You’ve felt a nagging pain at your right upper abdomen that prompted you to seek a gastroenterologist. After a thorough interview and physical examination, you underwent an ultrasound exam. To your horror you’ve got gallstones!

Gallstones form in your gallbladder- located beneath your liver at your right upper abdomen. Gallstones are hard deposits that can be tiny to large sized stones and can be numerous or solitary.

Symptoms and Complications

Most times, you’ll not feel anything. But when a gallstone plugs the bile duct, the pain can be excruciating. The pain comes suddenly and becomes increasingly painful at the right portion or at the center of your abdomen just below your breastbone. The dull aching pain can be felt between your shoulder blades and at the right shoulder lasting several minutes to hours. Most times, it goes away as suddenly as it comes.

They may look harmless but complications can be lethal. If the gallstone becomes lodged in the neck of the gallbladder, inflammation can occur. There would be intense pain, fever and chills.   Or the gallstone can plug the ducts where the bile flows from your gallbladder or liver to your intestines. There would be jaundice – a yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes- coupled with intense pain. Consult a gastroenterologist immediately. Fever with chills warns of an infection.

The pancreatic duct– the duct from the pancreas to the common bile duct – can be blocked and cause inflammation of the pancreas. This would result in intense pain and you’d be rushed to the hospital.

Causes

Gallstones can be due to excess cholesterol or bilirubin in your bile that form the stones. It can also result when your gallbladder doesn’t completely empty its bile contents. The bile becomes too saturated and crystallizes into stones.

The risk factors for gallstones include being female, 60 years or older, being obese, pregnancy, diabetes, a history of gallstones, statins, losing weight fast, estrogen, hormone replacement and a diet high in fat and cholesterol but low in fiber.

Treatment

Imaging tests confirm the gallstones. It includes hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan and magnetic resonance imaging. The endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedure can remove gallstone during the procedure. This procedure can be done by an expert gastroenterologist.

Don’t worry if don’t have any symptoms and your gallstones have been incidentally discovered. Just be aware of symptoms that would necessitate you to consult a gastroenterologist.

Treatment consists of surgical removal of your gallbladder known as cholecystectomy. Medications to dissolve your gallstones aren’t recommended and reserved for patients who can’t tolerate surgery.
What you can Do

Prevent complications by consuming a high fiber diet with unsaturated fats such as nuts and fish. Eat at regular times. Supplement with vitamin C, E and calcium if you aren’t getting enough in your diet. Don’t skip meals. Exercise, lose weight slowly and maintain it.

Survive gallstones. Seek the expert opinion of a gastroenterologist