A gallbladder attack is an uncomfortable and potentially serious medical condition that may require surgery to remove the gallbladder. Problems with the gallbladder are fairly common. More than 20 million people in the United States had gallstones in 2004, according to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse. Dietary choices may be risk factors for developing gallbladder disease.
Pain Location
Eating food in general may trigger gallbladder pain. Your gallbladder is located in your upper right abdomen, just below your ribcage. This is where you will feel pain. Your liver makes bile. Some bile is stored in the gallbladder. When you eat food, especially fatty foods, bile travels from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine via special tubes called bile ducts.
Gallstones and Diet
The symptoms of gallbladder disease include sudden onset of pain or pressure in the upper right abdomen, especially after eating a fatty meal. Obesity and diabetes are risk factors for gallstones, according to the Mayo Clinic. Other risk factors include diets that are high in fat and cholesterol and ones that are low in fiber. Rapid weight loss can also cause gallstones.
Gallbladder Symptoms
Infection or tumors also cause pain in this area. Pain may radiate to the right shoulder and worsen with deep breathing. It may hurt to apply pressure to the affected area of the abdomen. Other symptoms include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, sweating, fever, chills and abdominal bloating. A person experiencing these symptoms should refrain from eating.
Clear Liquids
A patient experiencing acute gallbladder pain should not eat or drink anything. A hospital can administer intravenous fluids and medications to the patient with acute gallbladder problems, as well as perform surgery or other procedures to diagnose and treat the gallbladder. A patient with chronic gallbladder problems can slowly advance from sips of water to clear fluids to a low-fat diet as tolerated.
Fats
A person with a bad gallbladder should avoid eating fatty foods whenever possible. Some fats are easy to identify by looking at them. Saturated fats are white and solid at room temperature, like the fat found on the side of a steak or the white specks in hamburger. Many commercially baked products like cakes and cookies contain hidden trans fats. Read the nutrition label to find out if the food contains trans fat.
Risks
Gallbladder problems can be very serious, resulting in tears in your gallbladder, tissue damage or spread of infection to other areas of the body. Pain lasting more than three days is a symptom of an acute condition that needs medical attention.
