There are many symptoms that are associated with a gallbladder attack. The only problem is that they are hard to differentiate from other conditions and symptoms. The symptoms of such as an attack can either be slow and uncomfortable for years or they can be acute which means they attack all of a sudden and with a severity that can cause a lot of pain.
When you are suffering a gallbladder attack, you will most likely not even know that the gallstones or the gallbladder is the cause of the discomfort. This is because the most common complaints and symptoms include pretty commonplace things like burping, nausea, gas, indigestion or abdominal pain. These are usually not very severe, but can last for hours and over a long period of time. In cases where the attack is not very painful or severe, it is because the gallstones are small.
However, a gallbladder attack is not always so mild. In such cases you will have to seek out medical attention. A severe attack is always very painful and many are not even able to handle the pain. There is especially good reason to worry if the symptoms have a fever to go along with it. The symptoms that indicate an attack include severe pain under the rib cage on the right side of the body, pain which radiates through the areas on the back and right shoulder, severe upper abdominal pain and vomiting. Breathing may become difficult during a severe attack, especially if you try inhaling deeply. Such an attack can also last up to fifteen hours which is a long time for this kind of pain. How bad it is will mostly depend in the size and number of gallstones that have escaped the organ.
An attack may happen only infrequently, but if the gallbladder attack is severe or frequent then a doctor needs to be seen. They will then decide after examining you what the best way of treating the problem will be and how severe the problem even is. Severe or gallstone-filled gallbladders are usually removed, whereas others are just recommended a special diet or can take painkillers if an attack arises.