The gallbladder, a pear-shaped organ under the liver, assists with fat digestion by storing and releasing bile, according to MayoClinic.com. A variety of conditions, including infection, inflammation or gallstones, may disrupt the functioning of the gallbladder. Medication and a change in diet may relieve the symptoms. If not, surgical removal may be required to avoid infection or perforation. A sudden, complete blockage of bile flow may require emergency surgical removal of the gallbladder, or cholecystectomy. Fortunately, the gallbladder is not necessary to normal digestion, so postoperative patients do not require a special diet or medication.
Step 1
Record your symptoms if you have episodes of right upper quadrant abdominal pain several hours after a fatty meal. Typically, the episodes last about 30 minutes, according to Aurora Health Care. Keep track of what you ate, the duration of the attack, and any other symptoms, such as burping, gas, indigestion, bloating, nausea or vomiting, so that you can discuss them with your health care provider.
Step 2
Discuss long-term digestive symptoms with your health care provider, recommends MayoClinic.com. Diarrhea--4 to 10 loose stools per day, lasting longer than three months, with nausea, gas and abdominal discomfort after meals may indicate chronic cholecystitis, an inflammation of the gallbladder that causes scarring.
Step 3
Call your doctor and seek immediate medical attention if your pain lasts longer than five hours or is accompanied by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, clay-colored stools or jaundice--yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, according to MayoClinic.com. If left untreated, infection, gangrene and perforation of the gallbladder may occur.
Step 4
Contact your health care provider if you notice loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, jaundice, abdominal swelling, severe itching and black, tarry stools, recommends the American Cancer Society. Gallbladder cancer rarely causes symptoms until it has attacked other organs, so only 1 in cases is caught before the disease has spread.
Step 5
Go for testing ordered by your health care provider to determine the source of your symptoms. She may order an abdominal ultrasound or a computerized tomography scan to look for gallstones, or a hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid, or HIDA, scan, magnetic resonance imaging or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, to look for blockages, according to Aurora Health Care. Blood tests can detect infection, pancreatitis or liver complications.
Tips and Warnings
- Symptoms of gallbladder disease may be mistaken for other conditions, so keeping track of your illness assists your health care provider in making the correct diagnosis.
- Your risk of developing gallbladder disease is higher if you are a woman between the ages of 20 and 60; pregnant or taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy; obese; Native American, Mexican American or Northern European; take medication for high cholesterol; have diabetes or blood disorders; or lost weight rapidly, according to Aurora Health Care.
Things You'll Need
- Pen and paper
