Plano, TX, Aug.18, 2017 – Thousands of Americans suffer the sidelining pain gallstones can produce each year. While some may find medications and lifestyle interventions ease their symptoms and lessen frequency of attacks, more than 800,000 people each year decide to have their gallbladders removed to end the ordeal.

“Gallbladder surgery is one of the most common procedures performed in the United States,” says Dr. Nick Nicholson, founder and lead surgeon of Abdominal Surgery Specialists, a part of the Nicholson Clinic for Weight Loss Surgery. “Thanks to advances in laparoscopic procedures, removal typically involves a short hospital stay and a brief recovery period.”

Gallstones are created when bile stored within the gallbladder becomes saturated with cholesterol or bilirubin. This promotes the formation of tiny, hardened crystals that promote pain each time the gallbladder contracts to release bile into the digestive systems. Stones may also block off the bile ducts, promoting the potential for intense, debilitating pain.

Medications are available that can help break up gallstones to ease symptoms. Modifying diet to lower fat intake can also be helpful. These interventions, however, are not always successful. When that is the case, gallbladder removal will generally be recommended.

“The precise timing of when gallbladder removal should be considered varies based on a patient’s pain level, inflammation concerns and the intensity of pain,” says Dr. Nicholson. “Surgery, however, ends up being the right path for more than 70 percent of patients who suffer from chronic gallstones. Unfortunately, lifestyle interventions and medications only work in about 30 percent of the cases.”

Surgical intervention for gallstones eliminates the source of pain entirely. While some dietary changes may be required in the days and weeks following the procedure, people can lead long, healthy lives without a gallbladder.

People who suffer from the pain of chronic gallbladder attacks are urged to talk with their healthcare providers. If surgery is the right choice, the procedure can put an end to the sidelining pain once and for all.

About Abdominal Surgery Specialists
Founded by Dr. Nick Nicholson, one of the country’s leading weight loss surgeons and co-author of “Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny,” Abdominal Surgery Specialists provides patients with a variety of options to treat conditions including gallbladders, hernias, reflux and obesity.