re: When should I go to the doctor for pain in my side?

I had this for a while and was surprised that it was indeed gallstones. I didn't think I would have gallstone pain on the left side, but that's what it was. If the pain isn't getting any worse, you should be able to wait. I finally ended up having emergency surgery about six months later, and at that point the pain was so bad that I knew I had to get to a hospital. I couldn't lay down and had a constant pain wrapped around my chest, but I still waited about 6 hours that night before finally admitting I needed to head to the ER. FWIW, I haven't had the pain since and feel a lot better overall now that it's out!