What Is the Gallbladder?
Your gallbladder is a 4-inch, pear-shaped organ. It’s positioned under your liver in the upper right section of your abdomen. The gallbladder stores bile, a combination of fluids, fat, and cholesterol. Bile helps break down fat from food in your intestine. The gallbladder delivers bile into the small intestine. This allows fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients to be more easily absorbed into the bloodstream.
Symptoms of a Gallbladder Problem
- Pain: The most common symptom of a gallbladder problem is pain. This pain usually occurs in the mid- to upper-right section of your abdomen. It can be mild and intermittent, or it can be quite severe and frequent. In some cases, the pain will begin to radiate to other areas of the body, including the back and chest.
- Nausea or Vomiting: Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms among all types of gallbladder problems. But only chronic gallbladder disease may cause digestive problems, such as acid reflux, gas, nausea, and vomiting.
- Fever or Chills: An unexplained fever may signal that you have an infection. If you have an infection, you need treatment before it worsens and becomes dangerous. The infection can become life-threatening if it’s allowed to spread to other parts of the body.
- Chronic Diarrhea: Having more than four bowel movements a day for at least three months may be a sign of chronic gallbladder disease.
- Jaundice. Yellow-tinted skin may be a sign of a common bile duct block or stone.
- Unusual Stools or Urine: Lighter-colored stools and dark urine are possible signs of a common bile duct block.
Understanding Gallbladder Problems
Symptoms of a gallbladder problem may come and go. However, you’re more likely to develop a gallbladder problem if you’ve previously had one.
If you or someone you know are experiencing some of the symptoms listed above, please call our office to schedule a consultation with one of our providers.