3 Signs that Gallstones Must Be Treated Immediately

Gallstones are a condition where digestive fluid hardens in the ducts and gallbladder. This can occur due to various things such as high cholesterol and an unhealthy lifestyle. This disease should not be left alone because it can harm the patient.

The severity of gallstones can be distinguished by their location. First in the gallbladder and second in the bile ducts. Usually, what is more of an emergency is if the stone is in the bile duct and causes obstruction to the flow of bile. This is usually indicated by the patient's body turning yellow.

Apart from yellowing of the body or skin, other symptoms that indicate that gallstones are starting to get worse are:

  • Urine is the color of tea water
  • The stool is pale or white like putty.

So, if symptoms like that occur, the action is an emergency, it must be done immediately because if you delay it too long it will damage liver function and so on.

Meanwhile, if the stones are in the gallbladder then the operation performed is relatively elective or planned.

Typical Symptoms of Gallstones

Regarding early signs, gallstones are said to have typical and atypical symptoms because they are similar to other diseases such as stomach problems.

A common symptom of gallstone complaints can be stomach pain which is often mistaken for stomach ulcers. Pain in the pit of the stomach, penetrating to the back. However, the symptoms of gallstones are a little more typical, where the pain penetrates to the waist and then spreads to the upper shoulders. It could be from gallstones.

If gallstones cause infection, the symptoms that can arise are fever. And these symptoms are usually not found in general gastric pain.

Recognize the Risk Factors for Gallstones with the 4Fs

There is a term 4F which is known as a risk factor for gallstones, namely:

  • Female (female).
  • Forty (over 40 years old).
  • Fat (overweight/obesity).
  • Fertile (already has children).

So, if you meet the 4F requirements and you continue to have symptoms of pain in your upper right stomach, don't just think that it's gastric pain. Further examination is needed to see whether this is really a stomach problem or whether there are gallstones.

Gallstone Trigger Foods

One of the main causes of gallstones is an unhealthy lifestyle, such as bad eating habits.

Certain foods play a role in increasing the risk of gallstone formation, including:

  • Foods High in Cholesterol

One of the deposits that can occur in gallstones is deposits of cholesterol. So we should avoid foods that are high in cholesterol because that is a risk factor.

Examples of foods high in cholesterol are fast food or junk food.

  • Foods High in Calcium

Second, another type of stone is calcium stone. So under certain conditions we also need to limit foods high in calcium. That doesn't mean it's not allowed, but we limit it to avoid risk factors for gallstones.

Not only gallstones, calcium stones are also often found in cases of kidney stones.

The article was created based on Liputan6's Healthy Monday live streaming with: