My grandpa is in the hospital right now....he says his stomach hurts and he is throwing up ALOT of blood! they dont know whats wrong. but the doctors are running tests on him!
he is 61 and he has been an alchoholic most of his life!
what could be wrong with him?
2007-11-21 07:27:33 · 15 answers · asked by Janelle Alexandria 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
It sounds like he may have esophageal varices. When the liver is damaged, regardless of the cause, it becomes too scarred for the blood to pass through it (in the filtration process). The blood "backs up" causing high blood pressure in the veins near the liver. When these veins rupture, the person will vomit blood. The doctors can "band" the blood vessels, giving him a temporary fix. Since the liver is so damaged, he may have other problems, too. I hope he will find the strength to quit drinking and take care of himself. Best wishes to you and your family.
2007-11-21 14:55:17 · answer #1 · answered by cindy1323 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try not to worry too much. This must be very frightening for you. He is in the best place and the doctors know what they are doing.
He could have an ulcer in the stomach lining that is bleeding, even a small ulcer can produce quite a lot of blood, but it can be treated.
I hope all goes well for him.
2007-11-21 15:34:45 · answer #2 · answered by insomnia c 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my family actually went through the same thing with our grandpa three years ago this week. for my grandfather it was the alcoholism... its a terrible thing. I guess I don't really have an answer, the doctor SHOULD be able to let you know whats going on... hopefully soon. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers, I understand how difficult this stuff is, especially during the holidays when you just want the whole family together-- happy and healthy! Take Care.
2007-11-21 15:35:06 · answer #3 · answered by Desiree 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
alcoholics often suffer from bleeding ulcers, and if he is throwing up blood, then that is likely the problem. Until they do appropriate tests tho, the doctors will not give a diagnosis, they will just say they don't know. They will run the necessary tests and probably give him medications. Sadly, if he keeps drinking, the medications won't do much good. Eventually, he will bleed to death if he keeps drinking.
2007-11-21 15:34:19 · answer #4 · answered by essentiallysolo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Be glad he is in the hospital right now. That is the best place for him to be if he is hurting and throwing up blood. You will know the problem when the test results come back. Good luck.
2007-11-21 15:32:32 · answer #5 · answered by aswkingfish 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He needs to be scoped to see if it's from a Mallory Weiss tear ( a thin tear of the gastroesophageal junction ) or a more serious problem such as esophageal varices ( veins that burst from cirrhosis ) -ulcers and gastritis can casue it too but the EGD ( scope ) is the definitive answer and can treat most of the problems to stop the bleeding as well
2007-11-21 17:01:14 · answer #6 · answered by Marc T 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It could be many things, especially at that age and with his history of drinking. Maybe he has a bleeding ulcer, that is a cause of throwing up blood, so are many other things though. I hope your grandpa is ok.
2007-11-21 15:32:14 · answer #7 · answered by Stuck in the middle of nowhere 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My grandfather was an alcoholic too. He threw up blood and eventually died. I'm not sure if there is any specific term for this, but the throwing up blood part has to do with alcoholism.
2007-11-21 15:33:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be an ulcer, could be a lot of things.
Alcoholism causes a LOT of problems. It affect the whole central nervous system. It's pretty bad, honey.
They should be able to treat him, but you need to stay strong.
2007-11-21 15:33:32 · answer #9 · answered by Yup Yup Yuppers 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the doctors will tell you after all the tests are in. . could be many things
2007-11-21 15:30:36 · answer #10 · answered by south_la_gurl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋