Over 1.2 million people have their gallbladder removed every year in the United States. Despite how common this procedure is, many people brush off their gallbladder symptoms for months or even years. Often chalking up the pain, nausea, and bloating to things like indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome. Gallbladder issues rarely get better on their own and can actually become serious if left untreated for too long. Knowing what to look for early can save you from a lot of unnecessary pain and prevent more serious complications down the road. 

Read on to learn the top signs you need to get your gallbladder out and where to find the best gallbladder doctor in Los Angeles. 

Four Signs You May Need Your Gallbladder Removed

Not every stomach ache is a gallbladder attack, but some symptoms are telltale signs. Below are some gallbladder attack symptoms that are most common:

1. Persistent or Intermittent Upper Right Abdominal Pain

The most telling sign that your gallbladder may need to come out is a pain just below your right rib cage. It is usually a pain that comes on quickly and can feel sharp, dull, or crampy, and may get worse when you breathe deeply. What makes gallbladder pain easy to miss is that it often overlaps with the stomach and muscles in the same area. This makes it easy to mistake for things like gas, acid reflux, or a pulled muscle. 

Gallbladder pain can also shoot into your back or right shoulder blade, which makes it feel completely unrelated to your abdomen. When your gallbladder is inflamed and swollen, it irritates the phrenic nerve, a nerve that stretches from the abdomen through the chest and into your neck. That irritation can cause referred pain in your right shoulder blade each time you eat a fatty meal. If you have noticed that the pain tends to flare up after eating and keeps coming back in the same spot, it is most likely your gallbladder.

2. Nausea, Vomiting, and Digestive Problems After Eating

Frequent nausea, particularly after meals, is a common sign of gallbladder dysfunction, and in more advanced cases, vomiting may occur alongside abdominal pain. Additionally, most people with gallstones report chronic indigestion, like bloating, post-meal belching, abdominal discomfort, and heartburn. 

When the gallbladder is blocked by gallstones, bile cannot flow properly into the small intestine to break down the fat in your food. This causes the bile to travel back into the stomach and cause indigestion and pain. Usually, over-the-counter antacids and dietary changes only provide temporary relief.

3. Recurring Gallbladder Attacks 

Experiencing biliary colic, or the symptoms of a gallbladder attack that keep returning, raises your risk of serious complications. Each attack is a sign that gallstones are actively causing problems, and the next one could be worse or come with complications like infection or pancreatitis. As many as 80% of those with gallstones eventually require surgery, even if they had gallstones for years before their first attack. 

4. Unexplained Weight Loss, Loss of Appetite, or Signs of Pancreatitis

When the gallbladder is blocked by gallstones and cannot deliver bile to the small intestine, the body loses its ability to break down fats properly, which can leave you feeling persistently full or cause a significant loss of appetite. In some cases, the gallstone may be blocking the pancreatic duct rather than just the bile duct, and that creates a more urgent problem, like pancreatitis or an infection. 

Signs of a Serious Gallbladder Infection

While most gallbladder symptoms are uncomfortable but manageable, ignoring gallbladder symptoms or delaying gallbladder removal for too long can lead to a serious infection: 

1. Jaundice 

Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes is one of the more urgent signs of a serious gallbladder problem. This condition, known as jaundice, happens because a gallstone has moved out of the gallbladder and lodged in the bile duct, stopping bile from draining normally. Jaundice is a sign that one or more gallstones have passed into the bile ducts and that bile is backing up into the liver. This development often requires prompt surgical attention. Jaundice can also be a red flag for pancreatic trouble. When gallstones obstruct the shared duct connecting the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder, gallstones become one of the two most common causes of acute pancreatitis in adults. 

2. Fever, Chills, and Signs of Infection 

Pain on its own can sometimes wait for a regular doctor's visit, but pain that comes with a fever and chills is a different situation entirely. This combination can mean you’re dealing with cholecystitis, a condition where the gallbladder becomes inflamed, usually because a gallstone is blocking the main bile duct. Fever, chills, and severe upper abdominal pain are warning signs that you should see the best gallbladder doctor in Los Angeles immediately, as surgery may be needed to stop an infection from spreading to other parts of the body. 

Finding the Best Gallbladder Doctor in Los Angeles

Gallbladder attacks can slowly take away the simple joys in life, like enjoying your favorite foods and relaxing after a long day. The good news is that gallbladder removal is one of the most common and straightforward surgeries performed today, and most people feel relief almost immediately after recovery.

‍Dr. Danny Shouhed is a board-certified surgeon in Los Angeles who specializes in minimally invasive gallbladder removal. At Dr. Shouhed’s state-of-the-art clinic, our team takes the time to review your imaging, understand your symptoms, and make sure you fully understand your treatment options before any decision is made. 

Ready to put an end to abdominal pain after eating with minimally invasive treatment from the best gallbladder doctor in Los Angeles?