What do gallstones look like in the toilet?

This can be regarded as a very popular question among a lot of common people these days. As we all know, we should always give proper attention to our health and wellbeing. Sometimes our body gives us different indications in order to alert us about numerous underlying diseases. Here, we will be discussing the question, "what do gallstones look like in the toilet?". This discussion can be regarded as very informative and it will greatly help us in identifying any problem which might be present in our body at its earliest. This will in turn help us to get cured easily. Here, we will be discussing in detail about gallstones as well as their appearance. So, without further delay, let's get into our discussion of this important topic. 

What are gallstones? 

Before answering the given question, "what do gallstones look like in the toilet?", let’s take a look at these gallstones in detail. Gallstones can be regarded as hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can form in our gallbladder. For those who don't know, the gallbladder is actually a small, pear-shaped organ which is present on the right side of our abdomen. It is located just beneath our liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid inside it. This fluid is called bile and it is gradually released into our small intestine. These gallstones can be of different sizes. They can be as minute as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. Most of the time, people develop just one gallstone, while sometimes it has been observed that they develop many gallstones at the same time.

Appearance of gallstones in the toilet

• Cholesterol gallstones

They are mostly small in size. In most cases, they are usually less than 1 cm in diameter. Their shape can be round, oval, or faceted. They are mostly yellow in color. Sometimes, they can be pale yellow in color too . They are firm and hard in consistency. 

• Black pigment gallstones

The black pigment gallstones are often very small in size. Most of the time, their size varies from 2-5mm. They can be ovoid or irregular in shape with a shiny outer surface. As the name indicates, they are mostly jet black in color. Their consistency is very hard and they are usually difficult to crush. 

• Brown pigment gallstones

They are often large in size and their shape can be oval or irregular. They can be brown or brownish-yellow in color. The consistency of the brown pigment gallstones is usually soft. 

Do gallstones float in the toilet water? 

In the previous section, we have discussed the answer to the question, "what do gallstones look like in the toilet?". The floating characteristic of these gallstones will mainly depend on its type, nature, and composition. For example, it has been observed that the cholesterol gallstones may sometimes float and the calcium gallstones, on the other hand often sink. A number of studies indicate that the gallstones that float are usually the cholesterol type rather than the non-cholesterol type. But, we have to keep in mind that these researchers studied the floating of gallstones in bile juice and not in toilet water.

Conclusion

Thus, from our discussion of the topic, "what do gallstones look like in the toilet?", it can be concluded that this topic is indeed very important and the people should know the vital details regarding the same. Here, we have discussed the basic appearance of different types of gallstones. Thereafter, we have discussed whether the gallstones float in the toilet water or not. Thus, this discussion can be regarded as very informative for everyone.