Bernie and Beverly Doucette wrote:
> To all: Karla is in great need of prayers. We are having a difficult time
> finding a surgical team to meet her medical needs. Karla not only suffers
> the pain of massive adhesions as a result of 26 laporotomy's, but having
> lost her urinary bladder to a very poor adhesiolysis she now has to urinate
> through a stoma in what is left of her abdominal wall. I say," what is left
> of her abdominal wall, " because Karla has less then 1/4 of the rectus
> muscle left ( the abdominal muscle wall we can tighten while doing sit ups
> etc...when we could do sit ups that is!! but I use that as an example for
> you to understand the magnitude of her loss .) This is due to the multiple
> LAPOROTOMY"S that she had. Because of the extensive incisions and constant
> relocating of her urinary stoma, Karla's intestines have herniated through
> her rectus muscle numorous times leaving that muscle tissue so weak that it
> eventually wore away leaving her intestines to push up against her skin. If
> you think that a surgeon is hesitent on treating you because of adhesions,
> then you can imagine why we are having difficulty finding a team of surgeons
> to help Karla!! We are in desperate need of a surgeon who deals with
> adhesions, a plastic surgeon to reconstruct a prosthetic abdoman and a
> urologist for the stoma...even Dr. Reich was not able to secure a team of
> specialists to take on the first two surgery's as he felt he would be able
> to mange the adhesiolysis! You can imagine her disapointment on hearing
> that news. A possible solution so near yet so far and then a no go..again.
> We have tried the John Hopkins medical center in Boston, as they are known
> to be hernia specialists.. she was denied due to the adhesional involvement.
> They felt she was doomed to failure before she even started! What a crusher!
>
> Karla's most recent hernia is the size of a football and again is located
> around her stoma. This hernia causes her stoma to leak urine constantly as
> she cannot place her collection bag on properly due to the massive hernia,
> this causes a great deal of embarrasment due to the mess and odor, and has
> caused Karla to remain in her home and alone most of the time. We have been
> able to convince her to come over and spend as much time as she likes at our
> residence. She has even gone out to eat with us...to us, Karla is just
> another special person, no matter how she is, and she must feel that as she
> has elected to visit us daily, when not in the hospital.
>
> Karla was in the intensive care unit last week battling a very high blood
> pressure that resulted in a massive nose bleed. When a person 's blood
> pressure gets to such a dangerious level, the body will start to bleed
> through the nose. Karla suffers a high blood pressure due to chronic pain,
> if you are not firmiliar with this connection, chronic pain will increase a
> persons blood pressure as the body is trying to combat that pain and being
> it is a never ending process, your blood pressure will be up.
>
> I cannot stress enough today how ill our dear Karla is. Please pray that
> she be blessed with strength and hope, and that we, who love and care for
> her, will accept whatever the future holds for her. Again, we see the
> magnitude of what this disease can do to a person, the next time someone
> looks at you and says, " you don't look sick, " be patient with them, be
> happy that we don't look sick and gently, take a moment to think of KARLA
> and let that comment blow away with the wind...as we all know the truth, and
> no matter what anyone else thinks or says, it doesn't change that fact of
> what ARD is....
>
> Thank you God for letting us have each other to draw strength and support
> from...and isn't it ironic that it is those who are suffering this
> horrendous disease that we turn to for that support...those who suffer
> reaching out to those who are suffering!!
>
> I will keep you posted as to Karla's health, and I want you all to know how
> excited and appreciated she has felt since coming to this society, she has
> been accepted by the IAS just as she is...and she is a saint in my eyes!!
>
> God speed be with us all.
>
> Kathy of Florida is also in need of prayers as she undergoes her
> adhesiolysis with Dr. Reich on Thursday, Feb. 24th.
>
> We also will be seeing our first " male " ARD sufferer sit in consultation
> with Dr. Reich next week..and I am hoping to hear that Dr. Reich will elect
> to break precedent and perform an adhesiolysis on him!! And if you don't
> think getting THAT appointment was fun..think again! But it worked!! :-)
>
> I would like to add one last point here..if you think that reaching DR.
> Reich for an adheiolysis procedure is out of your means financialy, please
> contact me for particulars on that..Dr. Reich is the greatest laporoscopic
> surgeon in the world and he is capable of performing an adhesiolysis
> procedure better then anyone else. Just when you start to hear that your
> surgeon cannot do this or that or must perform a laporotony to have a
> succesful adhesiolysis....think again! I have talked with ARD patients who
> were told they would have to have a laporotomy in order for the surgeon to
> use berriers, or to lyse adhesions in difficult locations within the
> abdoman/pelvis, and Dr. Reich not only completed the same surgery through
> the laporoscopic method, but with extremely successful results! So please,
> at least look in to his procedure...give yourself that chance. And keep in
> mind that there are have notbeen any berriers that have proven successful to
> date , so why would a surgeon want to perform a laporotomy to wrap a berrier
> around organs if there is strong evidence showing that berriers do not work!
> You must be informed of this, you must research what I have just shared, and
> you must take responsibility for knowing as much as you can before you allow
> any procedure to be done on you in relationship to adhesions! You must ask
> your surgeon for any previous results by performing the same procedure on
> you...what has the past experiences proven by the surgical technique your
> surgeon has recommended for you? Ask questions, be educated....my God, take
> responsibility for you own medical care!!
>
> In friendship
> Beverly
>> ----- Original Message -----
> From: toni welsh <twelsh1@hotmail.com>
> To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS <adhesions@forum.obgyn.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 6:44 AM
> Subject: Re Karla
>
> > Thank you so much for letting us know about Karla, I hope she is doing
> > okay. I will worry about her, but will keep her in my prayers. Hope
> > all goes well for her.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Toni
> >
>