Hi. We have posted on the message board a number times over the last 8
years. We have gotten tremendous support and truly appreciate the
concern. My wife Barbara started to get tugging pains about 1 above her
navel in 1995. Diagnostic tests could not find anything. Three
laparascopic surgeries over 3 years found few adhesions, and the pain
kept coming back in shorter intervals after each surgery. We tried pain
management and had some success. We saw Drs. Reich and Redan with
surgery done in 2000. They found very few adhesions, removed her gall
bladder and was pain free for 4 years. When the pain returned we found
an understanding pain managment doctor who prescribed Fentanyl patches.
My wife was basically pain free for 3 years at the cost of increasing
strengths of the patch and later,the need to use Actiq for outbreak
pain. She is now at a point where she gets this disabling tugging pain
after she moves her bowels and after she eats or drinks. She does not
always get relief from the patches and Actiq. Our medicinal pain
management doctor does not want to give her more than 300 mcg of
Fentanyl. Her surgeon, who we like and trust, did not want to operate
when he looked at her CT a year ago - he did not see anything.
We would like to know if there is anyone who has or is suffering this
type of debilitating pain and what they have done. We are thinking of
making an appointment to see Dr. Redan again in Florida (we live in
Arizona) . Thanks for your help.
Ron & Barbara Paul