By The Associated Press (AP) - Pope Francis has had three hospitalizations since he was elected pope in 2013, and underwent main surgical procedure as a younger man to have a part of one lung eliminated.

In between, the 86-year-old pontiff has suffered from bouts of sciatica, or nerve ache, which have made strolling and standing tough. More lately, he strained his knee ligaments and had a small fracture in a single knee which have compelled him to make use of a wheelchair and walker for over a 12 months.

Francis has a private doctor, Dr. Roberto Bernabei, who's an internist and geriatric specialist on the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. He additionally has a private nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, an worker of the Vatican well being system whom Francis credited with saving his life when Strappetti identified the 2021 intestinal downside.

In 2022, Francis named Strappetti his “personal health care assistant.” Strappetti and Bernabei normally be a part of Francis on his overseas journeys.

Here’s a take a look at the well being of the pontiff, as he undergoes surgical procedure for a blocked gut.

—

PHOTOS: A take a look at Pope Francis' well being over time

1957: In his native Argentina, Francis, then in his early 20s, suffers from a extreme respiratory an infection that forces medical doctors to take away a part of one lung. He later recollects {that a} nurse saved his life on the time, deciding to double the quantity of medication he had been given.

July 4-14, 2021: Francis spends 10 days in Gemelli hospital in Rome for what the Vatican says is a narrowing of the big gut. Doctors take away 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon. Francis emerges saying he can eat no matter he desires, however lamenting he didn’t reply properly to basic anesthesia.

Jan. 24, 2023: Francis tells The Associated Press that the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgical procedure has returned however is beneath management.

March 29-April 1, 2023: Francis spends three days at Gemelli with a respiratory an infection after feeling a pointy ache in his chest and struggling bother respiratory. Doctors diagnose an acute bronchitis and deal with him with intravenous antibiotics.

June 6, 2023: Francis undergoes unspecified medical checks at Gemelli and returns to the Vatican.

June 7, 2023: Francis is admitted to Gemelli for what the Vatican says is belly surgical procedure for a blocked gut. The Vatican says he will likely be hospitalized for a number of days.

Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com