Welcome to the board. Yes it is possible that after such a long time, your 1989 surgery did cause the formation of adhesions, and yes it is possible that they have only just recently started to cause problems for you.
There are some here who presented with no symptoms at all for many years, and then either gradually, or suddenly they started to experience all kinds of different pains.
Elaine, if you have had adhesions surgery in the past, even a lapoascopic surgery - for exploritary purposes can cause new adhesions to form.
I believe that before you consider any further surgery you need to weigh up any possible benefits to any possible complications and increase in pain, discomfort and more pronounced bowel problems. All of the things you have described in your post are very familiar to those of us here. Please visit http://www.bombobeach.com where you will find my story, as well as Karla (who is currently fighting a possible kidney infection.... it is a life threatening situation for her) as well as the story of Zac, a lovely young boy from New Zealand who had his first adhesions surgery at just 20 months. There is also a section on "how to cope" which you might find useful, then I suggest you come back here to the Adhesions site and read more stories on the quilt.
Doing all of these things will help you to understand just how serious and how high risk surgery is for adhesions sufferers. At the end of the day, only you can decide on what your next step will be, and I applaude you for researching so that you can make a well informed decision.
Also be sure to seek more than one opinion before even contemplating surgery, and make sure that the surgeon believes that adhesions cause pain & complications, and that even after his skilled surgery there is a high risk of new adhesions forming. Be confident that he will still look out for your needs and arrange for you to attend a pain clinic to receive the proper assistance to plan your long term pain management plan.
Love & gentle hugs Jo http://www.bombobeach.com
At Mon, 11 Feb 2002, Conlonelaine@aol.com wrote:
>
>I am surfing the net trying to find anyone out there who has similar adhesion
>problems to mine. In 1989, I had laparscopy due to vomitting and pain, and
>the surgeon found my colon wrapped around the ovary and attached to my
>bladder. Small intestion also attached to itself, gall bladder. I was a
>mess. The tissue was dissected and the mess sorted out. I have done fairly
>well since then, with a few suspicious illnesses that could have been related
>to scar tissue. Barium doesn't show any narrowiing.
>
>However, the last several months, I have had flareups (or "episodes") every
>10 - 14 days. I'm not in pain, but I start to feel ill--like a fever, but
>not registering one--and nauseated, although not throwing up. I know it is
>related to intestines, as the illness happens when I eliminate pencil-thin
>fecal matter. It takes about 2 days to recover from these episodes. These
>episodes don't necessarily come with constipation. It's like the pencil-thin
>stuff builds up beyond the "regular" stuff.
>
>I am considering another exploratory surgery, and everytime I remember how
>horrible the 1989 surgery was, I put it off, thinking, "well, I do very well
>most of the time," but these episodes are happening more frequently and
>lasting longer. It is to the point where I can't commit to anything ahead of
>time in case I get ill. The illness comes on without warning.
>
>Are there any suggestions? Thank you so very much. I am very frustrated.
>
>Elaine Conlon
>
>P.S. I am 61 years old.
-- I am not a medical person, and all my messages are based on personal experience. I am a fellow adhesions sufferer reaching out to help others.