Are There Any Alternatives To Gallbladder Surgery?

For the past few years I've had a random mild dull ache in my upper right quadrant of my abdomen under my ribs.  It hasn't been painful enough to really notice it and tie it into food eating trends.  Since February standard blood work displayed elevated liver enzymes.  Only ALT and AST are elevated, the rest of my blood work is excellent.  I've been checking my livery enzymes periodically and the ALT and AST will vary from normal to twice normal.

Last week my doctor did a physical exam of my abdomen and noticed pain in my gallbladder area.  The results of my ultrasound show that my liver and gallbladder look anatomically normal.  However, I did the shrinkage test with Kinevac injection.  My Ejection Factor is 0%.  In fact, after the 20-25 minute test my gallbladder measured 2 cc's larger in volume.  

I don't seem to be suffering anything extraordinarily wrong besides the minor ache.  The doctor told me that it's likely I'll have to have it removed but didn't place any urgency on getting the procedure done.  He said I'll likely have it out within 1 to 30 years depending on when it gets worse.

I've done some research on the gallbladder and have found other individuals that claim my gallbladder problems could also cause higher than normal liver enzymes, gas, heartburn, and loss of eye sight, all of which I've had since I noticed the dull ache in my side for the past 2-3 years.  

I don't have gallstones and I really don't want to have my gallbladder removed if I don't have to.  Would you please recommend what I do about my situation?

I have found some "alternative" 'gallbladder' flushing techniques such as those found here:

http://www.regaininghealthnaturally.com/Sickness_and_Disease/Gallbladder_Flush.shtml

Do these work or are they full of smoke?  Has anybody tried this procedure?

Please share your thoughts.  Thanks.

-Howdy

[gnorb]

First, I know how you feel. My EF was 19%. Only issues are heartburn, bloating, and a slight, dull ache once in a while (when I eat junky foods). Otherwise, everything seems to be in perfect working order.

I've been using acupuncture for the past couple of weeks, and surprisingly have started to see some results. My heartburn has decreased. Additionally, I now sometimes feel a twitching on my side, something that never happened before, and which I *hope* is good, though I can't say for sure. The bloating is almost non-existent, unless I eat something junky (which doesn't happen very often).

I avoid fried foods, alcohol, fatty foods, and at the recommendation of my acupuncturist, cold foods. The result has been that I've been able to cut my medication (Prevacid) in half, form 60mg per day to 30mg. The fact that this only took a couple of weeks was nothing short of astonishing.

In addition to the acupuncture, losing weight, I was told by my doc, may help in restoring gallbladder function, though he says it's a long shot. (Still, he's seen it happen.) But more importantly, certain kinds of exercise are designed to help return strength to the gallbladder. (A few yoga poses I've tried have quite literally left my gallbladder sore. I don't know how to explain that, so don't ask. I just felt for the rest of the day a dull ache at the gallbladder region, which went away. Digestion was better for a short time thereafter.)

Finally, of course, there are herbs, which are supposed to help, but most of these I've heard are bile thinners, and are generally meant more for gallstones than biliary dyskinesia.

Good luck, and if you find anything that works for you, keep this thread posted. I'd love to see your results.

[jennamre]

I wish I was told i had no stones.  I had many stones and had to get my gallbladder out.
If I had had no stones, i would have done anything to keep my gallbladder.  If I were you, I would try chinese medicine and accupuncture too.  Don't get surgery unless you really have to get it.  i had complications with my gallbladder removal both during and afterwards.
At the age of 19 my son had to get his out too!  He had many stones that were dangerously small.  We both still have quirky stomach problems now even tho we had our gallbladders out.  Even if you get your gallbladder out, there is no guarantee that all your problems will go away.  I would never get surgery unless it's absolutely necessary.  Try and new, healthy diet designed for gallbladder problems.  Go to the jackson gastroenterology site.  They have a gallbladder diet on there!!  It's low fat.  My son was on it before he had his out so he wouldn't get painful attacks and throw another stone.  He lost 15 pounds on it...it's great for weight loss too, and you will feel better eating low fat foods.  We still can never eat heavy, greasy food and milk products even tho we had our gallbladders removed.  American Indians used WATERCRESS for gallbladder problems.  You should look into that also.
I was told by a naturopathic doctor, that the biggest problem is stones in the gallbladder for many people and i think you're lucky because at least you don't have stones!!  Good luck.

[HowdyDuty]

I forgot to mention...

When I was laying on the table getting my ultrasound of my gallbladder I was fortunate enough to be able to see the ultrasound picture.  Before the injection I noticed my gallbladder shape was long and skinny.  After injection it was very circular.  Does this have any indication that my gallbladder is still "working" and trying to squeeze the bile out but it can't?  Would it be possible there could be an obstruction in the bile duct somewhere so the bile can't get out?

[gnorb]

The fact that your gallbladder got big doesn't indicate that it's working, merely that the liver is still pumping stuff in there. (It would empty, but at such a slow rate that it seems like nothing.) As for there being an obstruction, you'll have to talk to your gastroenterologist. If they didn't see anything in the ultrasound, then there may not be. Maybe you can ask for another one. I still highly recommend going with chinese medicine.