Does anyone know what a gallbladder attack feels like?

I was just wondering what it feels like. I am having a nagging pain on the right side toward my back just below my rib cage. It is not excrutiating just nagging and annoying. I have had it before it comes and goes but it doesnt want to go away. Kinda feels like a muscle cramp or spasm. I have finals in the morning so I dont have time for a gallbladder attack. Thanks in advance for any info. P.S. I put in a call to my surgeon but I think he is out until Monday. Lynn

When I had my gallbladder attach, it was a horrible pain in the middle of my abdomen between my ribs toward the top. I couldn't stand or sit or lay, it was horrible. Then I started getting ill, puked several times. I finally then decided to go to the emergency room. And low and behold, I was told I had to have gallbladder surgery! Hopefully this is not your problem and it is just a muscle ache! Shelley

I had my gallbladder out a few years before I even thought of this surgery. I had a couple of attacks that were very painful. It almost seemed like they were in my chest, but in the middle. I thought it was a heart attack.Sometimes it would be like I was full of gas and wanted to burp with the pain. I imagine it affects different people differently though. Or depends on what triggers the attacks. I hope this helps.. Carla

My attacks consisted of pain under my right shoulder blade about a half an hour after eating. What you are describing could be a gallbladder attack, but if it is not excruciating you probably have some time to deal with it next week. Good luck, Keetara Germantown MD Lap RNY, 6-15-2005, 150 cm bypassed Dr. Barry Greene Sept. 2004 327 Highest 6-14-2005 265 Day before Surgery Current 145.5 Goal 145 Total lost -181.5

Mine were/are always just under my bottom right ribs, radiating around my back and worse under the ribs in my back. The pain can also radiate to the shoulders, I have heard a lot of people say that. For some, after gastric bypass, the pain shows up in different places due to the change in anatomy - some are transected, some are not. If it's just nagging and annoying, you might be okay until Monday. Mine generally lasted about 3 days then went away on their own. A few times, it was much worse with nausea and great pain and inability to eat and I had to go to the ER. Once, they had me in the ER - took me down for a gallbladder sono and told me I had a huge stone blocking my duct (I was pregnant at the time). They had me twist my shoulders in the opposite direction of my legs (legs left, shoulders right) and cough as hard as I could a few times - the switch my legs and shoulders in the other direction and cough as hard as I could a few times. Apparently, this dislodged the stone from blocking my duct...but I was stuck with keeping it until after i had the baby. After I had the baby, I didn't have any more problems for a couple of years. By the time I had testing for my RNY, they did a gallbladder sono on me and asked me if I had my gallbladder removed. I didn't - i insisted. So they kept looking for it and finally told me that it had shrunk! But it was in good shape and they didn't see any stones so I still have it. I've had two gallbladder attacks since RNY and my symptoms are the same and my stomach is not transected, but stapled. Not sure if that makes the difference. Hope you are feeling better soon. I know how annoying it is. Hugs, Pam

{start rant} I really do not understand why doctors do not ALWAYS remove the gallbladder when a person has bypass surgery . I get that some doctors have a problem with removing a healthy organ, but if the bypass is going to change that fact (and it will...eventually), why not take care of everything at once. I do not know anyone who wants a gallbladder attack and/or wants an additional surgery to take care of it. If you do not already know this, here is an FYI you can pass along to other potential RNY'ers: Your gallbladder is a organ that stores bile to release into your duodenum (first intestine after your stomach) "as needed" to break down fat. When a person has bypass surgery, the duodenum is bypassed and therefore will no longer have any fat in it to break down. The gallbladder organ will NEVER AGAIN be exercised and WILL become an area for bile to "sludge" and/or produce stones blocking the bile duct and cause great pain. Because (in an RNY patient) fat is broken down lower in the intestine (after the "Y") when enzymes (bile) from the bypassed portion of intestine come in contact with the food, there is absolutely no down side to having the gallbladder removed. {end rant}