Gall stone Pain Symptoms

How the Gall stone pain starts?

The pain hits you suddenly. Severe and steady, it lasts all afternoon. It starts down in your lower right side, then shoots up to your shoulder blades, and snakes over to your right shoulder. You break into a sweat. You feel like throwing up.

"What fresh hell is this?" you wonder. You may think that your appendix is on the fritz. Or worse, maybe it's your heart. Your doctor may even suspect ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, hiatal hernia, pancreatitis, or even hepatitis. But for most part, these

symptoms signal gallstones - hardened components of bile ranging in size from a grain of sand to a ping pong ball- that form in the gallbladder.

The good news about gallstones? There are some fairly simple ways to prevent them, including dietary changes and a daily walk - and for most people who need treatment, same-day surgery does the trick.

Fact about gallstones

You have gallstones and not even know it! Your gallbladder can produce hundreds of tiny stones and if they don't interfere with the way your gallbladder, liver or pancreas function, they are called “silent stones” that don't need treatment.

DON'T IGNORE THEM (gall stone)!

Gallstones form when components of bile - the greenish-brown fluid secreted by the liver that helps you digest and absorb fats - crystalize in the gallbladder into "stones.' Bile is made up of cholesterol, water, fats, bile salts, and a substance called bilirubin. If your bile contains too much cholesterol, bile salts, or bilirubin, it can harden.

Most people with gallstones don't realize they have them. They cause symptoms only when they block a duct carrying bile from the liver or gallbladder to the small intestine, or one carrying digestive enzymes from the pancreas. If the blockage continues over several hours, your gallbladder may become inflamed; this is called acute cholecystitis. Fever, prolonged pain, and eventually a gallbladder infection may occur if you don't get treated. At that point, a stay in the hospital, pain and antibiotic medications, and even surgery are sometimes necessary.

Consult your doctor if you experience unusual abdominal pain that doesn't go away on its own or if you have any of the symptoms mentioned in "When to See the Doctor".

Ignore gallstones, and you run the risk of developing a serious bile duct infection or even an inflammation of the pancreas if the stones pass out of the gallbladder duct and into the main bile duct.

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