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Question:
Must surgery be delayed because of shingles?
My mom is 72 and had a very successful chest bypass a few years ago. She now needs a bypass in her right leg for a 100% blockage (no pulse outer side, strong inner). But she told me that the surgeon will not do a bypass until the pain in her upper right side from the shingles is gone (started in February 2013). Does this sound correct or should she seek a 2nd option?
submitted by Paula from Joliet, Illinois on 12/16/2013
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Patrick J. Cook, MD
I think I understand the surgeon's rationale, in that if she were to have pain in the area to which the blood supply was reestablished, it would be hard to tell if it were related to the shingles or a complication or problem with the surgery.
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Updated December 2013
