Like the appendix and the spleen, the gallbladder is one of those organs we’ve all heard of. But whenever I ask a patient to describe its function and location, I always get a blank stare.
Okay, function first. The gallbladder is a sac that stores bile, a substance secreted by the liver that helps to absorb fat. It is located directly under the liver, and if you feel a pain in your upper right quadrant under your rib cage, it’s likely your gallbladder is acting up. You may also feel a pain in your right shoulder.
If your diet is high in fat, you may develop gallstones in your gallbladder, and there are two situations where they can cause problems: one is serious, the other isn’t. Here’s the less serious one: Whenever you eat a fatty meal, the gallbladder secretes bile. As it secretes the bile, the stones are swept away with the bile, and they can get caught in the channel that leads from the gallbladder to the intestines, causing pain. You may also feel nauseous. This is known as gallbladder colic.
A more serious condition is called cholecystitis, which can appear whether you’re eating or not. The benchmark Body Signals are fever, an elevated white blood cell count, nausea, severe pain in the upper right quadrant, and vomiting.
Although gallbladder disease has traditionally been thought of as an illness that occurs in women in their 30s and over who are overweight, it has become a growing problem for anyone who eats a diet that’s high in fat. Ironically, gallbladder problems are especially common in people who are overweight and who decide to follow a low-fat diet in order to lose weight. With a low-fat diet, the gallbladder is pretty much at rest. During a binge on high-fat foods, however, the gallbladder will start to contract severely in order to produce the necessary bile, and either the stone that is blocking the channel or the contraction of the gallbladder itself may suddenly cause severe pain.
If you think you have a problem with your gallbladder, your doctor will be able to tell by pushing down on the upper right quadrant underneath the rib cage. If it’s painful, you probably have gallbladder disease. It’s also likely that you have the condition if you find that you fre-quently have severe indigestion and bloating after eating a high-fat food, such as French fries, cheese, or a candy bar.
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