Linda, Cheryl.
I too think that out of all of the doctors whose names I've come across when searching for adhesion treatment, Dr. Cook so far sounds like the most promising one.
In my case, my adhesions, severe pain and abdominal and pelvic dysfunction did not come from surgery, but from a mysterious on-the-job injury 25 years ago. A fellow patient recently told me she thought it sounded like a burst ovarian cyst. I felt and heard a pop, followed by some fluid gushing through my lower right quadrant. Every doctor I have been to over the past 25 years, including several gynecologists, have never mentioned or considered a burst ovarian cyst as a possible cause of my problems. They thought if it wasn't my appendix, then it couldn't have been anything else. I have since had surgeries that did nothing- and I don't think any real investigation was ever done- just rip out the fibroids, then the uterus and seal it up. I consider my case to be similar to that of Karen Steward's daughter, who also had never had surgery when she developed adhesions.
Anyway, what I like about this Dr. Cook is that not only does he treat adhesions due to gynecology issues, but he also states that he treats adhesions due to other causes as well. This is important because too many gastros and gynecologists only want to deal with their specialized area of the body. When it comes to adhesions, we need someone who can deal with both the abdominal and pelvic areas. For years I was bounced back and forth from gyno to gastro, each time quickly being told to 'go back to the other' and as a result, nobody felt it was their responsibility to attempt to help me because my problems always belonged to the 'other' doctor. What I apparently need is a "gyno-gastroenterologist" but of course there is no such thing!
I don't know about you gals, but when I think of my own 25-year experience with this stuff and what I'm hearing from many other women like us with today's medical system in the U.S., that this must be the 'western equivalent' of female genital mutilation that goes on in places like parts of Africa! I kid you not! It boils down to attitudes and lack of respect towards women.
Cheryl, I'm not totally familiar with your history- like as to what caused your adhesions to develop. If there have been any gynecology issues, like endo, there is a doctor in Bend, Oregon named Dr. David Redwine. He recently wrote a book called '100 Questions & Answers About Endometriosis'. He talks a lot about adhesions and describes the method he uses that he thinks is the most effective. However, unlike Dr. Cook, he does not state that he is willing to treat adhesions due to causes other than endo so am not sure if he would treat anyone who has not been definitively diagnosed with it, which is a shame because a lot of women who have it don't know it. If you have adhesions at all, even if some are from surgery, it could be hard to tell because they probably cause similar pain and issues. And even if you've been opened up, the doctor doing the surgery wouldn't necessarily see it unless he had the proper training and experience with endo.
I'll have to re-check this but I believe Dr. Redwine's website is http://www.endometriosissurgeon.com.
Joan