Surgery

From: Melody (mbyrne@paddocklabs.com)
Wed Jan 11 18:55:04 2006


Hi:

I have been posting messages here for almost a year - I have a 15 year history of adhesions. I will be having surgery number 7 on February 9th with Dr. Jay Radan in FL, I live in MN and have not found anyone willing to touch me and after having to see multiple doctors and being accused of being a drug seeker and having my pain minimized (it is still so repulsive to me that these doctors have been more than willing to butcher me for the last 15 years and then they just give up on you and dismiss you when you get to this point -

I am convinced that if I would have had a laporscopic surgeon do my last three surgeries I may not be in this situation) I have been forced to take control of my medical problem, learn all I could and then I did my homework and sought out Dr. Radan - He is well versed in the laposcopic removal of adhesions. I have been dealing with a small bowel obstruction for just about a year and I realize the surgery is part of the problem but for me it is worth another procedure if I can have any type of relief, I do not want to sit here and wait until my obstruction becomes completely blocked and surgery is required and I end up with "whoever" is on-call doing my surgery I am going to Dr,. Radan because I know he is well versed and understands adhesions and I can no longer tolerate what I have become - I have always had relief in the past for 1 - 3 years (with the exception of my last surgery Aug 2004 -

I developed the obstruction 6 months later) I have been given intraceed, sepra film and another barrier in past surgeries with no help, I was hoping to try the spray gel but cannot afford to go to Germany so I decided to go with the best that there is in the US....I realize that there is a debate among even us (ARD sufferers) on whether surgery is worth it at all....they just come back, right? Well I am convinced that I should not have to live with these nasty adhesions wrapped around my bowel, bladder and everywhere else in my abdomen....even a year of relief is worth it to me. I have made an informed decision and am having the surgery done by a Dr. who understand this disease and who will use all available resources to mitigate the reformation, however, I am realistic that this may not help me this time and that if it does I may end up in the same place again (which is a given I am just hoping I get some relief). I am of course scared to some degree but hopeful that I may finally be able to get back to the person I was. I will keep the board posted for anyone who has an interest and I am always open to suggestions, comments, and I really do enjoy hearing about others experiences and feedback.

I will never be able to express how much this message board and site have helped me - I felt so alone and did not realize how many other sufferers there were until I found this site.

Adhesions have stolen so much form me(children, sex, and my insanity, and those are just a few of the things that I have lost) The worst for me though was this weekend when my husband found a bottle of pain pills I had put in a drawer and he took them and hid them from me - what a shock for me to realize that the man that has been by my side for the last 12 years and has witnessed what this has done to me still does not understand what I am going through and that I am in pain. How sad that was for me when I realized that the one that is suppose to be in my corner , the one that I am not suppose to have to defend myself to, the one that has witnessed what this has done to me and our relationship, the one that is suppose to love me will make me feel like thoise damn doctors and everyone else that has dismissed me, yes, so very sad. And I usually only average about 2 -3 vicodin a day some days I don't even take them.....I can only have hope at this point as I have run out of everything else that kept me going.

Thanks. Melody

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Melody

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