Firstly let me welcome you to the board also..... I have been posting on this board since Feb, 2001 and believe that if you need comfort and support plus the chance to ask others about their experiences with pain, surgery & the whole mess about adhesions....this is the place to come!
I recently (15 May,2002) had a five and a half hour laperascopic surgery to take down adhesions, investigate curtain area's and repair anything that was found durinf this procedure.
What they found, was what I was already pretty sure of....TONS of adhesions (well, not tons but adhesions from my rib cage down to the anterior pelvic floor) and once my surgeon cleaned up the abdominal area above my belly button of adhesions, he then encountered dense adhesions which had literally plastered my bowel to the right side of my body, there were several loops around the top of my vaginal vault and bowel pushing into my bladder. (I also suffer with bladder incontinence and self catheterise, the higher my pain rate, the more often I need to catheterise.)
My surgeon said that my bowel was pretty well stuck down and said the he could now really understand my descriptions of painful bowel motions etc and took care to remove all the adhesions from this area. My surgeon is very experienced in this kind of surgery and see's it every day, he did say however that was one of the worst he had seen in a while.
The good news for me Chantale, is that there was no need to remove ANY of my bowel, by careful and well practiced surgeical tecnique, Jason (surgeon) was able to release my bowel from my abdominal wall without incident. He did hault the surgery short of completeley removing adhesions because the last part they came to was very dense (Like cement to use his words) and involved major blood vessels and nerves. He said that he wanted to be well rested before he touched that area, and I was showing signs of having had enough aneasthetic for the day.
Chantale, What I am trying to say is, even though I had all those complications and such a lengthy surgery, my boel looped around organs...... and I came out of it just fine, my bowel intact.
The doctor will always tell you the worst outcome possible so that you will be prepared, should something like that happen. If you are still worried or concerned about the surgery, then it's time for you to talk to your surgeon again, ask him whatever questions you need to, to feel comfortable about the procedure. Does he work exclusively with adhesions patients, or are adhesions something he see's every now and again. These isues are important, because they can also be a determining factor in the outcome of your surgery.
Please do not misuunderstand me and think that I am trying to frighten you, I am simply highlighting ways that you can reassure yourself about the procedure etc. Only you can make the final decision Chantale, and while you read my post and the others who answer your questions too.... only you can decide which information is appropriate to your situation.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers, and will be here for you when the surgery is finishe *smile*. I have a website for Australian adhesions sufferers, but many of my friends from this board also visit too, there is a chat room, and on Wednesday nights US Eastern Standard time, from 8pm to 10pm is the time for US & Canadian sufferers to meet. This gives you the opportunity to interact with fellow sufferes and can give you a lot of comfort, I also have a section called "How to Cope", you might find something in there that could be of help to you.
Best wishes, thoughts and prayers Chantale,
-- Love and gentle hugs, Joanne Eslick Founder Australian Adhesions Support Group http://www.bombobeach.com NSW 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.