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Yes, you can get help with your gallbladder
problem and there are alternatives to gallbladder surgery.
There is hope!
What are the symptoms of a gallbladder
attack?
Gallbladder attacks can be both very painful
and frightening. It is easy to understand why so many people opt for gallbladder surgery after experiencing even
one gallbladder attack. But there are both natural supplements and natural foods that can manage gallbladder disease
to help prevent both surgery and the discomfort of gallbladder colic.
GALLBLADDER
ATTACK SYMPTOMS specifically
Please note that if you are in severe pain
and particularly if your attack symptoms are accompanied by fever DO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. The following
symptoms are typical of a gallbladder attack.
- Moderate to severe pain under the right side
of the rib cage
- Pain may radiate through to the back or to
the right shoulder
- Severe upper abdominal pain (biliary colic)
- Nausea
- Queasiness
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Burping or belching
- Attacks are often at night
- Attacks often occur after overeating
- Pain will often but not always follow a meal
with fats or grease
- Pain may be worse with deep inhalation
- Attacks can last from 15 minutes to 15 hours
SYMPTOMS OF GALLBLADDER
PROBLEMS
Gallbladder disease is more common than you may think. Gallstones
affect more than 25 million Americans with 1 million new cases diagnosed annually, according to the American Gastroenterological
Association. And there are other things that go wrong with the gallbladder
besides just gallstones.
People can go for years with
digestive symptoms and never realize that they may be related to a gallbladder problem. That's because they are
so inter-woven with other digestive symptoms such as indigestion, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea and nausea.
The list provided here may be related to gallbladder but bear in mind that it could also be something else. Gluten
intolerance or celiac disease should also be considered depending on the specific symptoms. The first four mentioned
below I feel are most indicative of gallbladder issues. It is not necessary to have all or many symptoms to have
gallbladder problems but the more you have from this list, the more confirmation you have that the gallbladder
is involved.
Please note that it is still advisable to consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. Gallbladder attack symptoms
are listed above and again with more detailed explanation when you answer the three-minute gall bladder symptom questionnaire. To get a good understanding of what caused your gall
bladder problems, study the list of risk factors for gallbladder disease.
GALLBLADDER
SYMPTOMS
- Pain or tenderness under the rib cage on the
right side
- Pain between shoulder blades
- Stools light or chalky colored
- Fatty stools
- Indigestion after eating, especially fatty
or greasy foods
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Bloating
- Gas
- Burping or belching
- Feeling of fullness or food not digesting
- Diarrhea (or alternating from soft to watery)
- Constipation
- Headache over eyes, especially right
- Bitter fluid comes up after eating
- Frequent use of laxatives
SYMPTOMS OF GALLSTONES
Symtpoms of a gallbladder attack are often caused by gallbladder
stones. A stone may block the neck of the gallbladder or get stuck in a bile duct inhibiting the flow of bile or
possibly causing a backing up of bile. However, short of causing an actual attack, stones may be present for years
and never cause any symptoms at all. "Biliary pain can occur in about a third of the gallstone patients"
(which leaves two thirds NOT experiencing pain) and "sometimes the gallstone symptoms are difficult to differentiate
from that of dyspepsia." (indigestion)3 The gallstones can impair the functioning of the gallbladder, however,
which can result in any of the common gallbladder symptoms.
Gall bladder symptoms can look and feel the same with or
without stones. Therefore, all of the symptoms on listed on this page can accompany gallstones.
SILENT GALLSTONES
70-80% of people with gallstones never know they have them.
These are called "silent gallstones". However, the remaining 20-30% still results in 500,000-700,000
gallbladder removals every year. And since the diet of the general American population is not improving, those
numbers are rising.
The risk of silent gallstones causing a gallbladder attack
is about 1% per year.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the
mortality rate from emergency surgery performed for obstructing gallstones with the mortality rate from routine,
scheduled gallbladder surgery and concluded that the latter gallbladder surgery is actually more dangerous. They
advised that "silent" gallstones should not be subjected to surgery but left alone.
And another study reports:
"We conclude that innocent gallstones are not a myth,
and that in some populations the majority of silent gallstones are inconsequential. We believe that routine prophylactic
operation for silent gallstone disease, at least in white American men, is neither necessary nor advisable."2.
So now that you know you have gallbladder problems....
 WHAT
IS THE GALLBLADDER & WHAT DOES IT DO?
I J Sarfeh, D A Beeler, D H Treble, and J A Balint J Clin Invest.
Studies of the hepatic excretory defects in essential fatty acid deficiency.1974 February; 53(2): 423-430
2.William A. Gracie, M.D., and David F. Ransohoff, M.D.,The Natural History of Silent Gallstones — The Innocent
Gallstone is Not a Myth,
N Engl J Med 1982; 307:798-800September 23, 1982
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