Could Your Stomach Pain Be Gallstones?

There’s a lot going on in your body between your chest and your pelvis. So, when abdominal pain strikes, it can be nearly impossible to tell where it’s coming from.

If you’re feeling pain in the right upper part of your stomach, you may wonder if your gallbladder is to blame. This tiny, pear-shaped organ sits under your liver on the right side of your abdomen.

It’s a fairly common cause of upper abdominal pain after all, with around 200,000 cases a year in the United States. But it’s not the only potential cause.

Are there certain clues that suggest you might be dealing with an issue like gallstones? Gastroenterologist Christine Lee, MD, explains how this organ works, plus some classic symptoms of a gallbladder attack.

How the gallbladder can cause stomach pain

Your gallbladder is a small organ that stores bile. Bile, while is produced by your liver, helps break down fats. When you eat a meal, your gallbladder gets to work squeezing some of that stored bile into the intestine to help with digestion.

But if bile contains too much of one or more of its components, it can harden or precipitate into pebble-like pieces called gallstones (cholelithiasis).

“Most people that have gallstones are unaware that they have gallstones,” Dr. Lee shares. “As long as they stay within the confines of the gallbladder, gallstones generally don’t cause any symptoms.”

But gallstones become problematic if they start to block bile from exiting the gallbladder or if they slip out of the gallbladder and cause a blockage in your biliary system. Blockages can create a buildup of pressure in your gallbladder, which causes pain called cholecystitis — more commonly known as a “gallbladder attack.”

What does a gallstone attack feel like?

Gallbladder pain is usually felt in your upper right abdomen, but you may also feel it right in the middle of the chest or abdomen. A number of issues — including heartburn, a peptic ulcer or even a heart attack — can cause pain in that area, which can make it difficult to determine when the gallbladder is the source of your pain.

But Dr. Lee says certain signs may indicate you’re dealing with a gallbladder issue, including:

• Pain in your upper right abdomen: The most common symptom of gallstone pain is pain that occurs under the right ribcage area, where your gallbladder is located. “That pain can also radiate to the back, shoulder or up into the chest area,” she says.
• Discomfort after meals: Gallbladder attacks typically strike about 15 to 20 minutes after eating, especially if you’ve just had a greasy, fatty or larger meal. They may last 30 minutes to two hours after you’ve eaten.
• Pain that wakes you up at night: “The pain can be spontaneous and not necessarily restricted to mealtime,” Dr. Lee says. “It might even awaken you from sleep.”
• Consistency in symptoms: Gallbladder attacks often seem to hit at similar times (post-meal) in a similar location with similar pain.

Dr. Lee adds that gallstones can cause other digestive symptoms, too, like fever, nausea and vomiting — or you may experience these symptoms but not have any pain. After all, everybody (and every body) is different.

“The way that all these symptoms present varies from person to person,” she says. “You may have all of these symptoms or a uniquely different set of symptoms.”

Can anything else mimic gallbladder pain?

If you experience pain that you think might be related to your gallbladder, don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. Other gallbladder diseases can cause similar symptoms, and conditions like kidney stones and pancreatitis can bring similar symptoms, too.

In general, abdominal pain can have many causes, so it’s important to tread carefully. Seek emergency care if your pain gets worse, becomes severe or is accompanied by sweating, shortness of breath, fevers, or bloody vomit or stool.

What to do about gallstone attacks

Although gallbladder attacks generally don’t last long, they can recur with complications.

“Cholecystitis generally doesn’t go away on its own,” Dr. Lee states. If you suspect you’re experiencing gallbladder attacks, see a gastroenterologist to help you get to the bottom of it.

It can be helpful to keep a record of when and where your symptoms occur so that when your healthcare provider takes your medical history, you can share this information with them to help them better understand what you’ve been experiencing. If your doctor suspects gallstones as the culprit, they may order tests for confirmation.

At this time, there are no medications that can effectively treat gallstones, so the treatment is typically gallbladder removal surgery (cholecystectomy). While that might sound like a dramatic step, the reality is that you don’t actually need your gallbladder to live a happy, healthy life.

Your liver can release bile directly into your intestines to help with digestion. And your gallbladder can (most of the time) be removed laparoscopically — a minimally invasive procedure done by making small cuts in your belly, usually less than half an inch long in three different places.

“Your gallbladder is not essential for life,” Dr. Lee clarifies. “The gallbladder, thankfully, is not a vital organ. It’s more of a luxury than a necessity.”