Biliary colic is one of the most obvious symptoms of gallstones . Pain syndrome with biliary colic can be defined as very unstable, since in each case it is individual and differs in the duration of pain attacks and intervals between them. So, in some patients it occurs every several hours and lasts from two to three minutes to 4-7 hours, while in others it lasts up to two days, periodically stopping and quickly resuming.
What precedes the pain syndrome?
In many patients, a painful attack is preceded by a feeling of heaviness under the right rib or in the epigastric region. If within an hour or two you feel discomfort and pain in these anatomical areas, then you should be afraid of a sharp bout of pain caused by biliary colic.
But some patients are not disturbed by warning signals, and the pain syndrome manifests itself suddenly, absolutely not allowing the patient to prepare for it.
Before the pains with biliary colic, other symptoms may appear that can easily be confused with some problems of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, poisoning . These include nausea and repeated vomiting, uninterrupted even with complete devastation of the stomach. Some patients, who do not suspect that this is the main sign of biliary colic, try to get rid of the problem with the help of the usual means (washing the stomach, activated eels, various infusions, etc.), thereby complicating the situation and delaying the time for adequate treatment.
Features of a pain attack
The main symptom of biliary colic is a pain syndrome, which has its own peculiarities of manifestation, which facilitates the diagnosis. So:
- Usually he comes at night when the patient is in complete rest.
- Pain is significantly worse when inhaled.
- In addition, if the patient turns on his left side, he will feel a significant deterioration.
- Acute pain under the right rib often gives in the back, neck and, accordingly, under the right scapula, in some cases it can spread all over the stomach, which forces the patient to lie on the right side with knees bent at the knees and legs tucked to the abdomen.
It is worth noting that such a seizure requires urgent medical attention. Admission of painkillers, if possible, should be postponed until the arrival of an ambulance. Otherwise, the diagnosis of the condition may be difficult.