New Motivation

Tonight I was told by my grandma that my grandpa is still in the hospital. Four weeks ago he underwent bypass surgery for a clogged artery and valve replacement. One week later he had a complication, and returned to the hospital for heart failure. He returned home only for a few days. Upon going in for a check up the doctors found him jaundiced, and discovered that he needed his gall bladder removed. So he went into the hospital immediately. It's been a week since he went back for the gall bladder surgery, and now they discover that his bile duct has a blockage and they can't figure out where the blockage is. The gall bladder biopsy was deemed inconclusive, and so there are no real answers as to what is blocking the bile duct. It could be a tumor (which is most likely). It's not what anyone would have expected and I'm scared at this point.

After talking with my grandma, I did some internet searching and read up on the importance of the gall bladder and bile duct. Here is what I found:

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Bile is a liquid secreted by the liver that contains cholesterol, bile salts, and waste products such as bilirubin. Bile salts aid in the digestion of fats. Bile passes out of the liver through the bile ducts and is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder until it is released into the small intestine after a meal to help with fat digestion.
When the bile ducts become blocked, bile accumulates in the liver, and jaundice (yellow color of the skin) develops due to the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood.
The possible causes of a blocked bile duct include:
Gallstones
Tumors of the bile ducts or pancreas
Other tumors that have spread to the biliary system
Trauma including injury from gallbladder surgery
Choledochal cysts
Enlarged nodes in the porta hepatis
Inflammation of the bile ducts
The risk factors include:
A history of gallstones, chronic pancreatitis, or Pancreatic cancer
Recent biliary surgery
Recent biliary cancer (such as bile duct cancer)
Abdominal trauma.
In immunosuppressed patients, the blockage can be caused by infections.
Symptoms
Pale-colored stools (caused by lack of bilirubin)
Dark urine (caused by bilirubin excreted in the urine)
Jaundice (yellow skin color)
Itching
Abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant
Fever
Nausea and vomiting
Signs and tests
Your health care provider will examine your abdomen and may be able to feel the gallbladder.
The following blood test results could indicate a possible blockage:
Elevated bilirubin
Elevated alkaline phosphatase
Elevated liver enzymesAny of the following tests may be used to investigate a possible blocked bile duct:
Abdominal ultrasound
Abdominal CT scan
ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram (PTCA)
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)A blocked bile duct may also alter the results of the following tests:
Gallbladder radionuclide scan
Urine bilirubin
Amylase
Treatment
The goal is to address the blockage. Stones may be removed using an endoscope during an ERCP. In some cases, surgery is required to bypass the blockage. The gallbladder will usually be surgically removed if the blockage is caused by gallstones. Your health care provider will prescribe antibiotics for if an infection is suspected.
If the blockage is caused by cancer, the duct may need to be expanded using an endoscope or percutaneous (through the skin) dilation. A tube may need to be placed to allow drainage.
Expectations (prognosis)
If the blockage is not corrected, it can lead to life-threatening infections. If the blockage lasts a long time, chronic liver disease can result. Most obstructions can be treated with endoscopy or surgery. Obstructions caused by cancer often have a worse outcome.
Complications
Left untreated, the possible complications include infections, sepsis, and liver disease, such as biliary cirrhosis.
Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if you notice a change in the color of your urine and stools or you develop jaundice.
Prevention
Be aware of any risk factors you have, so that you can get prompt diagnosis and treatment if a bile duct becomes blocked. The blockage itself may not be preventable.

I don't really know enough yet on how to prevent such infections of the gall bladder from taking place, but I intend to read fully on it. I know several people who have had to have their gall bladder removed, and to me, as a lay person... that can't be good. Your gall bladder plays an important role in digestion. I'm going to do some more reading and post my findings... in the meantime I am more determined than ever to take better care of myself, my family... especially my DAD, who is obese and runs a trillion risk factors as it is.

Please keep him in your thoughts and hope for the best. He's my grandpa, Mariel's "Opa" and I want him to be around for years to come... I love him so much. I feel helpless sitting out here 2000 miles from him. I know there's nothing that I can personally do, so I'm just going to use this as motivation for my own efforts while still hoping that something can be done to improve the situation. I'm not a religious person, but if you pray... pray. If you meditate... meditate. If you hope... hope.