Gallbladder Symptoms Caused By Gallbladder Stone Obstruction
The gall bladder is a sac like organ that is located under the liver on the right side of the abdomen. It secretes bile salts that aid in the digestive breakdown of dietary fats. The body can still digest fats without the gall bladder, allowing for it to be surgically removed if necessary.
Surgical removal may be required to eliminate gall bladder symptoms if they cannot be resolved other wise. A chief source of gall bladder symptoms is gall bladder stones. Gall bladder stones are hard deposits that can form in the gall bladder. Gall bladder stones form slowly over time and usually produce no symptoms until they become lodged in the bile ducts.
Gall Bladder Symptoms
Only about one in ten patients will develop gall bladder symptoms from gall bladder stones. It usually takes about eight years from the time a gall bladder stone is first formed in order for it to produce symptoms.
The most common and mildest gall bladder symptom is pain (biliary colic) that comes and goes; located in the mid to upper right section of the abdomen. The pain may radiate or occur in the mid back between the shoulder blades as well. Typically gall bladder symptoms occur in “attacks” or sudden onset of symptoms that feature:
• A constant grabbing or knowing pain in the upper right corner of the abdomen near the ribs. The pain is usually described as severe and may occur under the breastbone too.
• Nausea and vomiting may occur.
• Relief of gall bladder symptoms is not achieved using traditional methods such as over the counter pain relievers (acetaminophen, ibuprophen), changing position, and passing gas.
• Large or high fat content meals may precede and attack, but not always. Attacks generally occur several hours after eating and may wake a patient up in the night.
• Digestive problems such as bloating, belching, and heartburn usually are not caused by a gall bladder symptom attack.
Typically, as long, as these attacks are brief and do not occur routinely enough to disrupt a patients activities, gall bladder symptoms are not treated, with the exception of dietary change (low fat). When gall bladder symptoms become serious (and eventually life threatening) are when a gall bladder stone becomes lodged in the gall bladder. When obstruction occurs, the gall bladder becomes inflamed and these symptoms occur:
• Severe constant pain in the upper right abdomen region. The pain may last for days and increase when the patient inhales to breath.
• Pain may radiate to the left abdominal region, the breastbone, and the back.
• Fever and chills.
• Nausea and vomiting.
The key difference in this more severe inflammation of the gallbladder (acute cholecystitis) is pain intensity. If not treated gall bladder inflammation can lead to infection, gangrene or a perforated gallbladder.
Gallbladder stones do not always get lodged in the gall bladder. They may become lodged in the common bile duct. The gall bladder symptoms this produces are similar to those that occur when a stone lodges in the gallbladder with these additional gall bladder symptoms:
• Jaundice (yellow skin)
• Dark urine
• Lighter than normal bowel movements.
• Rapid heartbeat
• Rapid drop in blood pressure.
Treatment for gall bladder stones that do not go away include laproscopic surgery using micro instruments inserted through small incisions to remove the diseased gall bladder. Gallbladder symptoms that persist should be evaluated by a physician to avoid serious complications.
