5 Things You Didn't Know About Your Gallbladder

Your gallbladder is an organ that helps you digest food. How? It holds onto this thick, greenish-yellow, meal-melting juice called bile, then releases it when you eat.

Gallstones, those little rocks of cholesterol or particles that grow in your gallbladder, can get as big as a golf ball. If they block tubes that carry bile, that could be really painful. Some surprising things may make you more likely to get gallstones, like dropping pounds really fast, being a woman, or getting pregnant.

Believe it or not, surgery is the main treatment for serious gallstone pain. It's common. If you can't have it, meds may help, but probably not as much as surgery. If you get your gallbladder removed, your body won't miss it that that. much. You'll still be able to digest food and have a fun, full life.