Medical Questions » Liver and Gall Bladder Questions » Question No. 580
| Question: | What is the gall bladder? What does it do? I' m told that it is essential for digestion, but I have to have mine taken out because of stones, even though they only give occasional pains. |
| Answer: | The liver, which sits behind the lower ribs on the right side of the body, produces bile at a more or less constant rate. This bile moves through a series of collecting ducts, which join up to form the common bile duct. This duct leads to the small intestine. There is a side duct to the common bile duct that leads to the gall bladder.
Bile is required to help in the digestion of food, but as we do not eat constantly, it is not needed in the gut all the time. There is a valve at the lower end of the common bile duct where it opens into the intestine. This valve opens when food passes to allow bile to be added to the food in the gut. When the valve is closed, the bile must be stored, and this is where the gall bladder fits in to the picture.
The gall bladder is a storage area for bile not immediately required, and the bile from the liver is directed into it when the valve is closed. When extra bile is required in the gut to digest food, the gall bladder contracts to squeeze the bile out through the open valve onto the food.
If your gall bladder is removed, the bile trickles into the gut constantly, and although not an ideal situation, the bile and food will eventually mix together, and digestion will occur, with minimal consequences to you or your gut.
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