What Is A Gallbladder Attack?
One of the most painful gastrointestinal problems is gallbladder attacks. These attacks occur when bile and minerals in the gallbladder form small stone-like deposits or gallstones. As a result, the gallbladder tries to pass the stones through the bile ducts and the stones tend to get stuck and cause anywhere from mild to severe pain.
WHAT IS A GALLBLADDER?
The gallbladder is a small, green pear-shaped organ in the upper right side of the abdomen near the ribcage. It is about 4-inches long and sits below the liver. To aid digestion and break down fat, the gallbladder stores a yellowish liquid called bile.
Gallstones form in the gallbladder when things in the bile like cholesterol harden. Sometimes gallstones can block the bile duct and cause gallbladder issues.
Note that some people may have small gallstones and pass them without an aggressive attack. Though, when larger gallstones get stuck, they cause gallbladder attacks. Learn about the symptoms, treatments, and causes behind gallbladder attacks.
WHAT DOES A GALLBLADDER ATTACK FEEL LIKE
Typically, a gallbladder attack feels like a sharp, gripping pain in the upper right or upper middle section of your abdomen that gets worse. Pain can last between twenty minutes to a few hours.
Gallbladder Attack Symptoms
Gallbladder attacks usually occur after eating foods high in fat or cholesterol. After a fatty meal, the body attempts to release bile from the gallbladder for digestion, but cannot because of a gallstone blockage.
Gallbladder attack symptoms usually include:
- Pain lasting several hours
- Abdominal pain after eating
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fever or chills
- Lighter-colored stool
- Diarrhea
- Dark or brown-colored urine
- Jaundice, or yellow-ish skin or whites of eyes
The earliest warning sign of a gallbladder problem is sudden sharp pain in the chest, back, or abdomen. The pain can be intermittent and mild or ongoing and severe.
Furthermore, the pain can become worse with deep breathing or eating, especially a fatty meal like steak. Neither passing gas nor pooping relieve the pain.
If the pain is severe and does not go away after a few hours, do to the doctor; if you cannot tolerate the pain, go to the ER.
Now, there are actually two subtypes of gallbladder disease that lead to attack-like symptoms. The first type is cholecystitis, and the second type is choledocholithiasis.
