so I came close to losing my dad this week

Some of you may have notice me mentioning my father had a torn esophageal ulcer and was puking up blood.. this part is true and not overly life threatening..

He also had an intestinal blockage that was causing the puking in the first place that tore the ulcer he didn't know he had.

Long story short, he now has a bag. They found a gallstone blocking his small intestine the size of my thumb. It was causing a backup up of food, bile, and liquids up into his stomach. After some emergency Surgery yesterday (that I found out about this morning) he is resting and hopefully healing. Nothing by mouth until further notice and his intestinal tract is disconnected for at least the next 3 months until everything there heals.

When they go to reconnect it, they will probably remove his gall bladder as well.

This has not been a good couple of days.

Sorry to hear it! Many years ago, my mom had to do the 3-month summer vacation for her digestive tract. Other than the inconvenience (admittedly a massive understatement) of the bag, she did well and actually healed so well over the break, it pretty much solved a long history of g.i. problems. Wishing your dad the same sort of success story.

Margie

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. Positive vibes, prayers and all headed your way. Hope everything works out.

Man, I'm sorry to hear this. I hope everything heals well and he (and you) can get back to normal.

Scary stuff indeed! Consider prayers said.

Scary. Keep your head up. Your are doing great.

Good luck, this was rough when we went through it with my dad, but he was also on dialysis at the time which really added to the risk. Keep your head up, and we'll keep these positive vibes coming.

This story could have ended so much worse.

Best wishes and good luck to him.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

thanks everyone.. as my parents advance into elderly status (mom is 69, dad is 67) it is sad to watch them slowly start to decline

Woah. Crazy times. Take care of yourself. Hang in there. We're here to give you what support we can so that you can give your dad the support he needs.

Yeah, been there with my dad with a similar-but-different surgery that also required a bag (intestinal cancer). I found that the more I resolved to tell the rest of the world to berkely off so I could take care of my family the more sane I became. Keep your head up - it sounds like your dad dodged a bullet!

Hopefully this bad patch will end and there can be some healing. My father has been through some bad patches too and while initially they seem really bad (in his case), there has been recovery and some calm and "healthy" time. Do take car of yourself and understand when you need to take a break and clear your head. We'll keep those good thoughts and prayers coming.

Wishin you and your dad the best, but if there's anything you need or anything we can do to help...

Wishing your day a complete and speedy recovery.

Wishing your dad a speedy recovery, and less stressful times for you. It sounds like the docs have things under control and fortunately it didn't get to the next stage. (I lost my father to esophageal cancer twenty five years ago).