Re: Comfort in numbers

From: Gina (gina@maine.rr.com)
Wed Oct 20 14:15:59 1999


Hi Merri, You aren't alone. I recently found this website myself and visit daily now. I too thought I was going nuts because the docs kept wanting to give me an anti-depressant for pain sysmptoms! Then finally a doc told me, yes you have adhesions again. But then he wouldn't do anything about them--going in to remove them creates more adhesions! So I am having to learn how to deal with them, until they find a way to remove and prevent new ones. Or until my bowels get so obstructed I have to have surgery. Whichever comes 1st. In the meantime I use this resource to find out what's new in adhesion management, to commisserate with my fellow sufferers, and to ask questions.

I am now 5 weeks post-op from my last surgery. I have adhesions in my upper abdomen on both sides (before I only had them on the right) and all over my pelvic area again. I can tell because of the pulling pain. My recent operations were all done laprascopically (except the one in 1987 which was full abdomenal cut). I had a total hysterectomy with massive pelvic adhesion removal on 8/12/99 and they went back in on 9/15/99 to remove ovaries, tubes and massive abdominal adhesions. The old adhesions had wrapped around my bowels, organs and had caused me to be sterile since I was 18 years old!

I won't wait 18 more years to get these new adhesions removed, at the 1st sign of trouble, that's for sure. I had gone to doctors for 18 years, and not one of them ever guess how full of adhesions I was. I didn't even know adhesions existed until this series of surgeries a month ago! Now it all makes sense, including the IBS.

--
Gina

At Wed, 20 Oct 1999, Merri Ellen wrote: > >I just wanted to share that finding this forum has been an extremely >positive and comforting event. I really felt that I was >alone...slightly crazy...and maybe a hyprochandriac! Having all the >xrays and tests come back a-ok but still being in pain/bowel problems, >made me feel that the doctors are right: this problem is really in my >head not my body! What a comfort to realize that there are many other >people suffering the same symptoms! I truly believed other doctors when >they said I was such an unusual...rare...unheard of case. Like I was a >scientific freak or something. >Thank you for correcting a long believed myth of mine. The adhesions >themselves are not PAINFULL. They become a source of pain when they >attach to organs/tissues and pull at nerve endings. Or squeeze them >with the strength of a python...speaking with 17 years of experience. It >is not the scar tissue itself but whatever it attaches to, that causes >the pain. No one had ever explained that to me before. > >Well...I need to leave the chair position. Thank you for the water >aerobic suggestion. I belong to the YMCA and the water seems to help me >too! > >-- >Merri Ellen >


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