I don’t think any of the women in my family have gallbladders anymore, and when mine went wonky I thought it was my back. I had no idea that it was my gallbladder. For a while I was actually getting shots to alleviate back pain, completely oblivious. My surgeon said that I wasn’t getting enough fat in my diet (which is, of course, not the only cause of gallbladder issues).. and had developed classic stones and had a blockage. When the pain got to the point where I went to the ER, it went from what I thought was back pain… to thinking that I had a bowel obstruction. I just felt like I had to go really bad, but I couldn’t go. At the time I didn’t know that it was because I didn’t actually have to, but that’s what it felt like to me. Also, one of the classic signs is pale, yellow, grey or white stool. Pain under the ribs or under the shoulderblade, stomachache that gets worse after eating greasy or fatty foods. Sometimes things like coffee or chocolate, or spicy foods can also cause pain. An aching sensation in the upper, middle abdomen. I think that covers most of the biggies. As for pancreatitis, it’s typically painful and usually requires immediate care. I think (but I do not know for sure) that you would be pretty miserable if that were the problem.