Gallstones

Most people who have gallstones don't have symptoms. When symptoms occur, they can include:

• Pain in your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. It may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area.
• Pain that may come and go or be steady.
• Pain that often starts after you eat food that's high in fat.
• Fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting if a gallstone is blocking the bile duct and causing an infection.
• Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes.

Pain can last from minutes to hours. Continuous pain for several hours is common. The pain may begin at night and be severe enough to wake you. The pain usually makes it hard to get comfortable. Moving around doesn't make the pain go away.

Gallstones form when cholesterol and other substances found in the bile form crystals that become hard stones in the gallbladder. Gallstones can also form if your gallbladder doesn't empty as it should. Or they can form if you have too much cholesterol in your bile. Too much cholesterol in your bile isn't caused by eating too much cholesterol or having high cholesterol (in the blood).

Being overweight, having obesity, or losing weight quickly may increase the risk of developing gallstones.

Sometimes a thick material called "biliary sludge" forms instead of stones. This can cause the same problems as gallstones. It often can be seen on an ultrasound of the belly.

You can try to reduce your risk of forming gallstones.

• Stay at a weight that's healthy for you. If you need to lose weight, your doctor and a dietitian can help you make a plan. Losing weight too quickly can increase the risk of gallstones.
• Eat heart-healthy foods. These foods include vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, lean meat, fish, and whole grains. Limit high-fat foods, sodium, alcohol, and sugar.
• Be as active as you can every day. For many people, walking is a good choice. Or you may want to swim, bike, or be active in other ways. Housework and yard work count too.

Your doctor will do a physical exam. The doctor will ask you questions about when the pain in your belly started, where it is, and if it comes and goes or is always there. If your doctor thinks you have gallstones, your doctor may order imaging tests or blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.

The most common test is an abdominal ultrasound. A technologist moves a wand gently over your belly to create pictures on a screen. Other imaging tests, such as a CT scan or MRI, may be done. Blood tests may be done to find out if gallstones are causing other serious problems or if your symptoms are caused by something else.

If you don't have symptoms, you probably don't need treatment.

If you have mild symptoms and your first gallstone attack causes pain, your doctor may tell you to take pain medicine and wait to see if the pain goes away. You may never have another attack. Waiting to see what happens usually won't cause problems.

If you have severe pain or an infection, or if you have more than one gallstone attack, you may want to have your gallbladder removed. And the body works fine without a gallbladder.

If you have small gallstones and can't have surgery, you may be able to try medicines that break down gallstones.

Gallstones can cause many different health problems, such as:

• A blockage in the common bile duct.
• Inflammation or infection of the gallbladder (acute cholecystitis). This can happen when a gallstone blocks the cystic duct.
• Inflammation or infection of the common bile duct (cholangitis). This can happen when gallstones get stuck in the common bile duct. Without treatment, it can damage the liver, or the infection can spread throughout the body.
• Pancreatitis. This is an inflammation of the pancreas.

• Rest until you feel better.
• Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
  • If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
  • If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
  • Store your prescription pain medicines where no one else can get to them. When you are done using them, dispose of them quickly and safely. Your local pharmacy or hospital may have a drop-off site.
• Avoid foods that cause symptoms, especially fatty foods. These can make the pain worse.