At Thu, 15 Apr 1999, Toni Welsh wrote:
> >I am thankful to Christine for telling me this forum is up and running, >I have not had a chance to read any posts yet, but was hoping to tell >part of my story. > >I have had 6 laparotomies, and numerous laps for infertility, over the >years, but since exactly a year ago things got really bad, I had a >scheduled lap and the dr coverted to laparptomy right away b/c he told >my husband he could not even find the last ovary which on ultrasound he >had found a mass, and was hoping he could just go in to remove the right >ovary, although he was trying to save it. He had found that the bowel >had moved to the right side, and had my ovary stuck to the muscle in my >right leg, and that was why I could not stand to walk too far. He went >in and took down adhesions that were basically on the bladder, but he >said the omentum was seriously attached to the abdominalw all, and >removed part of that thinking the adhesions would not come back since >the omentum is usually were they attach, but they were all over the >bowels, and bladder, and he lysed them all and removed ovary so I did >not have to have anymore surgery. > >The surgery took about 3 hours, and I was home in four days! I stared to >have ALOT of pain with in 3 weeks, but I thought it was still from >surgery, and I called him and he said he may have to do a lap to see why >I was in so much pain, but he chose to treat me with pain meds, and it >did not help, at 9 weeks he sent me to general surgeon thinking it was >form nerve entrapment, and they did steroid injections, which made >things worse, I refused the third shot, and kept on telling thegyn I had >terrible pain. I saw him and he did pelvic exam, and we talked the exam >sent me almost of the table, so he did a lap in aug to try to see what >the pain was form, and to see if he could take down hopefully filmy >adhesion, it was only 4 months post op, but when he went in he did an >open lap, very dmall incision, and said that he could not get the scope >too far in and could on;ly remove adhesions on the roght side, but that >he could not find where the bowel was, and the pelvis was covered with >extensive dense adhesions, worse than in apri, and he would do another >laparotmy soon, when I chose too, I had not recovered fully from the >last one, we tried to hold off for awhile, but I was worried about >bowel, and the pain was bad. > >the laparotomy was in sept, and he found the transverse colon had fallen >and attcahed itself to the pelvic floor and was smothering the small >bowel, so they cleaned it all up ,and put the bowels in place, removing >the rest of the omentum, and lysed adhesions from every loop of bowel, >after surgery he came in and told me it was like working a puzzle and it >was hard to see where things were supposed to go, the only part of the >bowel that had filmy adhesions were the sigmoid colon. I was in the >hosptail 6 days, and the pain started again. > >I am six months post op , and going to pain center, I have had alot of >pain and deliberating pain for awhile, and now I have to hope that new >barriers will come out SOON. > >I have asked the dr, my second opinion dr said something abotu ovrian >remnant, I have had a small amount of relief sine the pain center had >stared neurotin 2 weeks ago, but the pain on the right side is very >hard, and that pain will NOT go away! This got too long hope to hear >from you all soon! SO GLAD TO BE HERE! > >-- >Toni Welsh >MY NAME IS SHERRY AND LIKE MILLONS OF OTHERS I SUFFER FROM ADHESIONS AND SCAR TISSUE AND CYSTS AND WHATEVER THE DOCTORS FEEL LIKE CALLING THEM AT THE TIME. MY GYNYCOLOGIST EVEN CALLED IN OVARIAN REMNANT SYNDROME. EXPLAIN IT LIKE "PEELING WALLPAPER". I HAD A INFECTION ON THE RIGHT OVARY AND IT WAS SO MASSIVE IT TOOK 5 HOURS AND 2 DOCTORS TO TRY TO REMOVE IT. IT HAS ATTATCHED ITSELF TO THE COLON AND BLADDER AND EVERYTHING IT TOUCHED. HE SAID THEY SCRAPED AND PEELED AND TRIED TO GET IT ALL. BUT IF THERE WAS ANY LEFT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW AND START OVER LIKE A NEW OVARY BECAUSE IT CONTAINED HORMONES.
TWO MONTHS AFTER THE RIGHT OVARY THEY HAD TO TAKE THE LEFT OVARY. NO
PROBLEMS WITH THAT ONE SO FAR. ALL THIS STARTED IN '99. I WAS IN
HORRIBLE PAIN FOR A YEAR. THEY FINALLY DECIDED TO GO IN AND TRY TO
REMOVE SOME MORE OF THE RIGHT SIDED OVARY. THE PAIN WAS BETTER FOR 4
MONTHS. I WOKE UP ONE MORNING WITH TERRIBLE BACK PAIN AND THE C.T.SCAN
SHOWED ANOTHER RIGHT SIDED "MASS" BLOCKING THE URETER. THEY PUT IN A
STENT FOR 6 WEEKS TO PUSH THE "MASS" AWAY FROM THE URETER. THIS WORKED
FOR AWHILE.IN A FEW MONTHS THE MASS RETURNED AND THIS TIME THEY DECIDED
TO TRY TO REMOVE IT. THEY SAID THE SCAR TISSUE AND ADHESIONS WERE
TERRIBLE AGAIN. I FORGOT TO MENTION THEY KEEP GOING THRU THE SAME
C-SECTION SCAR. IN MARCH "01 THEY WENT IN TO REMOVE ANOTHER MASS AND
PUT IN A STENT. THE LOCATION ALWAYS CLOSES THE URETER REQUIRING A STENT
FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. THE PAIN WAS BETTER THEN 6 WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED
ALL OVER. THE PAIN IS UNBEARABLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THEY GIVE ME 3
SHOTS OF MORPHINE IN THE E.R. AND I'M STILL WALKING AND IN UNBEARABLE
PAIN. WELL, THAT ONE SEEMED TO WORK FOR AWHILE BECAUSE ALMOST 6 MONTHS
WENT BY WITH NO SURGERY. THEN ONE DAY I FELT A HUGE LUMP IN THE
ABDOMENT. TURNED OUT TO BE A HERNIA FROM ALL THE SURGERIES. HAD THAT
ONE REPAIRED BUT 3 MONTHS LATER I HAD ANOTHER ONE. I WAITED ABOUT6
MONTHS TO HAVE THAT ONE REPAIRED. WHEN I COULDN'T STAND THE PAIN FROM
THE HERNIA ANYMORE I WENT IN FOR SUGERY-OUTPATIENT. THEY TOLD ME IT
WOULD TAKE 30 MINUTES. 5 HOURS AND "7" HERNIAS LATER I WOKE UP IN A
HOSPITAL BED. THE WORSE SUGERY I'VE EVER HAD! PAIN UNBEARABLE! GASTRIC
TUBE DOWN MY THROAT.DR. WAS HATEFUL. SAID I WAS A "MESS"INSIDE AND I
DIDN'T HEAL WELL. I GOT MAD AND REMOVED THE TUBE DOWN MY THROAT MYSLEF.
I WAS IN THE HOSPIAL 5 DAYS AND FOR THAT IT WAS $34,000.00 NOT INCLUDING
THE DOCTOR BILL. DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT I DON'T HAVE INSURANCE
BECAUSE DURING ONE OF THE SURGERIES MY ALCOHOLIC HUSBAND BEAT THE CRAP
OUT OF ME THE NIGHT BEFORE ONE OF MY SURGERIES. I MOVED OUT THAT DAY
AND MOVED IN WITH MY SITER AND HER FAMILY. HE DROPPED ME FROM HIS
INSURANCE AT WORK. AND,YES, I DID DIVORCE HIM.
OK, 3 DAYS AFTER THAT LAST SURGERY I DOUBLED OVER IN PAIN AND ANOTHER
C.T.SCAN SHOWED YET ANOTHER "CYST" BLOCKING THE URETER. A STENT WAS
PLACED IN FOR 6 WEEKS. NOW I'M WAITING TO SEE IF THE CYST ENLARGES TO
THE POINT WHERE ANOTHER SURGERY WILL BE PERFORMED. ONLY TROUBLE IS THEY
WON'T SCHEDULE SURGERY WITHOUT PART OF THE PAYMENT PAID. AND I DON'T
HAVE ANY MORE MONEY. MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE HELPED ALL THEY CAN. WE
ARE JUST MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES. AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO WORK IN
SOME TIME. I APPLIED FOR MEDICAID BUT WAS TURNED DOWN BECAUSE THEY
DIDN'T QUALIFY ME AS "DISABLED. THE ONLY WAY TO GET TREATED IS TO BE IN
TERRIBLE PAIN AND GO TO THE E.R. AND HOPE THE DOCTORS WILL ADMIT YOU
THERE SO A SURGEON WILL HAVE TO SEE YOU. THIS SUCKS. THEY MAKE YOU
FEEL LIKE CHARITY PATIENTS AND YOU DON'T NEED TO FEEL ANY WORSE THAN I
ALREADY DO.
THE PAIN IS SO HORRIBLE AND THE PAIN MEDICINE DOESN'T HELP MUCH.
NOW I'VE DEVELOPED HORRIBLE STOMACH PAIN AND TROUBLE HAVING BOWEL
MOVEMENTS. I STAY CONSTIPATED AND WHEN I DO GO I BREAK OUT IN A SWEAT
AND PRAY FOR THE PAIN TO STOP. AND I GET NO RELIEF WHEN I DO GO. I'M
BLOATED ALL THE TIME. DO PEOPLE WITH ASHESIONS HAVE THE BOWEL PROBLEM
ALSO?
ONE OTHER THING-AFTER THE LAST HERNIA OPERATION THEY TOLD ME THE FLUID
BUILD UP WAS TOO MUCH AND THE RADIOLOGIST SAID IT NEEDED TO BE DRAINED.
THE SUGEON SAID NO. THE UROLIGIST SAID YES. I DON'T KNOW WHO TO
BELIEVE ANYMORE. I FEEL SO HEAVY IN THE ABDOMEN-LIKE I WANT TO PICK IT
UP AND CARRY IT.
I'M MISERABLE AND THE PROBLEM OF NO INSURANCE AND NO JOB IS ADDING MORE
STRESS TO MY LIFE. I'M ONLY 45 AND IF ANYMONE HAS HEARD OF ANY
FINANCIAL HELP AVAILABLE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
SHERRY