Take Care,
Susan
At Tue, 15 Aug 2000, Karla wrote:
>
>I would like to clarify a couple of points in this email. The reason I said
>three surgeries would be in the chance that the qualified surgeons were
>unable to get all adhesions in one procedure and needed to go back to remove
>the rest.
>
>Secondly, when I said 26 surgical procedures....that was since 1991. In my
>entire life it has probably been somewhere around 35. But I only started
>counting when it was one right after the other....as many as 7 in one year.
>
>--
>Karla
>
>>----- Original Message -----
>From: Karla <ifirgit@webcntrl.com>
>To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS <adhesions@mail.medispecialty.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 12:50 AM
>Subject: Re: How Many Is To Many?
>
>> Roberta,
>>
>> It doesn't appear that too many people have tried to answer your question.
>> That is probably because there isn't any real answer. To me, the answer
>> would be 3 or more. Granted, we all go through the experience of having
>> surgery by our local surgeons who don't have a clue as to how to properly
>> deal with adhesions so that they do not return. We have all done it.
>But,
>> after that first surgery, we should be educated enough to know that
>whatever
>> their procedure was.....it didn't work. Then we should seek out the best
>> doctor to deal with the problem so that we do not have to go through
>> repeated surgeries. If we do this right away we can eliminate all of the
>> unnecessary procedures and live happy productive lives. There are very
>few
>> doctors in this world that are skilled enough to prevent the reformation
>of
>> adhesions......unless we get ourselves setup with one of those doctors we
>> can become drug into this continuous cycle of surgeries.
>>
>> You also asked "who has had the most surgeries and what is the quality of
>> life like"......I don't know just who has had the most surgeries.....from
>> everyone on this group that I have seen....I guess it would be me. I have
>> undergone 26 surgical procedures...not all specifically for the lysis of
>> adhesions...but where adhesions have been lysed and other procedures
>> performed because the doctors were not aware that the adhesions were
>causing
>> the problems I was having. I am in need of a 27th surgery (go read my
>story
>> on the adhesion quilt at the adhesion site) and I have no choice in the
>> matter. The quality of my life sucks...plain and simple. A lot of it is
>> due to the other problems that these uneducated surgeons have caused with
>> their zeal to take care of my problems. I don't want to get into all my
>> problems in this letter....like I said...please read the quilt. The pain
>is
>> so awful. I am on so many narcotics and it is like there is no end in
>site.
>> Please seek out one of those qualified surgeons to stop your cycle.
>>
>> You also asked has anyone ever died from having too many surgeries. On
>July
>> 12th of this year I was scheduled for my 27th surgery. I was given the
>> pre-op medicine versed to calm me down. I went into cardiac and
>respiratory
>> arrest and as told to me by my doctor....was flatlined. So I guess you
>> could say yes someone has died from having too many surgeries.....but I
>was
>> a lucky one....because they brought me back so that I could live to tell
>> others. But, I had a friend named Christina (her story is also on the
>> quilt) who died this past January. I don't think that she was anywhere
>> close to having as many surgeries as I have had.....but for her.....that
>> last surgery was one too many. Her surgeon was just not skilled enough to
>> know what he was doing. So, please believe me when I say that this could
>> happen to anyone. There are no right and wrong answers as to what is too
>> many. I guess the real right answer is.....how many surgeries are we
>going
>> to let our doctors perform before we start asking questions! I believed
>and
>> trusted in my doctors....they never even talked about adhesions in terms
>of
>> anything but a nuisance when they were performing my surgeries. I wish I
>> had known back in 1991....so that I could have said NO!
>>
>> As far as what is anyone doing to educate the public.....we are doing our
>> damndest at making this disease known. We have contacted talk shows, news
>> shows....you name it...with little success in getting out story out.
>> Locally, Bev has had great success in sharing the details of our disease.
>> She has gotten local newspaper coverage as well as regional television
>> coverage. When she and Mary Pomroy travelled to Germany they even got
>> coverage over there. We are doing our best to make this public...but we
>are
>> fighting a medical system that doesn't acknowledge that adhesions are even
>a
>> problem.
>>
>> Good Luck in you fight!
>>
>> Karla N.
>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Roberta <Source14U@aol.com>
>> To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS
><adhesions@mail.medispecialty.com>
>> Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 9:13 PM
>> Subject: How Many Is To Many?
>>
>> > I've only had 7 surgeries for lysis of adhesions (7 to many for me) but
>> > was wondering, how many is to many? I'm new to this board but I've read
>> > about others who've endured more surgeries than I. Has anyone ever died
>> > from having to many surgeries for removal of adhesions? What does the
>> > medical community have to say about this? Who out there has had the most
>> > surgeries and what is there quality of life like? What is happening out
>> > there to increase the awareness of what is obviously a problem of epic
>> > proportion? What kind of life can we look forward to if the only
>> > solution to our problem is "another surgery'? Things to think about.
>> > Would love your input. Thanks for being here. RB
>> >
>>