Gallstones are small stones that form in the gallbladder, the small organ under the liver that stores bile. Most people with gallstones have no symptoms. Problems start when a stone blocks a duct, causing sudden, intense pain.
Imagine a rich dinner followed by gripping pain under your ribs that radiates to your shoulder blade, so bad you can’t sit still. Knowing it could be gallstones, and which signs mean hospital now, helps you act fast.
Symptoms of a gallstone attack (biliary colic)
- Sudden, intense pain in the centre or upper right of the tummy
- Pain that may spread to the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades
- Often after eating, especially fatty food
- Pain that typically lasts 1 to 5 hours
- Feeling sick or being sick
Go to hospital urgently if you have
- Yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- A high temperature with shivering
- Pain so severe you can’t get comfortable, or pain lasting more than 8 hours
- Dark urine and pale stools
These can mean the gallbladder is inflamed or a stone is blocking the bile duct or affecting the pancreas.
Who is more likely to get gallstones
- Women, and people over 40
- People who are overweight, or who lose weight very quickly
- Pregnancy
- A family history of gallstones
Treatment
Gallstones that cause no symptoms usually don’t need treatment. If they cause pain or complications, the usual treatment is keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder (laparoscopic cholecystectomy). Stones in the bile duct can be removed with an endoscopy procedure.
But can I live without a gallbladder?
Yes. Bile flows straight from the liver into the gut instead of being stored. Most people eat normally afterwards; some find very fatty meals harder to digest at first.
Your next step: If you have had episodes of upper-right tummy pain after meals, see a doctor and ask about an ultrasound. For jaundice, fever or pain lasting more than 8 hours, go to hospital.
Sources: NHS, “Gallstones”; US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), “Gallstones”. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or pharmacist.
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