help is out there

From: doreen ahearn (dahearn813@comcast.net)
Sun May 1 15:29:12 2005


i have been coming to this site for years but have not really posted a lot. i feel sad when i read messages about people who are giving up, treated badly by physicians, and generally feel that their life is over due to this disease. I do not want to bore all of you with my long story so i will make it brief.

i began suffering in 1988 after my gallbladder and appendix were removed. i had so many bowel obstructions, re-sections, laparotomies for lysis of adhesions, and even placement of a jejunostomy feeding tube in 1992 due to hypomotility and malabsorption syndrome. after each procedure i had only limited relief but i did have relief. the fact that i did have relief told me thatif i had the right doctor and the right procedure that maybe i could be better.

in july of 2004 i was at the end of my rope-- you know the story, unbearable pain, life falling apart, no help from doctor.... then my surgeon decided to do a laparotomy for removal of adhesions and my gyn could remove ovaries that he could not get to during a vaginal hysterectomy several years ago. i agreed and the procdure was done.

however, the adhesions were too extensive so the surgeon only cut enough away so that the gyn could get to ovaries. when i woke up i found out that he left most of the adhesions there as well as two inernal hernias.

i do not blame him but if he was not willing to take the time and remove all the adhesions he should not have done the procedure at all. by october the pain was unbearable. then i decided to contact dr gerhart in pa. i filled out the health history and he called me back the same day. within a few weeks i had a 5-6 hour laparoscopy where he removed ALL the adhesions, 2 internal hernias, and a nodule on my ureter. after this procedure i realized that i could really feel normal.

i go back in may for a touch-up procedure to take out the few adhesions that grew back and i am not even on pain meds at present. the difference with dr gerhart and all the other doctors i had was that he used a scope and he took out ALL of the adhesions, not just what he felt he had time to do.

he never said that it was too complicated or involved and he totally supported my husband and i since the day we met him. anyway.....i am afraid that i have gone on much too long but i just wanted to let everyone know that if you seek help make sure that he/she is qualified and sympathetic..like dr gerhart (you can reach him at http://www.adlap.com) it is definitely worth your time to check out the site. good luck to all of you and i hope you find help like i did. feel free to contact me if you wish.

--
doreen

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