Gallbladder Stones: Know The Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment

Do you feel pain in the right upper part of your stomach, especially after heavy meals? A sharp, gripping pain that feels like someone is squeezing you from the inside?

Well, this could be a sign of stones in your gallbladder, aka cholelithiasis, in medical terminology. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that sits under your liver and has the function of holding and storing bile (digestive fluid). 

Bile helps in digestion, but it also carries waste materials such as bilirubin and cholesterol, which when get out of balance can form gallstones.

Gallstones have become quite common nowadays. However, as long as they do not bother you or cause any symptoms, you are unlikely to require any treatment. And if they do, or block your biliary tract, then you might need a gallstone surgery.

Symptoms of Gallstones

As mentioned, your gallbladder’s main function is to act as a storage space for bile, which is released into the intestine to help with digestion after you’ve eaten a meal.

When bile sediments (cholesterol and bilirubin) are too much, they collect and crystallize into pebble-like pieces called gallstones.

These stones may vary in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. You might have a single giant stone or hundreds of smaller ones. Some individuals have a combination of large and tiny stones.

You might be unaware that you have them until they stay within the confines of the gallbladder. But if one or more start to block a bile duct, there can be a pressure buildup in your gallbladder, causing intensifying pain in the upper right portion of your abdomen, which is commonly referred to as a “gallbladder attack.”

The pain may come and go, followed by nausea. Sometimes they may come and stay. And if the blockage lasts a long time or becomes severe, you might develop the following symptoms:

• Back pain between your shoulder blades
• Sweating
• Fever or chills
• Bloating and indigestion
• Fast heart rate.
• Yellow-colored urine or yellowing of the skin/eyes (jaundice)

Gallbladder Stone Pain or Something Else? How to Know

Gallbladder stone pain usually happens in the upper right abdomen, right under your liver, near the ribs. But the problem is, this pain isn’t always felt in that area. Sometimes, it can also happen in the middle of your abdomen or even in the centre of your chest.

That’s why many people mistake this pain for heartburn, a gastric ulcer, or even a heart attack. This confusion can sometimes be dangerous.

Here are some typical signs that may be linked to the gallbladder:

• Pain in the abdomen 15–20 minutes after eating oily or heavy food, especially under your right side ribs.
• Pain radiating to your back, right shoulder, or chest.
• Sudden pain at night that wakes you up, without any specific reason.
• Pain that follows a similar pattern every time, same location, same timing, same feeling.
• Sometimes nausea, vomiting, or fever can also happen, even without pain.

But these symptoms show up differently in different people. Some may just feel like it’s indigestion, while others may have a full-blown attack.

Other issues that can mimic gallbladder stone pain:

• Acid reflux or heartburn
• Peptic ulcers
• Kidney stones
• Pancreatitis
• Heart attack

These conditions can also cause similar pain, which is why self-diagnosis can be risky.

So if you’re having regular abdominal pain, especially after eating oily food, or if the pain radiates to the chest, back, or shoulder, the safest option is to consult a doctor.

A doctor will confirm the presence of gallstones with a simple test, like an ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or gallbladder nuclear scan (in complex cases).

Based on your symptoms and the results of diagnostic testing, your doctor will determine if treatment for gallstones should be indicated.

The Causes of Gallstones

Exactly what causes gallstones is difficult to pinpoint, but doctors believe they may occur when:

• Bile contains too much cholesterol.  Your liver removes cholesterol from the blood and uses it to make bile. But if there’s too much cholesterol in the body (due to oily food, obesity, etc.), its level in bile also increases. When cholesterol becomes too high and bile salts are low, the excess cholesterol settles and forms stones.

• Bilirubin imbalance. Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment formed when old red blood cells break down. If you have a blood disorder or a weak liver (like hepatitis or cirrhosis), bilirubin levels increase, leading to gallstones.

• Gallbladder not functioning properly. Sometimes the gallbladder or bile ducts don’t move bile efficiently. This can happen due to a problem with the muscles or the chemical signals that cause them to move. When your gallbladder doesn’t empty all the way, your bile may become concentrated.

Gallstones Treatment

In most cases, it is seen that small, asymptomatic gallstones don’t need treatment because they pass out with your stool on their own without even noticing. But if they start causing symptoms that we mentioned earlier, your doctor may recommend:

Gallstone surgery

This involves surgical removal of the gallbladder. Because once gallstones have caused a blockage in your biliary tract, they’re highly likely to do so again.

The most common surgery to help resolve the issue is Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which means the removal of your gallbladder.

When your gallbladder is removed, the bile flow is rerouted and now it flows directly from your liver (where it’s made) into your small intestine (where it helps with digestion).

It is a big change for your digestive system, which may be accompanied by digestive discomfort, like diarrhoea, bloating, and gas. But temporary dietary changes and Ayurvedic remedies like  Krishna’s Acidity Care Juice can often help relieve or even avoid these issues. Consult an ayurvedic practitioner before taking any herbal medicines.

Nonsurgical treatments

If you can’t tolerate surgery or have a certain medical condition that makes surgery unsafe, your doctor may recommend regular or lifelong treatment to remove or break up gallstones. Some nonsurgical options are:

• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
• Bile duct drain
• Shock wave lithotripsy
• Oral medications

Prevention of Gallstones

Oral medications are only helpful when you have smaller cholesterol stones that haven’t caused any complications yet. They also take months or even years to get dissolved, and chances are high that they might return when treated this way. Here are a few dietary and lifestyle changes that might help lower your risk.

Reduce high cholesterol foods in your diet, such as fried foods, fatty meats, cheese, organ meats, processed foods, etc. This can help prevent cholesterol stones (which are the most common ones). You can also include Krishna’s Cholesterol Care Juice, which naturally helps maintain lipid balance and lowers the risk of forming gallstones.

Losing weight if you are overweight or are obese may reduce your risk of cholesterol stones. But don’t try to lose weight fast with crash diets or other harmful methods, as it can raise your risk for gallstone formation.

Takeaway

Although your gallbladder is not a vital (life-essential) organ, you can live your life without it. Technically, it’s more of a luxury than a necessity. But that doesn’t mean we should take it lightly.

Gallbladder pain, stones, or bile duct blockage… all of these can be quite painful and disruptive. And if you want to avoid surgery, then preventive care is the best approach.

Taking care of your liver, managing cholesterol, and maintaining a proper diet and lifestyle…all these small things together can help keep your gallbladder healthy. Prevention is always better than an emergency!