Would a gallstone permanently lodged in the neck of a gallbladder require urgent surgery?

[domic]

Through the years going back more than 10 years before 2020, my 78 year old mother had more than 4 gallbladder attacks with fainting and been rushed to the emergency department 2 or 3 times and after receiving tests the doctors at the general hospital always said it may be just pancreatitis.

My mother then received an ERCP in sept 2020 and during that failed ERCP she got another more serious gallbladder attack that made her stay in the hospital for almost 10 days with pain in her back and on anti-biotics. She was released from the hospital and got another serious gallbladder attack 2 weeks later on thanksgiving evening in oct 2020 and had to been rushed to the hospital again. Blood tests revealed she had infection in her blood caused by gallstones and been put back on anti-biotics. A doctor that the hospital appointed wanted to do surgery for her in november after she would regain her strength but she has chosen a different doctor who is one of the best in the city to do surgery but surprisingly he arrived at a much later date in feb 2021. She was released from the hospital 8 days later and had to continue the anti-biotics while at home for another week while being on a low or no fat diet and eventually regained her strength.

She received an MRCP and ultra sound test in oct and nov 2020 and both tests confirmed she has a or the same gallstone permanently lodged in the neck of her gallbladder which it does seem my mother's gallbladder condition got worse due to the ERCP in sept, as if that is when a stone got permanently lodged in the neck of the gallbladder.

Shes been off the anti-biotics for 30 days but started to feel a little sick again a day after Christmas in dec as if the infection in her blood is coming back due to the gallstone lodged in the neck and has again received anti-biotics for only another 5 days. We are worried that she may get another even more serious gallbladder attack before her surgery date in feb 2021.

Should the doctor she has chosen to do surgery have declared a more urgent priority level with a sooner surgery date in nov or dec, instead of feb 2021 since the gallstone is lodged in the neck of her gallbladder thats causing infection in her blood? Is this doctor breaking hospital policy for failing to declare a more urgent surgery date? It is hospital policy that all doctors must arrive at a proper priority level 1 to 4 for every patient and the highest level 1 is considered an emergency, whereas 4 is considered the least urgent.

[Guest]

Sounds to me like you need to have a second opinion doctor and lawyer come in and review the entire case.

There is no way that you alone or any non-professional can make that determination.

It certainly seems possible you have a case.

Maggie

[AFFA]

I wish to inform you that as a first step you may get the medical reports examined by a doctor from the same specialization. Based on the new doctor's expert opinion, you may contact an attorney and seek further guidance.

AFF

[domic]

Thanks for the replies. Actually a second specialist from another city we found did examine my mother's MRCP in Nov. but didn't really want to do the surgery and recommended by phone that she sees a doctor in her own city and even said the Feb date is not too long of a wait, even her family doctor said that although im not sure if hes aware of the stone lodged in the neck of gallbladder but the two specialists are.

My mother though wants to wait until early Feb. for the surgery and asked her doctor for another 5 days of anti-biotics to prevent another attack to occur and we are also hoping that they will not cancel the surgery due to covid19. As of before and now my mother doesn't want me to forward my concerns against her surgeon about this late surgery date to the Health care department of this hospital but if she gets another attack before surgery or they cancel the appointment in Feb, then I will have to. They are causing my mother to suffer too long without a sooner surgery date.

[domic]

AND this is what im also worried about if my mother's surgery date even in Feb 2021 will be cancelled and throughout 2021 because due to covid19 its stated for my province with the health care system in March 2020 that "Beginning Tuesday, March 17, we are postponing elective surgeries and non-urgent ambulatory procedures as part of our COVID-19 response."

Although her appointment for surgery was made in Nov. 2020 months after March 2020, but will her surgery be cancelled if her doctor declared it as non-urgent and as an elective surgery. Elective surgery means a surgery that is not for a life-threatening condition such as eye, ear, or leg surgery but her condition IS life threatening and urgent based on all of her symptoms and stone lodged in neck that continues to cause infection in the blood where she has to continue taking anti-biotics from time to time, like 5 or more pills every month. The infection can even be fatal.

If I file a concern or complaint with the Health care system against this doctor and hospital and they do nothing for us, where do I go from there?

[domic]

The newest update from this hospital as of dec 15, 2020 due to covid19 is they have developed a plan to continue to safely provide elective surgeries at this time. So I hope by early feb my mother's surgery will not be cancelled. Although her surgery is not a non-urgent elective surgery, it is an urgent surgery since the gallstones are causing infection to reoccur that can be life threatening. Shes now on another 5 day prescription of anti-biotics and has been on and off of anti-biotics since her failed ERCP in sept, and being on anti-biotics for extended periods can be harmful.

Elective surgeries that may be cancelled due to covid19 are due to non-urgent and non-life threatening conditions such as eye correction surgery, or bone surgery in the arm or leg. All those conditions are not life threatening whereas reoccurring infection in the blood due to gallstones lodged in neck is and therefore must not be cancelled by this hospital due to covid19.

The problem with our medical system is that doctors have too much freedom and power. Every single treatment or test should be re-examined by a higher department or authority to confirm if the doctor's judgement or diagnosis is correct. And every surgery preformed should also be under recorded surveilance to prove for a fact what exactly takes place including if any mistakes. Remember our lives or the lives of our loved ones are in the doctor's hands or based on a doctor's judgement or diagnosis. Lets hope they are never mistaking like maby in my mother's case incorrectly declaring her condition as non-urgent.

[Guest]

I for one would agree to a complete overhaul of this current system. I have had similar struggles within our family.

We are praying for you!

DW

[Guest]

AND this is what im also worried about if my mother's surgery date even in Feb 2021 will be cancelled and throughout 2021 because due to covid19 its stated for my province with the health care system in March 2020 that "Beginning Tuesday, March 17, we are postponing elective surgeries and non-urgent ambulatory procedures as part of our COVID-19 response."

Although her appointment for surgery was made in Nov. 2020 months after March 2020, but will her surgery be cancelled if her doctor declared it as non-urgent and as an elective surgery. Elective surgery means a surgery that is not for a life-threatening condition such as eye, ear, or leg surgery but her condition IS life threatening and urgent based on all of her symptoms and stone lodged in neck that continues to cause infection in the blood where she has to continue taking anti-biotics from time to time, like 5 or more pills every month. The infection can even be fatal.

If I file a concern or complaint with the Health care system against this doctor and hospital and they do nothing for us, where do I go from there?

If you cant somehow get a second opinion, you might have to consider changing health care groups completely and go to another medical group. Or another hospital. And get second or even third opinions.
That's what we had to do. 80 miles away

[domic]

If you cant somehow get a second opinion, you might have to consider changing health care groups completely and go to another medical group. Or another hospital. And get second or even third opinions.
That's what we had to do. 80 miles away

The second opinion we had from a doctor from a city that is a 90 minute drive away didn't even want to do the surgery as if he didn't want to get involved. My brother and father also drove her to another hospital in Dec and they also didn't want to take her in and wanted her to go back to her own city hospital.

Her family doctor said by the time he refers her to a third doctor and he arranges the surgery, the surgery date could be months or 6 months from now, whereas her surgery date is a little more than 3 weeks away. Her family doctor also confirmed 3 days ago that her condition is urgent so urgent surgeries may not or should not get cancelled between now and feb due to covid19 which is good but she at times feels weak.

We have the test results of her MRCP she received in sept (or oct) 2020 on paper and it states exactly this, a .8 cm gallstone is impacted in the neck of gallbladder and the appearance of her thickened gallbladder is due to chronic cholecystitis and shes at a HIGH RISK of recurrent acute cholecystitis. It seems more than urgent, more like very urgent that is why this doctor should of arranged surgery in nov or dec 2020 instead of feb 2021. In fact at times as I said she feels weak and needs to keep on taking the anti-biotics as she remains on her low fat diet and she informed the nurse at the desk of her surgeon on phone 3 days ago and he still never phoned her back yet.

I told them they should complain to the health care system exactly what has been occurring between her and that doctor but she refuses to do so, although they will complain if the surgery date in feb gets cancelled.

[Guest]

Sounds as if you need to keep trying to get a doctor on your side and to advocate for you.
I feel for you!

[domic]

you may get the medical reports examined by a doctor from the same specialization. Based on the new doctor's expert opinion, you may contact an attorney and seek further guidance.
AFF

Is this a case of age discrimination of neglecting the elderly? (failing to properly care for an elderly patient). Based on her condition of reoccurring infection, needing to be on anti-biotics for extended periods for over 4 months now and the medical reports that I did receive clearly stating my 78 year old mother is at a high risk of recurrent acute cholecystitis. Had a child or a young woman of 30 have the exact condition and a high risk of recurrent cholecystitis, would that same doctor knowing this in oct 2020 arrived at a much sooner date for surgery in nov, or would he have arrived at a much later date of feb 2021? It would clearly prove for a fact of age discrimination and neglecting the elderly, treating my mother as less important due to her age if that doctor would of arrived at a much sooner date for surgery had she been a child or young woman.

Lawyers of this forum, do you agree? Thank you!!!!

[Guest]

I would agree that that is possible but you will have to get other doctors to opine that the doctor is making medically negligent or wrong decisions.

Malpractice lawyers can sometimes help find doctors that will give such opinions but in any case obviously there is a lot of gray area and many factors in medical treatments and what is right or wrong.

tj