Question:

Since my age of 10, I will have pain in my right-side lower rib after eating too full or fatty foods. The pain occurs during bedtime, until I`m too tired and fall asleep, then it will back to normal in the next morning. However, no doctor can diagnose the problem on me, they did ultrasound on my gall bladder, but nothing was found. I`m 25 years old now, the pain get worse in the past 2 weeks, so I go to see doctor again, this time they found a few small gall stones in my gall bladder. I would like to know is that possible that I have gall stones since my age of 10, but it just flush away from my gall bladder themselves? Should I remove my gall bladder or just ignore? Is there other treatment option for gall stones? Thanks very much!

Answer:

Gallstones are very common. Many people have gallstones and they don’t cause any symptoms or problems. Young women who are overweight commonly have gallstones. Some ethnic groups also more commonly have gallstones (Native Americans). Also, people who lose weight quickly are more likely to develop gallstones. Again, many people have gallstones and they don’t cause symptoms.

When someone does have pain that is related to their gallstones, the pain is usually in the right upper abdomen. The pain occurs when a gallstone blocks the duct/opening from the gallbladder or the common bile duct. People will typically complain of pain after eating a fatty meal (because the gallbladder is stimulated to contract after eating) and the gallstone may be partly blocking the duct, thus contributing to the pain.  After a few hours, the pain usually subsides.

An ultrasound and blood tests can tell if a gallstone is blocking the opening to the gallbladder or causing a blockage in the common bile duct, especially if the ultrasound is done while you are having pain. Small gallstones (less than 1 cm) are more mobile, and therefore can more easily move out of the gallbladder, and have a greater chance of getting stuck in the bile ducts. Large gallstones usually do not move out of the gallbladder well because they are too big, and therefore are less likely to cause symptoms.

In people with symptoms suggestive of biliary colic (pain related to the gallbladder) who are in good health, a cholecystectomy is the recommended treatment. There is a medication (ursodeoxycholic acid) that you can take to prevent new stones from forming, and there is shock wave therapy aimed at trying to break up the gallstones, but these are generally recommended in people who are not good surgical candidates.

For more information:

Go to the Digestive Disorders health topic.