Abdominal & Urinary Conditions

Gallstones

Image of gallstones.

The gallbladder stores bile. This substance helps digest fats. Gallstones form when bile hardens into pieces of stone-like material. These deposit in the gallbladder or bile ducts (which carry bile to the small intestine). The stones can range in size from less than a pinhead to 3 inches across.

Signs & Symptoms

•  Feeling bloated and gassy, especially after eating fried or fatty foods.

•  Steady pain in the upper right abdomen lasting 20 minutes to 5 hours.

•  Pain between the shoulder blades or in the right shoulder.

•  Indigestion. Nausea. Vomiting. Severe abdominal pain with fever. Sometimes a yellow color to the skin and/or the whites of the eyes.

{Note: Gallstone symptoms can be hard to tell apart from heart-related or other serious problems. A doctor should evaluate any new symptoms.}

Gallstones

Illustration of gallbadder with gallstones.

Causes

•  Ethnic background (i.e., Native Americans) and family history of gallstones. Being middle age.

•  Obesity. Very rapid weight loss.

•  Being female. Having had many pregnancies. Taking estrogen.

•  Having diabetes. Having diseases of the small intestine.

Treatment

•  A low-fat diet.

•  Surgery to remove the gallbladder. This is the most common treatment. You can still digest foods without a gallbladder.

Questions to Ask

Self-Care / Prevention

•  Avoid high-fat foods. Don’t eat large meals.

•  Get to and stay at a healthy body weight. If you are overweight, lose weight slowly (1 to 1-1/2 pounds per week). Do not follow a rapid weight loss diet unless under strict medical guidance.

•  Eat a high fiber, low-fat diet.

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