Dads weight loss gallstones?

[Duggies-girl]

Well after a few weeks of frantically pulling my hair out trying to get dad to eat something, and taking him to the doctors 3 times followed up with blood tests, Xray and today an ultrasound. It seems that he has a gallstone discovered by the nice lady who did the ultrasound.

Of course I have googled it and apparently gallstones can cause loss of appetite and nausea. Dad's weight loss has been dramatic and although I don't wish gallstones on anyone I feel that we may have at least discovered the source to his problem. He is living on milkshakes at the moment with maybe a yoghurt a day. He had a choc ice last night and promptly threw that up along with his earlier milkshake.

Has anyone else experienced this problem with an elderly person. Dad is 88 in a couple of weeks.

 

[nellbelles]

You could perhaps try a really low fat diet, I was told to do that when I had gallstones it helped me.

 

[Duggies-girl]

You could perhaps try a really low fat diet, I was told to do that when I had gallstones it helped me.

He won't eat anything at the moment and to be honest he needs some fat and calories before he fades away altogether.

 

[arielsmelody]

Obviously, what your doctor tells you is the most important thing, but I have to say from my experience I wouldn't go straight to the gallstone as causing this. I'm just going by my husband who has a chronic illness that flares up from time to time (Crohn's Disease) and when he throws up everything including soft foods like choc ices and milkshakes, I know it's time to get him emergency medical treatment. Of course, that's just my experience of my husband and not your dad, but if that's the stage you are at, I think you need to talk to someone urgently - your dad may be getting dehydrated, if nothing else.

 

[Moggymad]

Hi @Duggies-girl i visit a man of 92 who recently had gallstones problem. Instead of an op they broke the stones up so they could pass through. I know it involved a tube down the throat but he was not anaesthetised & had no ill effects afterwards, although he was in hospital already as his problem came on suddenly being unable to keep anything down.
I think @arielsmelody is wise in what she says. I've also had stones & had to have my gall bladder removed. The doctor did say that a large percentage of the population will have gall stones from middle age but will be unaware until they cause problems like blockages. Unless your dads is large & causing an obstruction then it may not necessarily be the cause of his symptoms.
If the stone is the problem, for someone like your dad who has already lost so much weight, he will need it dealing with so push for the procedure mentioned above. Low or no fat food will help sustain him in the meantime. I learned very quickly which foods had fat in by the discomfort that followed, only relieved by being sick. Best wishes.

 

[Baby Bunty]

He won't eat anything at the moment and to be honest he needs some fat and calories before he fades away altogether.

Hi my mum was in middle stages off dementia and she had gallstones..in horricific pain and nausea..she had 2 emergency hosptial admissions..on the 2 occasions we were told that they wouldnt operate as she was inlikely pull through operation..so send home with low fat diet advice..but then on third occasion when she had a flare up..it ended up effecting the pancreas..and got pancreatitis 2nd to gallstones..the 3rd consultant agreed to operate as an elective pt..then we had a meeting with the aneathitis..who explained the outcome could be poor and dementia could go worse..!!..mum had operation called cholecyectomy and re

 

[Baby Bunty]

And recovered well..however her dementia did get worse..and thats when mum when inro care home..6 years ago.xxxx

 

[Amber_31]

My mum was 66 with no dementia symptoms, at all. She became very skinny in mid 2014, because, she was always being sick and couldn’t keep anything down. She became skeletal. To cut a long story short, she was bounced between about four different hospitals, as some doctors didn’t accept she had gallbladder disease. Then, she got pancreatitis next, and sepsis next, until, one hospital decided to operate on her, and they found her gallbladder diseased, filled with stones and severe inflammation to neighbouring organs inflamed. She woke up from the operation with really rather severe dementia, having been more or less fine before. It happened overnight!
My mum spent a year in and out of hospital and looking back it wouldn’t have been necessary had she had her gallbladder removed after the first attack, as per NICE guidelines. In my experience you have to push for fast treatment.