Re: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S.

From: Bernie and Beverly Doucette (bnb@cybrzn.com)
Mon Jun 19 22:25:53 2000


RE: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S.I'm laughing at YOUR letter, Sherry!! Hey Pam...you will be one up on Helen and Beth..I sure hope they open their emails before " happy " hour! Drink in moderation is the trick here when it comes to that " prune " juice!!!...I sure hope they don't overreact..right Sherry!!!

Love you all Bev

> ----- Original Message -----
From: George Perry To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Sent: Monday, June 19, 2000 9:56 PM Subject: Re: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S. I can't remember the acronym for rolling on the floor. I think its ROTF. Whatever it is. Here I am rolling on the floor! I hope everyone is laughing. . (Beverly, knows well how I have jumped at every pain.) At least you CAN roll on the floor now, Sherry!! :)

I must share with everyone that I had my surgery here in Nashville this past March with Dr. James Daniell. I can honestly say after 3 months I have experience to date a 70% improvement in my symptoms and pain and I am hoping that keeps getting better and better over time. Hey, that's 70% of my life back. I can remember praying for 10%!

I see from reading the message board that a lot of people are going to areas outside of where they live to surgeons (i.e. Germany, New York etc.) Unfortunatley for Dr. Daniell, I also live in the Nashville area. (I suppose it's lucky for him, I don't have his cell phone number.:) ). This is true!!!!!! :-) But wasn't that a good idea on Deb's part though!! :-)

Poor Dr. Reich and DR. Redan, to be the first of their kind with all of US!! I have already over reacted to Dr. Redan on an IAS member..and he was pretty accommodating too...! I was told that soon I may be an " Adhesion " survivor...but I tend to think I am an " Adhesion " psychotic at times as I seem to flow back to past experiences with surgeons!! He seemed to be a drop slow in a case..and I mean a drop...and Bev was all over his case..he was so smooth and simply set me straight!!! Oh, okay I said...like, a " little " impatient here Bev!! Dahhhh!! "

It is as funny as this part of the email from Ann Gibbons as she was sharing Joes experience as the first patient in the new Adhesion center,remember this line from her email to the group:;

We stayed at the Clarion Hotel on Meadow Street (570) 344-9811. $70 per nite. Has refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, continental breakfast. Can have early check-in, late check-out. It's very conveniently located to CMC, Mulberry Street (570) 969-8000 -- less than five minutes away. There's a supermarket, a CVS, and an Italian restaurant across the street from the hotel, so you can pick up juice, soda, bowel prep ingredients, fill prescriptions, etc. Now folks, you could only find this type of shopping list in a society forum like ours!!!!! :-)

After going through so many failed attempts to find out what was wrong test after test, doctor after doctor. I think you can become rather cynical. It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am relieved to hear that I am not the only one who lives in fear of having them return. It's really nice to be able to vent a little when I feel afraid and have a place to go where there is some true empathy. WEll, Sherry, I DID laugh at you a bit didn't I though!!! Like our dear Christina would have said, " Been there, done that!! " :-)

Hey everyone, didn't feel great to laugh?! Anyone else want to share a funny story? Come on guys, lets be candid...I'll start..........

" Once I escorted my husbands clients and their wives to a dinner, doing the " dutifull " wife thing, I accepted to go along to play hostess to the wives of Bernie clients, a well to do bussiness owner here in town, and his wife..probably THE best known and wealthiest bussiness owners in our town! ...and I threw up at the table in this very, very fine supper club!! That WAS bad, but being who I am, I tend to look at the brite side of things and realized that it could have been worse...I was always so constipated that I was on a laxative every three days....and it was the third day, so I was due for that laxative the day folllowing this dinner party......now do I have to tell anyone what could have been worse then throwing up right at the table?????????

I carried a bag around with me from then on, ( two years to be exact after that incidence ) and have NOT escorted anyone to a dinner since!!!! Talk about gun shy now!! Wheow!!! :-) ---- happens you know!! :-)

Thanks to Deb for letting Beverly share that one!

Sherry P Nashville

> ----- Original Message -----
From: Bernie and Beverly Doucette To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Sent: Monday, June 19, 2000 4:58 PM Subject: Re: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S.

You are correct Laura... It would take an army with crow bars to get this smile off MY face..and it is the same one I came out of my surgery with!!! :-)

BUT HEAR THIS>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am not saying that there haven't been times when I will feel a pain of sorts, and my mind races to panic mode as I think it's the adhesions back! But that has become few and far between now! I know why any pain I felt would rush me to panic as who the heck wants to think that the adhesions are back and that had been all my prior experiences following an adhesiolysis surgery, so of course I panicked! My poor husband, " Bernie, do you think my adhesions are back? " or " I have a funny pain, what do you think, adhesions? " Bev suffering an anxiety attack, well, my friends, it wasn't long and well, we knew it wasn't adhesions, as they never really had any " sound " to them and I soon realized that every abdominal pain wasn't necessarily adhesions, but can in fact, be " GAS " as well!! So, I am happy to say that I am still well, literally pain free, hopeful and cautiously optimistic that maybe I am cured, but I will claim a cure come October as I have NEVER been pain free for that long following my adhesiolysis procedures!

It is very normal to think that every pain you feel within the abdomen following your surgery will be adhesions reformed....you do not shut your emotions and thoughts off like a water faucets just because you had that surgery. It will take time to actually realize that you are not suffering from ARD, BUT that will take time...support, questions and a lot, LOT of talking to yourself that the pain you might be feeling IS NOT adhesions, ..maybe they will reform, and maybe not. But no matter if they do or don't, of course you will think that every little pain is an adhesion reformed...so give yourself time, communicate those fears and talk about it. That is a big part of our local support group discussions as we have a lot of post adhesiolysis patients in it and we all have residual things to overcome following long bouts with such a disabling and infringing, painful disease!!

We have all had to learn to get back into society, it is so easy to become reclusive while suffering with ARD, and it takes time to acclimate yourself back into social things! Any and every abdominal pain brings you an attack of internal fear, and you get very quit as you don't want to say the word " adhesions! " Not to yourself nor your family!!! I actually went upstairs alone one time, laid on the bed and slowly turned on my side..now when I suffered ARD, I could NOT roll on my side as that increased my pain terribly...so I slowly rolled on my side and prayed that the pain would NOT increase....well it didn't, and it went away, and over time, ALL my pain slowly subsided...am I cured? I think so, I hope so, but I take one day at a time as to think about adhesions for myself only causes me to suffer anxiety, so I get rid of any thoughts of them and enjoy each day I have been given....I'll know, and as for now, I feel great and that is good enough for me!

There is a funny story I have permission to share with all of you from the young lady who went to New York with me for her adhesiolysis ..............

Not long upon our return to our respective homes, DR. Reich calls to check on us as he does with all his patients. But in Debs case, he was on his cell phone while commuting to work, and after he finished his call, she see's his cell phone number on her ID caller, so she copied it down!! No problem.. until one day not to long after that call when she fells a sharp pain in her lower abdoman, she panicked as she was so convinced that it was of course, her adhesions reformed!!! Now I mean she panicked big time, bad pains, VERY bad abdominal pains!! She calls Dr. Reich's Pennsylvannia office , he is not in YET!! Hmmmm, so she tries the, yup, cell phone! And she connects with him as he is driving to his office! " Dr. Reich " she say's, " I am in so much pain in my lower abdoman, I am doubled over with pain and I'm scared it's adhesions!" Have you had a BM? " he asks her. " NO, not yet. " was her reply. Dr. Reich continues, " Did you drink a glass of prune juice like Lyndsey told you too? " ( Lyndsey is his nurse ) " A GLASS of prune juice! " I drank the WHOLE BOTTLE of prune juice!!! " She exclaimed!! " Well, that is why your suffering that severe abdominal pain,!!! " Dr. Reich tells her, " I am sure it will pass soon, but in the mean time, your going to feel pretty uncomfortable!!!!!

So the moral of this story is: If you stick to the rule, you'll soon have your stool, but stay with a glass or you'll suffer a royal pain in your --- A chuckle from Bev, who only at two REAL prunes by the way and was fine!!!!!!!!

> ----- Original Message -----
From: LNewman@milbank.com To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Sent: Monday, June 19, 2000 2:53 PM Subject: RE: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S.

I third that response!!! I know for a fact that these ladies are in good hands -- look at Bev's outcome!!! You can almost feel the smile on her face beaming through the computer screen!!! "Lord who sees all and knows the outcome of everything, even though the surgeries could be over now, may it have been a success in every sense of the word and may the days that follow be an inspiration to us all, Amen."

Now, I am at peace with the knowledge that they will be fine and back on the Board any day now!!!

-----Original Message----- From: Bernie and Beverly Doucette [SMTP:bnb@cybrzn.com] Sent: Monday, June 19, 2000 2:29 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Subject: Re: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S.

Being that these ladies will be peeking in here soon, I would like them to know that I am keeping them in my thoughts and prayers and ask GOD to guide Dr. Redan and Dr. Reichs hands during each surgery! May theyn both be reaping the benefits of a successful surgery soon....and a life of quality from this day on!! God Bless them and those surgeons!! Bev

> ----- Original Message -----
From: Helen Dynda <mailto:olddad66@runestone.net> To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS <mailto:adhesions@forum.obgyn.net> Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2000 2:31 AM Subject: Your prayers are requested for Helen Chalmers and Beth S.

Helen Chalmers ( hchalm@aol.com <mailto:hchalm@aol.com> )and Beth ( SaraLarou@aol.com <mailto:SaraLarou@aol.com> )are each scheduled to have surgery on June 19th. These ladies have been patiently waiting for this day arrive - and very soon it will be a reality! Both Helen and Beth made a very wise decision! They decided that they wanted the best chance for a successful surgery; so they chose two of the best laparoscopic surgeons in the United States, Dr. Harry Reich and his surgical partner, Dr. Jay Redan, who is a general surgeon.

On May 1st Dr. Reich and Dr. Redan opened the very first adhesions unit in the United States at a hospital in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Both surgeons are very skilled and very experienced in laparoscopic surgical procedures; and they share a special interest in trying to help the many unfortunate people who suffer with chronic pelvic pain as a result of adhesions, caused by prior surgeries.

Helen and Beth, you are in very good hands!! God be with you - and best wishes for your safe and successful recovery.

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