Gallbladder attack

So here I sit watching my husband rest in a hospital bed.   Could we have prevented this trip to the hospital on our vacation time?  Who knows but probably not that's just the way our luck runs.  His whole family has had some problem with this organ and he still had his until today.  So you ask what is the gallbladder and what does it do?  This is the skinny.

The gallbladder is an organ that is just behind the liver more toward the mid to right side of the body.  It stores bile from the liver.  Bile is an important substance that is made by the liver that is put into the small intestine through the cystic duct to break down and digest the food we eat. More importantly fatty foods.  If something blocks or stops the flow of this bile problems occur.

Symptoms of problems can be sever abdominal pain, pain when eating, heart burn, indigestion, vomiting, nausea, fever, jaundice and in some cases nothing at all. When it hits it can even be as scary as a heart attack because it can even cause chest pains.

The different symptoms may be caused by gallstones deep in the gallbladder, blocking the flow of bile from the cystic duct which is called choleltlithiasis.  Some people can have these stones for years and never know they are there if there is no blockage.

Biliary colic is what used to name severe bouts of pain that gallstones can cause.  Usually only lasting an hour or two.

Inflamed gallbladder or cholecystitis means that your gallbladder is inflamed which can be caused from gallstones, infection, excessive alcohol use or a tumor that causes a back up of bile.

When you have pains that are not normal always consult your doctor or if all else fails get to the hospital or call 911.  It is so scary when you are out-of-town but never take chances with your life.  For gallbladder problems can really only be detected by an ultrasound. 

There is no way to know when something will go wrong with your body but always check with your family for different traits they have.  Such as a family history of diabetes, do what you can to live to enable yourself to not get it or at least lessen your chance of getting it sooner than later. Lowering that risk as much as you can may be one of the ways that could work for you.  Maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight.  With my husband he did have a healthy weight but some of his food choices have been questionable.

Avoid rapid weight loss, or the yo-yo life of fat/thin, fat/thin routine. I do have done that.  I don't think my body knew what to do.   Slow and steady proves to be the best kind of weight loss. Once you lose it do what you can to maintain it.  Exercising with weight management could and many times works the best together.  Exercising can be as easy as a walk around the block, your house or just cleaning.  Do what you can to stay active.  

There is evidence that shows staying away from high saturated fats in foods that is found in fatty meats to be helpful for those that could have gallbladder problems in their family history.  Other items are butter and other animal products.  Add more fiber, fruits, veggies and nuts to your menu.  Cut down on those simple sugars and carbs. Always enjoy life with moderation.  Maybe we can all stay healthy for the year to come!

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" - Benjamin Franklin

WWW.everyday health.com/gallbladder