Gallstones refer to small stones of the digestive fluid that build in the gallbladder, which is a pear-shaped organ located beneath the liver in the upper abdominal right side. The function of the gallbladder is to store bile, a green-yellow fluid produced in the liver to aid in digestion.
Gallstones may also occur when your gallbladder fails to empty correctly. For your gallbladder to stay healthy, it needs to drain regularly. Failure to do so results in highly concentrated bile, which causes the formation of stones. You may not experience any signs and symptoms of gallstones. However, when the condition blocks the bile duct, you may experience a number of signs and symptoms. It is advisable to seek urgent medical help when the signs and symptoms of gallstones persist to avoid possible complications, including gallbladder cancer, pancreatic duct blockage, and gallbladder inflammation.
1. Back Pain
Gallbladder back pain usually occurs when the stones cause inflammation in the gallbladder. The pain occurs in your upper right abdomen and usually radiates to your lower back. The back pain may also occur when gallstones cause biliary colic. Biliary colic is a gallbladder condition that occurs when gallstones block the small duct that drains the gallbladder. When this happens, the gall bladder fails to empty properly, resulting in a painful sensation that radiates from the upper right abdomen to the lower part of your back.
In most cases, gallbladder stones will not cause any signs and symptoms until the bile duct is blocked. Depending on the extent of the blockage, the pain can last from minutes to hours. Since back pain can be a result of various other conditions, including kidney infection, spinal cord tumor, herniated disc, and infections of the spine, it is important to seek medical help when the pain persists. This will allow you to know the exact cause of the pain. Your doctor will use ultrasound to check if there are any gallstones that have blocked the bile duct.
2. Upper Right Abdomen Pain
If your gallbladder contains stones, you are likely to experience pain in your upper right abdomen because the affected organ is located in that part of the body. The pain usually increases steadily with time and may hinder your daily activities. It can last from a few minutes to several days, and it is typically intermittent.
Although regular physical exercises can help to relieve mild upper right abdomen pain, it is advisable to call your doctor when the pain persists. Since gallstones may result in life-threatening complications if they are not treated in time, it is still advisable to seek medical treatment even if the pain subsides with exercises.
3. Indigestion
Your gallbladder is responsible for storing bile, the digestive fluid produced by the liver. When the bile from the liver enters the gallbladder, the bladder mixes and concentrates the liquid with enzymes and mineral salts. The enzymes added to the fluid are necessary for healthy digestion of fats. The organ releases the bile into your digestive system every time food undergoes digestion. When the duct that drains the bile into the digestive system is blocked by the stones, the bile fails to reach the system; hence, food digestion is slowed down. Since indigestion can be a symptom of many other diseases, you need to visit your doctor if the condition persists.
4. Nausea
This refers to a disorder of the upper stomach in which you experience uneasy sensation of wanting to vomit. While in some cases this feeling leads to vomiting, you may go without vomiting sometimes. Although the condition may result from other diseases, nausea caused by gallstones involves recurrent episodes, especially, after you have eaten. Typically, this kind of feeling is accompanied with pain and discharge of stomach content through the mouth. You need to contact your physician when you repeatedly feel nauseated. Before visiting your doctor, you can relieve the condition at home by eating meals in small amounts, eating slowly, eating foods that are easy to digest, and avoiding greasy foods.
5. Vomiting
Also known as emesis, it refers to a forceful and involuntary elimination of the substance from your stomach. Typically, emesis follows nausea, and it is not a disease itself. Although it is a normal way of expelling contaminated stomach content, the process may occur as a result of serious underlying conditions, including the presence of stones in the gallbladder. When the stones block the bile from reaching your small intestines, proper digestion fails to occur, causing the digestive system to get rid of some of its content through the mouth.
Gallstone-caused emesis is recurrent in nature. Seek medical help when you experience repeated episodes of this symptom to avoid possible complications, including fatigue, headache, and dry mouth.
6. Cramping
Abdominal cramps are common when suffering from gallbladder stones. Cramps occur when the stones cause swelling or inflammation in the bladder. Cramps may also be caused by poor digestion, which occurs when the bile fails to reach the intestines due to blockage of the bile duct. Vomiting caused by the stones causes your stomach muscles to strain, leading to cramping. Just like nausea and vomiting, gallstone-related cramps occur in repeated episodes. Visit your doctor for diagnosis and early treatment if you feel recurrent cramps in your abdomen. Since there are conditions other than gallstones that cause abdominal cramps, your doctor will perform a series of tests, including imaging tests, to determine what exactly causes your cramps.
7. Discomfort
Gallstones cause an uncomfortable feeling by causing pain and preventing proper digestion. The pain in your lower back and upper abdomen will cause total discomfort. Typically, indigestion is accompanied with other symptoms, including bloating and flatulence, which often affect your comfort. You may also experience a burning and tightness sensation in the upper portion of your abdomen. Fullness that lasts longer than it is normal may also occur after eating.
Additionally, you may experience discomfort due to repeated episodes of nausea and emesis. The cramps resulting from the stones are also part of the discomfort. Since this discomfort may hinder your normal participation in daily activities, calling your doctor when the condition persists helps address the problem to ensure you resume your normal routine.
