Methodist Health System | Methodist Charlton Medical Center | Shine | Winter 2014-2015

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OH, THE GALL!
Is your gallbladder acting up? Single-Site might be a solution for you.
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10 Methodist Charlton Medical Center • ❁ Winter 2014 – 2015
A surgery
worth
out
SINGLE-SITE
March 2014 didn’t end well for
Julia Mijares. Pain in her abdomen
had forced her to go to the Methodist
Charlton Medical Center emergency
department (ED), and tests revealed that
she had gallstones — lots of them.
“I found out later that my gallbladder
was packed with them,” Julia says. “I was in
total shock after seeing the X-ray images.”
Julia was referred to Anil Tibrewal, MD,
general surgeon on the medical staff at
Methodist Charlton.
While there are treatments for the
gallstones themselves, Dr. Tibrewal
suggested Julia have her gallbladder
removed to prevent recurrence of the
painful condition. But before scheduling
the elective surgery, he suggested she first
try a low-fat diet.
“Fatty foods increase the number of
gallstones blocking the bile duct during
digestion,” Dr. Tibrewal says. “Avoiding