Gallbladder Symptoms or Acid Reflux Problem?
If you struggle with gastrointestinal pain or symptoms in the abdomen region, it can be very tricky to figure out just what the cause is because many gallbladder symptoms are the same as other symptoms associated with intestinal troubles particularly if gallstones run in your family.
Many people with symptoms of gallbladder may suffer from everything from gas, to diarrhea and indigestion. To make things even more confusing, gallbladder dysfunction can also lead to indigestion because the gallbladder plays an important role in breaking down the fat we eat.
The gallbladder is a small, pouch-like organ located under the liver that stores bile and releases it in precisely concentrated amounts.
When you eat food containing fat, signals are sent from the stomach to the gallbladder that tell it exactly how much bile is needed. The gallbladder squeezes and sends bile along the common bile duct, into the small intestine. When the outflow of bile is impaired in some way, pain and digestive problems results.
The key to determining whether your discomfort is related to gallbladder symptoms or simply something you ate, is noting when and where the pain occurs. Because bile is triggered for release when food enters the duodenum at the top of the intestines, the timing for onset of pain will be a couple hours after eating in most cases. If you feel pain in the stomach or other signs of poor digestion immediately after eating, it’s then more likely that the food you ate is causing an immediate reaction and the gallbladder is not involved yet.
The symptom of gallbladder pain is typically felt in the mid, upper and right side of the abdomen. The feeling of a gallbladder attack is often described as gnawing, aching pain and it may be intermittent or persist steadily for a few hours. Gallbladder pain can often radiate to the mid or upper back, chest or right shoulder.
The sensation of biliary colic which causes a gallbladder attack is usually caused by the temporary blockage of a small stone in one of the bile ducts. Gallstones may sit unnoticed in the gallbladder for years without causing any gallbladder symptoms but when they move out into bile passages they can lodge there.
A prolonged blockage may cause severe pain lasting several hours, nausea and vomiting, and other signs like yellowing skin or darkened urine due to the build up of bilirubin in the bloodstream.
If you have had severe gallbladder symptoms for several hours, or if you develop fever and chills with your other sensations, do seek medical attention to ensure you don’t have a serious infection or rupture.
A poorly functioning gallbladder or a system bogged down with excess saturated fat and junk food will also lead to indigestion symptoms like abdominal pain, gas, bloating and sometimes nausea.
You can’t go wrong with eliminating these hard to digest fats from the diet and adding gallbladder-friendly items like dark leafy vegetables, beets, bitter greens and apple cider vinegar for daily gallbladder treatment.
