My Father is 64 yrs old and has PSP the past 7yrs and 4 weeks ago we brought him into the local A&E Beaumont Hospital - Dublin with a swollen stomach (rock hard to touch) The Doctors explained the he had Pneumonia & a twisted bowel. Four weeks have pasted now and he's still in hospital after having 4 Colonoscopy / Decompression procedures done. They have now told us that surgery in not an option due to his state of health and the stage he is at with PSP. They want to discharge him with no solution to the problem as they say there is nothing else the can do for him but send him home.
Has anyone ever heard of this problem with a solution as the Medics don't have one, as we can't give up on my Dad. Please please please try to help me as Ireland seems to not have an answer.
Thanking you in advance
Suzanne
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SuzanneK
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Sorry to hear of your father's condition. It seems the doctors have attempted the usual procedures for blockages, but if it is a true "twisted bowel" (volvulus), then I think surgery is the only option. The doctors you saw have not opted for surgery because of your father's health. but I woud seek a second opinion. I'm no doctor, but without surgery a twisted bowel has very bad consequences. The fact that he has had the condition for over 4 weeks now makes it even more urgent to obtain a second opinion.
Sorry if my answer is not encouraging.
(I assume they have performed a CT scan to identify the area of twisting? If so, I would have thought some form of laparoscopic surgery might be suggetsed - having less operation side effects for your father, although anaesthesia will still be used. Has he more medical conditions that would prevent any type of operation? like severe heart problems etc?)
Thanks T, yes had CT scans also. They said it would be a 3 hr op, which isn't really an option. I will suggest laparoscopic surgery tomorrow, but I wouldn't think it's an option either if they are saying 3 hrs. It was starting to swell up again for a 5th time.
Dear Suzanne, what you are saying is very worrisome, of course, and I do hope your father is somehow doing better. Twisted bowel needs to be treated, I think, as Strelley says. It's unfathomable that he would be simply dismissed from hospital. My thoughts are with you. Easterncedar
His own meds, laxatives & enema. No, he's in the same hospital they're going to have to do the colonoscopy/decompression procedure again probably over the weekend for a 5th time now. Doc's have said he will probably be discharged Tuesday as there isn't anything else they can do. It's looking like we'll have to come back through A&E every time it happens, which is once a week at the moment.
Suzanne
Can I ask the outcome please as my dad was admitted two weeks ago with twisted bowel it was dealt with using sigmoidoscopyto straighten and he was discharged within a couple of days he was back in hospital (exactly 7 from first admission ) which after saying was an infection then a blockage left from the twist then a pseudo obstruction they performed another decompression only to find the bowel had twisted back up. they discharged him pronto saying nothing they could do as risks for surgery were too high (age diabetes and high blood pressure) We are all bewildered and thinking what now presuming he will no doubt be back in hospital at some point whether next week next month etc
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