I definitely don't have all the answers. I do worry that the pain will come back. But I truly believe the mind-body connection is a strong one. Take care - Dana
At Tue, 28 Mar 2000, alanbaleyko wrote:
>
>Dana, I am on Paxil and I have been playing with the time I take it and have
>increased my dosage as per my doctors instructions. While you were healing
>did you feel the old pain at all? I'm not feeling any more of the surgical
>pain but can still feel the old pain on my left side. I'm wondering whether
>this is just the nerves "remembering" the pain. Thanks for writing and take
>care. Jessica
>
>Dana wrote:
>
>> I am sorry you are so frustrated. I understand your feelings as I had a
>> similar situation. I trusted my doctor and then felt like he didn't
>> take care of me.
>>
>> I would encourage you to give yourself time to heal from this last
>> surgery. If you just had surgery this month, it could take a while to
>> start feeling better. I had surgery in February, and it took a full six
>> weeks to get over my surgical pain. Mine was a laparotomy, but it will
>> still take a few weeks to get over a laparoscopy. After my surgery, I
>> kept feeling the pain would return and was so fearly of every discomfort
>> I felt. But after taking it very easy for six weeks, I am finally rid
>> of the pain.
>>
>> I think another thing that has helped me is being on anti-depressants.
>> If you're not on them, you might ask your doctor whether that's a viable
>> option for you.
>>
>> Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers. Dana
>>
>> At Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Jessica wrote:
>> >
>> >Hi all! I have to write and tell you what I, with a little help from my
>> >obgyn, have done to myself. I am frustrated, ashamed, and a little
>> >depressed. My mistake in all this was trusting my doctor. He has the
>> >best reputation in this area for obgyn surgery. He is a perfectionist
>> >and all the nurses I have talked do say he does clean surgery. Sounds
>> >like what we are supposed to look for right? What he has done to me is
>> >taken me piece by piece, and not listened to me or communicated with my
>> >GI doctor. Heres a quick run down of the proceedures I have had him do:
>> >!. Oct "98- Lap to diagnose left side abdominal pain. He found a
>> >corpus luteum cyst on right ovary, and adhesions to my bladder. Pain
>> >returned 3 days after surgery, though it was less intense.
>> >2. May 99- Open abdominal hysterectomy. I told him to remove anything
>> >that looked like it would cause trouble in the future. I told him I did
>> >not have a problem loosing my ovaries. At this time no adhesions were
>> >mentioned.
>> >3. March 2000-lap to remove ovaries due to severe pain. I could not
>> >even work (teacher) due to the pain for 2 weeks prior to surgery. He
>> >said I was a mess inside. He had trouble locating ovaries due to
>> >adhesions and had "great difficulty" removing them. He said that he
>> >almost had to open me up but was able to get 90% of adhesions. He feels
>> >that they will almost certainly come back. 3 days after surgery, the
>> >pain returns. Since I had a failed attempt at a colonoscopy and the GI
>> >doctor diagnosed "tortured colon-probable adhesions cause" in 1998, I
>> >feel it's the adhesions on the colon causing the problem. My obgyn
>> >wrote in his report on the ovary removal that "If this patient requires
>> >further exploratory surgery it is recommended that it be an open
>> >abdominal proceedure with the use of an adhesion barrier.
>> >Why did I let this man open me up so many times? Why did I not demand
>> >that he remove my ovaries when he took my uterus? The only excuse I can
>> >think of is that he is very arrogant and hates to be questioned. When I
>> >begin to ask questions or state facts he shuts down. That's still no
>> >excuse for me. Through this forum I knew better than he did what needs
>> >to be done. You can bet I will begin interviewing surgeons today for
>> >the future! Before the pain gets so bad that I would let a monkey with a
>> >can opener do the surgery!! I'm going to wait as long as before the next
>> >surgery.
>> >Thanks for letting me vent and for always being there and understanding.
>> >Any hints on choosing a surgeon would be appreciated! Here's to a pain
>> >free day for all.
>> >
>> >--
>> >Jessica Baleyko
>> >
>>