Online Medical Clinic

Gallstone Symptoms and Treatment

August 7, 2007 on 2:00 pm | In Diseases and Conditions |

Gallstones are concentrations of mineral salts in the gall-bladder or in the bile-ducts, more often in the former. They may be as small as a pin head or large as a pigeon egg. About three-fourths of the victims of gallstones are women, generally of plump physique and usually around the age of forty. Because of these facts corset-wearing frequently has been blamed. But a life of physical ease, especially when the abdominal walls have been allowed to become weak and prolapsed, is more likely to cause these concretions.

However, they do not result even in such cases unless there has been an acid-producing diet, with wrong food combination, especially starches, which overload the liver and change the quantity of the bile. Constipation is a contributive factor in practically all cases. Other causes that have been given earlier in the preceding pages usually are active in the production of gallstones also.

Gallstone Symptoms

Symptoms of gallstones may be absolutely missing until a gallstone attempts to pass through the gall-duct or the bile-duct, when there results one of the most agonizing pains humans may experience-gallstone colic. During this passage the path is burning, extreme and excruciating, and is felt in the “pit of the stomach” and to the right of this point.

Some stones are so large that they can not pass through the duct, hence can not cause gallstone colic. This is produced when the stones are small enough to enter the duct, but still large enough that they pass through with difficulty.

Gallstone Treatment

In the treatment of gallstone colic it may be difficult or impossible to give complete relief at once, except by the aid of a definite and powerful pain-killing agent. The pain or the cause of the pain will continue as long as the stone is in the bile-duct. When a pain-killing drug is used for this purpose, there may be pronounced delay in passage of the stone. Sometimes great relief is afforded by internal and external application of heat.

The drinking of large amounts of hot water often will bring considerable relaxation and hasten the passage orthe stone. The water may be plain or flavored with lemon. A fairly-hot enema with as much water as the patient can take usually should be given after a quart or more of hot water has been drunk.

Hot abdominal packs may be employed with considerable benefit. In an occasional case stone some relief’ seems to be afforded by drinking from four to eight ounces of olive oil. If this is taken, it is well to follow it an hour later with a glassful of citrate of magnesia. Gentle massage about the liver and vibration over the liver area may be used also.