Shanna,
I think its great that you are asking questions before doing anything. I am going to give you my opinion...please know that I am not a medical doctor and it is only my opinion. You say that you had surgery three years ago for adhesions. You began to have problems immediately after the surgey. I suggest to you that the adhesions reformed immediately after your surgery....they reform within the first two weeks at which point no new adhesions are formed. They then only strengthen their hold on your various body parts. Almost all of us have been told we have irritable bowel...but that's just a lame diagnosis because they don't know what's going on or don't want to blame it on the adhesions. The highest percentage of adhesions are found wrapped around our bowels. They pull our bowels from one side of the abdomen to the other, wrap themselves around the bowels sometimes totally kinking the bowel off...you name it. This is why you have the symptoms that suggest irritable bowel. I often wonder if there really is such a condition or if it isn't adhesions all the time since they seem to be so prevalent.
You mention wanting to have a laprascope to diagnose the adhesions. While this procedure is much better for you than a laparotomy it still causes adhesions. If you have a "good" doctor he should be able to look at x-rays or ct scans and tell whether you have adhesions. No, he cannot visualize the adhesions themselves, but he can see the bowels pulled to parts of the body that they shouldn't be, etc. I had a ct years ago and was told that they visualized adhesions. I was told I had a large mass of adhesions about the size of a softball that was severely inflamed and that they actually visualized the adhesions....I don't know that I believe that, but they were seeing something. This mass was easily palpable and the pain so extreme that I was transferred by ambulance to a hospital almost two hundred miles away. I have never had pain that bad before or after. But anyway, I guess what I am saying is that unless you are going to see one of the doctors we all refer to, I would stay away from allowing anyone to cut on me. Too often they like to go in via laprascope and then decide that they need to do something so they open you up all the way anyway. You don't need that. Just my thoughts.
Karla
Shanna <tibbett24@aol.com> wrote: Hello all,
I can see much is going on through the messages and I hope all will be
fine.
I do have a question if anyone may have time to respond. I had
adhesions removed 3 years ago and have been having problems. I finally
got on insurance and will be trying to find a Doctor. I have so many
symptoms and almost always different every month. I know the adhesions
are back from right after the surgery and greater pain now, then I think
maybe I have IBS, then I wonder if I have endometriosis, all my symptoms
match all of them. My question is, when I do have my first visit with a
doc and they are stumped can I request to do a laparoscopy and ONLY a
lap? I know this may sound funny but I just want to tell them to hurry
up and take a look and tell me what's going on down there. Even if they
just do the scope and NO REMOVING can this still cause more scar tissue
and would any of you not recommend even just that small procedure? Sorry
for all the ?'s. I have read everything that all (and website) has to
say and am on here reading everyday. I also know that I am NOT close to
the pain that most of you are having and don't want to get that bad with
more surgeries (lap, possible 2nd csection). I know I have to take a
gamble with some decisions but do know you all provide very wise
information. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read my
message.