Gallbladder Stone, What Is It? Do I Have Gallbladder Stone?

Gallstones are made of digestive fluid that form in gallbladder which is pear-shaped organ beneath the liver. The gallbladder holds digestive fluid called bile. Bile are release into small intestine when we eat fatty food. Gallstone can range in different size, from small as grain of sand to as large as golf ball. Some people develop one gallstone while other can have a lot at the same time. People who have gallstones can experience symptoms or not symptoms, if there is symptoms then a scan is require to confirm the diagnosis and plan for treatment. Gallstones that don't cause any symptoms typically do not need treatment, monitoring them 3 monthly is enough.
If a gallstone got in a duct and causes a blockage, the signs and symptoms may include:

Sudden and rapidly extreme pain in the upper right of your abdomen
Sudden and rapidly extreme pain in the center of your abdomen
Back pain between your shoulder blades
Pain in your right shoulder
Nausea or vomiting
Fever, jaundice and sepsis due to infection - inflammation of the Gallbladder
Pancreatitis

Do I need to see doctor?
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any signs or symptoms that worry you.
Seek help immediately if you develop signs and symptoms of a serious gallstone complication, such as:

Abdominal pain so intense that you can't sit still or find a comfortable position
Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
High fever with chills

For those that do not have symptoms now, have a ultrasound scan as your baseline for health screening to know if you already have gallstones. So if symptoms come you know what is likely to be the problem and you are able to compare the latest ultrasound scan with the one you did before as during health screening. This will accelerate the diagnosis and treatment and potentially save your life.

How Gallbladder stone are form?
No one knows what causes gallstone to form, but we do know people who have the following risk factors have higher chance of having gallbladder stone.

Your bile contains too much cholesterol. Normally, your bile contains enough chemicals to dissolve the cholesterol excreted by your liver. But if your liver excretes more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve, the excess cholesterol may form into crystals and eventually into stones.
Your bile contains too much bilirubin. Bilirubin is a chemical that's produced when your body breaks down red blood cells. Certain conditions cause your liver to make too much bilirubin, including liver cirrhosis, biliary tract infections and certain blood disorders. The excess bilirubin contributes to gallstone formation.
Your gallbladder doesn't empty correctly. If your gallbladder doesn't empty completely or often enough, bile may become very concentrated, contributing to the formation of gallstones.

Risk factors
Factors that may increase your risk of gallstones include:

Being female
Being age 40 or older
Being a Native American
Being a Hispanic of Mexican origin
Being overweight or obese
Being sedentary
Being pregnant
Eating a high-fat diet
Eating a high-cholesterol diet
Eating a low-fiber diet
Having a family history of gallstones
Having diabetes
Having certain blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia or leukemia
Losing weight very quickly
Taking medications that contain estrogen, such as oral contraceptives or hormone therapy drugs
Having liver disease

Complications
Complications of gallstones can be serious and life threatening,

Inflammation of the gallbladder. A gallstone that becomes stuck in the neck of the gallbladder can cause inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis). Cholecystitis can cause severe pain, fever, and sepsis which can cause death.
Blockage of the common bile duct. Gallstones can block the tubes (ducts) through which bile flows from your gallbladder or liver to your small intestine. Severe pain, jaundice and bile duct infection can result.
Blockage of the pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct is a tube that runs from the pancreas and connects to the common bile duct just before entering the duodenum. Pancreatic juices, which aid in digestion, flow through the pancreatic duct. When a gallstone cause a blockage in the pancreatic duct, it can lead to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Pancreatitis causes intense, constant abdominal pain and usually requires hospitalization.
Gallbladder cancer. People with a history of gallstones have an increased risk of gallbladder cancer.

How can I detect gallbladder stone if I do not have any symptoms?
Fortunately gallbladder stone can be easily detect using ultrasound and CT scans. CT is good but expensive, and it has radiation which is harmful to the body tissue. The safest way is ultrasound as it is cheap and the result is immediate and live. You can see the stone in your gallbladder during the sonographer scan, sometime you can even see movement of the stones. Knowing your health condition is important to help you come to diagnosis fast when symptoms develop and get treatment without delay. This potentially can save your life as complication of gallbladder stone such as cholecystitis, pancreatitis and gallbladder cancer can be treated early and prevented. Liver ultrasound scan is the least you can do to help yourself and your love one know what is the current state of their body. A Full body scan is useful at finding out is there any other growth e.g. tumour, cyst, haemangioma etc in your body. A full report will come along with the scan as a record for future.

Gallbladder stone, what is it? Do I have Gallbladder stone?