Dissolving Gallstones?

I have had on again off again pain in my upper right quaderant. I'v had an ultra sound to check if there was any gallstones and the results came back negative. The pain kicks up whenever I eat high fat foods for a couple of days. The pain will last all day and even if I dont eat anything the next day I am still suffering from pain in that area. I'm convinced something is wrone with my gallbladder since my fathers side of the family has all had their gallbladders removed. Trying to find an alternate route to subsiding the pain I came across a cleasing site noting that these herbal supplements will dissolve the gallstones and clease the gallbladder and liver.

My question is can gallstones really be dissolved? My mother is a ER Nurse and say's that she has never heard of Gallstones being dissolved. That they either pass or you have to have surgery. So can gallstones dissolve? And if not what is an alternate safe route to ease the pain and clease the gallbladder? Thanks

[Matthew007]

hey calex,

yeah my mother had an ultrasound which came back negative back in the day so they did remove it and they found "sand like" gallstones..like millions of them (or sludge) so even though imaging is negative there still *could be problems*

One way to check is a HIDA scan checking for the ejection rate.  Mine was like 12% and I had zero stones so I had mine removed (and still am having problems..)

One home remedy which I haven't done myself (scared me) was if you google 'liver cleanse recipe" you'll come across a few sites that list something like ...olive oil or...vinegar with lemon juice or something mix that you drink.  They swear by it but..yeah proceed at your own risk there.  Basically it's like a power flush for the liver..but something you can try.  

Your gallbladder basically squeezes out bile to help digest oily, fatty foods...SOoooo another way is to avoid fats/oils for a few days up to a week to give your gallbladder a break..try drinking some applejuice and light exercise or that liver cleanse and try that.. or try the liver cleanse.  I've never heard of gallstones dissolve but many people do a liver cleanse.. *shrugs* might be worth a shot just be close to a bathroom when you do it.

[Kevling]

Beware people, gall stones are mostly harmless, unless they cause an attack and dislodge themselves into the common bile duct, where they can cause serious complications.

Medical science is skeptical about the possibility of dissolving stones with most practitioners firmly on the side of "it can't be done."

The liver flush that you are describing above is an incredibly contentious idea based on the theory that the gall bladder will contract powerfully and regularly over a given period of time as it desperately tries to emulsify the vast quantities of oil entering your small intestine and in the process, will flush out gallstones and sludge.

The common bile duct in most humans is about 4mm in diameter and therefore it would be impossible to flush a large gallstone (which usually cause little damage in any case), it would theoretically be possible to flush out sludge and small grain like gallstones, however and this is where I am issuing a serious WARNING, if your gall stones are between 3 and 5 mm in diameter there is a huge risk that you could dislodge a stone that will block your common bile duct and this can cause gall bladder inflammation, pancreatitis, jaundice and a vast raft of quite life-threatening illnesses.

The olive oil and lemon juice sluice theory is therefore quite valid, as is the idea of taking large amounts of Turmeric in ones diet, however, although most gallstones are benign, you should really seek medical advice regarding a high oil intake approach as it could do you more harm than good.  Most doctors would strongly advise against it.

Conversely there is quite a bit of evidence that encouraging the liver to produce excess bile rather than encouraging the gall bladder to contract can be beneficial.

The best ways to do this are:

Eat smaller amounts, regularly and often and never skip breakfast,
Eat more soluble fibre,
Eat more beetroot and carrots,
Eat at least your basic "5 a day" more if possible
Cut out all processed food
Avoid red meats
Only use olive or cannola oils and avoid butter and margarine
Eat foods high in Omega 3 & 6
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
Try to drink at least one glass of good quality apple or vegetable juice a day
Take a vitamin C tablet every day
Milk Thistle and Dandelion supplements are advisable but should be taken regularly to be effective,

If you like coffee limit yourself to 1 espresso a day and drink it AFTER your main meal,

If you like a drink limit yourself to ONE glass of preferably red wine a day,

Green tea is also an excellent anti-oxident and is thought to reduce the risk of developing some cancers.  Gall stones are a primary contributory factor to gall bladder cancers, and therefore drinking green tea regularly may be advisable.

Hope this is useful.

[ejp5220]

I have 3cm gallstone (size of a quarter). Is this too large to dissolve/pass?