What does a gallstone look like?
Gallstones may vary in color to smooth yellow-green cholesterol stones, or may be dark gritty pigment stones. Their sizes are diverse, and they are small grains and stones up to a golf ball.
What are the worst foods for gallstones?
Gallstones cause spasms and pain in patients with gallstones when they are exposed to foods containing high levels of unhealthy fats and cholesterol e.g. fried food, heavy creams, processed meats and full fat dairy.
What foods should I avoid with gallstones?
Restrict or eliminate the use of cheese, butter, whole milk, cream soups, burgers of fast-food, and other fatty or fried products because reduced stimulation of the gallbladder helps to avoid pain.
Will gallstones cause constipation?
Yes. The abdominal pains may also be constipated, a discomfort that arises when the passage of bile to the intestines is obstructed by the presence of gallstones.
Can a gallstone cause diarrhea?
Yes. When the bile passes past the small intestine very rapidly (usually by way of some obstruction), it may result in loose and watery stools or diarrhea.
Can gallstones disappear on their own?
Small cholesterol gallstones can resolve through time particularly with ursodiol therapy, although majority of gallstones need medical intervention or surgery to eliminate symptoms.
Can you get gallstones without a gallbladder?
It is rare, but the presence of stones in the bile ducts can still occur following the removal of the gallbladder and thus the presence of similar symptoms necessitates examination.
What is the color of stool with gallstones?
When the bile gets obstructed by the gallstones, the stools usually become pale or clay-colored or oily, since the pigments of bile are not able to travel towards the intestines to give the stools its color.
How long does medication to dissolve gallstones take?
Such bile-acid drugs as Ursodiol usually need between 6-12 months of daily use to dissolve relatively small cholesterol stones, and their use varies with the size and composition of the stone.
When should I see a gastroenterologist in Cypress?
See a specialist in case of recurrent pain in the upper-right part of the abdomen, jaundice (yellow coloring of skin or eyes), fever, vomiting, or unusual manifestations of digestive symptoms.
Medically Reviewed by
Dr. Bharat Pothuri, MD, FACG
| Updated 03-17-2026