Gallstones are solid deposits of digestive fluid that form in your gallbladder—a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. They can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball.

Most gallstones don’t cause problems and are often called “silent stones.” However, if a stone gets stuck in a duct (tube) and causes a blockage, it can lead to a painful “gallbladder attack.”

Common Symptoms

If a gallstone causes a blockage, you might experience:

• Sudden, intense pain: Usually in the upper right or center of the abdomen (often after a fatty meal).

• Referred pain: Pain that radiates to your right shoulder or between your shoulder blades.

• Nausea and vomiting: Frequently accompanying the abdominal pain.

• Indigestion and bloating: Feeling unusually full or gassy.

Causes & Risk Factors

Gallstones typically form when there is a chemical imbalance in the bile (the fluid your liver makes to digest fat). The main factors include:

• Too much cholesterol: If your liver excretes more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve.

• Too much bilirubin: Often seen in people with certain blood disorders or liver cirrhosis.

• Gallbladder stasis: If the gallbladder doesn’t empty completely or often enough.

Who is at higher risk?

• Women (due to estrogen levels).

• People over age 40.

• Those with obesity or a high-fat/low-fiber diet.

• People who have lost weight very rapidly.

Treatment Options

If your gallstones aren’t causing symptoms, you likely won’t need treatment. If they are symptomatic, options include:

• Surgery (Cholecystectomy): The most common treatment. Since the gallbladder isn’t essential for life, it is often removed entirely, usually via a minimally invasive “keyhole” (laparoscopic) procedure.

• Medication: Certain drugs (like Ursodiol) can dissolve cholesterol stones, though this process can take months or years and stones often return.

• ERCP: If a stone is stuck in the bile duct rather than the gallbladder, a specialized endoscopy can be used to remove the blockage.

When to Seek Emergency Care

Go to the ER or contact a doctor immediately if you notice:

• Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin or the whites of your eyes.

• High fever and chills.

• Abdominal pain so intense that you cannot find a comfortable position.

• Tea-colored urine or pale (clay-colored) stools.