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Gallstones Center - Council Bluffs, IA

Council Bluffs Gastroenterologist Doctors for Gallstones

Type of Physician: Gastroenterologist

What is a Gastroenterologist?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated.

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Common Name: GI Doctor

Gastroenterologist Doctors in Council Bluffs *

Gastroenterology Consultants
Vedhagiri Selvakumar
801 Harmony St
STE STE 201
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712) 323-1230

Gary D Volentine MD
Gary D Volentine
801 Harmony St
STE 404
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712) 322-2332

Michael V Persaud MD
Michael V Persaud
2921 Golden Drive
Sioux City, IA 51105
(712) 255-1414

James L Hartje MD
James Hartje
2730 Pierce St
RM 403
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 255-5835

K L Preston DO
K L Preston
2918 Hamilton Blvd
STE D
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 277-2717

J W Roat MD
J W Roat
2910 Hamilton Blvd
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 252-1322

Council Bluffs, Iowa

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Gallstones

What are gallstones?

Gallstones (often misspelled gall stones, or gall stone) are stones that form in the gall (bile). (The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ just below the liver and stores the bile secreted by the liver.)

  • Bile is a watery liquid made by the cells of the liver that is important for digesting food in the intestine, particularly fat.
  • Liver cells secrete the bile they make into small canals within the liver.
  • The bile flows through the canals and into larger collecting ducts within the liver (the intrahepatic bile ducts).
  • The bile then flows within the intrahepatic bile ducts out of the liver and into the extrahepatic bile ducts-first into the hepatic bile ducts, then into the common hepatic duct, and finally into the common bile duct.

From the common bile duct, there are two different directions that bile can flow.

  • The first direction is on down the common bile duct and into the intestine where the bile mixes with food and promotes digestion of food.
  • The second direction is into the cystic duct, and from there into the gallbladder (often misspelled as gall bladder).

Once in the gallbladder, bile is concentrated by the removal (absorption) of water. During a meal, the muscle that makes up the wall of the gallbladder contracts and squeezes the concentrated bile in the gallbladder back through the cystic duct into the common duct and then into the intestine. (Concentrated bile is much more effective for digestion than the un-concentrated bile that goes from the liver straight into the intestine.) The timing of gallbladder contraction-during a meal-allows the concentrated bile from the gallbladder to mix with food.

Gallstones usually form in the gallbladder; however, they also may form anywhere there is bile; in the intrahepatic, hepatic, common bile, and cystic ducts.

Gallst...

Recommended Reading Related to Gallstones

Obesity »

Obesity facts

  • Obesity means having excess body fat. For adults 35 and older, having a BMI greater than 30 is considered obese.
  • Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration. It is a chronic medical disease that can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, gallstones, and other chronic illnesses.
  • Obesity is difficult to treat and has a high relapse rate. Greater than 95% of those who lose weight regain the weight within five years.
  • Even though medications and diets can help, the treatment of obesity cannot be a short-term "fix" but has to be a life-long commitment to proper diet habits, increased physical activity, and regular exercise.
  • The goal of treatment should be to achieve and maintain a "healthier weight," not necessarily an ideal weight.
  • Even a modest weight loss of 5%-10% of initial weight and the long-term maintenance of that weight loss can bring significant health benefits ...

Emergency Contact for Council Bluffs

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Council Bluffs Hospitals *

Alegent Health Mercy Hospital Council Bluffs
800 Mercy Dr
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712)328-5000

Jennie Edmundson Hospital
933 E Pierce St
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712)396-6000

Boys Town National Research Hospital
555 N 30th St
Omaha, NE 68131
(402)498-6511

Creighton University Medical Center
601 N 30th St
Omaha, NE 68131
(402)449-4000

Douglas County Healthcare Center
4102 Woolworth Ave
Omaha, NE 68105
(402)444-7000

The Nebraska Medical Center Clarkson Tower
4350 Dewey Ave
Omaha, NE 68198
(402)559-4000

The Nebraska Medical Center University Tower
4400 Emile St
Omaha, NE 68198
(402)559-4000

VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System Omaha Division
4101 Woolworth Ave
Omaha, NE 68105
(402)346-8800

Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center
7500 Mercy Rd
Omaha, NE 68124
(402)398-6060

Children's Hospital
8200 Dodge St
Omaha, NE 68114
(402)955-5400

Nebraska Methodist Hospital
8303 Dodge St
Omaha, NE 68114
(402)354-4000

Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center
6901 N 72nd St
Omaha, NE 68122
(402)572-2121

Alegent Health Midlands Community Hospital
11111 S 84th St
Papillion, NE 68046
(402)593-3000

Select Specialty Hospital Omaha South
11111 S 84th St
Papillion, NE 68046
(402)898-2700

Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital
2808 S 143rd Plz
Omaha, NE 68144
(402)637-0600

Alegent Health Lakeside Hospital
16901 Lakeside Hills Ct
Omaha, NE 68130
(402)717-8000

Alegent Health Community Memorial Hospital
631 N 8th St
Missouri Valley, IA 51555
(712)642-2784

Memorial Community Hospital
810 N 22nd St
Blair, NE 68008
(402)426-2182

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