I am sorry that I haven't had the opportunity to send you a message before now... I have been in hospital for the last four weeks after collapsing in the foyer of the hospital after an outpatients visit!
I am sorry that you seem to be having such a bad time of it a the moment, unfortunately because I am so far behind on reading the messages on the board I am unfamiliar with your story, but I just wanted to say hello, and let you know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
I have been visiting this site for 14 months now and have made some very valuable friendships and learned so much about adhesions, how people deal with pain, the problems adhesions sufferers have in finding medical staff who will believe that there is real pain involved and not something manifested in our heads.
I try to have a very positive approach to pain and adhesions. That isn't always easy, and right now I am finding it hard to cope myself. I have had some very difficult and traumatic surgeries in the past and while I have the greatest confidence in my medical team, I cannot seem to control my inner fear of surgery itself, because once I am asleep, the doctor has total control over my treatment and my life.
Dawn, I live in Australia and I have founded an Aussie support group web site to compliment the IAS site. I have started a section called "How to cope" in that section you will find some of the useful diversional therapies I have learned over the years and found useful and practical in helping me to keep my pain mostly at a reasonable level. I do use pain medication too, but i feel that it is up to us to play an active part in how we cope. I would like to invite you to visit our site at http://www.bombobeach.com and on the left hand side menu bar you will find the link for the "How to Cope" section. I hope that you will also register as a member so that as new information comes to hand, you will be on the mailing list to receive the news.
Dawn, don't loose hope, there is always someway to try and make ourselves feel more comfortable and as horrible as this may sound, I think we really need to face the fact that we have to accept our condition as I have said before and learn what helps us to keep it under control by experimenting, asking questions and reading all the valuable information Dr Wiseman has available on the adhesions site, as well as the links to many other useful sites.
I have always said that for me surgery would be my last option, I feel that as an adhesions sufferer to continually have surgery after surgery only compounds the problem and increases our risk of unwanted side affects and other possible disabilities.
I have an ovarian remnant that has been playing havoc with my pain levels and life for almost 8 months now and after trying all sorts of different combinations and doses of pain medication, we have reached the point where the only option left is surgery to remove the remnant and clean up as many of the adhesions as possible.
One thing about having a blockage, many of my friends who have experienced bowel blockages describe horrendous vomiting of very vial stuff... and this would be what would be happening to you if you had a total blockage... please remember I am not a medical person though, just another sufferer trying to lend a hand. Go back to your doctors and explain your fear, pain and the disruption being caused to your everyday life. If your doctor fails to help you, then it is time to find a new one.... I hope I have been of some help to you, if nothing else; I have let you know that on the other side of the world...someone else cares about your pain.
Dawn, you don’t have to have surgery if you don’t want to, perhaps if Helen Dynda is reading the board messages again now she might be able to re-post the story about a young man who cleared a partial blockage in hospital under supervised fluids to eventually flush the blockage from his system.
-- Love and gentle hugs, Joanne Eslick Founder Australian Adhesions Support Group http://www.bombobeach.com Australian Co-ordinator of International Adhesions Society http://www.adhesions.org
-- I am not a medical person, and all my messages are based on personal experience. I am a fellow adhesions sufferer reaching out to help others.