Yaz Gallbladder Disease: Treatment Through Gallbladder Removal Surgery
More women have been coming forward after suffering gallbladder removal side effects and have inquired about the legal option of filing a gallbladder Yaz lawsuit. Gallbladder disease is a catchall reference that includes gallstones, infection, and inflammation of the organ. Stones are present in nearly all cases, though they can be found in different areas along your biliary tract (the route bile flows from your liver to your small intestine).
When symptoms present, they can include severe abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and a loss of appetite. In severe cases, you might experience a fever accompanied by chills and uncontrollable shaking.
The most common form of treatment for Yaz gallbladder problems is to surgically remove the organ. The procedure is called cholecystectomy. Below, you’ll learn how the operation is performed as well as potential complications that can result. I’ll also explain an additional procedure called ERCP that is often necessary.
How Cholecystectomy Is Performed
Gallbladder removal surgery can be performed through an open abdominal operation or with a less invasive, laparoscopic approach. During open cholecystectomy, a surgeon makes a long incision (up to 8 inches) into your abdomen. After cutting through the abdominal muscles, the gallbladder’s connections to the surrounding structures are severed. Then, the organ is removed through the incision.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy uses several smaller incisions rather than a single long one. Before making them, your doctor will insert a needle through your navel and fill your abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide. Doing so expands the cavity and provides extra room in which the surgeon can work.
Three or four small incisions (usually a half-inch or less) are made into your abdomen. A flexible instrument called a laparoscope is inserted through one of them. The laparoscope is equipped with a tiny camera that sends real-time images back to a video monitor. The surgeon will insert additional surgical instruments and use them to sever your gallbladder’s connections and extract the organ.
Most cholecystectomies today are done through laparoscopy. The recovery period is shorter, there’s less scarring, and less postoperative pain. Unfortunately, laparoscopy is not always possible, as in cases where infection or scarring is present. Moreover, your surgeon may begin with a laparoscopic approach and be forced to convert to open surgery due to unexpected problems (e.g. your gallbladder’s wall is too thick).
Potential Complications Of Gallbladder Removal Surgery
Yaz gallbladder disease that requires removal of the organ places you at risk of common bile duct damage. This can occur with both open abdominal surgery and laparoscopy.
During the operation, a surgeon may inadvertently tear your common bile duct. This allows bile to leak into your abdominal cavity, causing infection. If the leak is not resolved, infection can eventually enter your bloodstream and spread throughout your body. At that point, it becomes potentially life-threatening.
Another possible complication is that the surgeon might miss Yaz gallstones that have migrated from your gallbladder into the common bile duct. If a bile duct tear occurs, the stones can spill into your abdominal cavity. This too, sets the stage for infection.
When ERCP Is Necessary
Stones that are present in your common bile duct cannot be resolved with gallbladder removal surgery. A procedure known as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is required to retrieve the stones.
During ERCP, an endoscope is inserted into your mouth and guided through your esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. When it arrives at your common bile duct, the surgeon will thread a catheter through the endoscope and release a radiopaque dye. The dye shows obstructions on X-rays. Once the surgeon has identified the location of the stones, another instrument is guided through the endoscope to the bile duct in order to retrieve them.
Otherwise healthy women have suffered gallstones and gallbladder disease after taking Yaz birth control pills. In cases where symptoms present, the organ is nearly always surgically removed. If you have suffered gallbladder problems after using this oral contraceptive, contact an experienced birth control lawyer. You may have the right to file a Yaz gallbladder lawsuit.
Yaz And Gallstones: A Detailed Look At How Gallstones Form
Otherwise healthy women have reported experiencing problems related to Yaz and gallstones. In most cases, the stones are asymptomatic, especially if they remain within the gallbladder. However, it is not uncommon for symptoms to emerge years later, causing debilitating pain and dangerous complications. Please contact us for the latest updates on Yaz gallbladder class action lawsuit type claims which are referred to as multidistrict litigation.
Gallstones and gallbladder disease are among the many severe side effects of Yaz birth control. Doctors usually address both circumstances by surgically removing the gall bladder. Below, you’ll discover how the stones form, how they can trigger gallbladder disease, and some of the resulting problems that may occur.
Production And Flow Of Bile Fluid
Bile is necessary for the digestion of fats that arrive in your small intestine. It is manufactured by your liver, which secretes bile fluid into the common hepatic duct. While a small amount flows directly into your small intestine through the common bile duct, most of the fluid flows into your gallbladder. It remains there until it is needed for digestion.
Your gall bladder functions as a storage facility for the bile. It receives between two and five cups of bile fluid each day. There, the fluid is concentrated to several times its original strength, leaving only a few tablespoons available for digestion.
When fats enter your small intestine, a hormone called cholecystokinin is produced. This sends a signal to your gallbladder, causing it to contract. The contraction pushes the concentrated bile fluid into the common bile duct, allowing it to flow into your duodenum.
This process can be interrupted with the formation of Yaz gallstones.
Root Cause Of Yaz and Gallstones
When your liver produces bile fluid, it secretes a small amount of cholesterol. Because the cholesterol is highly insoluble, it must be contained within bile salts as it moves to your gallbladder; over time, it is dissolved by the bile.
If your liver produces excess cholesterol, the bile salts will be unable to dissolve it. Instead, the fluid begins to thicken within your gallbladder and eventually goes through a process called supersaturation. Solid cholesterol particles begin to form and crystallize. These crystals begin to clump together and form gallstones.
Yaz gallbladder problems are the result of two catalysts. The oral contraceptive is believed to be responsible for increasing the amount of cholesterol secreted from your liver. Moreover, the estrogen and drospirenone (a synthetic progestin hormone) contained in the birth control pill is thought to reduce the contraction-related activity of your gallbladder. This raises the risk of supersaturation. As the cholesterol crystallizes and Yaz gallstones form, additional problems can emerge.
Stones that remain in your gall bladder can potentially block the opening that leads to the cystic duct. A blockage prevents bile from exiting the organ. The trapped bile eventually causes inflammation, triggering a gallbladder attack. When this happens, you will experience sharp pain in your upper abdomen.
Gallstones caused by Yaz can also migrate from your gall bladder into the common bile duct. If they form a blockage, the flow of bile will be slowed. That sets the stage for bacterial infection and inflammation within the duct. A secondary effect is swelling in your gallbladder, which causes biliary colic.
If the stones migrate further along the common bile duct, they can block the ampulla of Vater. This is a juncture at which the bile duct and pancreatic duct merge. A blockage in this area can prevent digestive enzymes secreted by your pancreas from passing into your small intestine. This can lead to pancreatitis, a potential side effect of Yaz gallbladder problems.
Many women who have never experienced problems with their gall bladders have developed gallstones after taking Yaz birth control pills. This often results in the surgical removal of the organ. If you or someone you know has suffered gallstones or gallbladder disease following use of this oral contraceptive, contact a Yaz lawsuit gallbladder attorney to discuss your case and the latest news regarding a Yaz gallbladder settlement. You may be entitled to file a claim for compensation for your injuries.
Yaz And Gallstones: Causes And Symptoms
Together, Yaz birth control and gallstones have burdened otherwise healthy women with severe gallbladder problems. Some of these women had never developed stones or suffered gall bladder disease prior to using Yaz. Please contact us for more information regarding your legal options including filing a Yaz lawsuit gallbladder claim. We are currently representing women throughout the United States who have developed side effects while using this birth control product.
In nearly 80% of cases, gallstones are asymptomatic; those who have them may be unaware the stones exist. However, they can lay “dormant” for years before symptoms finally emerge. When they become symptomatic, the effects are painful and medical attention is usually required.
Below, we’ll explore the link between Yaz and gallstones. You’ll learn how the oral contraceptive contributes to the formation of stones and by extension, the development of gallbladder disease. I’ll describe common symptoms that present as well as the most common form of treatment recommended by doctors.
What Causes Yaz Gallbladder Problems?
Your liver secretes bile fluid into the common hepatic duct of your biliary tract. The bile contains a small amount of cholesterol. It flows through the cystic duct and into your gallbladder where it is stored and concentrated for later use. The cholesterol is absorbed into the cell lining of your gall bladder’s wall.
When fats enter your small intestine, a hormone called cholecystokinin is released. This hormone tells your gall bladder that bile is needed for digestion. The organ contracts and pushes bile into the cystic duct. The bile flows through the common bile duct and into your duodenum (the top portion of your small intestine).
Yaz birth control may contribute to the formation of stones within your gallbladder. It combines estrogen with a synthetic progestin called drospirenone. These hormones can increase the level of cholesterol within the bile fluid secreted by your liver. Moreover, they can reduce the frequency and strength of your gallbladder’s contractions.
The elevated level of cholesterol within the bile fluid cannot be sufficiently absorbed into your gallbladder’s wall. Meanwhile, the diminished activity of the organ prevents the bile from exiting into the cystic duct. The bile remains within the organ and slowly turns into a sludge-like substance. This is the beginning of cholelithiasis, the formation of gallstones.
Signs And Symptoms Of Yaz Gallstones
The most common sign of symptomatic gallstones is sharp pain within your upper abdomen. This is generally referred to as biliary colic. The pain is caused by stones that block the passage of bile from your gallbladder. Trapped inside, the bile triggers inflammation and causes the organ to swell.
In some cases, the blockage forms within your gall bladder. Gallstones gather near the organ’s exit, preventing bile from moving into the cystic duct. In other cases, the stones can migrate from your gallbladder into the cystic duct or common bile duct. Here too, they can form a blockage and prevent bile from leaving your gallbladder.
Other symptoms of gallstones caused by Yaz include fever, nausea, vomiting, and a bloated sensation. Because the area in which pain is sharpest is near the bottom portion of the esophagus, many people mistake the stones for heartburn.
Once gallstones display symptoms, doctors will normally recommend gallbladder removal surgery. The organ can be removed with a minimally invasive procedure called laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, if infection is present, open abdominal surgery is necessary.
Should You File A Yaz Gallbladder Lawsuit?
Many women who have never experienced gallbladder problems have suffered Yaz gallbladder disease and gallstones after taking this birth control pill. Even if stones remain asymptomatic, they can unexpectedly display symptoms. At that point, removing your gallbladder becomes the default form of treatment.
If you have suffered stones, biliary colic, and other gallbladder problems after using the contraceptive, invest the time to explore your legal rights. Contact a Yaz gallbladder lawsuit attorney to discuss your case.
If you have used Yasmin, Ocella or Yaz birth control pills, you may be concerned about possible damage it can cause to your gallbladder. It’s important to understand what bile is and how it functions, as it is an important player in gallstones and gallbladder disease. Please contact us for the latest information on Yaz gallbladder settlement news and your options in filing a Yasmin/Ocella Lawsuit. Currently the litigation is ongoing and there have not been any Yaz settlements.
Bile forms naturally in the liver. It is a yellowish liquid containing water, cholesterol, electrolytes, bile acids and bilirubin. Adults produce 400-800 milliliters of bile each day.
Bile has two main functions. It breaks down fatty acids, aiding digestion, and it eliminates waste products, like bilirubin. It also helps transport the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
But before it can do its primary functions, it has to leave the liver and get to the small intestine, where food is digested. Bile leaves the liver through a tube called a bile duct, and goes into the gallbladder. Here it is prepared and stored until needed.
In the gallbladder, bile is diluted when cells absorb excess water, leaving a concentrated liquid. When a person eats, the gallbladder contracts, sending the concentrated bile through a bile duct to the small intestine.
In the small intestine, bile acids act as a detergent agent by breaking down dietary fat into minute droplets for better digestion.
Occasionally, the chemical makeup of bile contains too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin or not enough bile acids. When this happens, the liquid can harden, forming a rock like substance in the gallbladder called a gallstone. A stone may range from the size of a grain of sand to the size of a golf ball.
Gallstones are fairly common. By the time they are 75 years old, 60% of women have gallstones and 20% of men. Sometimes the stones are asymptomatic and can be ignored. However, they may cause intermittent pain, especially after a person has eaten a large or fatty meal. A person may experience sharper abdomen pain, chills, fever or nausea, lasting for several hours. These may be symptoms of gallstones.
If gallstones block or enter the bile ducts, they can cause inflammation and infection, leading to gallbladder disease. Left untreated, an infection could spread to other parts of the body and become fatal.
Doctors usually recommend removing an infected gallbladder or one with a history of developing gallstones. Although the gallbladder is not essential for life, it does provide an important function. Once it is removed, patients may need to make lifelong adjustments in diet to compensate for its absence.
If you or someone you know has had gallbladder problems as a result of using Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella birth control, please contact us.
We represent all women suffering from Yaz gallbladder problems on a contingency basis, which means that there are never any legal fees unless we win compensation in your case.
For a free no-obligation case review and the latest Yaz gallbladder settlement news, please call toll free or fill out our short online contact form and a birth control attorney will contact you to answer any of your questions including your options in filing a Yaz / Ocella lawsuit.
