, as well as a good contraction of the gallbladder.

The operation provokes an imbalance in the work of all organs. Cholescystectomy is not life threatening, but without bile storage, digestion and assimilation of food is impaired. The production of enzymes decreases, the digestion of fats is not fully carried out.

As a result, pieces of food get into the feces.The contents of the intestinal tract become dense and the intestines cannot handle it and perform normal bowel movements. Constipation occurs, which brings not only discomfort, but also poisons the body with toxins. What can you do in this case to eliminate the accumulation of feces? This problem should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Causes of constipation

Disruptions in the work of the gastrointestinal tract in patients without bile storage occur frequently. This is due to the fact that:

• there is no organ supplying bile;
• are affected by the effects of general anesthesia;
• the patient is given pain relievers and antibiotics.

Removing constipation immediately after surgery

After the intervention, the person is advised to drink plenty of clean water. It helps to restore digestion. After three days, a decoction of prunes is added to the drinking ration. This folk remedy is harmless, effectively and gently fights constipation.

In the first week after removal, the food should be wiped so that the weakened peristalsis is restored. To activate the intestines, the doctor prescribes medications.The safest candles. In the first hours, the patient adheres to strict bed rest, physical activity is minimal, increases carefully, under the supervision of a doctor.

Constipation during the rehabilitation period

Cholecystectomy leads to a change in the chemical formula of bile. It does not process fatty, salty, fried foods. The substance does not cope with the usual portions. Therefore, constipation after removal of the gallbladder is a frequent occurrence. If there is no bowel movement for 2 days or more, such constipation is called chronic.In the first year after surgery, the gastrointestinal tract usually malfunctions.

Drug treatment for constipation

Most drugs work sporadically. They are taken as an emergency aid for softening stool and delicate excretion from the body. To get rid of the problem, use:

• microlax;
• gutalax;
• Bekunis.

Microlax

Single use micro enema is an effective medicine.It works ten minutes after insertion into the intestines. The medication is used locally, and does not cause side effects on the body. It is prescribed during gestation and for children. The procedure is recommended to be done before bedtime.

Gutalax

Mild, non-addictive, long-term use. Gutalax is available in the form of a solution, taken orally, acts in the duodenum. The medicine has an effect on the motor function of the intestinal tract, the result is achieved 6-12 hours after ingestion.This should be taken into account when eliminating constipation after removing the gallbladder.

Bekunis

The medication is created on the basis of the plant – cassia acutifolia. It is produced in the form of pills, lozenges, in tablet form. After oral administration, the drug stimulates the receptors of the intestinal mucosa, which speeds up its work. As a result, emptying occurs, the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is restored. Bekunis is non-allergenic and non-addictive. It is prescribed for adults and children.

Traditional methods of eliminating constipation

Traditional medicine offers the reception of herbal decoctions and preparations, as well as enemas to normalize the gastrointestinal tract.

For the normalization of the digestive tract, in addition to clean water, useful:

• prune decoction;
• fermented milk products based on starter cultures;
• decoction of senna, dill and fennel;
• steamed prunes.

Enema

A mixture of 150 ml of water and sunflower oil is injected into the intestine. The procedure should be done with water with a temperature of 36˚-37˚. The introduction of the liquid should be slow, without head and pressure. Immediately after the water is poured into the intestine, if possible, the person is left to lie on his side for 15-20 minutes.After this, a bowel movement occurs.

The procedure should not be done often, so as not to accustom the body to an artificial process. After removing the gallbladder, digestion should be rebuilt on its own and the processing of food without bile should be adjusted.

About the diet

To eliminate constipation after removal of the gallbladder, act in a complex manner:

• increase water consumption;
• change the diet;
• adjust the number of meals and portions.

An important and simple way to help digestion is to increase the amount of water. However, if the patient has kidney disease, be careful with this method of dealing with constipation. An increase in the amount of water is dangerous by an increase in the load on the kidneys.

Corrections in nutrition

People without a gallbladder change their diet and must follow a special diet. This is one of the ways to normalize the digestive tract.

The patient’s menu should contain fiber to maintain intestinal motility.At the same time, fiber should not be abused so as not to harm digestion. The diet includes vegetables and fruits that have undergone preliminary heat treatment. Useful in this state are flax seeds, apples, bran.

What to do in the first hours after surgery

Do not eat immediately after surgery. For 24 hours, the patient should moisten his lips with water and rinse his mouth so that the feeling of thirst does not arise. First you need to drink water. Carbonated drinks are not allowed. To maintain the body, it is good to make a mixture with rosehip decoction.It is rich in vitamin C, strengthens the body, has a beneficial effect on the liver.

On the second day, it is allowed to drink compotes and tea without sugar. From the fourth day, meals in a semi-liquid consistency are included in the diet. These are mashed potatoes, homogeneous soups, boiled fish, omelet without yolk are allowed. At this time, sugar can be added to the tea.

Fresh bread should not be consumed after removal of ZhP. The diet includes crackers, bread of a day old. Gradually, porridge cooked in water is introduced into the menu.A week later, it is allowed to eat grated boiled meat and dairy products. The doctor should advise on how to properly formulate a diet after surgical removal of the gallbladder.

The intricacies of cooking

Food should be boiled, it is useful to make steam dishes or bake them in the oven. Fried, spicy, smoked foods irritate the stomach lining and lead to the release of bile. Once the bile has been removed, it is dangerous, and such food can cause stomach or duodenal ulcers.Life without a gallbladder requires dietary restrictions.

Constipation after removal of the gallbladder is not a sentence or a disaster. But body dysfunction requires a quick and effective solution. During the rehabilitation period, the doctor helps to choose the best option for normalizing the functioning of the organs. After discharge, the patient must adhere to a dietary diet and, if constipation becomes more frequent, consult a doctor.

What to do if constipation appears after removing the gallbladder

If constipation occurs after removal of the gallbladder, what should I do? Many patients face such questions after a cholecystectomy.This symptom is a common complication of the postoperative period. It is associated with stagnation of bile in the ducts, with disorders in the organs of the digestive system. It can be successfully dealt with by following medical recommendations after the operation. Various medications and folk remedies are also used for treatment.

What is the role of the gallbladder in digestion

This is a kind of reservoir, it is located in the right iliac region. It serves as a cavity for synthesizing and accumulating bile.When bile is released into the intestinal tract, the organ may remain empty for a while. Until the bile produced in the liver fills it again.

The main functions of the bubble are:

• bile collection,
• thickening and preserving it,
• excretion into the intestinal tract,
• protection against pathogenic microflora, since bile neutralizes the activity of pathogens.

With an excessive flow of secretion from the liver into the lumen of the small intestine, acid circulation is activated.And with the help of the reservoir, bile acids are collected and accumulated, they reduce their concentration in the intestinal cavity, this is the protection of the liver, stomach and colon from the effects of hepatotoxic compounds.

The main reasons for the development of postoperative stool disorders

Constipation after cholecystectomy in patients undergoing surgery is a common symptom. After laparoscopy or other intervention in the organs of the digestive system, one of the unpleasant consequences is intestinal atony or constipation. After an injury or after anesthesia, a feeling of discomfort appears in the intestines, since intestinal motility is significantly weakened, physical activity is absent for a certain time, nutrition changes greatly. Problems with constipation can appear not only after cholecystectomy, but also after other surgical interventions.

Treatment of this condition is due to the cause, type of surgical treatment, the presence of other consequences and the general condition of the patient. Key predisposing conditions for constipation after removal of the bile are:

• Significant weakening of intestinal motility.Since there is a direct intervention in the functions of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract during the operation, stagnation of the consumed or consumed food occurs in the weakened small intestine, this provokes the development of obstruction. This phenomenon is more often temporary, when the treatment is respected, it passes.
• Diet change. To prevent stress on the body after the operation, food is first introduced into the stomach through a probe. When the patient’s condition stabilizes, if there are no complications, he is assigned a special diet, which he must follow for life.With a small size of food, with a low concentration of fiber in the composition of food, in case of failures in the function of digesting food, general dysfunction occurs, which is manifested by constipation.
• Another common reason for not having a stool is the use of certain medications. For this reason, patients often complain that they cannot go to the toilet too much.
• With fluctuations in acidity in the gastric tract, its motility slows down. This also serves as a predisposing factor for the absence of a normal bowel movement.
• Lack of adequate drinking regime. After the laparoscopic procedures for the removal of bile have been carried out, it is important to consume a large amount of liquid. Otherwise, bowel problems are inevitable.
• Insufficient physical activity provokes a weakening of the motility of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. After the laparoscopic treatment has been carried out, it is not allowed to give an intense load to the muscular apparatus for another six months.This can also adversely affect the digestive process.

Tips for correcting problem

It is important to improve the digestive processes, this will remove unpleasant symptoms. For stool normalization, at least minimal physical activity is important. Of course, it is forbidden to pump the press and visit the gym for six months after the operation. Instead, you can take short walks.

Any laxative should only be used after a doctor’s prescription.Independent use of any medications and folk methods is not allowed. General advice for normalizing stool when the bile ducts are under heavy strain:

• drink at least 8 glasses of pure water a day, you can slightly warm it, this triggers intestinal peristalsis,
• to use decoctions of prunes,
• eat fractionally so that the body has time to digest incoming food,
• eat vegetables containing fiber – carrots, bran, black bread.

Diet

For six months after the operation, certain dietary rules must be followed. There is a list of permitted and prohibited foods, it must be strictly followed. This will prevent many complications after cholecystectomy. Meals should be taken in small portions, but often, at least five times a day. At the same time it is necessary to eat vegetables and fruits, preferably not sour . This will help improve the digestion process.Pumpkin, carrots, prunes, beets – these are the foods that should be part of the diet. During a diet after organ removal, it is important to drink plenty of fluids to normalize the digestive system. It can be more than just plain drinking water. You can also drink a decoction of wild rose, dried apricots, prunes.

It is not allowed to eat fried, spicy, salty, pickled, smoked dishes, baked goods, pasta, large amounts of sugar (it is better to replace it with honey).Such dietary principles will help to establish the function of normal bowel movement.

Products allowed for consumption

The following food is recommended:

• water broth,
• lean meats,
• lean fish,
• fermented milk products,
• cereals,
• eggs (only once every few days in the form of a steamed omelet),
• fresh vegetables, fruits, honey.

List of Prohibited Products

• fried, fatty, smoked, spicy,
• cold food, e.g. jelly, ice cream,
• conservation,
• muffin,
• alcohol, soda,

90,017 peas, garlic, radishes, beans, sorrel.

Preparations

Treatment to eliminate the problem is carried out with laxatives. Such a drug has only a temporary effect, so it is not able to treat the very cause of constipation. Such medicines are produced in the form of tablets, suppositories, drops and syrups. The most common effective remedies are:

• duphalac,
• fortrans,
• glycerin suppositories,
• bisacodyl,
• Bekunis.

Microclysters are also prescribed once a week. The listed funds should not be used systematically, since the body can get used to them.

Traditional methods of treatment

It is also advisable to use alternative treatment using a herbal remedy:

• beet juice,
• potato juice,
• prunes,
• Senna decoction,
• vegetable oils,
• carrot juice.

Videos

Life is great! Constipation. How to normalize stools?

What are the causes of constipation after removal of the gallbladder and what to do about it? Prevention and Treatment

Constipation is most common after surgery such as removing the gallbladder or otherwise interfering with the digestive system. After a surgical scalpel, almost every second person suffers from this unpleasant ailment.

Anesthesia and trauma provoke intestinal discomfort. What should be done if constipation appears, how to get rid of the problem?

Features and consequences of removal of the gallbladder

The formation of stones in the gallbladder is accompanied by many factors:

• Metabolism is impaired.
• The diet lacks plant foods containing fiber.
• Excessive consumption of fatty foods.

All these factors interfere with the outflow of bile, block the bile ducts and cause an inflammatory process.Not infrequently, all this is accompanied by an infection, as a result of which holes are formed in the walls of the gallbladder. This phenomenon is extremely critical and requires surgical intervention by a surgeon.

After the operation, enzymes for digesting products are produced in small quantities. Therefore, stagnation of bile is formed, which destroys the microflora. Bile is constantly sent to the stomach, which negatively affects digestion in general. Fermentation begins in the stomach , hence bloating and diarrhea, constipation.

Causes of constipation after surgery

The operation, which is accompanied by the removal of the organ, will weaken the peristalsis, which will lead to stagnation of products in the intestines. Direct surgery is not capable of causing constipation, in contrast to its consequences.

The reasons for constipation can be as follows:

Diet changes . In order to avoid overloading the body after surgery, food is supplied through a tube for the first few days.

Due to the absence of this organ, the digestive system does not work stably, causing dysfunction leading to constipation.

What to do?

There are several ways to avoid constipation after gallbladder removal.Each of them requires attention.

Medicines

Medication-based therapy consists of the prescription of laxatives. They only have a short-term effect, but do not eliminate the cause. Forms of release of laxatives can be different: tablets and capsules, drops and suppositories. The most common are:

• BISACODYL . The effect is expected after 6-8 hours.
• FORTRANS .It has an osmotic effect. Application is permissible if there are no problems with blood vessels and heart.
• BEKUNIS . Developed on the basis of herbal ingredients (active ingredient – cassia holly). It has a positive effect on peristalsis, accelerates the process of emptying.
• MICROLAX . The remedy will act on the body in 5-10 minutes.
• GUTTALAX . The drug is good because it is not addictive. Has a mild effect, which is achieved after 6-10 hours.At one time, use no more than 20 drops diluted in boiled water.
• Probiotics . They stimulate the growth of beneficial microflora in the intestines.

Folk remedies

Many people try to bypass pharmaceutical preparations and prefer traditional medicine. A variety of recipes and products can help relieve constipation after gallbladder removal. Consider the most popular:

1. Beet juice. No more than half a liter per day is permissible, while the juice must be fresh.Some are drunk in the morning 40 minutes before eating. I drink the rest evenly throughout the day.
2. Potato juice . Drink in the morning, an hour before meals, 150 milliliters is enough.
3. Carrot juice or pumpkin juice . During the day, you can drink no more than 250 milliliters of juice.
4. Senna herb decoction. In a thermos, pour 50 grams of dry grass with a liter of boiling water. Let it brew for about 2 hours. Drink 2 tablespoons in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening.
5. Prunes are a good natural laxative. Several pieces of it in the morning on an empty stomach (it is recommended to pre-soak it).
6. Sunflower oil (linseed oil can be used). Drink a tablespoon in the morning on an empty stomach.
7. Celandine. To prepare a laxative, you will need a glass of celandine herb (you must first grind it), 250 grams of sugar, 3 liters of whey. Sugar and grass are mixed and wrapped in cheesecloth, which is placed in whey.

All this is insisted in the dark for 7 days. After cooking, keep in the refrigerator. Strain and drink half a glass before eating food 2 times a day. The course is 14 days, then it will require a short break (a couple of days), and you can finish the rest of the mixture.

Do I need to follow a diet?

Only on the fourth day after the operation, you can switch to solid food. The absence of such an important organ complicates the outflow of bile, it is carried out through the bile ducts.Their opening occurs only after food enters the gastric tract. For this reason, it is important to organize fractional meals, observing the regimen. Products that will irritate the mucous membrane must be excluded. These include:

• Fried, spicy and fatty foods.
• Smoked products.
• Cold food such as jellied meat.
• Sweets and baked goods.
• Canned food and preservation.
• Carbonated and alcoholic drinks.
• Beans.
• Sorrel.
• Radish.
• Garlic.
• Mushrooms.

Cooking must be steam , braising and boiling are allowed. Such food is well accepted by the gastrointestinal tract, the mucous membrane is not irritated, respectively, the amount of bile is much less.

Over time, the body gets used to working without the gallbladder, and the diet can be slightly expanded. But at the same time, the products should be beneficial, nutritious, and contain vitamins.

Eggs are allowed to be consumed no more than once a week.If you want to pamper yourself with sweets, honey and marshmallows are acceptable in a small amount.

Treatment-and-prophylactic methods

The therapeutic and prophylactic methods of getting rid of constipation in the absence of a gallbladder include physical exercises and enemas.

Exercise

The postoperative period excludes any physical activity, but to do exercises, massage the abdomen and take a walk . The following exercises can help prevent constipation:

1. Everyone knows the exercise “bicycle” since childhood.
2. Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees and press them against the chest.
3. Lie on your back, bend and straighten your knees at the same time.
4. Get on your knees, lift each leg alternately.
5. Walk with your knees high.
6. Straighten up, pull in your stomach – round your stomach.

Each exercise group needs to take a minute.

Enemas

Enemas are an effective remedy for constipation. It is enough to use a small volume – 100-200 milliliters. 50 grams of vegetable oil is diluted in warm water, so the enema will be more effective. This method cannot be used often, otherwise the problem will worsen, dysbiosis will occur. The optimal frequency is once a week.

Observing the simple recommendations of specialists after removal of the gallbladder, the work of the gastrointestinal tract will be streamlined, therefore, there is no need to fear constipation.

90,000 disease, symptoms, treatment, causes, diagnosis

Constipation – delayed, difficult or systematically insufficient defecation (bowel movement, fecal eruption), prolonged (more than 48 hours) fecal retention in the intestine.Normal can be considered the number of bowel movements from three times a day to four times a week. Constipation is characterized by a small amount of feces, its increased hardness and dryness, and the absence of a feeling of complete emptying of the intestines after a bowel movement.

Constipation is divided into organic and functional. Organic constipation is usually associated with mechanical obstacles – narrowing of the intestinal lumen due to the presence of a tumor, scar, adhesions, as well as abnormalities in the development of the intestine. Such constipation often requires surgical correction.

However, constipation associated with functional disorders of the intestine is more common: due to low-slag food with a low content of vegetable fiber, due to a sedentary lifestyle and caused by a reflex effect on the motor activity of the intestine from a painful organ (inflammation of the gallbladder, inflammation of the ovaries, inflammation prostate, etc.). Constipation can also be of neurogenic origin, endocrine (with a decrease in the function of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, ovaries), toxic and inflammatory.

Long-term constipation can cause various complications: secondary colitis, proctosigmoiditis (inflammation of the sigmoid and rectum). With prolonged stagnation of the contents in the cecum, it can be thrown back into the small intestine with the development of enteritis (reflux enteritis). Constipation can be complicated by diseases of the biliary tract, hepatitis. Prolonged constipation contributes to the appearance of various diseases of the rectum. Most often hemorrhoids occur. With constipation, cracks in the rectum, inflammation of the peri-rectal tissue (paraproctitis) may also occur.With an increase in the duration of constipation, blood oxygen saturation decreases, which leads to a decrease in metabolic processes in the body, and significant changes in the immune system are also revealed. The most formidable complication of long-term constipation is cancer of the rectum and colon.

Constipation should not be ignored or self-medicated, constantly taking laxatives. Thus, you can only harm the body by missing a more serious illness, a symptom of which is constipation.With organic constipation, surgical removal of the cause is necessary. With functional constipation, effective therapy is possible under the supervision of a physician.

Service benefits

Convenient working hours

We work until late in the evening, so that it is convenient for you to take care of your health after work

No Queues

The patient registration system has been debugged over many years of work and operates in such a way that you will be received exactly at the chosen time

Cozy interior

It is important for us that patients feel comfortable within the walls of the clinic, and we have done everything to surround you with coziness

Attention to the patient

At your service – attentive staff who will answer any question and help you navigate

.