How to Diagnose a Gallbladder Attack

Your gallbladder is located on the upper right side of your abdomen. It acts as a reservoir to store bile from the liver that is secreted into your intestines to help you digest fat. Your gallbladder can become diseased, developing gallstones, polyps or cancer, or it can become dysfunctional. In many cases, gallbladder attacks are due to the fact that your gallbladder has become dysfunctional from gallstones that have formed. These stones can also block off the cystic or common bile duct of the gallbladder, causing a severe gallbladder attack that requires immediate medical attention.

Instructions

Symptoms That May Indicate a Gall Bladder Attack

• 1

  You may be having a gallbladder attack if you feel a moderate or severe pain in your upper right abdomen right under your rib cage. The pain is typically constant and may radiate around you back, lasting from 30 minutes to several hours. In rare instances, the pain can be felt in the middle of the upper abdomen, beneath the breastbone, and may be mistaken for a heart attack.

• 2

  If you experience pain in your upper abdomen after you've eaten a fatty meal you may be having a gallbladder attack. You might also experience diarrhea, a feeling of fullness in your abdomen, gas, nausea, vomiting belching, and/or stomach acid backwash into your throat or mouth.

• 3

  If your pain is severe, debilitating or you have a fever, you could have a more serious attack from an infection or inflammation of the gallbladder. This may be caused by an obstruction such as a gallstone. The attack can be severely painful and can last from 30 minutes to as long as 15 hours. If you experience severe gallbladder pain with fever and chills, you should call your doctor right away.

• 4

  If you experience one gallbladder attack, you will likely experience more. This is another sign that the problem may be your gallbladder. There is usually a pattern of attacks for each individual. Some people experience frequent attacks, while others have them on an occasional basis.

• 5

  Your doctor can determine if and why you are having gallbladder attacks. Your doctor will examine you and do one or more of the following tests: a blood test, an ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or hydroxyl iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) test to measure the function of your gallbladder. An endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a procedure in which a tube is placed down the throat, into the small intestine, to inject dye into the ducts of the gallbladder, liver and pancreas, so they can be seen on X-ray.