Re: Surgery reports & adhesions

From: Beverly J. Doucette (bnb@cybrzn.com)
Thu Nov 4 15:51:10 1999


At Thu, 4 Nov 1999, Gina wrote: >Hello Gina and all:

I read with interest and sadness about your discovery at having had an adhesionalysis without your knowledge. This is very unfortunate but far from uncommon Gina! I to discovered that I did indeed have adhesions the same way. I cannot count on both hands how many times I have heard that same story repeated from adhesion sufferer's. Far to often of a happening.

If you have presented to a Dr. with pain and symptoms that accured following an invasive medical procedure, even years after it, and have undergone diagnostic testing that resulted in no abnormal pathology being the cause of the symptoms, you must secure your operative repots! Many a surgical proceedure that is done for pain unassociated with any abnormal pathology detected results in a removal of the " offending " organ, and then that organ is found in pathology as NOT being the cause of your symptoms! You'll never know that. You may be told that the organ was removed, or that the organ is the cause of your symptoms, only to present again in a year or so, or less with the very same symptoms as before..and you wonder why? ...

I have stated before the importance of finding out as much as you can about your medical condition, to educate yourself as to reasons for your symptoms and suffering, to take responsibility for your medical care...ultimatly it is your responsibility to know what, when and how your medical provider is handling your case.

By securing your own operative reports, and ALL associated pathology and any cytology reports, you are beginning to take on the responsibility of educating yourself. You will be able to understand if you had adhesions for a fact, you will be able to understand just what organs have been affected by adhesions, and you will better understand why you feel the symptoms that you present to your DR. with! You can also bet that you are more invloved with adhesions then you are reading as Denovo adhesions as well as reformed adhesions are presnet as a result of the surgery.

If you saw that you had adhesions attached to a bladder, and your presenting with frequent urination or pressure, then you know that there is a high probability that the dhesions that were lysed around or on a bladder have reforemd, this is as long as you have NOT been diagnosed with any other means of a cause for the symptom! You will be able to recognize what to discuss with your Dr. as possibilities for your symptoms by securing and reading your operative reports.

You can secure your reports by signing a release form at the medical facility the surgery was performed at. You should NOT be charged for these records as you are entitled to have them for a second opinion. And who isn't getting a second opinion right? one never knows when they will be looking for a new care provider, so you actually ARE securing the records for that purpose! And in the event you will be taking them to another Dr...make copy's!

Please do this now, be sure to request ALL associated pathology, cytology, post surgical. And all pre surgical ultra sounds or any other diagnostic tests that you had prior to the surgery.

If you have any questions as to your reports, ask for assistance in understanding them..ask on this forum, look up the question on the net, ask me: bnb@cybrzn.com

But whatever you do, secure your records!

Adhesion disoder is NOT so elusive that surgeons and Dr.'s don't know it's there at all...it is just difficult to diagnose for a fact. And if all else proves negative as to your cause of symptoms, and especially if you have had prior adhesionalysis, and the symtpoms are much the same...you can bet that you have them back! YOU can bet that..a Dr. cannot! But be sure to at least know for a fact that you did indeed have adhesions at one time!

And don't wait for your surgeon or Dr. to tell you that..as you may just wait forever!

My best regards to all of you and I pray for an answer for each of you in your sufferring...peace within your pain can be found if you take responsibility for understanding it as much as you can! God speed be with you all! Bev

>Hi all,
>I finally read through all my hospital records last night from my 2
>recent surgeries. It confirmed alot of things I knew and told me many
>new things I should have been told but wasn't. I discovered that my Dr.
>lied to my face telling me he never once touched my bladder--yet his own
>dictated surgery report goes into great detail about dissecting my
>bladder from my cervix (an adhesion attached them together?) and that
>the surgeon then created a bladder flap (what the heck is that?). My
>bladder also was cauterized in 2 places. No wonder it hurt so bad for
>so long!
>I had a Laprascopic LAVH hysterectomy on 8/12/99, in which they removed
>massive pelvic adhesions that had been there for almost 20 years. By
>the time I had my 2nd surgery on 9/15/99 I had a new adhesion grown from
>my omentum to my vaginal cuff! Yet in the report it says they don't
>believe it was causing me any pain! They did thank god, remove it!
>They also removed massive adhesions in my upper right quadrant and right
>pelvic side wall (sounds like a tire!).
>Now this is where my new pain is so I'm convinced those grew back :-(
>Anyway as some of you know I had alot of bowel problems since surgery
>#2, and in my CT scan report they noted that I had diverticular disease
>of the sigmoid colon. No one thought to tell ME any of this. I would
>have never known had I not gotten copies of my records. Now I don't
>know much about diverticular disease so will have to read up on it and
>see if it's related in any way to my bowel problems. I'm just amazed I
>guess that docs don't feel the need to tell their patients these things!
>I'm seeing my new PCP next week and am hoping for a referral to a
>colo-rectal surgeon, get some tests done and if I have to be opened up
>again, I really want to use some type of barrier or pray intergel is
>ready!
>BTW, I did see where in surgery #1 my gyn/surgeon used the "adhesion
>prevention surgical techniques" by using ringers lactate, wet sponges,
>irrigation, etc. It didn't keep me from growing new adhesions :-( But I
>was glad to see he knew those procedures and used them. On my 2nd
>surgery he got sloppier tho and didn't use them :-(
>Anyway, just dumping some of this off my chest. Thanks to Chris for
>answering alot of my specific medical report questions by email. You've
>been a lifesaver! And a sanity saver too!
>Gina


Enter keywords:
Returns per screen: Require all keywords: