What Is a Gallbladder Attack?

Do you frequently suffer pain after a meal? Has eating become an experience in Russian roulette? Gallstones can create havoc in your digestive system. If you’ve had one gallbladder attack, you don’t want to experience another one.

At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, our board-certified bariatric surgeons, Dexter Turnquest, MD, and Victoria C. Chang, MD,  routinely remove diseased gallbladders. 

Where is my gallbladder, and what does it do? 

Your gallbladder is a small organ in the upper right section of your abdomen under your liver. It’s part of your digestive system. 

Your liver continuously produces a substance called bile. Your gallbladder holds the bile until your body needs it to aid digestion. When you eat, your gallbladder sends bile into your small intestine, where it emulsifies and breaks down fats. 

What causes a gallbladder attack? 

Gallstones are the most common culprit in gallbladder attacks. Gallstones develop when cholesterol in your bile hardens. They can be as small as the tip of a needle to as big as a golf ball. 

When an attack occurs, the gallstones block your bile duct, which leads directly into your small intestine. 

Symptoms of a gallbladder attack 

The following are common symptoms of a gallbladder attack:

• Intense, severe pain in your upper abdomen under your ribcage 
• Pain in your back or shoulder blade
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Sweating
• Fever or chills, which signal a likely infection
• Jaundice (yellowish skin or in the whites of your eyes) 

Pain from a gallbladder attack can last from half an hour to several hours. 

Seek medical help to avoid life-threatening complications

If you have a fever above 101 degrees, experience jaundice, are vomiting, or your severe pain doesn’t resolve, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. A diseased gallbladder can burst, causing lasting damage to your liver and pancreas. Trapped bile breeds bacteria, which can cause a life-threatening infection. Large gallstones increase the risk of gallbladder cancer. 

Treatment for gallbladder attacks 

Gallbladder removal is the standard of care for gallbladder disease. Removing your gallbladder prevents the risks we described above. 

We normally use minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which takes less than an hour. You may have the procedure in an outpatient facility or a hospital, and you usually go home the same day. 

You can live normally without a gallbladder. Bile simply flows into your small intestine. If you’re used to eating heavy meals and fried foods, you’ll need to change your eating habits. Your body no longer has stored bile to help break down that heavy fat. We provide written guidance on what you should consume after gallbladder removal.  

Call us at one of our Houston, Texas, locations or book an appointment online if you’re plagued by gallstones and suffer digestive upsets. You’ll be able to enjoy a delicious meal again.