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What Causes Fatigue After Gastric Polyp Removal Surgery?
Question: My father recently had a stomach polyp removed, now he is constantly weak and tired. What is causing this?
Brief Answer:
polyp not relevant
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
if this polyp was not cancer (check the biopsy) then there is no way to relate this to the symptoms, particularly now that it's been removed. If it was still there then you could have suspected anemia due to occult blood loss (the complete blood count suffices to identify that).
His symptoms have to be investigated separately from the polyp. The investigation should include at least the following:
- complete blood count
- urea, creatinine
- electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium)
- thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
- liver function tests (AST, ALT, ALP)
- proteins (total protein, albumin, serum electrophoresis)
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
- glucose
- urinalysis
- temperature measurements at least twice a day (morning and evening) for 3 consecutive days
- medical history taking for other symptoms like headaches, vision problems, joint pains, etc
Since this is a vague symptom the investigation is not easy. If the aforementioned investigation is negative then finding any diagnosis is doubtful with further tests. Further tests (radiological tests for example) can be directed by findings on the first range of tests. Most of the times weakness in a 86 year old individual is caused by the frailty of his age.
I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!
polyp not relevant
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
if this polyp was not cancer (check the biopsy) then there is no way to relate this to the symptoms, particularly now that it's been removed. If it was still there then you could have suspected anemia due to occult blood loss (the complete blood count suffices to identify that).
His symptoms have to be investigated separately from the polyp. The investigation should include at least the following:
- complete blood count
- urea, creatinine
- electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium)
- thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
- liver function tests (AST, ALT, ALP)
- proteins (total protein, albumin, serum electrophoresis)
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
- glucose
- urinalysis
- temperature measurements at least twice a day (morning and evening) for 3 consecutive days
- medical history taking for other symptoms like headaches, vision problems, joint pains, etc
Since this is a vague symptom the investigation is not easy. If the aforementioned investigation is negative then finding any diagnosis is doubtful with further tests. Further tests (radiological tests for example) can be directed by findings on the first range of tests. Most of the times weakness in a 86 year old individual is caused by the frailty of his age.
I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The polyp was not cancer. My dad has lots of energy prior to the removal. He has been to see his family doctor and a neurologist. Neither can determine why he is so tired and week. As stated previously, many blood tests have been completed with good results. I can't think this tiredness and weakness is caused by his age because it all started after his procedure which was in early July of this year. Just hoping to see if there is something we and the doctors are overlooking.
Brief Answer:
anesthesia?
Detailed Answer:
I can only think about anesthesia since it's so obvious to everybody that the change was sudden and coincided with the procedure. Normally for endoscopic removal of a small polyp the patient only receives "mild" anesthesia which is the equivalent of an anxiolytic. If the anesthesia was more than he could cope with, then a withered 86 old brain may show signs of malfunction including confusion right after waking up. Sometimes the malfunction is transient, other times it's permanent.
A brain MRI scan can provide helpful data sometimes, not regarding anesthesia but regarding his brain condition. The brain shrinks as we age. In some individuals it may shrink faster than expected. Such changes wait for the right moment (fever, surgical procedures, anesthesia, etc) to demonstrate their presence. I'm sure the neurologist must have checked all that. You can also check for vitamin B12 which may cause neurological problems, although we usually expect anemia to become evident before anything else.
Does he have any sings of brain malfunction? Have you considered depression? Depression cannot be detected with tests. It's a clinical diagnosis when all organic causes have been excluded.
Kind Regards!
anesthesia?
Detailed Answer:
I can only think about anesthesia since it's so obvious to everybody that the change was sudden and coincided with the procedure. Normally for endoscopic removal of a small polyp the patient only receives "mild" anesthesia which is the equivalent of an anxiolytic. If the anesthesia was more than he could cope with, then a withered 86 old brain may show signs of malfunction including confusion right after waking up. Sometimes the malfunction is transient, other times it's permanent.
A brain MRI scan can provide helpful data sometimes, not regarding anesthesia but regarding his brain condition. The brain shrinks as we age. In some individuals it may shrink faster than expected. Such changes wait for the right moment (fever, surgical procedures, anesthesia, etc) to demonstrate their presence. I'm sure the neurologist must have checked all that. You can also check for vitamin B12 which may cause neurological problems, although we usually expect anemia to become evident before anything else.
Does he have any sings of brain malfunction? Have you considered depression? Depression cannot be detected with tests. It's a clinical diagnosis when all organic causes have been excluded.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Yes, he was given an anesthesia to put him to sleep. His blood was already checked for B12 and appeared to be fine. I'm not so sure the neurologist checked anything with his brain function or not but I can tell you that his brain appears to be functioning normal other than forgetfulness which is common in the elder. He has been taking Protonix for over 2 years for his acid reflux. Is there a time limit as to how long you should take that medication? Does that cause any side affects?
Brief Answer:
it may cause side effects
Detailed Answer:
Acid reflux cannot be treated once and for all... When reflux occurs it may "burn" the esophagus and the other upper gastrointestinal tract and sometimes it also causes problems to the respiratory tract too. So taking a proton pump inhibitor is indicated. Since reflux is not supposed to stop, if he's having serious problems with it, he should take it indefinitely.
There are several side effects connected to protonix and the like including a higher risk for dementia but since you've noticed an abrupt worsening of his status it's unlikely that protonix caused it (unless of course it was started along with the procedure)...
Kind Regards!
it may cause side effects
Detailed Answer:
Acid reflux cannot be treated once and for all... When reflux occurs it may "burn" the esophagus and the other upper gastrointestinal tract and sometimes it also causes problems to the respiratory tract too. So taking a proton pump inhibitor is indicated. Since reflux is not supposed to stop, if he's having serious problems with it, he should take it indefinitely.
There are several side effects connected to protonix and the like including a higher risk for dementia but since you've noticed an abrupt worsening of his status it's unlikely that protonix caused it (unless of course it was started along with the procedure)...
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Brief Answer:
consider psychological causes...
Detailed Answer:
I understand your concerns and I believe they're rightful since the problem started suddenly. So one possible explanation is the effect of anesthesia and an alternative consideration is psychological problems like depression. It's very common to the old age.
If the neurologist has ran out of tests and clues then I can't add anything more than what I've already suggested. Perhaps your doctor should consider depression and provide appropriate treatment.
I'm sorry to say that diagnosing and treating old individuals can be very challenging because all their organs are marginally functioning and sometimes you can't distinguish between normal ageing effects (worsened by sudden and unexpected events like a polyp diagnosis and removal) and actual disorders. His doctor is the most appropriate person to judge whether it's the first case or the second. If he's done all the tests (I mean all the useful tests to do) and there are no clues yet, then perhaps he shouldn't be annoyed by more testing...
Kind Regards!
consider psychological causes...
Detailed Answer:
I understand your concerns and I believe they're rightful since the problem started suddenly. So one possible explanation is the effect of anesthesia and an alternative consideration is psychological problems like depression. It's very common to the old age.
If the neurologist has ran out of tests and clues then I can't add anything more than what I've already suggested. Perhaps your doctor should consider depression and provide appropriate treatment.
I'm sorry to say that diagnosing and treating old individuals can be very challenging because all their organs are marginally functioning and sometimes you can't distinguish between normal ageing effects (worsened by sudden and unexpected events like a polyp diagnosis and removal) and actual disorders. His doctor is the most appropriate person to judge whether it's the first case or the second. If he's done all the tests (I mean all the useful tests to do) and there are no clues yet, then perhaps he shouldn't be annoyed by more testing...
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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