Hi Stevie, My problems with adhesions started when I was 29 or 30 years
old. I had a tubal ligation and guess what happened? I had a tubal
pregnancy that ruptured. This started my many problems from adhesions.
I am 41 yrs. old and have had 7 abdominal surgeries. My intestines
were punctured during lysis of extensive adhesions esp. on my bowels. I
hemorrhaged and had 3 blood transfusions. I have had acute bowel
obstructions and suffer from partial obstructions often. I had my TAH
about a year and a half ago. I also had an appendectomy and extensive
lysis of adhesions which were everywhere again. At my insistance my
surgeon used Seprafilm adhesion barrier. My last two laparotomies were
only 6 months apart. It has been close to two years since my last
surgery. Yes, the aliens(adhesions) are back but in my case I feel the
barrier did slow down the formation of adhesions. I know that the
barriers appears to be one of th most promising methods of adhesion
prevention not a cure. Your surgeon needs to use microsurgical
techniques that minimize trauma, ischemis, foreign bodies, hemorrhage,
raw surfaces and infection to reduce adhesion formation. Important
surgical practices include: minimization of tissue handling, use of
delicate insturments, use of magnification and constant wetting of all
tissues. Adhesions can lead to a variety of complications which include
pelvic pain, infertility, bowel obstruction and prolonged operative and
recovery times. We have to be informed, take charge to find a doctor
who is sympathetic to our needs and utilize a support system. The the
thing that has given me the most comfort is knowing that I am not alone.
Sherry Marie