Gallbladder, Gallstones symptoms

The gallbladder is a small, pare like organ with a very important function in our organism. It is situated near the live, in the right part of the abdomen. Most of the food we eat is full of fat. Therefor our organism needs something to digest this food as it cannot be dissolved in water. This way, our organism has found a way to take care of this problem as well. Here is where the bile steps in, along with the liver and gallbladder. Bile is produced by the liver and contains many substances that dissolve fat.

It also stimulates the production of some enzyme, that has the role to break down fat. This important factor in our digestion is stored in the gallbladder, until it is needed.


Whenever we eat something fat, our gallbladder knows and starts to contract in order to create a flow of bile. This travels through cystic duct, then the bile duct, finds its way through a place called the ampulla of vater and ends up in the intestine, where it is needed. Besides this important parts it has in the flow of the bile, the gallbladder also helps concentrate bile, by removing water. So if one decides to remove his/ her gallbladder, the digestion of fat may be very inefficient. Although bile flows it will not be as concentrated.

Gallbladder,Gallstones Symptoms

Many people with gallstones have no symptoms at all. Others go through life relatively symptom free, experiencing minor symptoms such as abdominal bloating, intolerance to fatty foods, belching, intestinal gas and indigestion. For others, however they may suffer what is called a gallstone “attack”. Gallstone attacks often follow a fatty meal. Symptoms of an attack include steady, sever pain in the upper abdomen that can last from 30 minutes to several hours. Sufferers may also experience pain in the back between the shoulder blades or under the right shoulder. A gallstone attack is often accompanied by nausea or vomiting. If symptoms such as sweating, chills, a fever or a yellowish color to the skin or whites of the eyes occur, it is important to seek medical assistance. There are a number of factors that increase your risk of having gallstones. Those at a higher risk include women, especially women who are pregnant, on hormone therapy or taking birth control pills, people over 60 years of age, Native and Mexican Americans, overweight individuals and individuals who fast or go on crash diets and lose a lot of weight quickly.

It is important to recognize that if the gallbladder is loaded with stones, there is very little room to store bile and fat digestion may become impaired. In turn, the unused bile can back up into the liver causing liver congestion. If this is the case, it is important to evaluate your liver’s health prior to cleansing on your gallbladder.

Symptomatic gallstones only happen in about three out of 10 people who have them. These symptoms or problems include:

Biliary colic. Colic means intermittent, wavelike pain. Biliary pertains to the gallbladder. So biliary colic basically means pain that originates in the gallbladder. It is usually felt in the upper abdomen on the right side, just under the rib (where the gallbladder sits!). Usually described as sharp in nature and can be very distressing. A stone that gets stuck in the cystic duct usually causes it. The pain usually eases off when the stone falls back into the gallbladder. People with biliary colic commonly describe of having the pain after consuming a hearty, fatty meal. This is because fat in the duodenum stimulates the gallbladder to contract, thus causing the stone to jam at the cystic duct. The pain can last for several minutes to an hour or so.

Cholecystitis or inflammation of the gallbladder. This is usually caused by infection of the gallbladder. Symptoms include fever, constant pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting and being generally unwell. You will usually be admitted to the hospital and have your gallbladder removed urgently if you develop cholecystitis.

Jaundice. A term used to describe yellow discoloration of the skin and the sclera (white part of the eye). This is uncommon. This occurs when the stones come out of the gallbladder and get stuck in the main bile duct. Bile cannot flow forward and thus moves in the opposite direction and ultimately seeps into the bloodstream. A procedure called ERCP is usually needed to get the stones out of the way.

Other problems include pancreatitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and cholangitis (inflammation of the main bile duct).

What are the treatments?

In most cases, no treatment is necessary. It is often better to leave gallstones alone if they cause little symptoms.

Surgery. Keyhole surgery is the commonest way to remove a gallbladder. It is commonly referred to as laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Several small cuts are made in the abdomen with few remaining scars afterwards.

Medicine. Medicines are usually used to control pain and to fight infections in gallstone diseases. Medicine cannot cure gallstones, thus surgery is the preferred way to go.