The interesting thing is, when the pain all over my right side first got bad, my sister, an obstetrics R.N. said she believed it was adhesions. However, she didn't know whether or not they show up on cat scans.
I was sent for an abdominal ct scan w/ contrast, and my family physician said everything looked good on that (despite the fact drinking that stuff made my pain unbelievably worse), but that maybe a gallbladder problem wouldn't show up on a cat scan.
So I was referred to a gastroenterologist. I asked a gastroenterologist (non-surgeon) that my sister told me to ask if adhesions show up on cat scans. The gastroenterologist said "Yes, depending on the size of the adhesions." (And even one of my friends said, "Shouldn't that be MAYBE depending on the size of the adhesions?")
I was then sent for a gallbladder sonogram ultrasound - which was EXTREMELY painful. But again, the only thing that showed up was an "abnormality" - and the gastroenterologist said that couldn't cause the pain I have. So then I was sent for a CCK HIDA pipida nuclear medicine test. And that showed my gallbladder is functioning properly, I guess.
I then went for an Upper GI & Lower Bowel Series. Here's where it gets more interesting... The stuff I drank didn't increase the pain very much - not like the contrast w/ the cat scan did. But then I wasn't forced to drink a lot of it. During the upper/lower GI test, at the end, the radiologist himself was putting this thing RIGHT OVER my pelvic pain, which was right then starting to get bad. At that moment, I heard him say to the technician "See that constricting?" And I glanced at them, and saw he was pointing to the tv screen. I decided to pipe up and tell him that he was putting the thing RIGHT where I get my pelvic pain. He asked me about it. I told him I'd had surgery there. He asked me about that. Then he asked me if I'd had a cat scan. I said yes. And he said he was going to take a look at the cat scan too. (Which I don't know if that's usual for the radiologist to be checking both out, I imagine he wouldn't have if I hadn't piped up about that and he didn't ask if I'd had a cat scan.) Well, I thought FOR SURE this test would show SOMETHING. Considering what I'd heard him say, and then especially since that GI test drink SAT right in my pelvic region, not moving, causing me constant pelvic pain for 2 days straight (which this is on top of getting the pain all over my right side). And then I go back to the gastroenterologist, and he says all my tests showed normal!
So I went back to my regular doctor's office (a resident programme, because my previous doctor is responsible, in my opinion, for me losing my job - ie: I lost my job because my EMPLOYER STRONGLY SUGGESTED that I NEEDED a medical leave of absense (because they'd noticed that I was having serious problems), but that doctor refused to believe I had anything worse than the flu, and actually said to me "You're making more out of it than it is."
Oh yeah, that gastroenterologist said THE EXACT SAME WORDS, and was at first convinced I had "SORE RIBS" from having the flu! I had to really fight with him to have him understand that this ain't the flu, not for this long, and not this kind of pain.
So I went back to the residents programme family doctor office I used to go to, that's where I went when I had the surgery - they were the ones that found that.. The resident I saw, a very concerned woman, was prepared to send me for more testing, and refer me to another specialist... And then they called in the attending physician, and HE (notice the gender) said "It's nerve pain." And he treated me as if I was an hysterical woman!
Well, now I have to wonder WHY do these doctors don't know that adhesions don't show up on cat scans & such?
And why are several of my friends saying "Hmm, interesting that this is predominantly woman's problem these adhesions... I wonder if it happened mostly to men, if so many of these doctors would know so little about it..." ???
I've had to fight to get appointments with other doctors. I demanded to be referred to another gastroenterologist. And now I've pestered my gynocologist (the surgeon who did my surgery 5 years ago) to see me. Her secretary told me that there was a notation to tell me that I should be referred to a "general surgeon", but I told the secretary my family doctor's office is throwing their hands up and refusing to believe there's anything wrong with me that could be fixed or treated... and I NEED either my Primary Care Physician OR my gynocologist to refer me to another doctor - I can't go to any other doctors without "permission" because of my insurance. So now I have an appointment with the gynocologist on April 21st. And I first noticed symptoms causing a problem in early February, but maybe as early as December - though not to any significant degree. I've had "episodes" of both of the right side pains, for over a year. And the really debilitating daily pain started at the beginning of March. I lost my job on March 27th after being suspended (for missing time - my sick days were gone & I'd been dragging myself to work passing out, queasy, sick, and in pain, unable to sit in a chair comfortably)- having the cat scan during my suspension... I had such bad pain that whole week, I had to call off work after my suspension was over. And that's when I was fired for "dependability issues". And yeah, it was after the cat scan and the pain got so that I couldn't do anything at all... I BEGGED my previous family doctor to sign for my medical leave of absense (UNPAID!)... and she refused, saying her only diagnosis was the flu, and that didn't warrant a leave of absense. (Even though she'd already referred me to a gastroenterologist.) So now my job (that I LOVED, a professional graphic artist job) is GONE.
So now, I have some better days... usually happening because I eat VERY little, mostly liquids, and some cooked vegetables. And I can get rid of the pain by skipping days of eating. Of course I'm nearly faint all the time from not eating enough... But even on my better days, I find it completely uncomfortable to sit upright in most chairs.
And the fact that my sister really pushed about the adhesions prompted me to look it up on the internet. And here I find TONS of stories of people who wound up having adhesions, and their stories all sound very much like mine... Yet no medical professionals have even particularly considered this... and if they did, they dismissed it outright after seeing my stupid cat scan!
It all seems very suspicious to me.
I don't know what's wrong with me... but it sounds like adhesions. And no matter what it is, I think doctors ought to be a little more interested in finding out what it is, considering it's destroyed my life. But part of the problem is that I live in an area with an EXTREME doctor shortage. The governor has visited 3 times about it, and President Bush visited once, regarding the "health care crisis" in this area. (Though I'm not sure they're any closer to a fix, frankly.) So I'm sure that's PART of the problem I'm having trying to get help. I've heard that people suspected of having CANCER are being given the run-around, and having to wait weeks for appointments & tests! And they ARE having stuff show up on their scans!