How to get rid of gallstones without surgery

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 00:05

Gallstones are one of the most common pathologies of the digestive system, which doctors call chronic calculous cholecystitis.

Usually, it takes at least 5 years for large clots to form and the first symptoms of the disease appear. If you go to a doctor right away, you can still try to start medication. But in advanced cases, an operation is indispensable.

How stones are formed

Bile is composed of cholesterol and bilirubin. These are the main components of solid formations. Sometimes calcium is added to them, which is secreted by bacteria that have settled on the walls of the gallbladder and in the liver.

But these components settle in the form of sand, the particles of which then stick together into stones, only if there is a regular stagnation of bile. Otherwise, all solid fractions are gradually washed out.

Accordingly, trying to solve the problem without surgery, it is necessary, during treatment, first of all, to eliminate the causes of such stagnation:

1. Eating disorders. If the food is high in fat, the liver produces excess bile. During fasting, enzymes are simply stored in the gallbladder and do not enter the duodenum. In both cases, excess secretions create a sandy sediment.
2. Hormonal disruptions. This is most often the cause of cholecystitis in women. Excess estrogen disrupts the cholesterol balance, which contributes to the formation of stones.
3. Diseases and their treatment. Various liver pathologies affect the production and rate of movement of bile. Cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus and parasitic infections are especially dangerous. But taking medications can have a similar effect if the components of the drugs affect cholesterol, bilirubin, or hormonal levels.

Accordingly, the risk zone of the disease includes:

• old people, due to age-related changes in the work of the digestive tract;
• mothers and girls with many children using hormonal contraceptives;
• persons with a genetic predisposition to the development of cholecystitis;
• people who are obese or lose weight effectively due to concomitant metabolic changes;
• patients with chronic pathologies of the liver or who have undergone surgery on the abdominal organs.

Also, gallstones can form with alcohol abuse.

Symptoms of calculous cholecystitis

For the first few years after the start of stone formation, the patient does not feel any symptoms. In this case, the disease is determined only by ultrasound, if a person undergoes a routine examination or treats another disease. This is the perfect time to start treatment without the need for surgery.

But more often people seek medical help when gallstones begin to move and block the ducts.

Then the patient feels the characteristic symptoms:

1. Intense sharp pain. The attack lasts from two to six hours. Unpleasant sensations spread along the right side of the body from the side to the shoulder blade and then the neck.
2. Indigestion. Bile in a large volume is thrown into the intestines, which causes heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. In parallel, flatulence, diarrhea or constipation develops.
3. Fever. The body reacts to inflammation with a rise in body temperature of up to 38 degrees Celsius, chills and increased sweating.

Over time, recurrent bouts of pain can lead to complications.

The most common and dangerous are:

1. Dropsy. With complete blockage of the gallbladder stones, enzymes begin to penetrate into the walls. The lumen is filled with a slimy secret. So the organ can grow to a huge size.
2. The gap. If the fabrics cannot withstand the pressure of the liquid, they are perforated or torn. Bile enters the abdominal cavity and begins to digest its cells. Peritonitis begins.
3. Abscess. If, due to the accumulation of enzymes, liver cells are damaged, tissue decay begins.
4. Cancer. microtrauma and chemical exposure several times increases the chance of oncological changes in tissues.

Treatment of complications without surgery is impossible!Therefore, at the first symptoms of pathology, it is better to come to the local clinic.

After taking blood and urine tests, as well as an ultrasound scan, the doctor will determine whether it is possible to try to get rid of the stones without involving a surgeon.

Cholecystitis therapy methods

In case of severe pain, the doctor first of all relieves inflammation and other symptoms. When the exacerbation is overcome, the actual therapy of calculous cholecystitis begins. Treatment without surgery is carried out in 3 possible directions.

The choice depends on the size of the stones:

1. Sand. During this period, the person still does not feel symptoms. Therefore, doctors prescribe a specialized diet without the use of medication. By normalizing nutrition, you can cleanse the gallbladder and prevent further development of pathology.
2. 5-10 mm. The doctor prescribes special medications. They act on cholesterol and thus destroy formations. But you will have to take medications for up to 2 years without interruption, which will certainly lead to side effects. Another prerequisite is the normal functioning of the gallbladder, which should ensure the removal of sand.
3. Up to 30 mm. There are 2 non-surgical ways to break small stones. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy helps break up masses with shock waves. But it does not apply if there are stones in the ducts. After it, the second method is usually used, when crushed dense lumps are dissolved with methyl tertiary butyl ether or propionate. This can remove up to 90% of the stones. But after treatment, long-term rehabilitation will be required.

Any of these methods is effective only if the channels are still able to pass bile, and it will wash out the sand and pieces of stones in a natural way. In all other cases, only surgery will help. But one way or another, each patient needs to follow a diet.

Normalization of nutrition

Table 5 is the only proven method of cholecystitis prevention and rehabilitation after an illness. It is also a great diet to gradually lose weight and normalize metabolism.

Type of products	Recommended	Forbidden
Vegetables	Carrots, beets, pumpkin, potatoes, zucchini	Legumes, white cabbage, tomatoes (during an exacerbation), green onions, radishes, garlic, spinach, radish, sorrel
Fruits and berries	All sweet: watermelon, banana, melon, strawberry, avocado, papaya and others	All sour, especially citrus fruits, grapes
Milk products	Any natural low-fat dairy products	Full-fat milk, sour cream, salted hard and spicy cheeses
Meat	Lean poultry, beef, rabbit meat, nutria meat, 1 egg per day	Any fatty varieties, lard, any semi-finished products, sausages, steep meat broths
A fish	Pike perch, cod, carp, hake and pike	Catfish, sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon, salmon
Cereals	Any semi-viscous, crumbly porridge, pasta, dried bread made of 2 grade flour	Black bread, sweet yeast baked goods
desserts	Nuts, honey, natural marshmallows and marmalade	Chocolate, confectionery
Beverages	Still mineral water, brewed natural teas, non-acidic fruit and vegetable juices, jelly, compotes	Alcohol, coffee, chicory, cocoa, carbonated drinks
Spices	Dill, parsley, vanillin, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf	Any hot and spicy spices, seasonings, mayonnaise, ginger

It should also be borne in mind that you will have to completely forget about any fried, fatty, pickled and canned, smoked food. It is better to boil all dishes, steam and bake, and serve warm to create a minimum of stress on the digestive tract.

Following such a diet and showing a little imagination, you can not worry about any possible diseases of the liver and bile ducts.