Is it possible when receiving an organ transplant to also receive part of the donors personality too ???

Question

Since my mother received a liver transplant, she has been acting completely out of character !!!

Answer 1

My father received a heart transplant almost 13 years ago and also had some changes in his personality. Before having his transplant he was not a big sweet eater. After wards he could not get enough sweets. He also had other changes in his personality that we dismissed until we met some of the donors Friends and learned more about him. It is all pretty interesting. Good luck w/ the transplant. My father lived almost 13 years w/ his heart . He died Last Tuesday, But he lived a great life. And I miss him terribly.

Answer 2

I have heard it said that the person receiving the transplant can change their habits - taste for certain food, moods etc. Given that a transplant is a pretty serious operation that challenges the immune system very severely, it's probably not surprising to see some differences in behaviour. I guess someone would have to do some stats on the behavioural characteristics of the donors and see how often these are carried over to the recipient. Spooky if it turned out to be true!!

Answer 3

my husband had a heart transplant last year and he acted alittle diffrent. He soon got back to normal and the doctors said it was all the new medication he was on, sometimes your body takes a while to adjust and can make you act diffrent. (mood swings, change in sense of humour, etc etc) but the obvious change we all saw was when he finally came home and it seemed to hit him what had happened and he lives every day to the full and never ever takes anything for granted anymore.
There was some sort of documentary on tv once which suggested it could happen with heart transplant reciepiants but nothing was proved so it could happen, but i think now alot of people are quick to believe that the change that they see in their loved ones is some sort of link to the donor, but i personally think that its more to do with the drugs, because as you probaly know, the drugs which are given ARE tightly controlled as they are very strong and powerful drugs. Our GP and local hospital don't like to treat my husband because they are not up to date with his medication so he always gets transferred to another hospital who can take charge of his medicatiion. If the drugs can keep you alive by preventing the new organ from being naturally rejected by the body, i think they can be powerful enough in the beginning to alter the personality slighty.
I have met others who have had heart transplants and lung transplants and most people agree that alot of the time it's just the overwhelming feeling they get after such a massive operation and it can be mind blowing for their loved ones to see them go through it. I was not prepared at all for what my husband went through with his heart transplant, and at times i was convinced that he'd had a stroke, or suffered some sort of brain damage, but that was all down to the drugs. It wore off after a week or two. He came back to his normal self. Long term he has changed his outllok on life but to be honest i think everyone who knows my husband and saw what happened, they all have too. I thank my lucky stars every night for that transplant because it has changed my life too.
I do hope you get through this phase soon, i know it can be hard. Take care.

Answer 4

Well, I am not an expert by any means, but I have heard of transplant recipients gaining memories from the donor life (this was a heart transplant). I would not say no, it is not possible... there are so many answered questions in our world...anyone who proposes they have all the answers is just fooling themselves.
Have a look at this site:
http://www.med.unc.edu/wellness/main/links/cellular%20memory.htm

Answer 5

well, do spirits exist?
Does something remain after death?
If yes then it is possible but if no then it is not possible.

Don't forget that having a transplant is a MAJOR operation.
My brother had a Heart and Lung Transplant 8 years ago and while he is now in the best of health, his attitude and character are completely different.
Perhaps your mother has realised that she isn't going to live forever and is mortal after all (Now, me, I intend to live forever and will still be here when Gabriels Horn sounds at Armageddon!)

To be blunt, enjoy your mother while you can.
I don't have one, and wish I had been a better son!

You know the saying that your life flashes before your eyes before you die? Well this is the bit and it's flashing past - DON'T WASTE IT

Answer 6

I have had a kidney transplant nearly 12 months ago, and i started to eat some foods i didn't like before, my behaviour is different and i also have a couple of habits i didn't have before. I cannot decided myself if it is down to the donor kidney I received or due to the tablets but i am finding it hard to believe that it is the tablets as surely it wouldn't change three different areas.

Answer 7

YES! i actually had a lidney transplant many years ago and many of the foods i hadnt liked berfore i started liking, and i became interested in other things. And i have heard these so called "side effects" are even more intisnse in a heart trans plant, that may have somthing to do with the fact the person who gave the heart is dead.

Answer 8

No it is not they have no memory and so it would be scientifically impossible. But it has been proven that the heart holds memories. You shouldn't worry about it something immotionaly upsetting MAY have happened to her so that explains her WEIRD behavior. This is just a prediction. You really shouldn't be worried that it is because of the surgery but it lokks like the WEIRD behavior might be a cause of a depressful stage in her life. HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

Answer 9

No, not unless its a brain transplant, ha!ha!

Answer 10

No. Could be the medications she is on so she doesnt reject the new organ. Her body is still healing from the operation.