Toni,
Let me fill all of you in on why I found this list and what my interest is. I have had several abdominal surgeries for colon and ovarian cancer. There is no longer any sign of cancer, but I have extensive surgical adhesions and have had three additional laparotomies (open abdominal surgery) for to explore pain and vomiting -- which we now know were caused by adhesions.
I have regular colonoscopies to be sure that the pain is not another colon tumor. No new tumors in the past eight years.
My doctor usually does a CT scan of the pelvis and abdomen as a first step. Last spring this showed a mass in my pelvis. We couldn't ignore it, but the surgery showed it to be a loop of small bowel, dilated by partial obstruction.
I also have an upper GI series which usually shows loops of dilated bowel that look like balloons where the bowel is narrowed by obstruction. Last time I looked at the barium filled small bowel on the screen and saw how tightly massed together my small bowels are -- a knotted twist in the center of my abdomen.
In the past, I've also had ultrasounds to explore masses and shadows on the CT-scans.
Scans and x-rays don't always show problems clearly. It is up to the radiologist's skill to figure out what a shadowy blur might be. Sometimes it is only after surgery that we can identify the culprit.
Because of my long history of multiple cancers, the surgeons are less dismissive of my complaints and have worked hard to get to the bottom of things.
Kate
-- Kate Murphy katemm@mindspring.com