How to know if your gallbladder is acting up

Symptoms of gallbladder disease can include nausea, vomitting and more. The Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary and Transplant Surgery​ at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) explains in detail.

Continued from previous page.

Stages and symptoms of gallbladder disease

“The symptoms of gallbladder disease vary widely,” says​ ​Dr Teo Jin Yao​, Consultant from the Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary and Transplant Surgery​ at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the SingHealth group. ​​“It depends on which of the three clinical stages of gallbladder disease you are experiencing – asymptomatic, symp​tomatic or complicated.”

At the asymptomatic stage

There are no symptoms. At this stage, gallstones are usually incidentally detected during screening. They do not interfere with liver, gallbladder or pancreas function, so treatment is typically not necessary. Nowadays, due to improvements in modern imaging technology, we see more and more patients with no symptoms.

At the symptomatic stage

As gallstones block the bile ducts, pressure increases in the gallbladder. This can cause an “attack” of sporadic pain in the centre of the upper abdomen called biliary colic, which is often confused with gastric pain. It typically follows heavy or fatty meals, and can occur at night.

A typical attack usually results in steady pain in the centre of the upper abdomen. The pain can increase rapidly and can last for 30 minutes to several hours. There might also be pain in the back between the shoulder blades, and under the right shoulder.

At the complicated stage

Acute gallbladder disease is one of the most frequent causes for emergency hospital admissions. This includes obstructive jaundice due to obstructed bile ducts, acute cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and acute pancreatitis.

When the gallstones obstruct the common bile duct, you can get jaundice. Symptoms include a yellow discolouration of the skin and whites of eyes, itchy skin, pale bowel motions and dark urine. Jaundice together with fever can be extremely serious, and you should seek urgent medical attention.

Patients with acute cholecystitis will have a persistent right or upper abdominal pain, and fever. This pain can be made worse by movement or coughing. Nausea and vomiting are also common.

Typically, patients with acute gallstone pancreatitis will present with sudden severe upper abdominal pain, often associated with back pain. The pain is usually severe enough to bring the patient to the emergency room. If the gallstones obstruct the pancreatic duct, there may be back pressure in the pancreas, causing pancreatitis. Most attacks of pancreatitis are mild, while some are severe and life-threatening.

Possible symptoms of complicated gallbladder disease

Should you have any of these symptoms, consult a doctor immediately:

• Prolonged abdominal pain lasting more than four hours
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever and chills (or shivering)
• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
• Pale-coloured stools

Dr Teo explains, “Any of the above symptoms may signal complicated gallbladder disease, which warrants immediate attention.”

See page 1 to learn why gallbladder disease can be mistaken as gastric pain. 

Ref: P16

Check out other articles on abdominal pain:

What's Causing Your Gastric Pain?

How to Prevent Gastric Pain

Gastric Pain FAQs - Our Doctor Answers

7 Tips to Reduce Belching or Burping

Stomach Flu: Causes and Prevention Tips

Is It IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or More Serious?

What is the Purpose of the Gallbladder?

The gallbladder’s role is in digestion, and while it does serve a purpose, it isn’t essential.  This small, pear-shaped organ is located just below the liver.  It stores small amounts of bile that are released into the small intestine after eating to aid in the digestion of fats.  However, it can also become the source of painful and troublesome symptoms should it become inflamed or develop gallstones.

Symptoms of a Gallbladder Problem

The primary source of problems within the gallbladder, including inflammation, stem from the development of gallstones.  These hard deposits of digestive fluid can occur in the gallbladder itself or in the bile duct, and they can range in size from as tiny as a grain of sand to as big as a golf ball.  Some patients may only develop a single gallstone, while others will have several.  However, it is not the presence of gallstones but the complications they cause that may necessitate surgery.  When these deposits develop and cause a blockage in the bile duct, the bile is unable to circulate out of the liver as normal, building up and resulting in painful inflammation in a condition known as cholecystitis.  The symptoms associated with the condition include:

• Sudden and severe pain at the upper right or center abdomen
• Tenderness of the abdomen
• Pain after eating
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting

If left untreated, the complications could lead to an infection or even cause the gallbladder to tear or burst.

What Can You Expect from Gallbladder Surgery?

If gallstones have been identified as the source of your symptoms, treatment options could include dietary changes and medications to dissolve existing gallstones or prevent the development of new ones.  However, surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is the most common treatment.  Fortunately, the procedure is common and has minimal risk of complications.  Most frequently, it is performed on an outpatient basis using minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques. 

After the procedure, patients are generally able to go home the same day, barring complications.  Full recovery may take up to a week, and most can return to normal activity within a few days.  While digestive complications following the surgery are rare, some patients experience side effects such as loose stools that tend to resolve over time.

If you have been experiencing symptoms associated with gallstones, do not put off a visit to your physician.  It is unlikely that the condition will resolve on its own.  In fact, it may worsen and lead to more severe complications down the line.  Gallbladder removal is not only simple, but it is also highly effective at alleviating symptoms once and for all, allowing patients to once again eat and function without discomfort. 

The team at Lane Surgery Groupperform cholecystectomies regularly and with great results.  Click below to learn more about our team and facility.

What are signs that your gallbladder is not working properly?

What does it feel like if your gallbladder is acting up?

How do you know if your gallbladder is inflamed?

How do you know if your gallbladder is getting worse?