Residents of Burleson, TX needing information about gallbladder disease should contact Dr. Anees and his team at the Southwest Gastroenterology Clinic to find out more.
What is Gallbladder Disease?
A gallbladder is a small sac underneath your liver that helps to store the bile that moves through your system, sending it through a tiny duct into the small intestine. Gallbladder disease generally refers to several conditions that affect your gallbladder, including inflammation, infection, blockages, stones, and cancer.
The most common form of gallbladder disease is inflammation, known as cholecystitis. Cholecystitis is either acute or chronic.
Symptoms of Gallbladder Disease
Depending on the type of gallbladder disease and the severity, the most common symptom of gallbladder disease is intermittent pain in the upper right abdomen, radiating to the upper back in severe cases. This symptom is known as biliary colic and can additionally present with pain when drawing breath and extreme nausea. Some people also report fever and chills.
In addition to the above symptoms, gallbladder stones may present with jaundice, dark urine, and different colored stools. Likewise, your blood pressure may drop, or you could experience a rapid heartbeat.
Diagnosing Gallbladder Disease
Gallbladder disease may be diagnosed during a medical appointment, and your doctor will take a detailed medical history and perform a routine health check-up. Dr. Anees could look for Murphy’s sign. The doctor will ask you to take a deep breath while feeling over the abdominal area where the gallbladder is situated. If you experience pain, then it suggests that you are suffering from gallbladder disease.
You may need to go for abdominal or chest x-rays, an ultrasound, or other imaging tests along with blood tests to confirm your diagnosis. If these are inconclusive, you may need to go for a HIDA scan that evaluates how well your gallbladder functions. If gallstones are suspected, residents of Burleson, TX, should know that gallbladder disease may need to be confirmed through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
Treating Gallbladder Disease
There are three main approaches to treating gallbladder disease depending on the severity of your illness.
- Lifestyle changes, especially exercise
- Medical treatment, including the use of pain medications and antibiotics
- Surgery to remove the gallbladder, which is used to treat active gallbladder disease with repeated inflammations
If you are a Burleson, TX resident who suspects gallbladder disease, then for peace of mind, reach out to Dr. Anees and his team at the Southwest Gastroenterology Clinic to make an appointment on (817) 293-9292 so that you can be assessed. An early diagnosis reduces the risk of complications.