The pear-shaped organ known as the gallbladder may only be three to four inches long, but it can be a large pain if it is not working properly, causing damage to pancreas, liver or even resulting in death if left untreated.

The gallbladder is a storage tank for bile produced in the liver until the body needs it for digestion. Problems occur when the bile hardens into little pebble-like substances called gallstones and block the release of bile into the digestive system. Gallstones can be as big as a golf ball or as small as a grain of sand. Many people with gallstones don’t even know they are there. (more…)