On December 27, 2006 Dad went into the hospital to have his gall bladder removed. The gallbladder was removed laparoscopically with out any major complications. Dad was able to leave the hospital the same afternoon. Information on this procedure can be found at http://www.gicare.com/pated/epdlv01.htm

The gallbladder showed evidence of years of trouble and the doctor said it was a good thing it was removed. Adhesions had developed, but were not progressed to any dangerous level. The estimated recovery time is from 7 to 10 days with light duty for three to four weeks.

Normally removed for stones, this time it was from a lack of function. Dad had an upper scope(http://www.gicare.com/pated/epdgs18.htm) and lower scope (http://www.gicare.com/pated/epdgs19.htm) done a couple of weeks prior. This showed irritation, but no evidence of ulcers, intestinal diseases or cancers. An ultrasound was preformed on the gallbladder along with bloodtests. Some results pointed toward gallbladder trouble and a HIDA Scan was performed. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hida-scan/AN00424) The HIDA Scan revealed a serious lack of performance by the gallbladder.

As some of you will recall, Dad had been sick for a couple of weeks prior to his troubles in October. Finding the cause(s) of those abdominal pains is a part of the follow-up on his heart trouble. It is no wonder he had so much trouble recovering from his concussions a couple of years ago with all these other issues hiding in the background.

We are hoping that this will really help dad a lot in the future. Dad's diet for years was regulated and he should not need to change anything. Hopefully his abdominal pains will decrease or go away and one more issue will be cleared up.