Yaz And Gallbladder Removal

by Steve Fields on April 15th, 2010

Yaz Gallbladder Disease: Surgery, Drug Therapy, And Pain Management

Nearly all cases of Yaz and gallbladder removal surgeries involve gallstones. The stones form in the gall bladder and can either remain inside or migrate into the bile duct system. In both cases, the stones can block the passage of bile through the ducts, thereby trapping it within the gallbladder. This causes inflammation and potentially, infection.

The most common side effect is biliary colic, which is defined by abdominal pain in the upper right side. While occasionally mild, it is often severe and can spread through the upper back and under the shoulder blades. Fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting are also common. These symptoms indicate a need for immediate medical care. Below, you’ll learn how symptomatic Yaz gallbladder problems are addressed by doctors.

Allowing The Gallbladder To Rest

When you first arrive at the hospital, a doctor will confirm the presence of inflammation. Once this has been diagnosed, the priority becomes allowing the gall bladder to rest. This is accomplished through fasting (no food or liquids), intravenous provision of fluids, and oxygen therapy, if necessary. If you present signs of infection, antibiotics will be administered intravenously. Your doctor might also decide to empty your stomach by inserting a tube through your nose to provide suctioning.

As soon as your symptoms subside, your gall bladder can be surgically removed. The procedure is called cholecystectomy and is typically performed within forty-eight hours of the onset of an attack.

Yaz Gallbladder Removal Surgery

In the past, cholecystectomies were done through open abdominal surgery. The procedure required a long incision into the abdomen through which the surgeon would extract the gallbladder. Laparoscopy gained traction as an alternative approach beginning in the 1990s. It requires multiple incisions that are much smaller than the incision used during open cholecystectomy. A thin tube called a laparoscope is inserted through one of these incisions. Equipped with a small camera, it sends images of the patient’s internal structure to a monitor. The surgeon then inserts additional instruments to cut the gallbladder’s connections and extract the organ.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy poses fewer complications, a shorter recovery period, and less postoperative discomfort than open surgery. However, it is occasionally used to remove the patient’s gallbladder when their condition may not warrant the procedure.

Dissolution Therapies

Dissolution therapies are used to dissolve stones. With the popularity of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, this approach has largely fallen out of favor. But there are situations where the patient may be unwilling to undergo surgery, or surgery presents too high a risk.

There are two options: oral dissolution therapy and contact dissolution therapy. The former is the least common because it requires two or three years to fully dissolve the stones and is expensive. Moreover, this form of drug therapy can only be used on stones that are cholesterol-based and smaller than 1.5 centimeters. Ursodiol or chenodiol is provided in pill form; ursodiol is considered the safest of the two.

Contact dissolution therapy can dissolve stones much more quickly. A chemical known as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is injected into the gallbladder. It can dissolve stones in as little as twelve hours, but is usually accompanied by severe pain.

Lithotripsy (Breaking Stones With Shock Waves)

Lithotripsy was invented in the 1980s and uses high-intensity shock waves to break apart gallstones. The shock waves are administered externally and penetrate the body’s tissues in order to reach the stones. The goal of lithotripsy is to break the stones into fragments that are small enough to pass from the gallbladder, travel through the bile duct, and empty into the small intestine. The procedure is rarely used today; it is reserved for patients who cannot undergo gallbladder removal surgery.

Women who are suffering from Yaz or Yasmin gallbladder disease are usually forced to have the organ removed. While most doctors claim the procedure has zero long-term side effects, it can affect the digestion of fats within the small intestine, leading to persistent diarrhea.

If you have suffered gallstones, inflammation, or other gall bladder problems after using this oral contraceptive, contact a Yaz gallbladder settlement attorney. You may have the right to file a claim for compensation for your injuries.