I just wanted to introduce myself to the list. My name is Kathy and I have adhesions that were initially caused by a ruptured appendix. As with most of you on the list, I went through the usual poor treatment by doctors, the suspicion that it was all in my head, being treated like a dishonest drug seeker, etc.
I'm 33 now. Starting when I was twenty, I've had many many surgeries--all were laparotomies because I had dense scarring with the abdomen and no free space inside. I lost my left ovary at 20. Six months later they had to go back in and take my right ovary, putting me into menopause at 21, three weeks before I got married. During that surgery I suffered injury to my small intestines, which caused more scarring.
Shortly after that, I started having right ureter obstructions and small bowel obstructions. I've had a million cystoscopies to place stents in my right ureter to alleviate the kidney obstructions. I've lost most of the function of my right kidney and live with chronic obstructions, which keeps me from being able to drink enough fluids to stay hydrated.
I've also lost 30cm of my ileum, the last part of the small intestine that is responsible for reabsorbing bile. Because of that, I have diarrhea 10-30 times a day, every day of my life. I can't eat any high residue foods, including almost all fresh fruits and vegetables.
I've also lost a part of my bladder, because I developed a fistula between my small bowel and bladder, and was having bowel movements through my bladder. I've also had a hysterectomy. In total, I've had ten laparotomies. I'll never have another laparotomy, even if the doctors tell me I'll die without it. After those laparotomies, my small intestines basically fall apart and can't heal, and I get fistulas all over the place. I've had them from bowel to bowel, bowel to skin, and bowel to bladder.
I've had massive bacterial and fungal infections. I don't think I'd survive another laparotomy, and keep my fingers crossed that I won't have a bowel obstruction that requires surgery. However, I'd much rather die of a bowel obstruction (yes, I know what they feel like), than from the surgical complications that I've experienced after every laparotomy.
Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have heard of the Medtronic morphine pump? I was on a LOT of pain medicine, which wasn't helping much, until I got the pump. I don't want you to think that I'm somehow advertising for this pump, because I'm not. But it was the one thing that really made a difference for me and gave me back my life. It's not without its risks and it's not for everybody, but I think you should at least be told about it. It's about the size of a hockey puck and it's implanted under the skin of my abdomen (but not IN the abdomen). A catheter leads from the pump into the spinal cord, where it continually infuses a small amount of pain medicine. In my case, it's morphine, but everyone is different. I still have to take Oxycontin from time to time, but not often at all. When I first heard of the pump, I didn't get my hopes up because nothing else in the past had worked for me. I didn't much expect this to help, either. But it has helped a great deal, enough for me to live a sort of normal life. The pump has to be surgically implanted and is all internal. They refill it once every four months, using a needle through the skin on my abdomen and into the pump.
One other thing: has anyone heard of the term "abdominal cripple?" The other day, my doctor told me I was an abdominal cripple. Quite shocking! I don't think of myself that way. Kathy