Pregnancy with Adhesions?
From: Kayce (anonymous@medispecialty.com)
Mon Nov 5 18:39:38 2007
I'm 32 years old, newly married, and I've undergone 4 abdominal
surgeries in the last 4 years. The first was for a volvulus (twisted
bowel) and a bowel resection was required. Shortly after the first
surgery, I developed adhesions that caused intestinal obstructions. I
underwent two lyses of adhesions procedures and the surgeon noted that
the original surgery site (anastomosis), had poor blood flow and was not
healing properly. I was then placed on total protein nutrition and
hospitalized for 3 weeks. The hope was that my bowel would recover now
that the strangulating adhesions were removed. It didn't work and I
later underwent a 4th surgery to resect the bowel at the original
surgery site to remove the portion of the bowel that was essential
dying.
The last surgery was just two years ago, but I have problems with new
adhesions that have formed. I've been hospitalized once for two days
just 5 months ago for another bowel obstruction caused by adhesions.
So...
All of that in mind, would I be absolutely insane to try to have a baby?
I've worked closely with an oncology nutritionist that monitors my blood
work and health. All in all, I feel pretty good. But, as one of my
surgeons mentioned just months ago, I'm a mess inside and my most recent
x-rays show two sites where small bowel is restricted by adhesions.
I've read cases where pregnancy can actual help a person such as myself
by stretching out the abdomen and pulling adhesions apart. But, I've
also read that adhesions can restrict the uterus' ability stretch and
the baby can essentially end up trapped in strange positions rather than
floating freely.
Does anyone have any experience or links to more information on this
topic so that I can make an educated decision about how to start my
family? Does anyone have any surgeons, OBGYNs, etc. that have experience
in this area that could help me sort out my options? I'm based in Texas,
but I'm willing to travel if I can find a doctor worth the trip. :-)
Thanks in advance for your help!,
~Kayce
|
