How long after a meal would gall bladder pains begin?

Question

I am a little concerned about having gall stones. Pain in right side of chest, radiates to my right shoulder blade. Gas and bloating, etc.

I am curious how long after a meal and attack might begin. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

mine usually came anywhere from 20-40 minutes after i ate but it also depended on what i ate and how much i ate.  You need to see a doctor it took so long for them to diagnose me with mine that i almost died.

Answer 2

Scott-  It may take from 30 minutes to 2 hours after a high-fat meal for the gallbladder attack to begin.  The gallbladder stores bile (a green liquid made in the liver) to be used to help digest fat in food when it gets past the stomach into the very beginning of the small intestine (duodenum).  The attack is due to the gallbladder squeezing to push the bile out into the duodenum.  If there are any small stones that try to pass out of the gallbladder through the small (straw-like) duct but get stuck, cramping pain can be severe.  That pain commonly radiates to the right shoulder where you are feeling it.  Two of the 3 types of gallbladder stones can easily be seen on x-ray while the pure cholesterol stones do not show up.  The number of stones can vary from one to a hundred or more.  Sizes also vary.  Good luck!

Answer 3

I would like to add one thing to Norton's explanation. You don't have to have gallstones to have gallbladder pain. I had a "sluggish gallbladder" which means that the bile would not pass through the gallbladder with ease. After surgery it turned out that my gallbladder was filled with "sludge" and that was causing the pain.  

Answer 4

When I had gallstones it was almost instant. It was the worst after eating meat of any kind. I went for weeks being told it was indigestion or the flu.After going to the Dr. a few times a week with pains worse than childbirth I finally got an ultrasound to diagnose gallstones and had emergency surgery and felt so much better immediately.  Hope you get relief soon!