Gallstones

What is Gall bladder?

Gall bladder is a small organ below the liver in the upper right abdomen. It’s a pouch that stores bile, a green-yellow liquid that helps with digestion.

What are Gallstones?

80 %  of gallstones are formed when there’s too much cholesterol in the bile. Other 20 percent of gallstones are made of calcium salts . The exact reason behind formation of gallstones is still unknown.

Having too much cholesterol in your bile can lead to yellow cholesterol stones. These hard stones may develop if your liver makes more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve.

Symptoms

Gallstones can lead to pain in the upper right abdomen. You may start to have gallbladder pain from time to time when you eat foods that are high in fat, such as fried foods. The pain doesn’t usually last more than a few hours.

Symptoms (Biliary Colic)  

1. Indigestion
2. Stomach pain
3. Nausea 
4. Vomiting
5. Colored stools
6. Colored Urine
7. Burp
8. Diarrhea 

Asymptomatic Gallstones

Gallstones actually don’t cause pain. The pain usually occurs when the gallstones blocks the movement of bile from the gallbladder.

Gallstones are detected through X-rays or during abdomen surgery.

I love you papa, forever!

CANCER- One of the major causes of death(s) in INDIA

Cancer has been accounted as the topmost cause of death after Heart Attack in India. 

Major types of cancer to affect people are  Gall Bladder, Cervical and Oral cancer.

80 % patients visit the doctors at a stage when recovery is difficult ( almost impossible).

71 % of deaths reported are from the age group of 29-70 years.

70 % of patients loose their lives within first year of diagnosis, owing to late detection.

15 % patients are children and young adults in India, as compared to the average of 0.5% worldwide.

60 % of cancers are  lifestyle related - obesity, tobacco, no exercise.

Love you, Papa!

The Gallbladder and Cancer

Gallbladder

What is Gallbladder?

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that lies just below the liver in the right upper abdomen.

The gallbladder stores bile, a yellow, brown or greenish liquid made by the liver that aids in digestion of  fat.

When food is being broken down in the stomach and intestines, bile is released from the gallbladder through a tube called the common bile duct.

This tube( common bile duct) connects the gallbladder and liver to the duodenum, first part of the small intestine.

Gallbladder (Anatomy)

The wall of the gallbladder has 3 main layers of tissue.

1. Innermost Layer (Mucosal) 
2. Middle Layer (Muscularis) 
3. Outer Layer (Serosal )

Gallbladder cancer starts from the innermost layer and then subsequently spreads to the other layers. Gallbladder cancer is difficult to detect initially, primarily because there are no visible  symptoms. And when the symptoms emerge they are symptoms of various other problems and by then its too late.

Risk Factor(s )

• Porcelain gallbladder (Chronic gallbladder inflammation)
• Gall stone (Cholelithiasis)
• Gallbladder polyps
• Chronic salmonella infection
• Cyst in the bile duct
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Gender ( more prevalent among women’s)

Symptom(s)

• Abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fever and bloating
• Jaundice

Treatment

• Mainly depends on the extent to which the cancer has spread.
• If surgery is still an option.
• If cancer has returned.
• General health and age of the patient.
• Gallbladder cancer can be cured only if it is found in early stages ( Stage 1 or Stage 2)  i.e before it has spread to other organs.

After the cancer has spread to other body parts, nothing much can be done. Palliative treatment remains the only option. Palliative care aims at improving the patient’s quality of life by controlling symptoms and complications as a result of disease and treatment.

I love you, Papa!

Gall bladder and problems

Today, while I was sitting in a cafe...I was thinking about " the comfort zone " factor. Being in one's comfort makes you idle and you are less then inspired to do anything.  Writing is my forte..I always knew but I only realized its importance after papa left. I was too lazy to understand earlier. 

For me the BIG C, was just another disease until it took my father. I never really bothered but now i am determined to tell people, even if they don't want to. They will have to listen to me...This is my humble request...don't ignore...because for any kind of CANCER...only AWARENESS is the CURE!

Once CANCER cells attack your body..even after successfully surviving does not guarantee that CANCER will not return....I  know someone, where CANCER started with breast ...over a period of time has now become blood cancer.

I, understand it is not something which everyone wants to listen or talk about but that will not change the fact that CANCER is a deadly disease. My father was a teetotaler.   He always always started his day with an apple. He was very disciplined regarding his health. Still CANCER happened...and it took him away.

If you are reading this please spend 5 minutes...to know what is gall bladder, and its functions...and various problems that affect GALL BLADDER ( Click on the link).

Gall bladder and Problems

Love u, Papa!

Chapter 3 - The Doctor

When  looking for hospital, I had a difficult time in searching for the right hospital. It is very important to find the right hospital and equally important is to find the right doctor.  I have been to most of the hospital  and made a list solely on my experience.

Finding the right DOCTOR

Now that cancer has been diagnosed, you may be restless and feel that the treatment starts as soon as possible. You may want to rush.  But my suggestion is  choosing the  doctor carefully, will pay off in the year(s) to come. The bond you share with this person will probably last through treatment into long-term follow-up care. Though people have their own limitations and circumstances. But when i chose doctor for my father, i looked for the following criteria

• Doctor who had prior experience treating  Gall Bladder Cancer patients
• Doctor, who could be reached at any time of day and the hospital he practiced was near to my home.
• Doctor, with whom i was comfortable with in terms of sharing my worst concerns and issues and was free to ask silliest question. Basically i needed a person who can handle my emotional concerns with medical treatment
• Doctor/ hospital  was on panel ( Health Insurance Plan)

Based on the above criteria, i googled and gathered much information about this person. He was the head of the department. He was the right doctor. In his absence, his junior took over. The junior was a very warm person and a very dedicated doctor. Besides he was a very good person. I decided to retain him as papa's treating doctor. 

As time passed, a time came, when nothing much was left to do. The doctors' gave up.  

But i was not ready to give up. I wanted to fight. Fight and Win. I was adamant. I was desperate.The doctor suggested, I bring papa for radiation therapy.

I still went to the hospital for radiation therapy sessions with papa.  Not that these session would do wonder, but i wanted papa to have hope, even when he had none till his last breath. This  doctor still came to visit papa and always said " visit me when you get better". But papa never got better. And the day when papa became a star, i  messaged him to inform. He replied!

Thank you Doctor!

Cancer Hospitals in Delhi

Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre Action Cancer Hopital Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences Dharmashila Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Manav Rakshak Cancer Hospitals Pvt Ltd Dr Krishnas Cancer Healer Center Delhi State Cancer Institute Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital Vardhaman mahavir medical college and Safdarjung hospital

Cancer Hopsitals in Gurgaon

Artemis Hospital

Medanta - The Medcity  Hospital

Fortis

Aarvy Hospital

Love you Papa!