Liver Bladder My mum has had her gall bladder removed and now has liver stones?
Can anybody enlighten me on what this means as I am rather confused and don't really understand. I tried looking on the internet and at old questions but couldnt really find anything. I am quite worried as I live quite a while away so if anybody can help please do she also has Jaundice and im not sure why that is either xx
The liver makes bile. The bile flows through tube like structures
(ducts) from the inside of the liver to the gallbladder to be stored
and concentrated. When we eat, our food goes through the
esophagus, stomach, and then to the first part of the intestine
(known as the duodenum). The body then releases hormones
to make the gallbladder contract and this pushes the concentrated
bile into the common bile duct. It then flows to the intestines
to help emulsify (dissolve) the fats we eat so they can be
digested and absorbed into the body.
Stones can form in the gallbladder or the ducts. If there is
alot of stones in the gallbladder, then the gallbladder is
operated on and removed. When a gallbladder stone
moves out into the common bile duct...it causes serious
pain because the bile then backs up into the liver and
can damage the liver cells. However, stones can also
form in the ducts inside the liver before it reaches the
gallbladder. They may have to operate to take these
stones out.
The body makes a substance from our dead red blood
cells known as Bilirubin. Bilirubin is a greenish/yellowish
substance that is known as a pigment because it colors
other things. The liver takes the bilirubin out of the blood
and converts it into a soluble form that can become part
of the bile. Since the bile/bilirubin has backed up into
the liver because of the gallbladder/duct problem...the
bilirubin goes higher in the blood. When it reaches a
certain level, it will cause the white of the eyes and skin
to turn yellow. Since the kidneys filter the blood, the urine
may be darker. If the bile/bilirubin doesn't reach the intestines
well now, the stools may be lighter in color and possibly float
on top of the toilet water. I know this is graphic...but it helps
you understand what is taking place.
The doctors will do blood testing to be sure of the effect of
all this on her liver: the liver enzymes, liver function tests,
and liver blood viral tests.
When the liver cells become damaged, the immune system
of the body will respond to this and cause inflammation to
develop inside the liver...this will cause the liver to enlarge
in size.
I hope this information has been of some help to you.
