Popular Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh revealed a big secret about his health in an interview recently. He said he has been living with an 11-12 mm gall bladder stone since 2015 without any surgery. He was diagnosed in 2015 after seeing a doctor for mild abdominal pain. Doctors then suggested gallbladder surgery, but on the advice of a friend, he decided against surgery. The friend argued that since the stone was not causing any problems or severe pain, it would be better not to operate. Diljit had kept the stone away from his family and close friends for so long, though he always carried the medicine with him as a back-up whenever he went anywhere.
This comment of Diljit has now created a huge debate and awareness among the common people. Millions of people worldwide have gallstones, but many have no symptoms, medically known as silent stones. But just because there are no symptoms, it has been questioned whether these stones are safe to keep in the body. Doctors say, it is not safe at all. The gallbladder is a small organ below the liver that stores a digestive fluid called bile. This fluid helps in digestion of fatty foods. When the chemical balance of bile is disturbed, hard particles are formed and these gradually turn into stones. Most of these gallstones are formed due to the accumulation of excess cholesterol and some due to the accumulation of excess bilirubin in the bile.
Major causes of gallstones include being overweight or obese, crash diets to lose weight too quickly, eating foods high in fat and cholesterol, diabetes, and certain liver diseases. For women, the risk increases during pregnancy or older age Diljit Dosanjh’s stone has not caused any major problems but doctors say it can become dangerous at any moment. Gallbladder stones are painless as long as they remain. However, when the stone moves and blocks the bile duct, it can lead to serious physical complications.
If your gallstones go from silent to active, some symptoms may occur. Sudden onset of severe pain in the right upper or middle abdomen, lasting from minutes to hours. Symptoms include increased abdominal pain after eating fatty or heavy meals, radiating to the back or right shoulder, nausea or persistent vomiting. Symptoms of chills, fever and jaundice may also occur.
According to international medical guidelines, doctors often recommend wait and watch if a patient has no symptoms despite gallstones being detected on ultrasound. However, if you ever experience pain or complications from the gallbladder, surgical removal of the gallbladder is the standard treatment. In medical terms it is called laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is a very safe and small hole surgery. Removal of the gallbladder does not cause survival or digestion problems, as bile from the liver flows directly into the small intestine. Doctors warn that not everyone may have the same fate as Diljit Dosanjh. Based on a single person’s experience, neglecting one’s gallstones can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, if gallstones are detected, it is recommended to consult a specialist gastroenterologist or surgeon without delay and have regular check-ups.