Re: Welcome Sherilyn

From: Karla N (ifirgit@yahoo.com)
Thu May 16 10:10:02 2002


If I had any hopes of being able to have an adhesiolysis done with the use of SprayGel I would have jumped on an airplane about a month ago and gone to Germany. The doctors are so excited about SprayGel and the results that they are having...at the same time no doctors would even comment on the Intergel. This alone speaks so much to me. Just looking at the results of Mary's surgery says volumes. Mary was on her third trip to see Dr. Korell as each time her adhesions had returned. They used SprayGel on Mary and yes, she did have 20% reformation, but it was in an area where SprayGel had not been used. In my opinion, people should be rushing over to Germany to have the opportunity to have the SprayGel used. I do believe that there is another center over there that is having very good results. I believe it is in Frankfurt. Hmmmm.....if I could just find some doctor to fix my problems I'd be there in a second...taking my daughter back to her birthplace. But, back to people rushing over there.....this is the best that there is....there is real hope! It is very likely that the US government will not approve the use of SprayGel except in GYN cases. That means that if you have had your female organs removed you are out of luck. Why do I make the statement about GYN cases?? Because the trials have only been authorized for GYN cases. The same thing occured with Intergel....and Intergel was only approved for use in GYN cases. Karla Jo Eslick <joanne@bombobeach.com> wrote: It is never easy to give straight answers about adhesions Sherilyn, and all I can say to start with is, I am happy you found us, because now at least you know you are not alone.

Unfortunately the only way to get rid of adhesions is through surgery, and you will find that many many doctors won't consider a surgical option unless the adhesions are life threatening or seriously debilitating due to pain.

If you did find a surgeon who was willing to perform surgery to remove the adhesions, there is no absolute guarantee that they won't return.

A few things popped up as I read your letter; firstly you haven't mentioned pain or discomfort, but unsightliness.... Oh yes, I see you have mentioned "some problems" following problems in the "female area".

To be honest Sherylin, you are right, the adhesions are bulky and they can give you an odd shape. I recently underwent five & a half hours of surgery to take down adhesions and to remove what my surgeons were sure was an ovarian remnant & cyst. It ended up being several loops of my bowel wrapped around the top of my vaginal vault.

I tend to lean towards pain management than surgery at this time; because there is no sure fire cure for adhesions. Some people have had some success with adhesion barriers and different countries use different types or brands. Many are pinning their hopes on a new one, which is called "spray gel", BUT it hasn't really been able to show enough positive results to excite my surgeon for example.

I had surgery because my health was in decline & my pain levels rapidly increasing and surgery was my last resort. I still have a large number on my left side to remove, so my rummy looks very lopsided at the moment. I had them removed from my abdominal wall starting at my rib cage right down the front of my abdomen and then across to the right side, un hooking and removing adhesions just micro millimetres away from my bowel.

The surgery was stopped because my vital signs were showing that my body had had enough surgery for that time. My surgeon estimates there is probably still at least three and a half hours of surgery left to do on the left side to remove dense adhesions to use is words "cement city".

So as usual I have been long winded to get to my point, which is I have found a huge difference in how my clothes are fitting and had countless comments about the amount of weight I have lost. I looked like I was pregnant basically from under the breasts my stomach rolled out to what I would say a good six to seven month pregnancy stage.... it isn't perfect, but it looks better & I no longer suffer from a terrible dragging feeling that I had experienced prior to surgery.

I urge you to think long and hard before consider surgery, do as much research as you can stand, ask us as many questions you like and read our stories on the adhesions quilt. The more surgeries you have, often, the worse your actual pain and condition will get.

I have been fortunate to find an excellent "team" of doctors and health care professionals here in Australia and currently I am enjoying an improvement on the quality of my life, level of pain and ability to be more involved with my family as a mother should. However, I am under no illusions that I will live happily ever after, but I will take what I have and make the most of it for as long as possible.

Once again, welcome Sherilyn to the board - I look forward to your future posts!

--
Love and gentle hugs,
Joanne Eslick
Founder Australian Adhesions Support Group
http://www.bombobeach.com
Australian Co-ordinator of
International Adhesions Society
http://www.adhesions.org

--
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.

Enter keywords:
Returns per screen: Require all keywords: