Ask the Doctors: Gall stones — what causes them, when you need to do something

When gallstones block the bile ducts, it can cause a gallbladder attack. Symptoms include sudden and ongoing pain in the upper right abdomen or sometimes in the central abdomen, just below the breastbone. (stock.adobe.com)

Dear Doctors: I had stabs of pain in the upper right side of my abdomen, so I did a telehealth session. The nurse said it might be gallstones and to see my doctor if it repeats. So far, it hasn’t. What are gallstones? How do you get them? What is the treatment? 

Dear Reader: The gallbladder — a hollow, flexible organ in the upper right of the abdomen, below the liver and next to the pancreas — stores a digestive fluid called bile that the liver produces.