Gallbladder Surgery W/ Bad Heart Posted: 04-24-07 16:53pm
This is my first post so I hope I do this
right. My 80 yr. old father has found out
he has sludge in his gallbladder. No
stones yet. Surgeon says it needs to come
out. Problem is that he has a very bad
heart. He has no symtoms, no pain. He
was scheduled for sugery and it had to be
cancelled due to a bad chest cold and his
heart. Rescheduled the surgery and
anesthesia nurse said his heart was not
good and ordered an EKG. It seems as
though we are starting the whole long
process over that we did before the first
surgery. My question is, does a person w/
no stones, no symtoms and no pain have to
have the surgery. Is there a chance he
could watch his diet and prevent further
complications w/ his gallbladder? I just
don't want to risk him having the sugery
and then not make it because of his heart.
Sorry for the long post.
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NWKC
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 134 Location: The States
Posted: 04-24-07 17:38pm
jojokami
wrote:
This is my first post so I
hope I do this right. My 80 yr. old
father has found out he has sludge in his
gallbladder. No stones yet. Surgeon says
it needs to come out. Problem is that he
has a very bad heart. He has no symtoms,
no pain. He was scheduled for sugery and
it had to be cancelled due to a bad chest
cold and his heart. Rescheduled the
surgery and anesthesia nurse said his
heart was not good and ordered an EKG. It
seems as though we are starting the whole
long process over that we did before the
first surgery. My question is, does a
person w/ no stones, no symtoms and no
pain have to have the surgery. Is there a
chance he could watch his diet and prevent
further complications w/ his gallbladder?
I just don't want to risk him having the
sugery and then not make it because of his
heart. Sorry for the long post.
wow, I'm sorry to hear.
my grandfather was more of a father figure
towards me than my real father; but that's
quite irrelevant. he had a brain
anyeurism. he made through the operation
and the rehabilitation, but as he was
coming from the rehab center there was an
accident, and he didn't make it.
I really wouldn't be quite sure about this
sludge, I assume it's cholelithiasis. did
you ask the surgeon or a doctor or even a
cardiologist? they would have more of an
answer than anyone here. as for opinions,
if the cholelithiasis wasn't worth the
surgery...I'd probably say no...but don't
quote me on that.
also, another thing...there's no reason to
apologize for the length of a post. it's perferred
that we get all the information when being
asked.
I'm really sorry that I'm not much help.
if I come across anything, I'll be sure to
notify you.
good luck to you and your father.
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jojokami
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Illinois
Posted: 04-24-07 17:44pm
We have talked to every specialist and
they just don't seem to be working
together much. We have come to the
conclusion we need to talk to the gastro
doc about how urgent the gallbladder
surgery is. Our problem is that we don't
want to hold off and it become an
emergency surgery. I told mom that it
really doesn't matter if the surgery is
planned or not. He will run a risk
anyway. We feel that if the surgery is
absolutely neccessary then we should try
and get him as healthy as possible and
then have it. AHHHHH. I don't know what
to do.
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NWKC
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 134 Location: The States
Posted: 04-24-07 17:53pm
jojokami
wrote:
We have talked to every
specialist and they just don't seem to be
working together much. We have come to
the conclusion we need to talk to the
gastro doc about how urgent the
gallbladder surgery is. Our problem is
that we don't want to hold off and it
become an emergency surgery. I told mom
that it really doesn't matter if the
surgery is planned or not. He will run a
risk anyway. We feel that if the surgery
is absolutely neccessary then we should
try and get him as healthy as possible and
then have it. AHHHHH. I don't know what
to do.
Ah, I understand where you're going with
this all. you're in one hell of a dilemma.
definitely talk to a gastro doctor. I'd
say get him as healthy as possible anyway,
but that is true that you wouldn't want it
to become an emergency situation. I'll see
what I can do to look for information. I
wish I could help you more but I have to
get to class soon.
|
NWKC
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 134 Location: The States
Posted: 04-24-07 18:03pm
alright, my mistake...it's clearly not
cholelithiasis.
here's some information that I pull up
from a site, I saved you the hassel of
hunting for it while scrolling through the
page.
GALLBLADDER DISEASE WITHOUT STONES
(ACALCULOUS GALLBLADDER DISEASE)
Gallbladder disease can occur without
stones, a condition called acalculous
gallbladder disease. It can be acute
(arising suddenly, often as a one-time
occurrence) or chronic (persistent):
Acute acalculous gallbladder disease
usually occurs in patients who are very
ill from other disorders. In such cases,
inflammation occurs in the gallbladder,
usually from a diminished blood supply or
an impairment in the ability of the
gallbladder to contract.
Chronic acalculous gallbladder disease
(also called biliary dyskinesia) appears
to be caused by muscle defects or other
problems in the gallbladder that impair
its ability to contract and release bile.
Diagnosing Acalculous Gallbladder Disease
Diagnosing Acute Acalculous Gallbladder
Disease. Symptoms are similar to acute
cholecystitis with gallstones, but they
may be obscured by other medical
conditions, since patients with this
condition are often critically ill with
other illnesses.
Diagnosing Chronic Acalculous Gallbladder
Disease. Chronic acalculous gallbladder
disease is usually diagnosed when a
patient complains of gallbladder symptoms
but there is no evidence of stones using
standard imaging techniques. (More than
half of patients initially diagnosed with
this disease, however, are eventually
shown to have small stones or gallbladder
sludge.) The patient is given the hormone
cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK), which
induces gallbladder contraction, followed
by a radioisotope scan that determines if
the gallbladder is emptying correctly. If
the gallbladder demonstrates difficulty
releasing bile, doctors usually consider
the diagnosis confirmed.
Treatment for Acalculous Gallbladder
Disease
Treatment for Acute Acalculous Gallbladder
Disease. Acute acalculous gallbladder
disease has a very high rate of serious
complications (gangrene, perforation, and
pus in the gallbladder), so emergency
removal of the gallbladder is warranted.
Treatment for Chronic Acalculous
Gallbladder Disease. Most patients (75% to
90%) diagnosed with chronic acalculous
gallbladder disease are relieved of their
symptoms by cholecystectomy (removal of
the gallbladder). [See What Are the
Surgical Procedures for Gallstones and
Gallbladder Disease?]
it's perferred
that we get all the information when being
asked.
