13 Symptoms of a Gall Bladder Attack

2. Pain in the Abdomen

Pain in your abdomen is often the first sign of a gallbladder attack. You usually feel it on the upper right side of your belly, just under your ribs. Some people feel the pain in the upper middle part of the abdomen instead. The pain often starts suddenly and builds fast, then becomes steady and strong.

Many people describe it as sharp, cramping, or like deep pressure. It may last at least 30 minutes and continue for several hours. You might notice it begins after you eat, especially after fatty foods such as fried items, cheese, or red meat.

High-fat meals make your gallbladder squeeze to release bile. If a gallstone blocks a duct, pressure builds and causes pain. The area may feel tender when pressed, and a deep breath can make it worse. The pain can spread to your back or right shoulder blade. It often stays until the blockage clears or medical care is received.

3. Pain in the Shoulder

You may feel pain in your right shoulder during a gallbladder attack. This pain often begins in the upper right side of your abdomen and then spreads upward. It can move toward your right shoulder blade or the area between your shoulders. This pattern is common with gallbladder disease.

This is called referred pain because the nerves that serve your gallbladder also connect to your shoulder area. When your gallbladder becomes inflamed or a gallstone blocks a duct, your brain can misread the signal and register pain in your shoulder. The pain may feel sharp, dull, or cramping, and it often stays steady.

Deep breathing can make the pain worse because movement in your abdomen increases pressure on the inflamed area. You may also have upper right abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, fever, and tenderness when pressing on your upper belly. Right-sided shoulder pain is typical, while left-sided pain with chest pressure and arm pain may signal a different condition.

4. Bouts of Vomiting

You may have repeated vomiting during a gallbladder attack. The pain often starts in the upper right side of your belly and can spread to your back or right shoulder. As the pain grows stronger, nausea can turn into forceful vomiting, which is common with gallbladder disease.

A gallstone can block the normal flow of bile, which irritates your gallbladder and upsets your digestive system. Your body responds by trying to empty your stomach. These episodes often begin after you eat, especially after fatty foods. You may feel bloated or queasy at first, then vomit more than once over several hours.

Vomiting from a gallbladder attack does not always relieve the pain. The discomfort may continue even after your stomach is empty. You may also notice sharp or cramping pain in the upper right abdomen, fever or chills, nausea that does not improve, or yellowing of your skin or eyes. Severe or long-lasting vomiting may signal that urgent medical care is needed.

5. Feeling Bloated

You may feel full and tight in your upper belly during a gallbladder attack. This bloated feeling often starts after you eat, especially if your meal is high in fat. Your stomach may look slightly swollen, and your clothes may feel tighter than usual.

Your gallbladder helps break down fat. When a gallstone blocks a bile duct, bile cannot flow as it should. This slows digestion and causes gas and pressure to build in your stomach. You may also notice a dull or steady pain under your right ribs, nausea or the urge to vomit, more burping than usual, and a heavy feeling that lasts over 30 minutes.

The bloating may come in waves and last from half an hour to a few hours. The pressure can spread to your back or right shoulder blade. If this feeling keeps coming back after meals, your gallbladder may not be working well.

6. Heartburn

You may feel a burning pain in your chest or upper belly during a gallbladder attack. This feeling often starts after you eat, especially if the meal is high in fat. The pain can move up toward your throat and leave a sour taste in your mouth.

Heartburn happens when stomach acid flows back into your food pipe. Gallbladder problems can slow digestion and raise pressure in your upper belly. That pressure can push acid upward and cause a burning feeling. Gallbladder pain and heartburn can seem alike, but gallbladder pain often lasts longer than 30 minutes and includes steady pain under your right ribs.

You might also notice nausea, bloating, or fullness along with the burning. These signs can suggest a digestive problem linked to your gallbladder instead of simple acid reflux. Some people use acid-lowering drugs such as antacids, H2 blockers, or proton pump inhibitors. If the burning keeps returning with right-sided belly pain, your gallbladder may be involved.

7. Diarrhea

You may notice loose or watery stools during a gallbladder attack. This can happen when a gallstone blocks the normal flow of bile. Bile helps your body break down fat, so changes in bile flow can upset your digestion and lead to sudden bowel changes.

When bile does not move as it should, fat may not digest well, which can cause greasy, foul-smelling stools. You might feel a strong urge to use the bathroom soon after eating, especially after high-fat foods such as fried meals, pizza, or creamy dishes.

Diarrhea linked to gallbladder disease often appears with other symptoms. You may have upper right belly pain, nausea, bloating, or pain that spreads to your back or right shoulder. These episodes may last for hours or until the blockage clears. If diarrhea keeps happening with belly pain, a gallbladder problem may be the cause rather than a simple stomach virus.

8. A Fever

A fever can signal that your gallbladder is inflamed or infected. When a gallstone blocks a duct, bile builds up inside the gallbladder. This pressure can cause swelling and sometimes infection, which raises your body temperature as your immune system responds.

You may notice your temperature rises above 100.4°F. The fever often appears with steady pain in the upper right side of your belly. Chills, sweating, nausea, or vomiting may also occur. Yellowing of your skin or eyes and feeling weak or shaky can signal that the blockage is affecting your bile ducts.

A mild fever may appear early in an attack, while a higher fever can mean the condition has become more serious. Infection inside the gallbladder can spread without medical treatment. If your fever rises quickly, lasts more than a day, or comes with severe belly pain, urgent medical care may be required.

9. Changes to the Color of the Skin and Eyes

You may notice a yellow tint in your skin or the whites of your eyes during a gallbladder attack, a change called jaundice. It happens when bile cannot flow out of your gallbladder and liver as it should, often because a gallstone is blocking a bile duct.

Bile is a digestive liquid that helps break down fats. When it builds up in your body instead of moving into your intestines, a yellow color can appear in your skin and eyes. The change may be easier to see in natural light. With darker skin tones, the yellow color may show more clearly in the whites of your eyes or inside your lower eyelids.

You may also notice dark brown urine and pale or clay-colored stools. These changes happen because bile is not reaching your intestines in normal amounts. Jaundice with upper right belly pain, nausea, or fever can signal a serious blockage.

10. Loss of Appetite

You may notice that you do not feel hungry during a gallbladder attack. Food may seem unappealing, even if you have not eaten for hours. This change can begin suddenly and feel unusual. A blocked bile duct can inflame your gallbladder and cause steady pain in the upper right side of your belly.

The discomfort often makes eating feel difficult. Nausea commonly appears with this loss of appetite and you may feel full after only a few bites. Bloating or an uneasy feeling after meals, especially fatty or fried foods, can also occur. Digestion slows when bile cannot flow properly.

Your body reacts this way because bile helps break down fat. When bile flow is blocked, eating can increase pain, pressure, or nausea. Loss of appetite often comes with upper right belly pain, nausea or vomiting, fever, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.

11. Changes to the Urine

You may notice that your urine looks darker than usual during a gallbladder attack. It can turn deep yellow, brown, or tea-colored. This change often happens when a gallstone blocks a bile duct and prevents bile from flowing the right way.

Your liver makes bile and stores it in your gallbladder. When a stone blocks its normal path, bile can build up in your blood. Your kidneys filter some of this extra bile out of your body, which causes your urine to become darker than normal.

Dark urine may appear with yellowing of your skin or eyes, pale stools, or pain in the upper right side of your abdomen. Dehydration can also darken urine, but bile-related color changes often remain even after drinking fluids. If the color shift happens with abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting, your gallbladder may be the cause.

12. Pain in the Chest

You may feel pain in your chest during a gallbladder attack. This pain often starts in the upper right side of your belly and moves upward. It can spread into your chest, back, or right shoulder blade. The discomfort may feel sharp, tight, or steady.

The pain often begins after you eat, especially if the meal is high in fat. It can last longer than 30 minutes and may become worse with deep breaths. Chest pain from a gallbladder attack can feel similar to heart pain, which makes it hard to tell the cause on your own.

You might also have nausea or vomiting, fever, upper right abdominal pain, and tenderness when you press that area. Gallstones can block a small tube that drains bile, which causes pressure and swelling. Severe chest pain, pain with shortness of breath, or pain that does not improve requires urgent medical evaluation.

13. Lethargy

You may feel unusually tired during a gallbladder attack. This fatigue can feel strong and hard to shake, even after you rest. Simple tasks may seem harder than usual. Ongoing discomfort in your upper right abdomen can wear you down over time.

If the pain lasts for hours, your body uses extra energy to handle stress and inflammation. This can leave you feeling weak or sluggish, and you may notice low motivation and little interest in normal daily activities. Eating or moving around may feel like too much effort.

Nausea, vomiting, or a mild fever can add to your exhaustion. A gallstone blocking the cystic duct causes bile to build up in your gallbladder, which leads to swelling and sometimes infection. Your body’s response to this blockage can make you feel run down and drained.