Myth: Lemon Juice

If after eating fatty foods, you experience belly pain and/or nausea , you might have gall stones. If you want to avoid having gall stones (because it can further lead to colon cancer) you need to go on a gall stone diet.

Another factor is rapid weight loss. As the body metabolizes fat during rapid weight loss, it causes the liver to secrete extra cholesterol into bile, which can cause gallstones.

The liver produces bile which contains conjugated bilirubin. It is then sent to the gallbladder, and it has to be excreted properly from there. However, the gallstones are blocking the way, which makes it hard for the bilirubin to get out, and results in a build-up. This leads to jaundice, which occurs when one has and excessive amount of bilirubin.

A theory that would explain the beginning of the patient’s condition is that the chronic inflammation changes the gallbladder wall because of the different types of gallstones hitting the epithelial tissues which then makes the gallbladder extremely sensitive. Some patients even experience pain after eating a meal because

The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile. If the gallbladder was damaged or dysfunctional there would be softer and more frequent stools. (Audesirk, T., & Audesirk, G. (1999). Retrieved November 21, 2015 from Chapter 29: Nutrition and Digestion. In Biology: Life on Earth (5th ed., p. 585, 586). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.) (General Surgery- Gallstones (Cholelithiasis). (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2015, from

The gallbladder holds approximately 90ml of concentrated bile. Each day 700 to 1200 ml of bile is secreted and drained into the common bile duct and into the duodenum. (Kathryn L. McCance, 2014) As outlined earlier the blockage of the Sphincter of Oddi will cause all of this bile to be forced back up the common bile duct and into the gallbladder. The amount of fluid produced in a day far outweighs the capacity of the gallbladder causing it to become distended. This distention activates the pain fibers causing abdominal discomfort, especially during large meals. The same mechanism is found when the pancreas secretes pancreatic enzymes. The enzymes become stuck at the SO and are required to travel back up the main pancreatic duct into the pancreas; this causes pain and discomfort due to the distention of the

I knew the severe symptoms that I had were not characteristic of gallbladder disease. Particularly not in the beginning, when there was only a very small amount of gallbladder sludge. The very elevated liver enzymes I had were also a mystery because they also do not occur when there is gallbladder sludge alone. They can occur when there is sludge blocking a duct, but there never appeared to be any obstructed ducts in either of the ultrasounds I had during that

Pain can last anywhere between several minutes to several hours. Warning signs are abdominal pain so intense that you can’t sit still or find a comfortable position, yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes, clay colored stool and high fever with chills. Complications that can occur from gallstones if left untreated are inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis), blockage of pancreatic duct (gallstone pancreatitis), rupturing of the gallbladder, peritonitis, liver damage, cirrhosis and gallbladder cancer.

Treatment: Treatment for cholecystitis is mainly bowel rest, pain management, antiemetics, IV antibiotics, IV fluids for hydration and correction of electrolyte abnormalities. Surgical management includes laparoscopic cholecystectomy, ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural cholecystostomy, and endoscopic gall bladder drainage (Bloom, 2016).

Yes, there are not a lot of foods to break down, plus the food is not broken down in the stomach naturally, so fewer nutrients are absorbed through the intestine. The stomach mechanically breaks down, and the bolus mixes with the secretions so the nutrients can be absorbed by the intestine because the foods weren’t properly being broken down, the digestive tract has been altered and it interferes with the absorption of vitamins and nutrients. The small intestine is the major site for chemical digestion and absorption and with the surgery affecting the intestine; the walls with the absorptive cells that absorb nutrients are disrupted.

There seem to be an increasing application of Roen-en-Y gastric bypass today by some surgeons. This is a restrictive procedure that has minimal mal-absorption issues and it makes part of an array of bariatric surgeries. However, the most commonly used procedure is biliopancreatic diversion or Scopinaro, which have been used for more than two decades and are popular in with many surgeons more so in the developing countries. This process is intended to inhibit absorption of fat in a bid to trigger massive weight loss in patients who are morbidly obese. It restricts gastric thereby diverting bile and pancreatic fluids to the distal ileum (Consensus Development Conference Panel, 1991). This procedure therefore exposes a limited area of small bowel for the absorption of nutrients that need biliary and pancreatic fluids. The procedure and its variations are still common as indicated above including; biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, which also result in malabsorption. It is however noted that most patients who undergo this procedure also experience severe protein and fat related malabsorption problems.

The bile moves into the gallbladder via tiny tubes. The bile is stored in the gallbladder and waits, becoming concentrated, for the signal to be released into the duodenum aiding in digestion. Without bile, the body could not digest fats, as fats do not absorb into water. The bile acts as a detergent and allows the two to mix.

In order to fulfill our continuous commitment to advancement and innovation, we contract with the Gold Coast Radiology Group to provide radiology services for our patients. To meet the needs of patients better, we are expanding our contract and purchasing a biliary lithotripter, a device that uses shock waves to crush gallstones. We understand that contracting with Gold Coast Radiology Group may

Just like bariatric surgery has many advantages, it is associated with risks; short term risks are: excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots, gastrointestinal leaks, and death (rare). Long term risks include: bowel obstruction, gallstones, hernias, low blood sugar, malnutrition, ulcers, stomach perforation, long-term vitamin/mineral deficiencies, and dumping syndrome which causes diarrhea, nausea or

Although after the surgery the stomach is small, it still functions like a normal stomach. The food and the nutrients continue to enter and leave the same way as it was and the vitamins and minerals needed for the body will be absorbed normally. The only difference that this procedure change is that people whom