Re: Adhesions following subtotal colectomy
From: Kerry Deane (ladykmd@hotmail.com)
Fri Mar 14 16:46:36 2003
At Mon, 17 Apr 2000, Helen Dynda wrote:
>
>Dear Amy,
>
>Thanks to Bev. (bnb@cybrzn.com)I have actually viewed a couple of
>videos in which the person's intestines looked as though they had been "
>welded together."
>
>Bev. sent me three different videos of actual adhesiolysis
>procedures...her own video being one of them. Bev's surgery took 5
>hours to complete! The adhesiolysis of a friend of hers took 9 hours to
>complete! So I can visualize what you are talking about. As an adhesion
>sufferer myself, I am very familiar with the pain that adhesions can
>cause.
>
>I suggest that you request a copy of your 16 year old daughter's surgery
>as well as all surgical and pathological reports from her previous
>surgery and this surgery. You have a right to ask for copies of these
>records. They comprise a part of your daughter's medical history.
>
>Your question is: "even if her bowel does not obstruct again, is she
>going to be living with constant pain?" I assume that her physician will
>prescribe adequate medication during her recuperation, which will ease
>her pain.
>
>After she has sufficiently recovered from her surgery - and if her pain
>continues for 6 months or more - then she may need to seek Pain
>Management at a Pain Clinic. Let's just hope and pray that she will be
>one of the lucky ones!!
>
>```````````````````
>
>At Mon, 17 Apr 2000, Amy wrote:
>
>My daughter, who has Crohn's Disease, recently underwent surgery for a
>small bowel obstruction caused by adhesions from a subtotal colectomy
>performed a few weeks ago. What was to be an hour long surgery turned
>into 9 hours, as the surgeon discovered her entire small bowel was
>covered with adhesions. His description was that it was as if someone
>had "welded" her small bowel all together. She now has a tube (shunt)
>running through her entire small bowel (which is now 2 feet shorter due
>to previous surgery and this one) which will allow the bowel to stay
>open as the adhesions inevitably form again. My question is, even if
>her bowel does not obstruct again is she going to be living with
>constant pain? Certainly she was in pain before they even discovered an
>obstruction, as the x-rays and Upper GI's did not show obstruction
>immediately, and she was in excrutiating pain for over a week before
>diagnosed. I'm trying to do all the research I can on adhesions etc.
>and I am not encouraged :( Has anyone ever heard of adhesions forming to
>this extent? Surgeon said he had seen cases "as bad" as my daughter's,
>but none worse.. not encouraging, either.
I had a subtotal colectomy in Sept 1998 , the reason for the surgery was
an extreme slow transit colon I used to go every 4- 5 weeks if I was
lucky .
Since having the surgery my life has changed but not for the better it
collasped my vaginal areas and that lead to a hysterectomy at 24 yrs of
age .
Since having the subtotal , I have had 2 more laparotomys for a total
bowel obstruction due to Adhesions.
I suffer daily from adhesion pain I have had many many operations in the
past hence all the adhesions.
I now take M.S.T ( Slow release morphine) as I get constant pains the
surgeons have said I have cohesive adhesions the worst kind as they
reform normally straight away once they have been removed.
I would like to hear from anyone in a similar postion to myself.
I used to have pains from not going but since the subtotal I go normally
5 - 15 times a day and this has ruined my so called life .I now have
been told my muscles in my rectum are dead and they have offered to
remove the rectum and give me a illeostomy , I am not ready mentally for
this kind of surgery .
So anyone with any ideas or help I will really appreciate it
My e-mail ladykmd@hotmail.com
--
K Deane