Gall Bladder Transplant

[hope4me791]

I have made the biggest mistake of my life. I had my gallbladder removed, which I felt rushed into by the surgeon, because I had polyps (very small). For some stupid reason I listenend to his bad advise and got it removed. I feel TERRIBLE!! I'm experiencing terrible digestion problems, which I never had before. I have taken enzymes, etc. all to no avail. All of this is a result of the gallbladder removal. Is there such a thing as a gall bladder transplant? I can't live like this...I would definitely have it done. I know this may sound drastic to you (but not to me)...live in my shoes for one day and tell me how drastic it really is.

[michell221]

What are your issues now?  Many people who have the gallbladder removed develop diarrheah .  This improves in some people within the year.  Others have to take welchol or questran to bind the stool and help with this problem.    

Another problem with gallbladder removal is sphincter of oddi dysfunction.  You could have had this all a long but the pain becomes worse after gall bladder removal.  There is usually pain or attacks in the right quadrant and nausea with vomiting.  This usually happens after eating or on an empty stomach.  

There is also the problem of gerd when you get your gallbladder removed.  Usually taking nexium or something similar can help this.

I do not think they would do a gallbladder transplant.  I have developed issues as well after my surgery.

[Thomas D Schiano, MD]

i agree with the above comments.  i think your symptoms will resolve with time.  there is no need for nor has there ever been performed a gallbladder transplant.  You should feel back to normal.

[hope4me791]

Well it's been 5 months...and normal is nowhere in sight. I can't eat anything, I feel like I am full and bloated all the time. Regardless of what I eat (which is next to nothing) I feel like I'm 400 Ibs, a very heavy disgusting feeling...that just won't go away. I have never in my life felt like this. You say it's not needed (transplant), well neither is living like this. No disrespect intended, I'm sure you're a very good doctor, but after the path I've been directed down...I feel some are better off shining shoes for a living.

[Tiffanyd017]

Now 7 years later have you found anything that helps?? During an ERCP a the doctor perforated my bile duct and then I had to have my abdomen washed out and they removed my gallbladder and I wish so badly I could go back and scream at someone to not take my gallbladder! It has been a year and a half of hell.

[Iwantmygallbladderback]

Um Doctor Schmuck, I've been in hell for 9 years, you sound like every other gastro idiot. Nothing gets better over time. I've done every mediaction on the market and test and I still had my life robbed from me at 31 years old. Your a piece of garbage like every other 30 GI Specialists I've seen all over the country. So taking 15 Immodium and 15 Lomotil everyday for the last 8 years and still having diarrhea is normal your saying Doctor Idiot? I've been on tincture of opium and that made me worse. Care to explain that? You Doctors make me sick, your all bastards and I hope all the money you make by ruining every patients life earns you enough to burn eternally in hell. I've learned in suffering for 9 years since I also wasn't told about what would happen after and was also rushed into surgery, without being told why it had to be removed, that all you WhiteCoats are the biggest most corrupt pieces of bile on earth. Hey Doc, how many lives have you ruined? You think GallBladder removal isn't a big deal? Where'd you get your license Mexico? Their should be an Artificial Gallbladder, espesically in this day and age, we have so many other organs that have artificial ones for decades dating back to the 60's but I've asked plenty of your colleagues why, they're all honest and say $$$. Pieces of bile like you Doctor Schumuck are the reason people like us suffer and lose their lives, but I hope you burn in hell from your crappy practice and mis-information you provide.

To anyone that is told they have to have their Gallbladder removed now and it's an emergency - 2 pieces of advice I'd give you that I wish someone told me. 1) don't do it. 2) if you are as they try to scare you and say going to die unless (which I think is a bunch of ********) make them do it by cutting you so you have a nice scar and NOT Laproscopically where they can't see anything they're doing. Who cares about a little scar on you abdomen? Would you rather them be able to actually see what's they're doing or rely on 3 tiny little holes to pull out and entire organ out of your belly button and not cut or nick you're liver or bile duct (which FYI - causes bile dumping which is what we suffer from) or would you rather them do the surgery successfully and still have a life? No brainer to me. But I didn't get any options or choices either.

These people are charlatans and the lowest form of life on earth and only got into medicine to make $$ not help the human condition or person. They don't care, I know this from seeing over 30 GI & Other Specialists all over the country and Mayo Clinic and Harvard and Cleveland Clinic and no one has been able to do anything.

Also, btw - if you have to take Cholestymine, forget about any other illness you have that requires medication. They make it impossible for you to even take bile salts if one tiny thing is wrong with your body elsewhere. Because you can't take any medication for I think 1-2 hours before or after because it won't  be absorbed. So if you have an anxiety issue and take something, get ready for a panic attack because your pills won't be absorbed because of that medication, so everywich way they screw you in the end.

P.S. To all my fellow people that have been wronged and have their lives ripped from them because of these incompetent bastards, I've been working with Lawyers in Wash D.C., Philly, NYC, LA & Chicago to form a class action lawsuit against any surgeon and/doctor that does this to people. I have over 100 people like us that's have been screwed over by these cretins. We all have the same story. What aggravates me is Doctors like this Tomas Schiano idiot, who comments dumb things like this and they call themselves Doctors, without ever seeing that persons original post, in person or medical records. Evil *******, he is like 99%. Hypocrisy at its finest. Goal is reform This barbaric treatment we have of this organ we all need and for all the people who suffer like me from the day we lose it. I am lucky and write for a living so I can work from home, many years I was unemployed, I know thousands of people who are deceived and end up unemployed because no one understands how difficult life is when they take your Gallbladder out and especially screw up. Because, the ones that suffer like me and you guys is from them doing --- Malpractice. The surgeon nicking a hole in your bile duct or liver which is why you have the bile dumping through your intestines all the time twenty four seven. The lawsuit is to also hold these people responsible for their screw ups. Because that's what it is malpractice.

To all the sufferers like me, stay strong and persevere. Justice always finds a way at the end of the day. I've also for years been meeting with Doctors in Asia, if I do end up finding anything that can cure these Doctors and Surgeons screw ups and give us our lives back believe me I will let the world know.

[gallbladdernightmare_2018]

I wish I saw this before I went through with my surgery. Biggest mistake of my life! I was told I had gallstones from an ultrasound and it turned out to be one. Now I still have stabbing pain under right breast, nausea, and an added bonus of not being able to eat anything, missing work, and running to the toilet!

[michell221]

Have you been back to your dr with your concerns?  Maybe you have something that can be fixed .  If acid is causing this feeling maybe a PPI can help you.

[mmarchimacdonald]

what is a ppi please?

[barcher]

I have had my gallbladder out for 5 years now and I feel the same way as hope4me.  No it does not get better that is just a doctor talking.  No one knows how this feels until they have been threw it.  You cannot live a normal life.  I would like to sue that doctore butt off for not telling me I would feel this way for the rest of my life.  And yeah I talked to a different doctor and he said this will be this way for the rest of my life.

[inakoja]

Let's hope it's not always like that, and that it's not like that for everyone.
My girlfriend had the surgery today. I really hope she will not suffer from the above mentioned problems.

We will inform you (and the rest of the internet) in a while...

Hope for the best, people, to all of you.

[Dowden999]

I had mine removed almost 2 years ago and I take more pepto and immodium than one person should. I have a friend that has had it out for over 10 years and we cant go anywhere together that there is only one bathroom. Doctors will tell you that it will get better in a year but honestly they dont know because they havent had theirs removed. If they told you that you would have to live this way the rest of your life then there would be less removal surgeries and more ways to figure out how to fix what is causing your problems. Some days I have to stop at a public restroom (yuck) between home and work. But I have no choice. Not to mention I have gained like 15 pounds and I dont know how when I use the bathroom so much, you would think I would be anorexic looking.

[Cdngal]

For me my surgeon and GI couldnt stress enough how important fibre is after gallbladder removal, I take 2 metemucil tablets every morning and has helped soooo much, makes you regular and will help with the diarrhea, give it a try?  Hope you all feel better.

[Vonni66]

I had my gallbladder out 6 years ago and I'm still having issues.....over and over and over.  I've tried everything and am now suffering with my second bout with gastritis.  I want a gallbladder replacement as well and I too, had polyps and was rushed into surgery.  I take Zegrid everyday to keep the acid at bay and the gnawing burning pain between my ribs that radiates around to my back.  I have bloating and lots of gas and when I get the gnawing pain I drink a DanActive and that seems to put out the fire for a while and releases some gas.  Still can't eat certain foods like onions, tomato, anything spicy.  I also take Librax for stomach spasms when it's really bad and my doctor recently added Carafate which coats the lining of your stomach and helps the food you eat not irritate your stomach.  Some people just need more time than others to adjust then there are people like me who will never be the same.  Good luck to you.

[kell22]

I agree I too had gallbladder removed over 4 years ago and have been gaining weight ever since. my whole life I have been a slim person and am now 30 kilos over my original weight. I do not eat carbs or sugar, eat fresh veggies and fruit and some lean meat and chicken. i don't even like sweets and cakes etc. I have diahoria after nearly everything I eat. I would have a transplant if there was such a thing, as I only had small polyps too. It all happened pretty quickly and I didn't have time to get second opinion.

[losionez]

In my opinion we should keep pushing doctors to make gallbladder transplant. Its important organ, they dont think so unfortunatelly. Gallbladder removal destroys life comfort in most cases. I am 26 years old guy. I feel pain everyday in many areas of abdomen. Is it normal? They should try it. I have to use many pills everyday but it is not helpfull. Living with polyps seems to be better solution. Unfortunatelly I didnt know what I know now. Regards

[gallbladdernightmare_2018]

I agree about a gallbladder transplant or something to help filter the bile. There is a video on You Tube of an Orthotopic Gallbladder Transplant.

[jessejr1981]

I've had mine removed and experimented with the way and what I eat. I can honestly say there was a reason why we had our gall bladders removed it was the high fatty foods we ate. We think we can continue to eat the same foods. Well I can say from experience all those medicines is a temporary fix. I went on the biggest loser cooking diet and I am back to normal before I had my gall bladder removed! You have to stop eating deep fried, fried foods, and especially soft drinks! Then I stopped eating right and it took a month before I went back to having diarreah and going to the bathroom during a meal. Try this diet by Jillian Michaels and you will see results.

[Sarsi]

No offense to you, but my gallbladder issues were NOT related to my diet! I had two back to back pregnancies and the gallstones were caused from that!

I do not eat fatty, or deep fried food, or drink soft drinks! I eat very sensibly with lots of vegetables and fruit!

I now have sphincter of oddi dysfunction and biliary issues......which may have been aggravated, again, by the pregnancies and been the pain issues all along......

I too have more digestive issues now than when I had my gallbladder and have bright yellow bile diarrhea most days......it has been 2 years since my surgery and it is not "going away", I agree that doctors do not seem to know how much removing a gallbladder can affect someone! Better ways of treating the stones is needed.......the fact that mine was very inflamed was indicative that it needed to come out, but a lot may be avoided.

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

I just watched a documentary today on Gallbladder issues!  So this info comes from the Experts:

Gallstones are from to much CHOLESTOROL in the body!  Cholestorol can be familial or due to poor diet that consists of to much fat.

If the Gallbladder forms stones, it is not doing it's job and should be removed before the stones get stuck in the bile duct or a lifethreatening infection - Cholangitis - occurs!

I have been without my Gallbladder since 2006.  I ate very healthy, thus no fatty or fried food and lots of fish and veggies, but I have familial cholestorol and had Gallstones and almost died from Cholangitis and stones in bile duct.

I absolutely don't miss my Gallbladder.  My diet still consists of almost no fat and good choices.

Check your Cholestorol levels (Fasting Lipogram) and if you have stones in your Gallbladder, get it removed.

[Sarsi]

I am not arguing that the stones are made from cholesterol......just that it is not always just from diet......

I have had my gallbladder removed......and I have been diagnosed with sphincter of oddi dysfunction now, 2 years later, and I feel that the gallbladder and it's stones, for me, were only a symptom of the underlying condition.....

It's not always black and white,

[Smiley2000]

Some people do get Gallstones if they have a lot of fat in their diet.  But in the case where we eat healthy and still get stones, it is definitely not from a bad diet.  

The familial Cholestorol is not something that is caused by diet.  It is an enzyme in your blood that makes your liver produce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL).  Which is the bad Cholestorol.

It is the function of the Liver and Gallbladder to excrete this protein from your body and thus form Gallstones if your Gallbladder does not function normally.

[Gallbummed]

Hey Hopef4Me791!
I agree with you. I was basically talked into having my gall bladder removed by my surgeon with the assurance that i would "return to normal" within a few weeks. I am miserable...it was truly a life altering mistake. I cannot travel, go out with friends or even work like i was able to before the surgery. And the 'dull ache' that i reported high on the right side of my back is still there. I had two doctors "consult" me to have the surgery based on the uptake test (Hida scan). I believe that many people have been influenced to have their Gall Bladders taken out based on the results of this test when in fact there was no real problem. My symptoms and experience is exactly like yours and wonder if you were also influenced by the results of this "test". I believe that there may be many people like us and perhaps there is a class action lawsuit that can be brought against the makers and supporters of this so-called definitive test for gall bladder disease. As best as i can figure, my ache was nothing more than a pulled muscle. I also have friends that have ignored the results of the Hipa tests and are fine.

[monkeychucker]

hi hopeforme791 - I also have had similar issues since having my gallbladder removed almost 10 months ago.  My doctor did prescribe cholestyramine for the diarrhea and that really helped.  However, I still constantly feel bloated.  Additionally, I have occasional periods of restlessness/sleeplessness (restless leg being a major player when I'm unable to sleep).  An added little gift was the tinnitus and dizziness that I started experiencing 1 week after the surgery.  The ENT I saw thinks it may have something to do with the anesthesia (but he really doesn't know).  I went to bed one night without tinnitus/dizziness and woke up with it the next day (and it hasn't gone away).  That all said, I do believe my gallbladder needed to come out (my liver function tests were not optimal and keeping a diseased/malfunctioning gallbladder most likely would have led to liver failure...a much worse condition).  When I reflect back on what my life was like with a crummy gallbladder, it also wasn't fun.  I was on increased dosages of pain meds for 1 1/2 years to deal with the pain (which my doctor thought was related to a completely different condition.  I kept getting stones stuck in the duct and that led to excruciating pain...but my doc thought it was related to a condition called Costochondritis...she is great; I don't blame her at all).  So getting off of the pain meds post-surgery also was no picnic.  I am learning to live with all of this - for me it doesn't help to long for the days when my gallbladder was a part of me (trust me...I've been there).  I am not saying that is my advice to you...I have no idea what you do/what your life is like, so for me to say "try and just deal with it" would not be compassionate at all.  My advice is to the degree you can, talk over all of the options you've read on this board with your doctor.  We all can talk about ways that we've dealt with our misery post-cholecystectomy (whether it be changes in diet, meds, or other ways of coping), but none of us really know how it precisely impacts you and your life.  Hopefully you can take some of this advice and present it to your doc and talk about a possible solution (or at least an improvement in your condition).  You haven't posted on this thread in awhile, so hopefully that means things have improved.  I certainly hope that is the case.  

[skippy2009]

if u find someone to do a trans plant let me know , that ******* dr. did the same thing to me 13yrs ago. if i dont take colestid every day i have diahrea. i would like to rip his gallbladder out by hand....

[wannabwell464]

id rather have to go to the bathroom and eat something thann burn in stomach and chest and acid on touge every day , im sure that no fun but this crap burning is driving me crazy changed my life , horrible pain 6 months...i would get a tranplaant in a min , they turnrd a healthy person into pain , said a gallstone was in gallbladder , never found stone , i have been through every test know to man kind, im not giving up , theres got to be a way to find myself again.

[jackie722]

Its unbelievable .......reading all of the above!! My Poor daughter had hers out about 6 weeks ago ...and shes only 8 YEARS OLD!! If I had known or was TOLD from the surgeon before hand of all the complications after removal, I would of never have done it!!! she is crippled with NAUSEA every single DAY....and I am sooo unbelievably fustrated at the Surgeon for not giving me information or letting me get a second OPINION.....OR even Trying to TREAT the gallbladder without removal first!!!! All the want do to is MAKE MONEY off you.....I cant express How angry I am.....I wish I could give my little girl my gall bladder (if only If only I said NO.....) and if Only I was given time to make that decision......I pray everyday that she will overcome this NAUSEA and live a normal LIFE....xxx

[jo182]

i had my gall bladder removed 5 days ago by keyhole after suffering horrific pain and feel great. Im up and about walking and getting back to normal. I dont seem to have any issues, fingers crossed early days. However i an still following the pre op low fat , high fibre diet and will continue to do so. Ive done a lot of research into having a clean diet and lifestyle and there is a lot of evidence this will help people like you and me. Im also vegetarian, but i would rather have the bland diet than feel groggy and risk post op issues.

[alsoinpain]

I had my gall bladder removed and my IBS symptoms showed up about 6 months later. Believe me, i understand that pain completely. Its been about 2 years now. I've lived on Imodium and Welchol. However i have developed spine problems and am given pain medication and my IBS all but went away. I still get an attack at least once a week but its a lot better than 5 times a day, every day. I actually got my appetite back.

One other thing stay away from fried fatty foods, it will make your symptoms worse, eat lots of fiber and protein.

[jam1987]

I had my gall bladder removed in March, 2012 as an emergency surgery. The doctors told me that if I didn't have it done I would die. I had so many gall stones that the Doctors were astonished that I hadn't had any symptoms before then. I like many others do not and did not eat a high fat diet. I rarely ate fast food or fried foods, and my husband has eaten those things on a regular basis with no problems; so it isn't all associated with diet. I'm glad that diet changes have helped some of you but to those of whom it hasn't--I feel your pain. While I don't have heartburn issues like many of you; I have continuously had the same pain as when I had the "gall bladder attack" to a lesser degree. It has been so horrible that my doctor has put me on a "base 1 diet" (that's what he called it). Brief description: no dairy, no oils, little to no saturated or transfats, and no grease (ie nothing fried--ever); I know it doesn't sound like that much change, but it really is when you think about it. I virtually can't eat meats, fish and chicken/poultry are my basic options; venison is a good alternative to beef for me since it is very low in fat. I also have to add miralax to a drink everyday (for the rest of my life it seems) and eat foods that are high in fiber. I can't eat cheese, drink milk, or have anything with those in it. I have this sharp abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen accompanied with nausea (sometimes vomiting), bloating, gas, and a recent development of the past 3-4 weeks has been bouts with dizziness and syncope that have only increased in occurance and intensity. These problems have only began occurring since my surgery. So, I know I had to have this surgery because my gall bladder was inflammed and infected due to blockage from the stones, and I had been symptom free, but it still *****. They tied the development of these stones to my pregnancies, by the way. Worse part about it all, now, is I don't have insurance anymore and can't go see a doctor about any longer. My doctor had started to run tests right before I got a letter saying that my insurance was getting cancelled. He ran a basic blood test, which came back normal, and an ultrasound showing fluid retention in the pelvic region and slight swelling of the pancreas. He's a great doctor, I just can't afford to pay for it in order to be seen. So here's to hoping that something works out soon for all of us. And in the mean time if I find anything helpful, I will post about it here.