Heartburn or gallblatter???

Question

Last night I got HORRIBLE pains in the center/right of my chest . I have gotten these pains only 3 or 4 times over the past few years. It is always followed by late night eating (last night was an apple fritter). My question is.. is this just heart burn? How do you know if you have a gallblatter issue? I am assuming that if you have gallblatter problems that you would have pain everytime you ate "poorly". The few times it has happened has been in the middle of the night. I read up on the symptoms of gallblatter disease and I don't seem to have a lot of them. The pain does radiate under my right breast. BUT 2 Malox and 30 minutes later I am fine. Anyone have any input??? Thanks!

When I stand and or walk it feels much better. I am 31 years old and it has only happened 4 or 5 times in the last 3 or 4 years.

If it were gallblatter wouldn't I pretty much have symptoms at any time of day ? And more frequently when I eat badly?

Answer 1

Sounds like heartburn or what they now like to call acid reflux. It's not considered too serious unless it happens frequently or doesn't go away quickly after taking meds like Tums or Maalox.

Late night eating could be part of the problem. Perhaps just eating very light and a bit earlier may help.

Good luck.

Answer 2

How old are you? Gallbladder tends to show up in early 40s. Heartburn does not cause horrible pain. Unfortunately, heart attacks do. Go get it checked out.

P.S. Gaviscon is better than Maalox for acid reflux.

Answer 3

You should check with your doctor or else you will just worry yourself.

Having said that, if it only occurss late at night it might be caused by acid reflux (heartburn) since lying down in bed having eaten something fatty like a donut might cause the stomach contents to leak backwards causing an acid burn in your esophagus. If the pain occurs when you are lying down this may be the cause, but so could lots of other conditions so get checked.

Answer 4

I had 3 episodes of that pain and had to call 911 on the last one cause at the time I had 3 small children and the pain was so bad that I thought I was gonna pass out. The pain was followed by nausea, sweating profusely and I was shaking. When I went into the the hospital the doctor ordered an ultrasound and sure enough it was my gallbladder. Don't wait to long to find out what is wrong with you if it is the gallbladder. My uncle ignored the pain until he just couldn't anymore and went in had a ultrasound and they found out that the gallbladder was so badly infected and that he had gangrene and cancer. My brother fell ill two weeks later and they found gangrene in his gallbladder too. So even if it not your gallbladder it is important that you find out. I hope this helped.

Answer 5

it's heartburn. Just the fact that maalox fixed it pretty much says it all. Heartburn is more in the center. When it was my galbladder, it was severe sharp pain more towards my side and under my rt. ribs.

Answer 6

Pain from a diseased Gall Bladder is excruciating. If it started
years ago as you said, I doubt your Gall Bladder would still be
there and you would have had your Dr on the phone many times. It's very painful. Get some testing done or at least a physical.

Answer 7

heartburn===gallbladder doesn't get relief from Malox

Answer 8

heartburn. try not to eat right before you lay down.

Answer 9

Gall bladder pain gets worse when you walk. Try going for a long walk and seeing if you experience any pain.

Good luck! :)

Answer 10

a unique sign of any gallbladder related disorder is pain from the right shoulder. probably, you need to consult to a physician.. =)