What Are The Symptoms Of Gallstones?

Abdominal Pain

The gallbladder is located in the top right-hand quadrant of the abdomen, sitting just underneath the liver behind the stomach. The abdomen contains numerous organs that fit into a tight compartment comprised of connective tissue that keeps everything in its place. While this connective tissue fascia can expand to a certain extent, it is only so flexible. Gallstones can cause infection and inflammation of the gallbladder when they fully or partially obstruct the bile ducts. Pancreatic tissues may also become inflamed if the gallstone stops the digestive enzymes from leaving the pancreatic tissues before they become activated and corrosive. The liver can become enlarged when the gallstones block bile from reaching the small intestine and causes it to accumulate in the organ. When these abdominal organs become swollen and inflamed, they also become compressed inside of the abdominal fascia. This mechanism compresses and irritates numerous nerves in the abdomen that send signals to the brain. The signals from these nerves are what causes an individual to experience abdominal pain due to gallstones.