how gallstones pass? I've had a question up for three days without a single answer.

lola,
Gallstones if they are small enough are passed through the GB bile duct.
The duct is normally 6 to 7 mm wide so the stones have to be small to pass freely. Larger stones can cause the bile duct to get stopped up.

Harry

after the bile duct, how do they get outside the body? Or do they not, unless they are removed? My nutritionist says they can pass in stool ( hence the flushes success) but my doctor says they do NOT pass that way.

Gallstones pass through the bile duct as the poster said. From there they go through the small intestines where they, like all food in there get broken down, melted, dissolved. The bile from the bile duct, which is usually liquid, (but can form gallstones) is what makes stools brown and (believe it or not) deodorizes it. If you have ever smelt a stool where bile is not present you WILL believe this. So, yes they are finally passed in stools, but your doctor may have meant the first passing of them from the Gall bladder. That is when you can get gallstone colic, when one gets stuck. On a scale of pain 1-10, gallstone colic is about 11.5. You could be passing little ones all the time and never know it. Hope this helps, Sera