The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that lives under the liver and its job is to store bile. Bile is a green substance that is made by the liver, and it helps to digest food, especially fat. When you eat, the gallbladder releases bile into the small intestines through small pipes called bile ducts.
Gallstones are the most common cause of pain originating from the gallbladder.
However, gallbladder dysfunction, called biliary dyskinesia where the gallbladder doesn’t pump the bile out as it should also causes pain as though one had gallstones.
Gallstones form when bile solidifies into masses or pellets that can be very small or as big as a golf ball.
One can have gallstones for years without symptoms. However, symptoms happen when a gallstone blocks the gallbladder and stops the bile from coming out.
Symptoms include:
-Pain on the right upper side of the abdomen; under the ribcage and most times moves to the right back.
-Nausea and vomiting
-Diarrhea
The pain can last a few minutes or several hours.
When should you go to the emergency room?
If the pain is severe and persistent
If you are vomiting and unable to keep food down
If pain is associated with fever
If your eyes turn yellow
When should you see a surgeon?
-If you have had one or more episodes of pain
Stones in the bile ducts
This is a condition where small stones escape from the gallbladder and enter the ducts that connect the gallbladder and liver to the small intestines. This can block the liver and sometimes the pancreas, causing inflammation of these organs i.e pancreatitis and hepatitis.
The symptoms include:
-Severe pain in the center of the upper abdomen or right upper abdomen, radiating to the back
-Nausea and vomiting
-Fever
-yellowing of eyes
-itchy skin
You should go to the Emergency room for this condition as it can be serious.
The stones in the bile ducts are removed using a camera that is passed through the mouth to the stomach. The procedure is called ERCP. Once the stones are removed from the bile ducts, the gallbladder should also be removed surgically.
Important studies include:
Ultrasound
CT scan
MRCP (Specific MRI)
HIDA scan- for gallbladder function
There are other causes of pain in the same area including gallbladder cancer, liver, and bile duct problems, and even stomach problems. But our focus in this blog is on the gallstones.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call our office at 432 614 0026 or click on the appointment tab.