{"id":1788,"date":"2018-05-08T05:52:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T05:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=1788"},"modified":"2021-05-17T15:38:51","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T15:38:51","slug":"12-gallbladder-symptoms-that-require-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/12-gallbladder-symptoms-that-require-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Gallbladder Symptoms That Require Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We are used to thinking of organs like our stomach, our intestines and our liver. All of them collaborate to help us digest our food and absorb the nutrients that we need to be alive and healthy. But there are actually many other organs that also play a big part in this process, and we need every single one of them working properly so they don’t cause us trouble. Our gallbladder is one of those organs. It is sitting under our liver and its main function is to produce, store and release fluids that help us digest some substances that we eat, especially fat and fatty derivated. The liquid it produces is called bile, and it is released inside our intestines every time we digest food. Just as any other organ in our bodies, our gallbladder can have some problems, and that will affect its function. Here are some symptoms to pay attention to.<\/p>\n

1. Abdominal pain after eating<\/h3>\n

One of the characteristic symptoms that let you know that there is something wrong with your gallbladder is gallbladder<\/a> pain. Your gallbladder is located under your liver, which means that it is found on the top right of your abdomen. If that spot hurts, it could be indicative that your gallbladder is going through some difficulties.<\/p>\n

Remember that the pain caused by a malfunctioning or inflammed gallbladder can extend to the top center of your abdomen, so it could be mistaken for a more common digestive pain such as a stomach ache. The best indicative that your pain is caused by a malfunctioning bladder is the time when it occurs. Your gallbladder will hurt when it is activated, because that’s when it can become more inflammated. For this reason, it is common to suffer this pain right after you have had a meal, especially if the food you ate was fatty.\"\"<\/p>\n

2. Lasting abdominal pain<\/h3>\n

Even though the characteristic pain of a sick gallbladder appear or worsens after you eat, in some cases your gallbladder could be so inflammated that the pain lasts for hours, even if you haven’t eaten much, or anything at all. Aside from that, pain caused by gallbladder issues presents itself in the same way as acute pain: it is located on the top right of your abdomen, and sometimes can spread to the top center.<\/p>\n

The perception of the pain itself can change: it can be dull but constant, or sharp as if you had a knife or a needle buried in your flesh. It can also resemble cramps<\/a>, growing and losing intensity over the course of hours. It will also usually become worse when you take a deep breath, because when you do so your diaphragm goes down and presses your gallbladder, which will hurt if it is inflammated.\"\"<\/p>\n

3. Biliary colics<\/h3>\n

This is another painful symptom, but we have listed it separately because it has very specific characteristics and is often more severe, and signals the need for a medical intervention. One of the most severe conditions that can affect your gallbladder is gallstones, which are sedimentations of minerals and other substances with which your gallbladder works. They can become little stones and block the flow of the bile from the gallbladder to the intestine.<\/p>\n

This causes severe pain that can last for up to five hours, and very often returns every time you eat large or fatty meals, and especially if you have been fasting before you start eating. These spasm<\/a> can be very strong, and indicate that you should get an appointment with a doctor. There is a chance that you will be prescribed medication to help the gallstones dissolve and dissappear, but if your gallstones are too large you might need to undergo surgery to get them removed.\"\"<\/p>\n

4. Pain in your back or chest<\/h3>\n

Intuitively, when a part of your body hurts, that means there is something wrong with that part of your body, right? Chest pain<\/a> means a problem in your chest, leg pain a problem in your leg, and so on. However, few people are aware of the existence of what is called referred pain, which is pain that we feel in a part of our body but is actually caused by a problem in a different part of our bodies.<\/p>\n

For example, people having a heart attack sometimes feel pain on their left arm, when the problem is clearly the heart. This happens because pain signals travel towards the brain through shared nerves, and sometimes the brain can misinterpret where the signal actually comes from. If you have gallbladder problems you could feel pain, but not in your abdomen, but in your chest or your right shoulder blade.\"\"<\/p>\n

5. Abdominal tenderness<\/h3>\n

The most common symptom of an inflammation is often pain, but in some cases you could have a different sensation if, for example, your gallbladder is starting to fail or there is some problem with it. A possible symptom of a gallbladder affection is tenderness<\/a> in the area around your gallbladder, which is, the top right quadrant of your abdomen, and sometimes the top center.<\/p>\n

Tenderness can be combined with pain, so not only does your belly hurt but also it bothes you when something touches it or presses it, but tenderness can also appear on its own, without any pain. Pay attention here, because tenderness is a more subtle and less noticeable symptom when compared to pain, but you shouldn’t overlook it anyway. It could be a sign that your gallbladder needs some attention. If you have any doubt, go see a doctor and ask them to perform a checkout.\"\"<\/p>\n

6. Fever<\/h3>\n

Fever <\/a>is a very general symptom that happens every time your body is fighting an infection. Fever in itself isn’t a sign of anything in particular, but rather a sign that something is going on and you should pay attention. For that reason, fever alone cannot be used to diagnose any condition, including a gallbladder problem. However, if you do have fever, and it comes with other symptoms detailed in this list, it means that it is more likely that you are having a gallbladder problem.<\/p>\n

The main symptom of fever is a high body temperature, that you can confirm by using a home termometer, but also you could experience this symptom as a general feeling of discomfort, shaking hands or chills going up your spine. When your gallbladder in inflammated, your body could trigger a fever reaction that you can detect and use as an indicative that something isn’t right with your body.\"\"<\/p>\n

7. Heartburn<\/h3>\n

In spite of its name, heartburn is a burning sensation that does not affect the heart, but rather the stomach, especially the top portion of it. Heartburn<\/a> happens when digestive fluids, that are by nature acidic, so they can mix with the food that we eat and break the molecules into smaller particles that our body can absorb, affect the inner lining of our digestive system.<\/p>\n

When there isn’t enough food in our stomach, or too much acidic fluid, the acid can burn the inside of our stomach and even our esophagus, causing a burning sensation of pain. Heartburn can also be caused by problems with the regulation of bile, which also has the capacity to affect the inner lining of our digestive system. If you feel heartburn periodically, you should consult your doctor. Not only is it a negative sensation, but also in the long term it can hurt your digestive system and cause complications.\"\"<\/p>\n

8. Nausea and vomiting<\/h3>\n

Your gallbladder plays a key role in your digestive process. It allows many nutrients and components in the food that you eat to be properly digested. The bile that your gallbladder produces travels through short conducts and is poured on the food you ate right after it leaves your stomach.<\/p>\n

The components found in bile help further digest some fatty components your stomach couldn’t deal with before, and together with other fluids produced in different glands, they finish the processing of food before all the nutrients and water can be absorbed by the intestines. If your gallbladder doesn’t work properly, you can’t really digest your food, and that will cause you many problems. One of the things your body does to deal with food you couldn’t digest is simply to pump it out. For that reason, you could vomit<\/a>, or at least feel nausea, if your gallbladder isn’t working as it should.\"\"<\/p>\n

9. Indigestion<\/h3>\n

For the same reason, even if your stomach decides not to expel food from your body and instead pass it on to your intestines, you will have problems with your digestion<\/a>. Your intestines are divided in two major portions: the large intestine, and the small intestine. Small intestine comes first, which means that the first place food goes after being combined with bile that comes from your gallbladder, is the small intestine.<\/p>\n

Your small intestine is very long, almost ten yards, and its main function is to absorb nutrients. Your large intestine is the last portion of your digestive system and it absorbs water. In order to do their job, both intestines need food to be properly digested. If you have gallbladder issues, this might not be the case, and your intestines will struggle with your food. You might feel indigestion and pass gas often, as this is a sign of poor absorption.\"\"<\/p>\n

10. Fullness<\/h3>\n

When you eat a lot of food, you start feeling full. That’s because what you have already eaten fills up your stomach and it stretches more and more, until it reaches a point where you should stop eating. Your stomach<\/a> will send a signal to your brain, which will make you feel saciety. Too much food in your stomach could make you feel uncomfortably full, and the distension of your digestive system could make your belly look bulgy.<\/p>\n

This naturally happens when you have overeaten, but you could feel full too if your digestion is particularly slow. The purpose of this feeling is to prevent you from eating more, because your digestive system is already dealing with your past meal or meals. As you know, a gallbladder problem could affect and slow down your digestion, so feeling full after you eat is a common consequence of a gallbladder condition.\"\"<\/p>\n

11. Yellowish skin and eyes<\/h3>\n

The condition that is describe here is called jaundice, and is not very common. If you realize that your eyes and\/or your skin have an unusual yellowish tone, then that’s a sign you could have moderate to serious gallbladder problems. It is an actual sign of concern, and you should definitively visit a doctor if you have jaundice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is particularly unusual in adults, since most cases of jaundice are observed in newborns or very young babies that have problems with their gallbladder from birth. Jaundice happens when there is an excess of bile in your system, which is originated in an unbalanced gallbladder function. The bile has a yellowish pigment, so when its components travel through our blood, they reach the surface of our body and dye it in a yellowish hue. Jaundice is often easier to detect on your eyes, due to a high level of bilirrubin.<\/p>\n

\"\"12. Oddly coloured stools and urine<\/h3>\n

We have detailed some of the trouble your food can encounter at several stages of your digestive process if your gallbladder is not doing its job as it should, and this is the last one. After a less than perfect digestion, the final result will understandably look different than it should. Another sign of your digestive process having some difficulties is a variation in the colour of your depositions.<\/p>\n

When your gallbladder is affected by some condition, your stools will have a lighter colour, often a light brown like the colour of clay. But that’s not the only thing that will change. Bilirrubin, a component of bile, will accumulate in your bloodstream<\/a> and your kidneys will filter it and elliminate it through your urine. For that reason, your urine could look brown instead of its natural yellow tone, which is another sign of concern.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"13. Acute Cholecystitis<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This condition refers to severe inflammation of the gallbladder. Acute cholecystitis<\/a> is a primary complication associated with cholelithiasis and the most common cause of pain that occurs in the top right region of the abdomen. The condition produces a constant pain that continues to escalate, and many people mistakenly associate it with the development of appendicitis. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the condition advances, the pain in your right side intensifies and begins to spread toward the shoulder. The pain persists for hours, and failure to receive treatment can result in the progression of the condition and further complications. Common symptoms associated with acute cholecystitis include nausea, vomiting, and fever. <\/span><\/p>\n

Almost all cases reported to medical professionals come as a result of complications with gallstones, and if left untreated, may result in the need for surgery to remove the gallstones and reduce pain symptoms. If you experience a sudden increase in pain symptoms on your right side, make an appointment to see your doctor immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"14. Pancreatitis<\/h3>\n

The pancreas is the organ responsible for the production and release of the hormone, insulin<\/a>. Insulin regulates our blood sugar, mopping up additional glucose. Without regular pancreatic function, we run the risk of developing conditions like diabetes. Pancreatitis refers to an inflammation of the pancreas, and it\u2019s a common complication associated with the development of gallstones. <\/span><\/p>\n

The pancreas and gallbladder share a common duct in the small intestine, which drains bile from the gallbladder. When gallstones block this duct, it results in server inflammation of the pancreas as bile backs up. As a result, you may begin to experience severe sensations of pain that continue to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

The blockage affects the release of enzymes from the pancreas, resulting in further complications to the digestive system, gall bladder, and pancreas. If you notice any signs of pain, contact your doctor for diagnosis immediately. <\/span><\/p>\n

Other symptoms associated with gallstone pancreatitis include nausea and vomiting, and treatment usually consists of removal of the gallbladder if medication and management fail to deliver results.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"15. Pruritus<\/h3>\n

People who experience gallbladder infection typically notice itching symptoms start to arrive as bile backs up in the intestinal tract, affecting the pancreas. This inflammatory disease creates itching sensations in the skin, with the most prone areas of the body being the folds in the skin at the elbows and knees, as well as along the forearms, neck and upper chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pruritus <\/a>rarely occurs without a contributing cause, and the most common reason for the condition is due to the development of primary sclerosis cholangitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver and gallbladder. Pruritus itching is intense, and people experiencing the condition find that they experience intense sensations of itching that make them feel like ripping the skin off of their body. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pruritus occurs when there\u2019s a backup of bile in the liver, leading to the development of itching symptoms. The condition may occur alongside jaundice, another disease attributed to over-accumulation of bile acid. People with jaundice notice that their skin and whites of their eyes start to turn yellow. This condition requires immediate treatment to prevent the body from falling into toxic shock.<\/span><\/p>\n

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