What are symptoms of a gallbladder attack?
Q: I’ve been having abdominal pain and bloating, especially after I eat. Could it be my gallbladder?
A: A gallbladder attack can be a painful — and potentially dangerous — medical condition. The gallbladder sits just below the liver and stores the bile that your body uses to aid in digestion. When there’s an improper balance of chemicals in the bile, it can harden into gallstones. In some cases, a gallstone may cause inflammation, infection or other serious complications.
Most people aren’t aware they have gallstones because there’s no reason to test for them until symptoms arise. Pain in the upper right abdomen, bloating, gas and sometimes diarrhea are all symptoms of a gallbladder issue. Symptoms can be mild and cause occasional discomfort after a fattier meal, or they can be severe enough to wake you up in the middle of the night and make you think you’re having a heart attack.
If you experience symptoms of gallbladder attack, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention. When a stone moves into the bile duct, a blockage can occur — leading to pain, jaundice, abnormal liver levels or pancreatitis. In these more serious cases, an additional procedure to clear the bile duct may be necessary.
Treatment for gallstones is straightforward — a minimally invasive surgical procedure is used to remove the stones through four small incisions. Most people go home the same day, and full recovery is three to four weeks. Many people return to work sooner depending on their pain tolerance and job description.