Abdominal & Intestinal Adhesions with NO help in sight!
From: Kristen (tandkhopkins@cox.net)
Fri Aug 1 21:04:14 2008
I can't tell you all how happy I am that I found this website, I was
begining to think that I was all alone in this nightmare! I have been
struggling silently for about 12 1/2 years, but I was a single mom and
didn't have time for myself, so all the pains were pushes aside and
covered up with a lot of pain killers! Never getting to the true root of
the problem. Until about two years ago. I found a physician that was
willing to take the time to investigate and look for the root of the
problem, but to his suprise he couldn't find it. So, after sending me
to specialist after specialist and eventually ending up on morphine 2
times a day for 5 1/2 and telling a surgeon I was going to jump infront
of a truck if he didn't operate on me within the next week! They found
that I was right all along, and my abdomen was yet again FULL of
adhesions, wall to wall. The surgeon says to me right befor the surgery
"I don't know why we are doing this, I still don't think it's going to
help" Geesh, it wouldn't kill him to be a little more positive! Then
after the surgery, COMPLETE relief. The pain I was having before is
GONE! But what I didn't know what that all of the pain medication I had
been on over the years was masking all of the other scar tissue....He
advises me that he found wall to wall scar tissue in my pelvic region,
enveloping my bowels and right ovary which is subsequently attatched to
my abdomen wall. Now he didn't relieve it from my abdomen wall because
of my past history of "female" parts hemmoraging, plus what he did do
took 3 hours. He also didn't remove any adhesions around my bowels due
to the risk of bowel perferation. I didn't think any of that would be a
problem, it didn't hurt before...why would it hurt now?
OMG, I quit all the pain meds that day! COLD! No one advised me or I
didn't realize that I would be ADDICTED to them, and at first I didnt
know what was going on...I thought I had the flu...body shakes....cold
sweats...hot flashes....diarreah....nausea....then my incisions started
to hurt, plus I wasn't sleeping....so I took a vicoden, thats what the
doctor perscribed....WHEW! I felt sooo much better, until the next
day...it started alll over again....OMG what is wrong with me? I was
laying there, felt like I was dying, and I started to think of a scene
in the movie 28 days with Sandra Bullock....and it hit me...I'm going
thru withdrawls! HOLY COW, why didn't anyone warn me? I felt like such
an idiot!
I went back for my 1 week follow-up .... and oh ya doc...I'm going thru
major narcotic withdrawls, thanks for the heads up!
So, now without all the pain meds and my bowels working as they should,
I am starting to feel the effects of the adhesions. I was referred to
Pain Management Clinic in my area, but told by the clinic that they
can't help me. In fact all of the pain management clinics I contacted
can't help me because I am not "terminal". Intimate relations with my
husband is slowly starting to become painful and I am worried if I tell
him it will put a strain on our new marriage. We have been thru soo
much this year with the death of his mother and my illness. He will be
deploying to Korea for a year in January as well, so if I can just stick
it out till then...aaahhhh....whats a girl to do?
I am soo glad that I found this site! I really did think I was alone,
not that I would wish this pain on my worst enemy! Because I wouldn't!
Anyway I think thats it from me,
Kristen - Florida