GALL STONES 
(GALL BLADER STONES)

Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can form in your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that's released into your small intestine.

Gallstones range in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Some people develop just one gallstone, while others develop many gallstones at the same time.

Gallstones may cause no signs or symptoms. If a gallstone lodges in a duct and causes a blockage, the resulting signs and symptoms may include:

• Sudden and rapidly intensifying pain in the upper right portion of your abdomen

• Sudden and rapidly intensifying pain in the center of your abdomen, just below your breastbone

• Back pain between your shoulder blades

• Pain in your right shoulder

• Nausea or vomiting