Gallbladder Pain

The gallbladder is an organ that does not really have a vital function, but that does not mean that it can not cause any problems. The gallbladder is part of the digestive system and it stores bile that builds up and that means that it is prone to certain conditions due to gallstones, polyps, sludge and blockage of biliary ducts. Most gallbladder conditions are asymptomatic, which means that they are silent and do no harm. Gallbladder pain, however, once it arises can be excruciating and an attack can last for hours on end. Some attacks with pain have lasted even up to fifteen hours at a time. There are ways to treat this pain and to prevent future attacks of the gallbladder so that the pain does not happen in the first place.  

There are many kinds of gallbladder pain and the severity is determined by the cause. The pain is usually the result of gallbladder stones that form and grow to a size larger than 8 mm in diameter. However, gallbladder sludge can also build up and travel to other parts where it causes pain. The worst kind of pain is from gallstones that travel to the ducts and then block the bile from flowing through or the gallstones themselves can travel and end up in other organs, such as the liver. This is extremely painful and the only thing you can do during a gallbladder attack is to just wait for it to pass by and take a painkiller. An over the counter analgesic or painkiller usually suffices to eliminate or drastically reduce the gallbladder pain so that it can at least be tolerated for the duration of the attack.  

The gallbladder pain is experienced when the gallstones become large and travel to the ducts where they then block them. Some even travel to other organs where they cause pain or the gallbladder along with the stones or polyps can become inflamed. Symptoms of an attack include pain when trying to take deep breaths, vomiting, pains on the right side of the body at the level of the upper abdomen, biliary colic, and gas.