Hello everyone, I have finally gotten to telling you all my story. I
would like to start by telling you a little about me and my history...
Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to be a nurse. I took the
entrance exam in 1980, and was excepted on my first try. I decided to
take the required science classes at a local university to cut down the
hours in nursing school when I got there since I was a mom to a 6 month
old and a 2 year old. I took the classes in 1980-'81.In the spring of
'81 I was told I needed to have my first adhesiolysis, the beginning of
my battle with adhesions. I took some time off to recover. In the
meantime, my husband Duane, was excepted into the electrical
apprenticeship, so I decided to stay home with my children while he went
to school. I think you'll see why I find this information significant,
later.
Now my history: I am a 42 year old wife and mom to 4 children
ages,24,22,17,and 13.
In 1978 I had a normal vaginal birth,'79 laparotomy-ovarian cyst,'80
c-section,'81-laparotomy-adhesions,'84 c-section, '88 c-section, '89
open choleccystectomy-gallbladder removed,'92 laparoscopy-adhesions, '01
laparotomy-hysterectomy, '01 laparoscopy- adhesions.
My experience at that point('79&'92) with adhesions, were the sharp,
stabbing, pulling kind of pain, when I sneezed, coughed, or moved too
quickly. I had no idea that the pain they can cause could come so close
to destroying my life! So I never thought to argue when my Gyn told me
that I needed to have my hysterectomy done abdominally. That was in
June '01. I never recovered after that surgery.I was hospitalized 2
more times that summer, suffering constant abdominal pain, nausea, and
vomiting. I went through 5 doctors, none of them could(would?) tell me
what was wrong, or they told me it was all in my head.
I finally found yet another doctor, who I thought was genuinely trying
to help. He tried more tests, and trigger point injections, nothing
helped. We decided to try laparoscopy(I was desperate) and for "lack of
a better term", he called it an adhesiolysis. He found alot of
adhesions, they were attached to my omentum, my abdominal wall and had
caused my bowels to become kinked. He took them all down and used
aqua-floatation to try to discourage them from returning. It didn't
help, I never got any relief. I'll never forget my last post-op check
up with that man. He told me adhesions don't cause pain, that he wasn't
convinced that adhesions were my problem(but couldn't tell me what was)
and that maybe I would still improve. What a joke!! And I thought he
was my answer, he was trying to help.
Around the time of that adhesiolysis I found http://www.adhesions.org and the
message board....