Gallbladders Get No Respect

The most common major surgery among American adults is the reclinectomy which is the process of removing fused recliners from American asses. The incidences of reclinectomies rise sharply during football season. The second most common major (major being defined as surgery that is happening to you) surgery is gallbladder removal. Who woulda guessed it?

Not me. I for one, never gave my gall bladder thought one until it died its painful death, waving farewell to my pancreas and other nearby mushy belly parts as it departed. Sitting on the corner of my desk as a reminder to take them from time to time are a dozen bottles containing pills reputed to keep my internal organs and other musical instruments in tune - calcium for bones, saw palmetto for prostate, E for skin, etc. - and it occurs to me now that even though I live with a woowoo and have had frequent contact with healers along with the established medical community no one, nada, zippo has ever said to me, "Doc you should be taking these for your gallbladder." Why does the gallbladder get no respect?

Personally, I think it's the name. Heart, lungs, liver, duodenum and the like are inoffensive words to say. Duodenum is even kind of fun. Gallbladder, on the other hand, is not. I mean bladder alone inspires pissy thoughts and gall, well, when someone says "he's got a lot of gawwllll", they are not being complimentary. When, additionally, you consider that most people don't understand the gallbladder's function - it has something to do with the digestion of bacon, arsenic and Frito Lay products - you can see why this is an under appreciated part of human anatomy.

Therefore...in an effort to correct this appalling neglect of our semi-vital bile producing and storing mechanism, I hereby declare June 15th as National Gallbladder Awareness Day. Why that day, you say? Because on June 15th of this year, man was I ever aware of mine!