Re: Sharing my husband's experience with colon resction...for Shali and other ARD sufferers

From: Millie (milliem@citlink.net)
Wed Aug 22 13:35:44 2001


Dear Helen, I am so terribly sorry that you and your husband were put through so much. You are right in telling people to request copies of their surgical/pathology reports. I did this after my TAH, and was mortified when I read the pathology report. (Also VERY angry.) I pray things will get better for both of you. This story really makes one sit back and take stock, to say the least. Millie

>----- Original Message -----
From: "Helen Dynda" <olddad66@runestone.net> To: "Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS" <adhesions@mail.medispecialty.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 1:11 AM Subject: Sharing my husband's experience with colon resction...for Shali and other ARD sufferers

> In May 1989 my husband lost most of his colon because of a malignant tumor
> the size of a tennis ball. The surgeons wanted to give him a permanent
> colostomy; but my husband was very adament that they not do this - and
the > surgeons did the best they could to honor his request. But 9 days after
his > surgery, the surgeons had to give him a temporary colostomy after all.
>
> - - - - - - - - -
>
> The following information is taken from his 1989 Surgical Report:
>
> "Six days following resection, there appeared old bloody drainage in a
> Jackson-Pratt drain. Within 24 hours, there was an obvious leak, but
> peristalsis was present. It was managed satisfactorily by the drain.
> Gradually, he developed pain, fever and evidence of ongoing localized
> sepsis. There was persistent air under the diaphragm along with active
> peristalsis. Hyperalimentation was initiated. He did not progress to
> normal healing and convalescence, but did not become acutely ill either.
On > the ninth postoperative day, flexible sigmoidoscopy was carried out to
> evaluate the anastomotic line; and as expected a leak was present. There
> appeared to be an ischemic necrosis of a segment of colon at the
> anastomosis."
>
> - - - - - - - - - -
>
> On the afternoon of the ninth day following his initial surgery, I
watched > as a nurse checked the drainage tube on his abdomen. It was draining a
> liquid, which was tan in color - which I thought did not look right. And
it > wasn't, because...
>
> Unexpectedly, at 9:00 PM that same night his doctor called and told me
that > I had to come to the hospital; because my signature was needed in order
for > the surgeon to do an emergency surgery on my husband. My husband's
> anastamosis had developed a leak and fecal material was leaking into his
> abdominal cavity. This was an emergency procedure because of the very
real > possibility of of him developing a life-threatening peritonitis.
>
> This emergency surgery made his recovery much more difficult!! In order
to > repair the leak, the surgeon had to give my husband a colostomy so that
the > newly resectioned part of his colon could heal. He was in grave condition
> for several days following this surgery; and his recovery took much
longer > after the emergency surgery. He was in the hospital for a total of 5
> weeks!! He had to wear the colostomy for 6 months; plus he had to be
> scoped at monthly intervals until he was finally reconnected 6 months
later. >
> None of the above has been "a piece of cake" for him; because ever since
> these surgeries, he has had to cope with severe pain whenever he has to
move > his bowels. It wasn't until December 1999, that we discovered what was
> causing all of this pain - ADHESIONS!! The adhesions had tethered to
other > organs and to his peritoneum - which will cause severe pain from the
> peristalic action of his remaining bowels.
>
> December 1999 (10 years after his surgery), I asked my husband to request
> copies of his surgical records from Medical Records at the hospital, where
> his cancer surgery was done. The surgical report from his emergency
surgery > (May 1989) confirmed that he had developed adhesions as a result of his
> first surgery (Since fecal material had leaked into his abdomen, it is
> highly possible that he has even more adhesion involvement!)
>
> - - - - - - - -
>
> His surgical report said:
>
> "Tedious careful dissection of very extensive adhesions was carried
> out,mobilizing the small bowel only to the extent to allow it to be
> reflected out of the way and mobilizing the colon in order to obtain
enough > mobility to expose the hyperplastic adenoma at the pelvic brim
> and allow for approximation of the open ends of the bowel after resection.
> Extreme care was taken not to disturb the blood supply, hence viability of
> the colon. This was done extremely gently to avoid any injury."
>
> - - - - - - - -
>
> Neither my husband nor I were told that adhesions had developed from the
> first surgery; nor were we aware of what adhesions actually were!!! We
did > not know that adhesions are the natural result of surgeries - that the
body > heals itself by forming adhesions.
>
> Considering that I had not yet been diagnosed (not until 1997) as having
> adhesions, both of us were completely in the dark about adhesions; BUT
from > the time of his 1989 surgeries and continuing until the present day, we
have > been aware that he was continually having severe chronic pain!! As a
> result of requesting his surgical reports and as a result of my diagnosis
of > massive adhesions in 1997, we now understand what has been causing both of
> us to experience chronic pain.
>
> If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to request copies of your
> surgical a pathological reports!! If your surgery was videotaped, be sure
> to request a copy of the video too! This is YOUR medical history; which
> could prove to be very helpful in the future.
>


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