Gallbladder Pain - Carmel Valley,CA

Updated on February 23, 2009
J.W. asks from Carmel Valley, CA
20 answers

Has anyone had pain under the right side of ribs? Im 3 mos pregnant and having this pain on and off- but it can get pretty sharp and painful. Ive also been really constipated since getting pregnant this time. Uncomfortable sensation began a few weeks after finding out I was pregnant and has gotten worse.

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A.B.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi J., If you did not start to feel better, call me I will conect you with my friend Ruth, she has a good gallbladder story.
916 944 46 75 A. Bofinger.

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L.F.

answers from San Francisco on

If your doctor has not ruled out liver trouble, I would ask. Pain high on the right side can be an indication of liver trouble. Good luck.

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A.D.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi J.- I am a little late responding to this and I am sure you have gotten a huge response as I did when I had the same issue about a year ago. My gallbladder was infamed my whole pregnancy. I ate a very bland diet of nothing spicy,acidic,sweet,fried- basically very bland and took all the fun out of pregnancy cravings. I did a daily drink that a mamasource mom told me about; every morning- juice of one lemon,two tbsp. apple cider vinegar(braggs is the best), and one one tbsp. olive oil. I also went to a holistic doctor and he had me do a liver flush that worked really well-for a couple weeks. The daily drink helped a lot though I totally noticed when I forgot to do it one day.

As for the costipation - physillium husk powder in a smoothie did the trick for me. Or good old fashioned prunes. YOu can get everything you need at a health food store.

Good luck that was miserable for me!

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E.M.

answers from San Francisco on

I suggest that you go to your regular MD and complain about the pain loudly and often. See if you can't get a diagnosis out of her. Then you can get back on your alternative med track to figure out what to do about it.

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G.P.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi J. ~
When I was 3 months pregnant I had a gallbladder attack. Scariest and most painful thing I have ever experienced so far. It started off feeling like I had food poisoning, because I had to vomit. Usually after vomiting I tend to feel a litte better but it didn't go away and I felt a sharp pain between my shoulder blades - more like stabbing pain. The more I vomitted the worse the pain got. I ended up in emergency and was told I had a gallbladder attack. The doctor advised that it is very common for pregnant women to experience gallbladder attacks during pregnancy. After ultrasounds and confirmation from a surgeon, I had it removed after my daughter was born and 5 months old. The surgeon said that it appeared I had suffered more previous attacks. I suggest you see a doctor to have it checked out and have them determine if you need to have it removed now or after you give birth (they usually like to wait after you give birth unless it's an emergency). They will let you know what kinds of food you should or should not eat to minimize having future attacks. I hope this helps and good luck. I feel your pain =(

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A.O.

answers from San Francisco on

I had the same pain through out my pregnancy. My doctor check it out and thankfully it was nothing too serious. For me the pain was being caused by the muscles and ligaments adjusting to my growing belly. I never really found any true relief. Working out and stretching alliviated it a bit.
Good luck,
A.

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J.H.

answers from San Francisco on

While I was pregnant I had the occasional pains in my upper right abdomine but it wasn't until my daughter was 3 weeks old that I had to go to the emergency room with pains. You can avoid fatty foods to lessen the pains but as in my case I had gall stones and nothing can fix that except surgery. The doctor even said it's more dangerous if you try and flush out the gallbladder because then the stones will end up somewhere else. I would at least suggest talking to your doctor and they can see if you have stones or not then go from there. The pain will only get worse as you get more pregnant (if you have stones) because everything is being "squished" and the gallbladder cannot function properly.
I wish you the best and hope you have gotten more of an understanding and not intimidated by these pains. =)

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H.F.

answers from San Francisco on

I have had similar pain in three of my five pregnancies. Although always started in the third trimester. The first time I had pre-eclampsia and the pain was contstant, severe and I was nuseated. A simple blood test and ultrasound confirmed that my liver was swollen from the pre-eclampsia. This is very dangerous. The next day my brian started swelling and I has my son early. The second time was in my third preganncy and needless to say I freaked out. But the pain was different. It was not constant and I could pinpoint it almost directly under my right breast as if the back of my ribs were bruised. My midwife had blood tests done to ensure everythign was fine because of my history and then advised me to eat lower fat and mostly unsaturated fat but not ot go non-fat the baby needs it. It helped but the pain did not end until I had my baby. Now in my fifth pregancy the pain has jsut started up again in the last few weeks I am 36 weeks now. I would ask your midwife about it and I am sure she will screen you for pre-eclampsia the signs are much more than pain in your upper right abdomen and I am sure that any midwife is very knowledable about it.

In my first four pregnancies and the first half of this pregnancy I suffered severe constipation. I tried ground flaxseeds and increased fruit with a little relief but not much. Halfway through this pregnancy my youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac diseae (an autoimmune disease that causes damage to the small intestines when gluten is consumed). Since she was still breastfeeding both she and I went gluten-free and I have had no constipation since. I don't know if it would help you but you might look into it. I have found that many people with and without celiac have trouble digesting gluten.

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H.D.

answers from Redding on

LOL that's all normal. It will soon pass. And be replaced by something worse!! It's the happiest, most miserable 9 months of your life. Enjoy it!!

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D.T.

answers from San Francisco on

J.,
You could be having difficulty emulsifying fats. I would see a naturopath and get some supplements. Beet root concentrate and taurine and vitamin C help the gallbladder function better.
Good Luck

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G.B.

answers from Boise on

Gallbladders are regulated by hormones. So when hormones are elevating or dropping, pain can be a symptom.

After my first baby was born, I got a gallbladder attack. Ii was sceduled for surgury removal, but the pain started to go away before the surgery date. like an idiot I went ahead with it anyway, and afterward, I found out gall bladder pain is normal when hormones fluctuate, especially after birth.

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F.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I had two severe gall bladder attacks. It is many years later and I have kept from having more by eating a low fat diet. My friend has had problems with her gall bladder only when she was pg twice. Please talk to your doctor.
For constipation I take herbs but being pg please ask your doctor.
F.

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S.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi J.
when I was pregnant I also had gallbladder pain and thereafter. I too am like you, I prefer the holistic approach. That being said, it might be a good idea to avoid FATTY foods as I found that DEFINITELY irritates the gallbladder. Remember, when pregnant your body is producing even more hormones, so your filtering system such as kidneys, liver and gallbladder are hard at work trying to process everything , let alone any fatty foods you might eat. I found that once I laid off things like ice cream and or anything fried (mind you, I didn't even much of it) it did help. To this day, I still watch my fat intake and NEVER eat things like fried chicken OR more than a scoop of ice cream and even too much red meat.. it's just too risky and I don't ever want to feel that gallbladder pain again.
However, I would also mention the pain to your doctor. They can take a blood test to determine if your gallbladder is the issue and or even your liver... which is right next to your gallbladder.

Good luck

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N.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi J.,

It is great you have a holistic approach. With today's environment we can not do to much when it comes to our health.

I found the best way to stay healthy for our families today is to have the wellness home. It treats the whole body and protects you from harmful effects from the environment.

If this is something that interests you let me know and I will educate you.

Do you live in the bay area? We have wellness home tours in 40 countries and will be in 100 countries soon.

Have a great Sunday.

N. Marie

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M.R.

answers from San Francisco on

J.,

Many things can cause pain under the right rib, gallbladder is one of them. Have you ever been diagnosed with gallbladder or liver problems? I think they best way to go about it is to get a diagnosis from a medical doctor and then see what holistic medicine can do for you. Being a homeopath and having had gallbladder problems myself, I can say that yes, they can definitely can be helped by homeopathy and herbs, but you do have to get diagnoses first in order to know what you are dealing with and to rule out anything dangerous.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions.

Best wishes,
M..

M. Rosen, CHom
Certified Homeopath
http://www.masharosen.com
###-###-####
840 Hinckley Road, Suite 110
Burlingame, CA 94010

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E.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi J.. I would go see your doctor. I was borderline pre-eclamptic in my last pregnancy and was told that if I ever felt any sharp pains in the area you described to go to the ER immediately. You should see your doctor. That is what they are there for. Good luck.

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M.E.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi- Might just be constipated which can be very painful with gas pressure...try some extra fiber in your diet and even ossibly some fiber pills from the vitamin shop. ALways tell your dr about the symptoms and the fiber you're adding just to be safe...good luck!

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S.A.

answers from San Francisco on

YES - the same thing happened to me during my pregnancy. I had an ultrasound and they found several gallstones. Of course they told me the only way to get them removed was to have the whole gallbladder removed which I did about seven months after I had my daughter. In the meantime I was told I could eat no fat as that would trigger the pain. Some foods will trigger it worse than others. I didn't want to take any chance so stuck to a no fat diet for the rest of my pregnancy. After the pregnancy it go remarkbly better but I had the gall bladder removed anyway. I had an occasional attack.I have had no problems since having the gallbladder removed. Let me know if you need ideas for food!! There is non fat icecream and it is pretty good!!! Believe it or not even cheeseless pizza is pretty good!
Re: holistic treatment. I know there are flushes you can try but I don't think any are safe during pregnancy.

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H.D.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi J.! I had this same problem when I was pregnant. My chiropractor told me to drink 1 glass of raw apple juice every day. Martinelli's was the brand with the most acid in it, that you need. When you are pregnant your gallbladder is processing both your waste and the baby's and it's really h*** o* it. It will help with post partum depression as well.

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Constipation is completely normal... make sure you are drinking a ton of water and eating lots of fresh veggies and fruits. You need to make sure you are getting at least 35 grams of fiber per day so that you can fight the constipation and keep things going... literally! :)

I have had my gallbladder removed so I know what that pain is. It doubles you over, you can't breathe, sit, or lay down without thinking you might have an alien come exploding out of your abdominal area. The one tried and true indicator that it's your gallbladder is an excrutiating pain on your right arm/shoulder... pretty much to the point that you think you dislocated your shoulder. If you have that then you need to see someone. If not then it's probably gas or the constipation causing you grief. Remember... everything is being pushed aside for your uterus.

**Check out apple cider vinegar and lemon juice as a treatment for gallstones if that is what you have. **

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