Karla & Millie

From: Jean Long (creative@enter.net)
Thu May 9 16:03:32 2002


Karla & Millie,

Karla, Some places have a choice of which contrast to drink and others don't. I know this because that is how it is where I am from and the nurses made me aware of it so I went to the place with the kool-aid stuff the last time. I never saw the clear where I live though, just red or white.

The red kool-aid stuff was much better and you also don't have to drink as much of it as the white chalky stuff. If you allergic to dye you "must" drink the yucky white stuff, no choices. There was a guy who was allergic when I was there and he had to drink the white stuff and was there much longer than I was. He envied me getting the better stuff.

The contrast never showed my partial bowel obstructions and not even my ulcer or hiatal hernia. They found ulcer and hiatal hernia with endoscope and didn't see the obstructions at all until they went inside with surgery.

I have to agree with you on the advice to Millie.

Millie, You did go through this same exact thing in the past and all for no reason. You obviously didn't have any obstructions a year ago because it is "impossible" to live very long with an obstruction, let alone to live a year with obstructions. You also have never had the NG tube which you kept dwelling on a year ago the same as you are doing now. Look at your posts from the past and you will see they are exactly the same as now. You had been doing so much better about it for quite a long time since you botched up your chances at Scranton because of it a year ago, and now it is back to the same thing again.

You asked and received lots of answers to your questions "many" times in the past and also now again, but they are the exact "same" questions and answers as before. The answers won't change by asking the same ones over and over again. You aren't new to this at all and you have had all these tests and symptoms before. You know by now there is NO miracle cure, you choose not to take laxatives (and small amounts of "M.O.M." is not what I mean), don't take pain meds, and you say you don't want surgery......well, with adhesions there just aren't choices or miracle cures as you know by now. Those are your choices and not good ones but pretty much the only ones. If you cry wolf too many times no-one will take you seriously when a true emergency situation arises!

I have been taking 10-12 Herblax "every" night for "many" years now and have accepted this and my pains and discomfort from adhesions as a part of life. My own family didn't even know until recently that I have the adhesion problems or take Herblax to move my bowels and I have had these problems for about 30 years. It might not make me happy but you can choose to be miserable and dwell on it the rest of your life or try to live life the best you can under the circumstances since there are no real choices.

I "know" the difference when enough is enough and I need surgery, and then I also know they will come back again even if I have surgery so I hold off as long as humanly possible, which is usually until I am bed-fast. The surgeries I had 2 years ago and the extreme pains I had and still have were not for my abdominal pains or problems. They were and are due to other unrelated and totally disabling problems, some of which could cause amputation. I need a wheelchair just to go shopping or any constant standing or walking longer than 1/2 hour even with the Oxycontin. I am not comparing my pains to yours or saying mine are worse than yours but just want to clarify the difference in me trying to find help and that it has nothing to do with the abdominal adhesions. Millie, I don't mean to hurt you are put you down in any way but sometimes a person needs a little wake-up call to put you back on track.

We are always here for you in friendship and to offer support and that's what I'm trying to do. JEAN

By being only what "you" are, you can awaken each morning to a new day that's an opportunity to seek whatever you want- with no previous deceptions to get in your way.

-----Original Message----- From: adhesions@adhesions.org [mailto:adhesions@adhesions.org]On Behalf Of Karla N Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 11:13 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Subject: Re: Questions on Pelvic CT Scans.

Millie,

CT scans do not show adhesions...with or without the contrast. But they will show bowel that is pulled out of place by adhesions...that is how they can say that you have adhesions from a ct...not by seeing the adhesion itself but by the positioning of your bowel. CT scans with or without contrast will also show obstructions....the contrast just highlights things more and makes it much easier to see. I suppose something could slip by if they didn't use contrast. You drank white contrast? The contrast I have drank with my CT's has always been clear...well either a Tang type liquid or most recently a kool-aid liquid. I don't remember any white contrast...but that could just be what my particular hospitals use.

If there were some emergent problem..like an obstruction...the radiologist would be on the phone with your doctor immediately. Well, that is what happened in my case. If this test shows nothing I would question your doctor a little bit. Does the scan show anything that would indicate adhesions? Are your bowels in their normal position or are they pulled into another spot? I wouldn't go out looking for any more tests if the ct is "normal". Actually, if the ct shows the bowel is out of place because of adhesions I wouldn't get any more tests either. You don't need any more to tell you that you have adhesions. You have the pain. You have the bowel problems. That and your history say adhesions. Nothing short of surgery with a specialist is going to change anything or help you. Don't focus on the possibility of your having an obstruction. The stress of all of that will cause you a! lot more problems.

Millie, do you remember when you first came on this list? Are you having any different or worse problems than you were then? At that time you were very worried about obstructions and the ng tube. Fortunately, you didn't have an obstruction and I think you were able to let go of the worries...you didn't focus on the possibilities of an obstruction for a LONG time. I would try and let go of the worry. It doesn't do you any good. No doctor is going to let you go with an obstruction. That would be lawsuit time. Yes you have lots of pain...that is normal with adhesions. Yes, you have bowel problems....that also is very normal with adhesions. Many of us go to the bathroom very little....that doesn't mean we all have obstructions...thank God. I have gone as long as ten days without having a bowel movement....yet I didn't have an obstruction. It was quite uncomfortable, but it eventually worked its ! way through. I think you have mentioned that you eat very little. That very well could be the reason that you are only passing a small amount of stool. I know that my habits change considerably based on what I eat and what I don't eat...including the amounts. I can go from being almost constipated to having considerable diarrhea in two minutes. That is all a part of having adhesions on my bowels.

Please relax. Don't worry about being obstructed or having an ng tube until you are or you need the tube. You are causing yourself undo stress. This too could affect your bowels and your level of pain. If you start vomiting within a very short time of eating and you don't feel nauseated...then you should be a little concerned. But there's no sense worrying until you know that there is a definite problem.

Love ya!

Karla


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