It may be difficult to tell the difference between appendicitis symptoms and gall bladder symptoms when the two often cause abdominal pain. The two usually mimic gastrointestinal problems, and this often causes people to ignore the two symptoms because they frequently mimic other diseases.

Women are three times more likely to develop gallstones symptoms, but in men, appendicitis is more common.

Appendicitis symptoms occur when the appendix becomes inflamed.

The appendix is a finger-like structure that is connected to the large intestines, found on the lower-right side of the abdomen.

The function of the appendix is unknown. When the appendix becomes blocked from feces, parasites, enlarged lymph tissues, or even from trauma, it can cause inflammation.

Specific symptoms include pain beginning near the belly button and slowly moving out towards the lower right side of the abdomen.

The pain will gradually worsen and individuals may lose their appetites as well. They may feel the urge to urinate often and their stools may contain mucus in it.

Gallbladder symptoms are commonly associated with a gallbladder attack. A gallbladder attack occurs when gallstones get stuck in your bile duct. The gallbladder attack can last from a half an hour to several hours. This can slow or stop the flow of the bile. The pain you will feel will either be a dull ache or a sharp jabbing pain.

Other symptoms include: nausea and vomiting, excessive weight loss, increased flatulence, chest pain, back pain, pain between the shoulder blades, more difficulty walking or sitting up straight, and headaches.

Symptoms of gall bladder problems include: upper abdominal pain. This pain is often located on the right side of the body.

Appendicitis symptoms also include abdominal pain, however, this pain is more commonly located on the lower right side of the abdomen.

You may find relief by lying down on a pillow on the left side of the body. This will help lessen the pressure on the gallbladder. You may also find that the symptoms occur more often after large fatty meals.

Sometimes, the gallstones can completely block the flow of the bile. This will cause the bile to be backed up into your liver and forced into your bloodstream. When bile enters your bloodstream, it will turn your skin and the whites of your eyes yellow. This condition is known as jaundice.

If you believe that your appendicitis symptoms are the cause of your gastrointestinal pain, it is important to see your physician right away.

If the infected appendix isn’t removed, there is a high chance that it will burst and spread bacteria throughout your abdominal area, leading to more health problems.

If you  believe you are experiencing gall bladder symptoms, and notice they are accompanied by a fever, the chills, or jaundice, please see your doctor right away as well. These are signs that your condition is more severe. Your doctor will be able to carefully examine your condition and recommend a suitable treatment for you, whether you have appendicitis symptoms or symptoms from a gall bladder issue.

Gastrointestinal problems can include many different complications of the digestive system. The gastrointestinal or GI system consists of the esophagus, intestines, stomach, rectum and colon. Many of the common grudges of the GI system include nausea, heartburn, acid reflux, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal cramping, hemorrhoids, gastroenteritis, bloating, gas, and irritable bowel disorders.

Diarrhea and constipation can exist without underlying conditions and be caused by changes in diet, medication, stress, or lack of exercise. Hemorrhoids are engorged blood vessels, inside or outside of the rectum, caused by prolonged force being put forth during strained bowel movements.

Inflammatory GI problems, like gastroenteritis and colitis, can cause chronic inflammation, if it is affected often. The intestines become swollen and irritated and cause abdominal cramping, diarrhea and irregular bowel movements. Irritable bowel syndrome is another condition of the GI system, which although it is not an inflammatory disorder, can cause painful and severe, lasting effects.

There are some easy steps that you can take to help ensure that you minimize gastrointestinal problems. Here are the top 5.

• Increase your dietary fiber intake.

Adding foods that are high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help keep your bowel movements regular and your intestines healthy.

• Drink more water.

Most people struggle to get to the recommended eight glasses of water a day. This water is important to flush out toxins from our bodies and to help the movement of feces from our intestines.

• Stay away from foods that contribute to heartburn or acid indigestion, and gas inducing foods.

Extremely greasy and spicy foods increase acid and foods like beans cause problems with gas and bloating. Eliminating these foods from your diet can greatly decrease discomfort and increase the health of your GI system.

• Regular exercise can dramatically increase your overall health and well being.

Did you know that it also helps stimulate regular bowel movements? It helps to decrease constipation and helps move the body’s solid waste through the intestines.

• Minimizing stress can greatly improve your GI system.

Stress causes increase in acid production and the release of hormones that slow the GI tract. Stress can have effects on you that you may not even realize. Try relieving stress with yoga or meditation. Taking time out for yourself is very important, time to relax, do something you enjoy, like reading a book.

Keeping you GI tract healthy is a very important part of your overall wellbeing. By decreasing gastrointestinal problems it will help you feel balanced and keep you in good health.

The main purpose of your menstrual cycle is for fertile women to reproduce. It is under control of the endocrine system and increasing or decreasing hormones cause the lining of the uterus to shed causing a menstrual flow. It then, thickens to prepare for the possibility of pregnancy.

The shedding of the lining of the uterus releases a hormone called prostaglandin. This hormone causes a contracting of the uterus, which causes the releasing of the menstrual flow and menstrual cramps.

Menstrual cramps symptoms include:

• Pain in the abdomen that can feel like pressure, aching or severe pain. It can be felt in your lower back or pelvic areas, as well.

• Upset stomach or nausea

• Loose stools or constipation caused by the releasing of the hormones, which cause smooth muscles to contract. The smooth muscle, like the uterus muscle, is also found in the intestinal tract.

• Headaches which is also affected by the changing of the hormones.

• Emotional imbalances caused by the fluctuating hormones.

In some women menstrual cramps are extremely severe, this is called dysmenorrhea. The causes for dysmenorrhea can be unrelated to an underlying gynecologic problem, this is called primary dysmenorrhea. If there is some underlying abnormality with the reproductive system, it is called secondary dysmenorrhea.

There are some factors that can influence the intensity of cramps. If a woman has anatomical factors such as a tilting of the uterus or a very narrow cervical canal the cramps can be intensified. Emotional stress and lack of exercise can also cause the pain of menstrual cramps to be increased.

The treatment for menstrual cramps is dependent on what works for you. Pharmaceutical approaches, that can all help relieve the pain, include: getting enough rest and sleep, exercise, or a heating pad applied to your abdominal area. There are many non-prescription pain relieving methods such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or ketoprofen. Prescription medication may be needed, if the pain is extremely severe, and includes mefenamic acid and meclofenamate.

Another option for women who are suffering from severe cramps is oral contraceptives or birth control pills. These pills contain estrogen and progestin and prevent ovulation. They help reduce the release of prostaglandins, and thereby, lessening the severity of the menstrual cramps and menstrual flow.

The first symptom of cholecystitis is usually pain in the upper right-hand quadrant of your abdomen.  It can start out spasmodic but is most of the time severe and consistent pain. Referred pain is if it is felt in your right shoulder or below your shoulder blade.

The gallbladder area may be swollen and tender, and is most often accompanied by a slightly increased temperature, vomiting, nausea, and watery stools.

As the condition gets worse, life-threating conditions supervene including greatly increased temperatures, jaundice – which is an indication of liver problems, or shock.

A perforation of the gallbladder would cause the bile to leak into the abdominal cavity, and in essence, cause a digesting of your other organs.  If it forms a fistula or an opening with the small bowel it can lead to intestinal obstruction, which can also be life-threatening.

Diagnosis of cholecystitis is found with physical examination, history of any of these symptoms, laboratory findings, and imaging tests. Ultrasound would be elicited upon a positive Murphy’s sign. This is a part of an abdominal examination in which the physician will ask the patient to breathe in and out while the physician places a hand below the ribs on the right side.

If the gallbladder is inflamed the patient will stop breathing and exhibit pain when the gallbladder comes in contact with the doctor’s fingers.

Another radiology test used to diagnose cholecystitis is a CT scan. Either CT scan or ultrasound would show a thickening of the gallbladder wall, extra fluid and the positive Murphy’s sign. Blood tests would show elevated hydrolase enzyme responsible for removing phosphates, increased bilirubin which is a compound of the bile, and maybe increased white blood count which is consistent with infection.

Complications of cholecystitis include rupturing of the gallbladder, or ascending cholangitis, which is an infection caused by bacteria of the bile duct. Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses, pockets or out-pouch in the wall of the gallbladder, are formed as a result of increased pressure and recurrent damage to the wall of the gallbladder.

Cholecystitis is a serious illness and the signs and symptoms of it should not be ignored. Talk with your doctors if you notice any cholecystitis symptoms.

The diagnosis is made with physical examination, history and ultrasound. There are two surgical options for treating cholecystitis which are laparoscopic cholecystectomy and open cholecystectomy.

Laparoscopic surgery is used more often because it is much less invasive then open surgery. It only requires several small surgical incisions into the abdomen and involves the insertion of ports and tubes for the surgery. The surgical instruments have a camera attached so that the surgeon can see what is being done. The abdominal cavity is manually expanded with carbon dioxide or air to allow space to work.

Open cholecystectomy is the traditional method of removing the gallbladder and consists of a large surgical incision 5 to 7 inches long. This is much more invasive and requires much longer recovery time in the hospital and at home. The hospital stay is extended to 2 to 3 days and has a much higher risk of infection.

Laparoscopic surgery is easier to recover from for many reasons, one being that they don’t cut through your abdominal muscles, which make rehabilitation much easier. It has considerably less pain involved and, cosmetically, is far more appealing. The hospital stay is much shorter and usually requires an outpatient stay, or a one day stay in the hospital.

One risk factor of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is not common, but can be extremely dangerous, is injury to the common bile duct. It is the connection between the liver and the gallbladder, and if it is injured it can leak bile. This is dangerous because it has digestive enzymes, and it can cause life-threatening infection.

Other rare risk factors of laparoscopic surgery include abdominal peritoneal adhesions, or gangrenous gallbladders. If there are obstructive visual problems during the laparoscopic procedure it will be converted to a standard open cholecystectomy.

Overall every surgical procedure carries risks of bleeding, pain and infection but the laparoscopic cholecystectomy has a much better recovery time and less pain. The risk factors are minuscule compared to the risk of infection, much more pain, and increased recovery time of the older more intrusive surgery, open cholecystectomy.

Abdominal pain can be caused by inflammation, blockage in the intestines, loss of blood supply, or extra sensitivity to the nerves of the organs.

Gallstones are formed inside of the gallbladder. They are solid, calculi, material made by growth from cholesterol and pigmentation in the spleen. This growth can pass from the gallbladder to the cystic duct, common bile duct, or the pancreatic duct. If the stone blocks these ducts it can cause serious life-threatening conditions like inflammation of the pancreas. If your pancreas is inflamed, it can cause you to have a lot of digestive problems.

If you have gallstones it can cause many other problems as well such as severe inflammation in the intestines which causes withholding of the bile in the gallbladder. Because of the inflammation, an infection from the bacteria being in the intestines can arise.

The signs and symptoms of abdominal pain as opposed to gallstones can be difficult to differentiate, but a few things to keep in mind about gallstones are:

• A Characteristic sign of a gallstone is an intense pain in the upper-right side of the abdomen that increases in intensity for 30 minutes to several hours.

• Gallstones are usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

• Pain can be felt below the right shoulder or shoulder blades.

• Gallstone attacks can happen after a very fatty meal and usually at night.

• Intolerance to fatty foods, gas, indigestion and bloating are all symptoms that, when taken together with the pain, can mean you have gallstones.

When your physician is making a diagnosis, of the cause of abdominal pain, a few things they take into consideration are: the origin of the pain or how it began, the location of the pain, the pattern of the pain, the duration of the pain or how long it lasts, and if anything makes it worse or relieves the pain.

Upon physical examination, the doctor will determine what tests to administer based on the findings. Together with your history and physical, laboratory tests, x-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, barium x-rays, and an MRI can be used to find your diagnosis.

Increased temperature, diarrhea, or bleeding from your rectum can be other symptoms of a Gallstone. Tenderness and inflammation in the left lower abdomen, usually, means you may have inflamed pouches in the colon, or an abscess may have formed. Tenderness in the lower right abdomen can mean appendicitis or Crohn’s disease.

Often times, surgery is needed to resolve the Gallstone. Occasionally, all that is needed to cure abdominal pain is medication to get rid of the infection and inflammation.

Ulcers occur when acidic digestive juices from your stomach corrodes the lining your digestive tract, forming sores. Often, these sores are found in the duodenum of your small intestines. However, these ulcers are also formed in the stomach. These ulcers are known as gastric ulcers.

Stomach ulcer symptoms vary and some people may have no symptoms at all. However, the amount of pain one receives does not correlate to how serious the symptoms are. Some individuals still experience pain after their ulcer is healed.

Stomach ulcer symptoms include a burning, gnawing, or hunger pain in the stomach area. The pain is often throbbing, and it can occur after eating or in the middle of the night. These pains can be relieved by eating or taking some antacids. Some other symptoms you might notice are loss of appetite, nausea, bloating, heartburn, fatigue, and weakness.

There are two types of gallstones: cholesterol and pigment stones. Cholesterol gallstones are made of 80% cholesterol and are harder to detect through ultrasound. On the other hand, pigment stones are made of minerals, such as calcium and bilirubin and are easy to diagnose. Similar to the symptoms of gastric ulcers, pain may be experienced in the abdominal area. Other symptoms are chest and shoulder pain, dizziness, increased flatulence, weight gain, headaches, acid reflux, diarrhea, and jaundice. The symptoms occur often after large fatty meals.

A way to differentiate the two is to notice what type of abdominal pain you are feeling. Stomach ulcer pains often feel like it’s burning, gnawing, or similar to hunger pains. They often are throbbing pains. On the other hand, abdominal pain from gallstones will be either a dull ache or a quick sharp and jabbing pain. Gallstones symptoms usually cause pain on the right side of the body.

Another large difference between the two conditions is that gallstones symptoms can lead to jaundice. This occurs when bile is backed up in the liver and forced into the blood stream. The bile will cause the whites of the eyes and skin to turn yellow. If you experience a fever and chills along with the symptoms above, or if you notice you have jaundice, please see your doctor immediately. This is a strong indicator that your condition may be more serious.

In the event that you are still unsure if you are having gallstones symptoms or a stomach ulcer, a physician will be able to do an ultrasound or a barium GI x-ray examination to see if you have stomach ulcer symptoms or gallstones.

There are 2 primary types of gallstones that may cause gallstones symptoms. One is the cholesterol gallstone, where the stone must be made up of a minimum of 80% cholesterol. Typically, these types of gallstones can vary from 2-3 cm, and they often have a darkish spot in the centre. These gallstones may be more difficult to detect via ultrasound examination, because it often blends in with the bile in your gallbladder.

The second gallstone is known as a pigment stone. This stone is usually darker in colour than the cholesterol gallstone and it is composed of minerals, such as calcium and bilirubin. These stones are easily detected through ultrasound. Sometimes, smaller gallstones might not cause much discomfort, which can cause people to ignore or overlook their symptoms. Larger gallstones may cause gallbladder attacks, which are painful.

Symptoms you might get are: pain on the upper right abdominal area, as well as chest and shoulder pain. The pain you receive might be either a dull ache or a quick sharp jab.

Along with these symptoms, you might experience excessive weight gain, headaches, acid reflux, increased flatulence, dizziness, constipation or diarrhea, and jaundice. These symptoms occur more often after large fatty meals.

Your digestive tract can form sores called ulcers. Ulcers occur when the acidic digestive juices in your stomach corrode the lining of your digestive tract. Most commonly, the sores are found in the duodenum. However, the ulcers can also be found in the stomach, and these are called gastric ulcers.

Similar to gallstones symptoms, stomach ulcer symptoms can vary and many people might have little or no symptoms at all.

Those with ulcers may feel a burning, gnawing, hunger pain a few hours after eating meals or in the middle of the night. Stomach ulcer pain is characterized by a throbbing pain. Often, these pains go away by eating food or taking antacids. It is important to note that the amount of pain one receives does not equate to how serious one’s ulcer is. Some individuals experience pain after an ulcer is completely healed! You may also feel bloating, loss of appetite, nausea, heartburn, weakness, and fatigue.

A major difference in the two is that gallstones symptoms can lead to jaundice. This is a medical condition where bile is backed up into the liver and forced into the bloodstream. It will cause the whites of the eyes and the skin to turn yellow. This condition is serious, and if noted, one should see their physician right away.

If you are still unsure if you are having gallstones symptoms or a stomach ulcer, your doctor will be able to do an ultrasound or a barium GI x-ray examination to determine your condition.