“If one doctor doesn't recommend surgery because of thinning blood? ”
My son's orthopedist doesn't recommend surgery for his sciatica. He's had pain for 10 months or so. The doctor says his blood is too thin and he has a bad liver. My son has a consult set up with another doctor to see if he's a candidate for surgery. What are the chances doctor will say yes to surgery? I'm the mom and afraid for him because his doctor said he's afraid he would bleed to death with surgery.
Male | 44 years old
Complaint duration: 10 months to a yr.
Medications: Narcotics.Dont know asking for myself it's my son with condition
Conditions: Sciatica cirrhosis
4 Answers
With microscopic disc surgery bleeding to death would be highly unlikely. A more pertinent concern would be bleeding around and scarring the spinal nerves thus the success of the surgery would be compromised.
Having thin blood is a major concern for spine surgery. I do not do that kind of surgery so would defer that to the experts.
I thank you for sharing your concerns about your son. I also appreciate your allowing me to give you my thoughts, tips, and suggestions in regards to this situation.
As much as chronic back pain can be debilitating, the surgeries for intractable pain are usually elective (and not a matter of life or death). Therefore, any doctor should make sure the person is in an optimal state of health, so the procedure can be done safely and with the best chance that the patient tolerates and successfully makes it through the procedure. I believe that the medical doctor who knows his liver the best (and how it is functioning) should assess and write a medical opinion about what steps can be taken to minimize the bleeding during the surgery. I do not know how severe the liver problem is. I also have not seen any imaging of the painful joints, and am not sure if there can be a less-invasive way to treat the problem. I also think it is fine to get a second (or third) opinion before undergoing spine surgery. It would be something I would want to endure only once.
I hope this helps.
As much as chronic back pain can be debilitating, the surgeries for intractable pain are usually elective (and not a matter of life or death). Therefore, any doctor should make sure the person is in an optimal state of health, so the procedure can be done safely and with the best chance that the patient tolerates and successfully makes it through the procedure. I believe that the medical doctor who knows his liver the best (and how it is functioning) should assess and write a medical opinion about what steps can be taken to minimize the bleeding during the surgery. I do not know how severe the liver problem is. I also have not seen any imaging of the painful joints, and am not sure if there can be a less-invasive way to treat the problem. I also think it is fine to get a second (or third) opinion before undergoing spine surgery. It would be something I would want to endure only once.
I hope this helps.
It is really too hard to say if the other doctor will recommend surgery. If your son’s blood is too thin, sometimes we can give blood products before surgery to improve the ability of the blood to clot so that patients don’t have a major bleed during the surgery (this includes blood products like platelets, fresh frozen plasma, vitamin K, etc.). You can ask the other doctor about that when you see him/her. As doctors, we have to consider the risks of surgery. If the benefits don’t outweigh the risks, then naturally, it doesn’t makes sense to proceed with an invasive treatment that could result in serious harm or death.
