Cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gall bladder, usually caused by a gallstone blocking the bile duct (choleodocholithiasis). It can be chronic, characterized by frequent short bouts of abdominal pain, or acute, characterized by lack of appetite, fever, moderate to very severe pain, fatigue, and jaundice. A classic sign of cholecystitis is severe pain if the doctor presses on the right side of the abdomen just below the ribcage and asks the patient to breathe deeply.