The mere utterance of the term gall bladder attack is blasphemous. It is a pear shaped organ and located below the liver. It helps to stack up the bile that helps to digest fat containing food items. However there could be times when the bile ducts stop functioning properly. The bile ducts transfer bile from the liver to the gall bladder and finally to the digestive tracts. In case the bile ducts get blocked, then it will cause a lot of pain to the individual. This will lead to inflammation in the body that is extremely painful. Moreover it has been observed that inflammation can happen without the presence of gallstones too.
These hard rock type things are called gallstones. The stones can accumulate in the cystic duct and have the capability of causing excruciating pain during an attack. Gallstones are usually composed of calcium, bilirubin and cholesterol. Most people don’t experience the symptoms of a gallstone. However, it could cause inflammation or infect the cystic duct. The bile can block the passage of the gall bladder as well as of the ducts. These attacks can take place without any prior warning. It is sudden and the pain is often unbearable. Immediate medical attention must be called for in such severe cases. Hospitalization could be one of the remedies to stop the pain. However, the patient should keep some patience while dealing with such a problem.
10 Warning Signs of a Gall Bladder Attack
These are a few of the symptoms that could be noted down for future help and awareness:
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Abdominal Ache
One of the early warning signs of a gall bladder attack is excruciating pain in the abdominal region. It usually occurs 2 to 3 weeks after the formation of the gall bladder stone. This pain is intolerable and would require meditation too. This warning sign is known as the biliary colic. This pain usually occurs in the lower abdominal region below the breast region. This is one of the indications of a stone in the gall bladder. The pain tends to last for a long duration of time. It tends to last for a period of 4 to 5 hours. The pain remains constant during this time frame irrespective of urination or passing of gasses. Pain is triggered by the consumption of fatty and oily food content. It can happen without any prior alarm and could take place during sleep as well. The instances of such attack are not very frequent. After the first occurrence of an attack, it could again take place months later. This way it does not have a recurrent pattern over short intervals of time. Moreover the doctor must be consulted after the first attack.
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Indigestion
The presence of gallstones tends to decrease the level of bile produced by the liver and this leads to massive indigestion. The passage of gas might increase after meals at times. This is a clear sign of a gall bladder attack clubbed with indigestion issues. The gall bladder plays an influential role in the digestion process. It is instrumental in the passing of nutrients and fat components into the blood flow from the intestines. Indigestion can be accompanied by pain around the chest region. It could give the feeling of heartburn. It is a very uncomfortable position for a person to be in. The biliary pain could affect the back region along with the shoulders. This can cause a lot of discomfiture in the body. This feeling of heartburn could last for some time too. However, at times it is a cumbersome task to differentiate between heartburn and a gall bladder attack as a lot of people who have a good functioning gall bladder could suffer from similar experiences. These symptoms should not be ignored if they form a recurrent pattern in the body. It is advised to give attention to these body discomforts for a healthy survival of life.
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Nausea and Vomiting
The urgency to puke at regular intervals could be one of the symptoms too. The problem of nausea is a perennial problem in such patients. People experiencing gall bladder problems may feel the urge to vomit right after meals. This works as a relief measure for the patients. When people throw up, they tend to let of the pressure arising out of gas. This reduces the level of discomfort in the body too. A lot of people tend to experience the feeling of nausea complimented with mild fever. This could result in vomiting. Nausea tends to occur after heavy meals or the intake of fatty components. It could also happen at night when a person is sleeping. This could happen because of different sleeping positions resulting pressure on the affected area. The gall bladder tends to pay a very important role in the digestive system of the body. Hence if the body suffers from any sort of discomfiture after a heavy meal, the problem can be easily diagnosed. These small symptoms should be kept in mind for future reference. However there is no need to panic as long as the patient is under doctor’s observation.
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The Gall Bladder Problem Might Result In a Lack of Interest in Food
The appetite loss can be looked upon as one of the warning signs. This is a common observation for gall bladder patients to suffer from such appetite issues after biliary pain. The reason behind this is simple. People tend to suffer from nausea after the consumption of a heavy meal. Hence they grow all the more aversion towards food. This reason behind this avoidance is to reduce the discomfort level in the body. In some cases it is seen that the infection aggravates. This leads to the blockage of the bile duct thus making digestion problematic. It becomes extremely difficult for a person to digest food. Hence they tend to consume less or no food at all. People who have a weak immune system tend to suffer from gallstones more often than vice versa. However if you do experience the feeling of appetite loss resulting out of indigestion, get a doctor’s appointment done. Appetite loss could result out of various reasons. Hence the reason is not always a gall bladder problem. However the correct diagnosis of a disease is essential for people to live a risk free life.
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The Urinary Tract May Not Function Properly
There might be changes in the frequency of urine because of gall bladder problems. The volume of urine may vary too to a considerable extent. There might be changes in the color and consistency of urine too. These should stand out as some of the early warning signs. If the color of the urine is darkish brown or of a darker texture then that might be due to the presence of bile pigments in the gallstone. The color of the urine is a major determinant of the gall bladder problem. The unusual color of urine should be taken into serious consideration. This is one of the indicators of a possible gallstone in the bladder however if blood passes with the urine then that must be taken into account too. It may not cause a possible gall bladder. However, this could be because of problem in the kidneys or the bladder. Passing of blood with urine could be a serious issue too. Hence medical attention should be given to these problems in the body. These early signs should not be ignored or avoided over a considerable period of time.
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Changes Occur Not Only In the Urinary Tract but Also In the Stool Region
Due to gall bladder problem there might be change in the color and consistency of stool. The people who suffer from gallstones tend to have yellowish or clay type solid stool instead of the usual brown solid color. This happens due to the presence of fats in the food content. The fat does not get digested owing to the blockage of the bile ducts. This is an alarming problem that must not be neglected beyond a permissible limit. At times we are unable to diagnose a problem. In such cases doctor consultation is of prior importance. The stool consistency will change drastically. It may become too loose compared to the usual solid texture. Explosive bowl movements could be one of the early indicators of this problem too. This happens due to the digestion of food and results in such odd bowl movements. Even foul smelling bowl movement could be one of the signs of gall bladder too. These factors must be observed over a period of time. If we are more aware of the symptoms of the gall bladder disease then we will be in a better position to treat it effectively.
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Fever is a Common Observation for Most Diseases in the Body
Any sort of discomfiture in the body can be understood with the presence of fever. Fever is associated with mental issues as well as physical issues. Even extreme nervousness and anxiety can lead up to fever. Hence the gall bladder problem is not left behind too. Fever could also be one of the early signs of the gall bladder issue. In case a person is suffering from gall bladder problem, then one may tend to feel a little feverish. If the fever happens without any explainable cause, then it could be because of the blocked bile ducts. Anyone having a gallstone will experience these frequent unexplainable chills. People suffering from the gall bladder problem tend to experience fever. This is one of the most evident symptoms of gall stone problem. Fever is usually not a result of biliary colic. Fever occurs because of cholecystitis. However if there is a frequent occurrence of fever accompanied by a feeling of nausea and vomiting, then medical attention must be immediately asked for as this situation could be life threatening for the patient. However if the situation is overlooked by the patient, then it may result in the gall bladder getting perforated.
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Excruciating Chest Pain Could Be One of the Most Alarming Signs of Gall Bladder Issue
At times a gall bladder attack could be mistakenly considered a heart attack due to the commonality of symptoms. Chest is considered to be one of the reasons. Chest pain is one of the early indicators of the gall bladder issue. It could occur due to the blockage of the bile ducts or because of inflammation. This causes extreme discomfort in the body. This can result in acid getting trapped in the stomach region. Hence it flows back into the esophagus region causing intolerable pain in the chest. Chest pain could be one of the common symptoms of heart attack. However unbearable pain in the chest region right after consuming a heavy meal is a clear indication of gall bladder problems. Try not to rest your body in order to reduce the Heartburn and chest pain. All these symptoms clearly suggest gall bladder issues in the body. A pillow of wedge shape could be placed below the affected area to reduce the discomfort in the body. This pillow can be placed under the neck region and the abdomen area to prevent the acid from going back into the esophagus region.
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Jaundice Could Also Be One of the Diseases Indicating Towards a Gall Bladder Disease
During Jaundice the bile pigments get accumulated in the bile ducts after which bilirubin is set free into the bloodstream that makes our skin look slightly yellowish. This is the state of acute Jaundice. So, when the stone is formed in the gall bladder region it prevents bile from getting released. Thus bile does not get released from the Liver and this state may result in indigestion. When such a thing happens in the body, bilirubin gets released gets released in the blood. This makes the skin get its yellowish appearance. Jaundice should always be taken serious that is whenever it happens. A thorough check up must be done and a doctor must be consulted. These things if kept unchecked over a long period of time could turn into major issues. Therefore we must take good care of the body and do regular checkups to avoid unnecessary discomforts in the body. At times, if ignored for a considerable period of time, then it could become a life threatening issue too.
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Diarrhea Could Be One of the Early Symptoms Too
One of the early indicators of gall bladder problem is excruciating pain complimented with uneasy bowel movement. The pain could be pretty erratic and is concentrated over a large area. Hence the pain does not get fixated in one single region. The pain is generally observed along the entire abdominal region. Most people have reported saying that they experience unbearable pain in their belly, back region and the lower chest region. Due to gall bladder stone insufficient bile pigments get released from the liver. This leads to blockage resulting in diarrhea. Hence if you’re experiencing any inconsistency in the bowel movements then get yourself checked at the shortest notice possible. Most problems can be treated at the nascent stage. However if it is ignored beyond a permissible limit then this can aggravate the issue. Diarrhea if not treated at the right time could result in the death of the patient too. Hence do not delay the process of treatment. In the present day and age science and technology has reached great heights. Hence the common man will suffer less than before only if he is a little more aware.
These symptoms will help us to determine the problem faster. Hence the treatment can be preceded without much delay. However it is important to realize that all these symptoms might vary from person to person. It might not happen all at once. In some patients a handful of symptoms can be observed while in the rest, most of it can be noticed. The awareness of these symptoms is essential for survival of the body. People need to be aware of these symptoms so that they can monitor it in themselves.
Gall bladder stone is such a serious issue that requires a lot of attention and proper medication. It is very important for the gall bladder to function properly, otherwise the body will collapse. Digestion of food is essential for the body to survive, if that part becomes dysfunctional in some way then that rings the warning bell. It is time that we start paying heed to the needs of the body. We should avoid having heavy meal at night as that might cause a multitude of problems. Moreover diseases such as Jaundice and Diarrhea must be properly treated. They might be active indicators of the body’s dilapidated condition. Life has become very hectic and hence we tend to put our health at stake due to paucity of time. We have a tendency to consume pain killers to give immediate relief to the body. However we forget to adopt long term relief measures. It is important to take care of one’s health as that is the most precious wealth of our lives.
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