Adhesions after colectomy. (Please help)!

From: IAS Admin (tracy.joslin@adhesions.org)
Sat Sep 4 20:05:38 2010


From: adhesions@adhesions.org [mailto:adhesions@adhesions.org] On Behalf Of Ginger Clark Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 6:42 PM To: adhesions-request@adhesions.org Subject: Re: Adhesions after colectomy. (Please help)!

I can tell you a great deal about post surgery adhesions.  I have had about 10 abdominal surgeries and 3 bowel obstructions due to adhesions. I recently underwent a surgery to remove all the abdominal adhesion in order to have a little relief.  The surgery went well although I was in the hospital for 3 wks.  I'm sorry to say that the adhesions have already started to grow back.  I finally had to resign from my job due to my chronic pain!  I hope your husband will be able to find some relief...my story with adhesions may be on the extreme level. I have great compasion for anyone having to deal with adhesion PAIN!!!   > Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:01:07 -0500
> From: tracy.joslin@adhesions.org
> To: adhesions@mail.obgyn.net
> Subject: Adhesions after colectomy. (Please help)!
>
> Sender: violetsurge@hotmail.com (Tiggy)
> Subject: Adhesions after colectomy. (Please help)!
>
> To make a long story short, yesterday my husband was sent home from his
> work because he was having a dull, niggling pain that was focused in his
> lower back on one side, just above the hip bone. The discomfort was
> also in the front of his body, to a lesser degree. We were worried it
> might be kidney related (he has a history of kidney stones), so he ended
> up in the ER because our primary physician wasn't available. After many
> blood tests, urine samples, and abdominal x-rays, it was determined that
> there was "nothing wrong with him." The ER doctor seemed competant, and
> she assured us that all emergency conditions had been ruled out. We
> enquired about possible obstructions, kidney stones, hernias, etc, and
> she said that there was no indication that any of those issues were
> apparent.
>
> The doctor did mention that my husband might have some abdominal
> adhesions as a result of the colectomy he underwent a little over a year
> ago. When I got home, I did some reading online about adhesions, and
> learned that these are a very common effect of open abdominal surgery.
>
> This isn't what scared me.
>
> What frightened me and sent me into a serious panic attack, is when I
> also learned that one major complication of internal adhesions is the
> chance of a small bowel obstruction occuring. I read that small bowel
> obstructions are a medical emergency, and can result in death. What
> worries me to no end is the fact that in some cases, small bowel
> obstructions can have seemingly minor symptoms to begin with; nothing
> more major that what might appear to be an acute case of gas.
>
> Since my husbands operation, I have gone out of my way to ensure that he
> is well hydrated, and chews his food carefully in order to avoid
> obstructions. Now I learn that he may develop an obstruction regardless
> of any precautions we take, just because he may have internal adhesions.
> This is terrible. Not only that, but now I'm terrified that he might
> experience ongoing discomfort and pain of a chronic nature if it is in
> fact adhesions that caused the issues he experienced last night. What
> am I to do? I know I have a tendency to overreact to these things, and
> last night I couldn't stop bawling my eyes out even though I wanted
> nothing more than to appear strong and confident for his benefit. He
> ended up comforting me, and telling me that all this worrying was
> needless. According to him, his output has been normal and is still
> normal this morning, and he feels just fine.
>
> But still, I am obsessing over what adhesions could mean for his quality
> of life.
>
> Does anyone here know anything about post surgical adhesions? How
> worried should I be about this possibility? How common are small bowel
> obstructions due to adhesions? Am I planning his funeral and my life
> without him for nothing?
>
> We are making an appointment to see his primary physician ASAP, just to
> put our minds to rest and have some questions answered, if nothing else.
>
> I don't know how I'll get through work today. My heart is depleted and
> I could cry again at any moment.
>
> Please help!
>


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