Gallstones or bile duct stones are crystal-like particles in the gallbladder that are formed when different substances in the bile become hard and get accumulated in the gall bladder or bile duct. One can also get stones in their bile duct because of cholesterol, which are called cholesterol stones.
Importantly, there is no way to fully prevent bile duct stones. Even a young, healthy, and active individual can develop stones in the bile duct.
However, you can always take certain steps for reducing the risk of developing bile duct stones. Taking these steps is increasingly important for individuals who have a family history of bile duct stones or any other risk factor, like obesity.
How to Prevent Bile Duct Stones?
Some of the measures that you can take to bring down the risk of developing bile duct stones include:
- Eat a Low-Fat Diet: You can eliminate foods that are low in nutritional value and high in fat. These foods may include potato chips, fried food, etc. You can replace these things with foods that will provide you with healthy fats, like fish oil and avocado.
- Add More Fiber to Tour Diet: You can add more fiber to your diet by eating things like whole grains, vegetables, a犀利士
nd fruits. - Attain a Moderate Body Weight: A combination of exercise and a healthy diet, with a focus on being physically active and healthy, can help you keep your weight at a moderate level. This can significantly decrease the risk of getting cholesterol stones.
- Avoid Crash Diets and Low-Calorie Diets: The risk of bile duct stones can be increased greatly if you continuously eat low-calorie diets or follow crash diets.
- Talk to a Doctor About Medications: There are a few drugs, like birth control bills, that can increase the risk of gallstones or bile duct stones. The best way to deal with this concern is to talk to your doctor about it.
- Seek Prenatal Care: If you are pregnant and experiencing any new or unusual abdominal pain, you must seek high-quality prenatal care immediately. Abdominal pain is an important bile duct stones symptoms; hence, it should never be ignored.
How Are Bile Duct Stones Treated?
While some gallstones resolve and pass on their own, there may be some bile duct stones that would get trapped in your bile duct. As a consequence, it can cause severe health issues, such as pancreatitis, which is the inflammation of the pancreas and can be potentially life-threatening.
Stones in bile duct treatment mostly include surgery, and there are various procedures to treat them. Your doctor may also suggest you get your gallbladder removed to reduce the risk of getting any additional stones.
However, before the surgery, the doctor would try to stabilize your body as much as possible. You may be suggested to get some additional treatments, like:
- Pain medication
- Antibiotics
- Intravenous fluids for treating pancreatitis
- Monitoring in the hospital for ensured recovery
In some cases, doctors also ask to get emergency surgery done immediately. In other cases, the patient may be asked to wait anywhere from some hours to some days for the bile duct stones surgery.
