What Does It Feel Like to Have a Bad Gallbladder?

Symptoms of a bad gallbladder vary depending on the condition. These symptoms may include pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, upset stomach, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, chronic diarrhea, and others.

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located under the liver that stores bile, a fluid that helps the body break down fat in food. 

Depending on the condition, a bad gallbladder may cause pain that can come on suddenly, be intermittent (comes and goes), and is severe in some cases. 

Symptoms of a bad gallbladder depend on the condition and may include:

• Biliary colic (also called a “gallbladder attack”)
  • The pain of a gallbladder attack may resemble a heart attack. See your doctor right away if you have chest pain. 
  • Pain is felt in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, near the rib cage
  • Intermittent pain, that can be severe
  • May radiate to the upper back
  • Sometimes accompanied by nausea or vomiting 
• Gallstones
  • Severe pain felt in the upper right abdomen
  • Pain is felt in the shoulder or back on the right side
  • Upset stomach
  • Heartburn
  • Indigestion
  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting
  • Chest pain
  • Gas
  • Dark urine and/or lighter colored stools  
  • Yellowing skin and eyes (jaundice) 
  • Rapid heartbeat and abrupt blood pressure drop
  • Fever
  • Chills
• Acute cholecystitis (inflammation in the gallbladder)
  • Pain is felt in the upper right abdomen 
  • Pain is severe and constant and may last for days
  • Pain can worsen on inhalation
  • Fever and chills 
  • Sometimes accompanied by nausea or vomiting 
• Chronic gallbladder disease
  • Nausea 
  • Abdominal discomfort after meals 
  • Gas
  • Chronic diarrhea

A bad gallbladder may be caused by: 

• Gallstones (also called gallstone disease, or cholelithiasis) 
  • Cholesterol and other substances found in bile can form stones. When stones pass from the gallbladder into the small intestine or get stuck in the biliary duct it may cause pain (biliary colic, or a “gallbladder attack”). 
  • The pain of a gallbladder attack may resemble a heart attack. See your doctor right away if you have chest pain. 
• Bile backing up into the gallbladder may cause the gallbladder to swell
• Gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis) 
• Gallbladder polyps
• Gallbladder rupture
• Gallbladder cancer
• Acalculous gallbladder disease or gallbladder dyskinesia
• Gangrene or abscesses
• Congenital defects of the gallbladder
• Sclerosing cholangitis
• Gallbladder and bile duct tumors

Treatment for a bad gallbladder may include: 

• Pain medications 
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 
  • Narcotic analgesics
• Bile acid pill: Actigall (ursodiol) to break down cholesterol gallstones
• Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy)
  • Usually the main treatment for gallbladder problems
    • Surgery laparoscopic or open incision