> ----- Original Message -----
From: RNURSERAS@aol.com
To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS
Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2002 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: Adhesions and bowel obstructions
-- Millie, my name is Raven, I don't post too often, but felt I needed to address this one. You have describe what I feel all of the time! I have adhesions at my sigmoid colon and they are slowly twisting it off. I only have BM's every 4-5 days and then I go all day. Small amounts, very pencil like. I try to keep my bowels as loose as possible. My adhesions were found first during my hysterectomy. Since then I have had a barium enema which showed a tortuous colon. I have also had a colonoscopy that was very difficult to do. We know that my adhesions are there so thus it was a bit easier to diagnose. I am having partial obstructions now. Both partial and complete obstructions can be diagnosed by x-ray and lab work. I had an NG tube once. I was asleep when they put it down. They are very uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the discomfort of the nausea and vomiting! I have put NG tubes down patients and it is a v! ery uncomfortable procedure. Obstructions are taken care of in a number of ways. Some have to be surgically undone, some can be undone by decompressing the bowel (with the NG tube). Sometimes meds can relax the colon enough that partial obstructions undo themselves, this is what mine are doing. I hope I have answered all of your questions. If not you can contact me at rnurseras@aol.com I would find me a GI doctor if you don't already have one. I would also encourage you to contact your family doc again and be very upfront with him. Take him some info on adhesions. He will probably send you to a GI doc or a surgeon. Wishing you pain free days, Raven Spurlin (Arkansas) rnurseras@aol.com