Foxnews Reporting: Ashcroft about to undergo surgery.

Foxnews ^

[ConservativeMan55]

John Ashcroft is about to undergo surgery to have his gallbladder removed.

Prayers going up!

There's no telling how many lives this man has saved!

[freekitty]

Our prayers to Mr. Ashcroft.

[areafiftyone]

I heard he was in not too good shape yesterday that he canceled his schedule. Prayers going out to him for a safe and successful surgery and recovery.

[areafiftyone]

You can live without one very well. My boyfriend got his removed and is fine. Actually he is better than when he had it in his body. Many people have theirs removed. Its a very common procedure.

[be-baw]

I sure hope while he's in the hospital someone is making sure no statue breasts are being exposed at the Justice Department.

[deport]

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

WASHINGTON — 

Attorney General John Ashcroft  will undergo surgery to remove his gall bladder, his doctor said Tuesday.

Ashcroft's schedule for the week was canceled Monday so he could continue treatment in a hospital intensive care unit for a severe case of gallstone pancreatitis.

Ashcroft, 61, is being treated with antibiotics and painkillers and is unable to do any work, Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo said. He is being visited mainly by his wife, Janet, other family members and close aides at George Washington University Hospital (search), where he was taken Thursday night after complaining of abdominal pain.

Ashcroft had been scheduled to appear Wednesday before a House Appropriations Committee (search) panel to testify about the Justice Department's budget request. That hearing will now be postponed indefinitely, and it was unclear Monday when Ashcroft might return to duty.

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, a gland that secretes digestive enzymes and insulin. In Ashcroft's case, the cause is a gallstone blocking a passage that leads from the pancreas to the beginning of the small intestine.

Treating the ailment first requires that those secretions be stopped, a process that can take several days to a week. Medical experts say severe cases of pancreatitis can require hospitalization for a month.

In most cases, the gallstone passes on its own. There is also a possibility that the pancreas could suffer damage that would also need treatment.

In rare cases the disease can be fatal, usually in people with other medical problems. About 80,000 cases of acute pancreatitis occur each year in the United States, with 20 percent classified as severe.

Deputy Attorney General James Comey is empowered to act in Ashcroft's stead while the attorney general is being treated for the illness.

 

[fatrat]

i had a bout with gallstone pancreatitis a couple of years ago and it was the most painful thing i have ever experienced, much worse than when i passed a kidney stone. He will be glad to be done with it.

[Sloth]

My wife had her gallbladder laparoscopically removed about a year ago. She has some lingering digestive problems, but is fine otherwise.

[TC Rider]

Can you live without a gallbladder?

Mrs TC has gone several years without hers. Some foods, greasy pork, for example, don't digest well, but overall, a huge improvement over the previous gallstone attacks.

[McGruff]

Mega Prayers!

[Nataku X]

Male or female? 'Coz if you're male, that's saying something...

[areafiftyone]

My boyfriend was always getting sick for days at a time and every time he ate he would throw up. It was horrible. Now there are no problems for him when he eats. They did it Lapiscopically (sp?) which didn't leave a scar just a couple of slits on his stomach. Amazing!

[TC Rider]

Ya, thank God he got that evil man Tommy Chong off the street!

Funny, I recently got banned again at DU.

I had a account going several months and built up a few hundred posts, when I dropped the ball.

My sin, on a thread celebrating the illness of Ashcroft, many DUers were dancing in the virtual aisles over his illness and wishing for his death.

There were lots of posts about his extremism, etc.

I asked, as politely as I could, "What exactly has Ashcroft done, since his nomination to deserve such hatred?". "Who's rights has he stepped on, who has been abused?"

The one and only response I got, before being banned, "What about Tommy Chong?"

(PL, I'm not comparing you to a DU'er, just remarking that the only sin notable by many against Ashcroft is the arrest of Tommy Chong.)

[OldFriend]

Continued prayers for Attorney General and extra prayers to protect him from the evil thoughts coming his way from the enemies of America.

[mware]

The gall bladder is a storage area for bile, which the liver makes.

[stevio]

God be with you Mr. Ashcroft and a speedy recovery

[Phantom Lord]

Its an emotional hatred against him that they have, not one based on reason and facts.

And the prosecution of Tommy Chong was wholly uncalled for. A waste of time, money, and resources. Just as was the recent raids in NC on "head shops".

[TC Rider]

FWIW, Ashcroft is not out of the woods. We had a neighbor die a few years ago during a routine gallbladder removal. A stone ended up in her bile duct going back towards her pancreas. Serious stuff.

I'm betting that they open him up, instead of the laproscopic (keyhole) surgery.

[hellinahandcart]

Can you live without a gallbladder?

Oh yes, and he's going to feel MUCH better after it's gone.

[AFPhys]

Thy Will be done, Lord. Please bless this man and those who are Your tools of healing.

[ConservativeMan55]

Bump!