As of 2004 I have a small bowel-large bowel communicating fistula due to the adhesions. Treatment, double bowel resection. I also have frozen bowel dueto massive adhesions and small bowel obstruction, I am 47.
NO surgery for me. Surgery is a temporary solution to a long term problem.
It took me awhile to get out of this, "Make it go away" and I obsessed about this and made my disease my life and did more harm to myself. I opted for surgery every time, what a mistake.
Over the last decade, I took control back over this disease which I co-exist with. I am living with adhesive disease not dying from it.
NO Doctor in their right mind would touch us unless they had no choice [ie-total obstruction etc].
We have to give ourself quality of life, the Docs can only do so much for us.
Pain meds are very important. But also realize the adhesions did not take our ability to choose away from us.
The last thing we want to do is limit ourselves with what we can do and not do because of our disease. I read so much in this forum about the mechanical treatment for our disease but nobody really talks about the "good place" mentally we need to be at as well.
I try to be a duck even tho I am a goose, and sometimes pay a price for over doing it, but at least I can still do what I want if I choose to. I refuse to give up what I enjoy because of my adhesive disease and other problems as a result.
The Docs decided to prescribe #100 percocets a month because I refuse to be any other way but active and I keep annoying my condition. But what frightens me is the thought of being left behind or a couch potato because I allowed myself to be pathetic. The last thing I will NOT do is easily give up quality of life by choice.
My point is meds are supplemental, surgery is not the answer, a good attitude is all so very important in managing this disease.
Just beccause I cannot eat food at a social does not mean I cannot still go and be social. Just because I cannot eat out at restaurants does not mean I cannot go out to dinner and have coffee or tea with friends.
Any form of exertion is a trigger for me, and I take meds...but I will always exert and will always need meds.
I eat alot of "pickie" foods, high calorie and horrible choices but it keeps me from not emaciating to a skeleton. Eating healthy kills me and I cannot do fiber.
My heart goes out to everyone here, I know your pain but I also know each and everyone of us can GAIN some of what we lost with a good attitude, supportive friends and family, and some pain meds.
We all have lost alot and those losses could not be helped.
Just DO NOT deny yourself anything or self impose a sentence on yourself. The whole point of meds is so that you try to continue to lead a normal life with some relief for having done so.
As long as I have choice and can get along without a mortality rate staring me down, NO SURGERY for me as long as I have CHOICE.