How Do I Know If I Have Gallstones Or Kidney Stones
To tell the difference between gallbladder stone and kidney stone pain, pay attention to the location of the pain. Gallbladder and kidney stones both can cause stomach pain, but the former is more likely to be in the middle of the upper stomach or on the upper right side. Gallbladder stone pain may come and go or remain constant for 30 minutes or more, and it may be intense or dull. Kidney stone pain that affects the stomach is usually less precisely located and more consistent than gallbladder stone pain. Youre much more likely, however, to experience kidney stone pain in your lower back. When gallbladder stone pain affects the back, its usually the upper back.
Both gallstones and kidney stones can cause fever, nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms that may occur during gallbladder attacks include:
- Light-colored stools
- Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, known as jaundice
Additional kidney stones symptoms include:
- A burning sensation when urinating
- Blood in the urine
- Intense urges to urinate
Abnormalities Found In Scans
The gallbladder is a hollow organ, and gallstones can show as solid masses in the gallbladder or the bile duct on an ultrasound. This non-invasive test is the usually the first step to investigating problems in the gallbladder, explains Dr. Yang. Doctors can take note of the size of the gallbladder and if any swelling or thickening of the walls has occurred, as those may be signs of inflammation. Other tests include magnetic resonance imaging, or MRIs, which can be more helpful to look at ducts. Finally, a hepatobiliary, or HIDA, scan can show how well the gallbladder is emptying itself. During the test, a radioactive tracer in injected in your arm and used to visualize the ducts. Sometimes these procedures can be helpful when a gallbladder disease diagnosis isnt clear on an ultrasound. ” may explain why someone may be having gallbladder symptoms without clearly a stone or something causing obstruction,” says Dr. Yang.
While right-sided abdominal pain is a classic symptom of gallbladder disease, sometimes what feels like abdominal pain is actually a heart or lung condition. “People may have atypical presentations of heart attacks or other cardiac problems, and these may present as abdominal pain rather than chest pain,” says Dr. Yang.
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How Common Are Kidney Stones
Each year, more than half a million people go to emergency rooms for kidney stone problems. It is estimated that one in ten people will have a kidney stone at some time in their lives.
The prevalence of kidney stones in the United States increased from 3.8% in the late 1970s to 8.8% in the late 2000s. The prevalence of kidney stones was 10% during 20132014. The risk of kidney stones is about 11% in men and 9% in women. Other diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity may increase the risk for kidney stones.
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Do Gallstones Cause Urinary Problems Or Affect Kidney Function
Our content is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice by your doctor. Use for informational purposes only.
Uncomplicated gallstones dont cause any urinary symptoms. Urinary symptoms occur only when gallstones obstruct the bile ducts leading to dark-colored urine and bilirubin nephropathy.
The following gallstone-associated condition may affect the kidneys and cause urinary symptoms:
- Overuse of analgesics for gallstones.
- Gallstones obstruct the bile ducts .
- Delayed treatment of obstructive jaundice may cause a condition called .
- Persistent vomiting or severe dehydration due to biliary colics or acute cholecystitis.
The most important facts and links between gallstones, urinary symptoms, and kidney function.
How Fast Does Bladder Cancer Metastasize
As many as 50% of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer may have occult metastases that become clinically apparent within 5 years of initial diagnosis and around 5% will have distant metastasis at the time of initial diagnosis. Most patients with overt metastatic disease die within 2 years despite chemotherapy.
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Gallstones And Uti Symptoms
Gallstones dont cause urinary tract symptoms such as dysuria, turbid urine, and frequent urination. A bacterial or fungal infection causes urinary tract infection. Kidney stones may predispose to such a condition.
If you have typical symptoms of urinary tract infection , consult your doctor. UTI symptoms are more likely to be caused by a different cause other than gallstones, such as:
- The bacterial infection enters from outside through the urethra to the urinary bladder.
- Risk factors of UTI include being female , intercourse, kidney stones, and the presence of urinary catheters.
The classic symptoms of UTI include:
- Dysuria .
- Urgency .
- Bloody or turbid urine.
What Are Gallstones And Their Symptoms
Gallstones form, when small bits of crystalized bile clump together. These stones can be as small as a grain of salt or as large as an egg. When they stay put in the gallbladder, these silent gallstones go unnoticed and do not require treatment. When they try to pass through the tiny bile duct to the small intestine, inflammation and severe pain set in. Lasting from a few minutes to a few hours, the pain can feel like indigestion or similar to a feeling of fullness.
Additional symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Pancreatitis
While pain can be a symptom of gallstones, its important to know that they often manifest as more of a vague discomfort rather than pain, says Hector C. Ramos, MD, a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC. Theyre most often found when a primary care doctor does an ultrasound, because a patient comes in with what they believe to be indigestion or abdominal distress.
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Lets Know More About Kidney Stones And Gallstones:
Our kidneys role is to filter blood and convert the liquid wastes into urine. Insufficient intake of water leads to the formation of kidney stones. Kidney stone is formed due to the accumulation of several minerals in the kidney. Usually, Kidney uses water for the process of mineralization but due to lack of water in the system, it makes it hard to process the mineralization and it slowly builds up the minerals and which forms the kidney stone. This stone deters the ureter and causes excruciating pain in the body.
The purpose of the gall bladder is to store the digestive fluid called bile which is secreted by the liver which aids in the digestion and absorption of lipids in our body. Bile juice contains bile salts, cholesterol, fats, water, and bilirubin, which is a yellow-brown pigment. Gallstone is hardened deposits of bile which consist of high cholesterol levels and bilirubin.
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Sudden Changes In Your Weight
These are problems associated with gallstones, and are not necessarily symptoms. Typically the weight or weight loss happens first, and then gallbladder issues develop. Why? People who are obese are at greater risk of gallstones. And while losing weight can help decrease the risk, very rapid weight loss can make you more prone to forming gallstones. “Patients who experience gastric bypass surgery or stapling surgery, when they lose a lot of weight very quickly, that’s often associated with forming gallstones,” says Dr. Yang.
Pacing is important. Dr. Yang recommends, “slow, steady, healthy weight loss” over crash diets.
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Does Stool Color Change After Gallbladder Removal Change In Bowel Movement After Cholecystectomy
More than 20% of people with Cholecystectomy experience a significant change in their bowel movement. Most people experience diarrhea, light stools, and even no poop for 3 days. But irregular stool movement after gallbladder removal can be treated with diet and some medicines. So, why does stool color change after gallbladder removal?
Gallbladders play an important role in the digestion of food, particularly in digesting fat. Therefore, after its removal, you may notice a considerable change in your digestive health. Moreover, bile leakage may lead to bowel movement and color changes after cholecystectomy.
Let me share this and many more essential facts related to stool change with gallbladder removal. Moreover, you will find some essential precautionary and healthy measures to promote bowel health after cholecystectomy.
Table of Content
Gallstone Vs Kidney Stone: Differences Based On The Causes
Gallstones are caused because of crash diets, ethnicity, obesity, growing age, high fat diet, oral contraceptives, statin drugs etc. There are also hereditary causes of gallstones.
However, Dehydration, calcium supplements, obesity, digestive diseases, growing age, pregnancy, hyperuricemia, ethnicity, etc., along with hereditary causes are some of the causes of kidney stones.
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When Should I Seek Care For Gallstones
If you experience anything like biliary colic, seek immediate attention. Biliary pain is dull and persistent, growing for about 20 minutes and lasting for one to several hours. Its usually in the upper right quadrant of your abdomen, but sometimes its referred elsewhere. Its often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, but vomiting doesnt relieve it.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Gallstones are common, and most people will never be bothered by them. If they stay put in your gallbladder, youll probably never know theyre there. But once they begin to move, they become dangerous. These tiny, pebble-like pieces can do a lot of damage when they get into the tight spaces of your delicate biliary system.
A gallbladder attack can be intense and scary, especially if you didnt know you had gallstones to begin with. It may be alarming to find out that the recommended treatment is surgery. But laparoscopic gallbladder removal is a common procedure with an excellent prognosis. Your whole ordeal may be over within hours of your first symptoms.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 06/27/2022.
References
Foods That Contribute To The Development Of Stones
Foods that can cause kidney stones include- Carbonated drinks, excess of caffeinated beverages. Excess consumption of foods rich in oxalate such as nuts, spinach, beets, chocolate, rhubarb, etc. These foods should be consumed in a limit to prevent kidney stones.
Foods that lead to the formation of gallstones are- Deep-fried foods, red meat, junk food, too much cheese, butter, cake, cookies, and pies.
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What Are The Complications Or Side Effects Of Gallstone Surgery
After laparoscopic surgery, you may have some abdominal gas and gas pain. You can have this after ERCP too. Both methods pump gas into your organs to expand them and help them show up better in images. It will pass in a day or so. Complications during the operation are rare but include bleeding, infection, and injury to nearby organs.
Study Population And Data Collection
This study was approved by the ethics committee of Hallym University . The ethics committee of Hallym University waived the written informed consent from the study participants. All analyses adhered to the guidelines and regulations of the ethics committee of Hallym University.
This national cohort study used data of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Sample Cohort . The sample cohort was directly extracted from the mother population from the Korean NHIS to minimize non-sampling errors. The sample cohort consisted of approximately 2% of the entire Korean population . The sampling was performed based on the 1,476 levels using randomized stratified systematic sampling methods via proportional allocation to represent the entire population. After data selection, a statistician verified the appropriateness of the sample by comparing the data from the entire Korean population to the sample data. The National Health Insurance Sharing Service provided the details of the sampling procedures on their website. This cohort database is composed of personal information, health insurance claim codes , diagnostic codes using the International Classification of Disease-10 , death records from the Korean National Statistical Office , socio-economic data , and medical examination data for each participant over 2002 to 2013.
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C Persistent Vomiting And Lack Of Oral Intake
In severe attacks of biliary colics or acute cholecystitis, people may fail to get enough fluid.
Severe dehydration is riskier for children and older people, especially with:
- Persistent vomiting.
- Absence of oral intake for several days due to pain or vomiting.
The dehydration may affect the kidney due to a lack of proper kidney blood supply, a condition called .
Risks Of The Procedure
You may want to ask your doctor about the amount of radiation used during the procedure and the risks related to your particular situation. It is a good idea to keep a record of your past history of radiation exposure, such as previous scans and other types of X-rays, so that you can inform your doctor. Risks associated with radiation exposure may be related to the cumulative number of X-ray examinations and/or treatments over a long period of time.
Complications of lithotripsy may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Bleeding around the kidney
- Obstruction of the urinary tract by stone fragments
- Stone fragments left that may require more lithotripsies
Contraindications for lithotripsy include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Pregnant patients
- Patients on “blood thinners” or patients with bleeding disorders. Aspirin or other blood thinners must be discontinued for at least 1 week prior to lithotripsy.
- Patients with chronic kidney infection, as some fragments may not pass, so the bacteria will not be completely eliminated from the kidney.
- Patients with obstruction or scar tissue in the ureter, which may prevent stone fragments from passing.
- Patients who require immediate and/or complete clearance of stone material.
- Patients with stones composed of cystine and certain types of calcium, as these stones do not fragment well with lithotripsy
Obesity and intestinal gas may interfere with a lithotripsy procedure.
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What Is My Prognosis If I Have Gallstones
If you have gallstones but they havent caused you any problems yet, they probably never will. About 2% of asymptomatic gallstones become symptomatic each year. Once they begin to cause symptoms, they are likely to keep doing so. About 2% of people with symptomatic gallstones develop complications each year, such as acute inflammation and infection.
Cholecystectomy is a definitive treatment for most gallstones, and most people recover quickly and completely from it. Some people may still have gallstones show up in their bile ducts again afterward. These can be treated by an endoscope. If you use medicine to dissolve your gallstones, this works about 75% of the time, but the gallstones will often come back again.
Pain Relievers Dont Help
If either biliary or chronic pain doesn’t improve with an OTC pain reliever, it may also be an indication that you have a gallbladder problem. Experiencing little improvement after a change in position, bowel movement, or after passing gas are also indications. “These kind of rule out other things and may help us target the gallbladder more specifically,” says Dr. Yang.
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Will I Need To Change My Diet After Gallstone Surgery
Your digestive system may take some weeks to adjust to the lack of a gallbladder. Some people may experience temporary indigestion or diarrhea during the transition period. Your healthcare provider will advise you not to eat anything too rich or fatty while you recover. Most people can return to a normal diet after a few weeks.
Can Kidney Stones Be Prevented
Its not always possible to prevent some types of kidney stones.
But all kids whove had kidney stones should:
- Drink a lot of liquids throughout the day. Avoid dark sodas, soft drinks, and sports drinks. If their pee is almost clear, thats a sign theyre drinking enough. Ask your doctor how much your child should drink.
- Limit the salt and protein in their diet.
If dietary changes dont prevent kidney stones, medicines can help. Depending on the type of kidney stone your child had, the doctor can prescribe treatments or medicines to lower the levels of crystal-forming substances in the pee.
Doctors will keep an eye on kids who have had kidney stones and try to prevent new ones. The doctor might have your child use a 24-hour urine collection test. This measures the volume of pee within a 24-hour period and checks whats in it.
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What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of This Treatment
The main advantage of this treatment is that it treats kidney stones without an incision. As a result, hospital stays and recovery time are reduced.
But, while SWL can work, it doesnt always work. After SWL, about 5O% of people will be stone free within a month. In others, stone fragments of various sizes remain. Sometimes a repeat procedure is needed.
SWL has the potential to cause kidney injury. Whether or not SWL causes or leads to the development of high blood pressure and diabetes remains controversial. These possibilities are still being studied. You should ask your doctor about risks and benefits of SWL in your situation.
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What Happens When You Dont Have A Gallbladder Anymore
Your digestive system can still function without a gallbladder. Your gallbladder is mostly a holding place for the bile your liver makes. It delivers bile to your small intestine to help with digestion. When your surgeon removes your gallbladder, theyll redirect your bile ducts so that bile can flow directly from your liver to your small intestine.
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