> Today I received the following letter. If you are experiencing a similar
> situation, do you have any suggestions that might help her?
>
> ~ ~ ~ ~
They do not help me. I know I have
> a partial obstruction from scarring; my stools are pencil thin.
>
> "The surgeon told me he can go back in and sew the intestines back together
> leaving a larger opening to allow for any subsequent scarring.
> This scares me. What if I end up in worse shape?
>
> "The GI doctor told my husband he could do a colonoscopy on me and use a
> device on the scope which would "stretch" my colon in the restricted area.
> This also scares me. Have you ever heard of stretching the colon?
I've heard of both techniques. I would try the colonoscopic technique first since it avoids additional surgery if the scarred area is in the large bowel.
I had small bowel that was badly scarred removed to avoid narrow passages that can become obstructed.
But both ideas are good ones. They will not necessarily be long term solutions since adhesions can and do return, but they can help.
Kate
-- Kate Murphy katemm@mindspring.com