People like you are the reason for my participating in this group and sharing my story. If you can save just one person from making your same mistakes you will be rewarded tremendously. The doctors are only too willing to continue to cut and snip....after all we are paying for their nice houses, cars, boats.....etc. They would be doing themselves a disservice if they were to let on to everyone that adhesions can be dealt with.......if they are treated by a skilled surgeon.
-- Karla
>----- Original Message ----- From: Susan_OR <Susan_OR@iwon.com> To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS <adhesions@mail.medispecialty.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 1:34 PM Subject: Dear Karla
> It is good to see you posting again! Thank you for sharing your > story...in your post and on the quilt. I guess I am one of the lucky > ones as I have only been suffering with this for about a year and have > "only" had 6 surgeries. Your story, and christine's story, and other's > like them are making me more determined to find someone that can help me > and not fool around like I have been letting the same person continue to > cut me open with no success. Thank you for having the courage to share > the details of your personal nightmare and I will keep you in my > prayers. > > 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 > >> > > >> >