There appears to be a misconception as to how and why the trips to Germany for adhesiolysis procedures got started and evolved as they have here on this board. A few of us who have been with the IAS since it’s inception know these reasons and they were not at all due to lack of unskilled surgeons here in the USA or German surgeons being better then USA surgeons! The last thing I want portrayed on this board is that there are “No high quality skilled surgeons in the USA” who can perform a quality adhesiolysis procedure as there most certainly are! Though few and far between in MY OPINION, but that is my point, the surgeon’s people are utilizing in Germany offer the highest quality adhesiolysis procedure available in the world today, again, in MY OPINION! Why is it that MY OPINION makes any difference in these issues? Well, it is because I played a great part in paving the way for all others to secure adhesiolysis procedures in Germany! That simple.
For almost one year I had been assisting a female victim of ARD from Canada, and was unable to secure any effective medical intervention for her in all of her country, for various reasons, one of them being that we could not secure the services of a surgeon anywhere in the whole of Canada who would agree to do an adhesiolysis on this lady due to her presenting physical condition after many prior obdominal/pelvic surgeries! Not even the TOP surgeons in Canada would agree to perform an adhesiolysis on her. Mary Pomroy had not been able to lay flat in her back for over 12 years due to her colon & stomach being attached to her diaghram! She could not take a deep breath, nor sit straight, and I won’t take time to go into her extenuating ARD symptoms as a result of attachments such as hers, as they were many and life threatening. Though Dr. Reich and Dr. Redan offered to see her as a patient here in the states, I could not get Mary in for the medical/surgical intervention as the Canadian medical care system simply refused to offer coverage for her stating that the medical expenses here in the USA was to high for the Canadian government to pay based on the currency exchange rates of the two country’s! Mary was dying, and there seemed to be little to nothing that I could do for her but not willing to give up, my search continued, though I will admit to feeling a bit of hopelessness, but nothing compared to what Mary was feeling! Then the “post heard around the world” appeared here in the IAS message board! (Mary could probably tell you the date that post appeared, or Helen Dynda could, but I cannot remember at this time, non the less, it changed Mary’s life and all the lives of those who have gone to Germany since that posting! This I do know!) This post was from a Joann Buttman who had gone to Germany for an adhesiolysis procedure, and my curiosity was peeked! I asked her questions, secured the answers and explanations regarding the adhesiolysis procedure itself and all associated medical/surgical intervention offered in Germany, I was very interested.
I recognized that if these interventions were expounded on, they could very well offer the victims of ARD one of the highest quality adhesiolysis procedures offered in the world at that time and once I started to work on this process, it only got better over time, in MY OPINION!
I had several discussions with Dr. Korell, asked many questions as did Mary, and he always and graciously answered very defined as well as offered his adhesiolysis procedure in writing. The ONLY surgeon here in the USA to offer his adhesiolysis procedure in writing was and remains Dr. Harry Reich. If you think I am wrong on this issue, simply ask your surgeon to do that for you. (I rest my case on this issue.) Dr. Korell was willing to discuss the many other issues involved bringing the International Patient to him for an adhesiolysis procedure. He was not only educated in ARD, but had performed many adhesiolysis via endoscopic procedure, he was willing to and approved to use an adhesion barrier should he so elect, and as part of his procedure, he included a SECOND LOOK follow-up laporoscopic procedure as a visual of the initial surgical outcome and to lyse any reformed or denovo adhesions while they were still soft in hopes that there would be less tissue destruction if lysed soon after formation. Everything answer to our questions sounded VERY plausible to both Mary and me, given our common medical backgrounds, so with Mary agreeing, we headed off to Germany TOGETHER. Though her government still refused to offer any type of coverage for this trip, the US dollar far outweighed the Germany mark at that time and we were able to come up with enough money between the two of our family’s for Mary to have her adhesiolysis, and for me escort her as well as to study everything from the time we left the USA and returned to it! The only time I was not witness to what Mary was being exposed too in Germany was while she was in the operating room, but I walked her to that room and when she came back out and into recovery, I stood waiting to attend to her needs in there, as well as ever other place and with all interventions she would encounter on this trip. Once I was comfortable with all the medical intervention for ARD issues that I saw and experienced not only through my eyes as a victim of adhesions, but as well as studying it on the part of an ARD surgical patient, I started to develop the protocol that would be used time and again to bring the International ARD Patient to a facility and surgeon who, in my opinion, offered them a real chance of getting as well as they would get in an adhesiolysis procedure in the world!!
I then meet with hospital personnel as well as assisted in securing accommodations for the International Patient while they and an escort had to be in Germany. I secured surgery rates, developed a protocol for pre diagnostic tests needed for surgery, set up and secured everything from translators to be available at all times to be with those who did not speak German, patient advocates who assisted the patients with everything from shopping for them, to taking them shopping, changing money if necessary, and I even set up tourism arranged through the hospital for the patient and escorts, complete with translators!! Patients would also be picked up and returned to the airport at no extra costs to them.
I then secured all the necessary arrangements for as comfortable a flight as possible from any country to and from this German facility. These issues involved having the proper letters from the surgeon for the patient to give the concierge of a flight indicting their special needs as a post surgical patient. I communicated with government officials from other countries as well as the USA to secure information on many issues surrounding International travel for medical care. All this information was then offered via postings and sharing on the IAS message board not via the IAS itself.
One of the saddest events in my life, both as a victim of ARD and in assisting other victims of ARD, resulted in the next door being opened for us to secure a high quality adhesiolysis in Germany! Ironically, it took one life to save so many others and yet today I haven’t found any words to describe this happening as it hurts to deeply for me to reflect on it for to long. The day Karla, the two Debbie’s and myself, all members of the Bay Area Adhesion Society, attended the funeral of one of our members I received an email from Dr. Reich asking me to extend his condolences to the family of dearest Christina Buelteman! Christina lost her live to a poorly executed adhesiolysis procedure, and I mean executed and in it’s literals form too! As I gave the eulogy for our friend, I decided to incorporate that email from Dr. Reich, as it said in part, “ A tragedy such as this should never impact any family as it has today. I commit myself to the efforts of opening a facility that will offer the highest quality adhesiolysis procedure performed by the top endoscopic surgeons throughout the world and to offer a holistic approach to the issues suffered by the victims of ARD!
It was then that Dr. Reich and I started to work together to focus on accomplishing that task together. Dr. Reich putting me in touch with the top surgeons in many country’s, in touch with Confluent Research Company, and ultimately Dr. Kruschinski! I traveled to Frankfurt where I spent two days and many hours in surgery with Dr. Reich, Dr. Kruschinksi and representatives of Confluent as well as surgeons from throughout the world. We all watched the introduction of the Abslift and application of the Confluent Spraygel. I met with the Emma Clinic staff where we set up a similar protocol in which they too would receive and treat the International ARD and Ob/Gyn patients. I met with Dr. Reich and Dr. Kruschinski where we discussed a holistic approach to the needs of the ARD patient, one of which is a timely response to email communications and follow-up intervention of the patient no matter the country they came from, both areas have been exceptionally adhered to and effective no less! Dr. Reich then graciously offered to perform his adhesiolysis procedure in Frankfurt for those who might wish to have it.
There exists a number of excellent endoscopic surgeons in this world, and at least one in each country with exception to third world countries, and I have either personally met or communicated with many of them thanks to Dr. Reich, but at this time not all of them can accommodate the long tedious adhesiolysis procedures that they might be inundated with on a global level! There are many hoops to jump through in setting a facility of this magnitude up and functioning!
Dr. Reich has kept his word and one day we will see in reality clinics not only here in the USA, but in many countries, that will serve all the needs of the victims of ARD! It will happen because of the compassion and skill of people like Dr. Harry Reich, Dr. David Wiseman, Dr. Tom Lyons, Dr. Daniel Kruschinski, Dr. Alan Johns & Dr. Korell, among others! And of course me! Now add to that an effective adhesion barrier and the approval of a second look procedure for all adhesiolysis procedures and you will have the highest quality adhesiolysis procedure available in the world at that time, for now we do have Dr. Reich, Dr.Korell and Dr. Kruschinski if anyone so chooses that route. Though each offers a different approach and adhesiolysis procedure in Germany, they all use Confluent Spraygel and offer a second look procedure, and a nice tour of a beautiful country as well!!
So you see, my friends, it is not a competition of which country has the best surgeons, as surgery alone is not the answer to our medical/surgical issues at all, it is simply the reality of what can offer the best chance of improvements for the symptoms a victim of ARD suffers!
THIS is the “what and why” of the story’s your hearing as victims of ARD get as well as they might ever get from surgical intervention… simple, in my opinion that is! J