Not looking good for Castro

[bjorn_skurj]

From Reuters:

 

Castro had 3 failed surgeries, Spanish paper says

 

29 minutes ago

 

Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in serious condition after a series of three failed operations on his large intestine for diverticulitis complicated by infection, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday.

 

Castro, 80, suffered a serious infection that worsened to peritonitis, the newspaper's Tuesday edition said, citing two medical sources at the Madrid hospital where a surgeon who visited Castro in December works. The report was posted on the newspaper's Web site on Monday.

 

Castro's prognosis is "very serious" and he is being fed intravenously, the paper said.

 

A first operation to extract part of his large intestine and connect the colon to the rectum was a failure and the link broke, releasing feces into the abdomen that caused another peritonitis, the newspaper reported.

 

A second operation to clean and drain the infected area and perform a colostomy also failed, the paper said. A third operation implanted a prothesis, it said.

 

When Spanish surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido visited Castro in late December, Cuban doctors were considering another operation, the paper said.

 

"The patient required drainage for more than half a liter of fluids a day, which is causing him a severe loss of nutrients," the paper reported.

 

Castro, who took power in Cuba in 1959, has not been seen in public since July 26. He handed over power to his brother five days later, fueling speculation he is so ill he may never return to power on the communist-run Caribbean island.

 

In a New Year's message issued on December 30, Castro told Cubans that he was recovering slowly from surgery and said his recovery was "far from being a lost battle."

 

Garcia Sabrido, the Spanish surgeon, said after his visit in December that Castro did not have cancer and could return to govern Cuba if he recovered fully from his surgery.

[mountain bed]

God, that sounds horrible. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[socbret]

I think this is about time he sneaks in one of his Cohiba's for old times sake.

[anodyne]

i think i've performed that operation on a wii game.

 

that said, i think old fidel will hold out through the year.

[uncle wilco]

God, that sounds horrible. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

even castro?

 

somebody post that vid of him falling off the stage, i laugh my ass off whenever i see that.

[Ludwig Von Drake]

Anyone think that he might cave to get surgery from the US? It's a possibility since he's been able to keep Cuba stable all these years. And if he dies, chances are that the power will be handed over to his brother Raul. See Who Is Raul Castro? for more info.

[wheelco]

God, that sounds horrible. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

but still, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy

[Dreamin']

I regret that I didn't visit Cuba when Castro was in power. I think things will change a lot after he is gone... maybe not all for the best.

[owl]

About one of the only positive side effects of Castro's reign:

 

His efforts to keep Cuba in the 1950s have left many natural parts of the country virtually pristine.

[anodyne]

isn't part of the conservative agenda to return the US to the eisenhower administration? wouldn't that make castro a good friend of the cato institute?

 

[owl]

No man, Cato isn't "conservative."

:sarcasm