Dorothy,
I agree that it seems like more women have problems with adhesions. Though there have been a few men on here over the years- just haven't heard from them lately. It could very well be women have inflammatory issues that lead to adhesions- possibly arising from 'female' stuff. Could be hormones in general or undiagnosed issues like a burst ovarian cyst. With today's medicine being so fast-paced and seeming to rely pretty much on obtaining a diagnosis from imaging or blood tests, rather than on what the patient has to say, it is no wonder that adhesions and some of the things that can cause them never get dignosed.
It was physical therapists who were quickly able to tell me that I had a lot of very tough adhesions. I wish that it would be standard practice to have a physical therapist on staff at clinics. They could examine you and then consult with the doctor. Doctors obviously must have respect for physical therapists because they refer you to them- so why not get their input? They could then decided the best course of treatment- maybe try physical therapy for awhile and then if that didn't work maybe something else would have to be done.
I have taken Neprinol. I gave up on it since it didn't seem to work and was pretty expensive besides. I just recently began taking it again though. I am starting week 4 of a gluten and dairy-free diet. I have actually been able to lose some weight. I know that I have been gaining weight, suspect it is mostly fluid, since this all began. I used to attribute it solely to the adhesions messing up the 'flow' of things but now think I might also have had food sensitivities which can lead to inflammation, adhesions and fluid retention. I learned about this on the Dr. Oz show. I also read somewhere that some people have been known to gsin as much as 30 Lbs. a year due to this. Also, I wouldn't rely on those food panel blood tests- mine always came out negative but I don't believe they can test for everything in a given food that may be causing issues. And dairy and wheat are the most common offenders. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Also, I go to a medically-oriented massage therapist every 5-6 weeks for
adhesions. I read online where a physical therapist said that if there
was an underlying condition, like Celiac, and I imagine this would
include food sensitivities and SIBO, then things like visceral
manipulation and myofascial release would not work for adhesions. I
suppose the ongoing inflammation they cause just reinforces the
adhesions and maybe causes more to form. So I'm hoping that between the
diet, the Neprinol, and the massage, maybe I'll actually have some
success!
>
-- I have lots of bowel issues as well as a possible abscess in my lower left pelvic area and sciatica there. I suspect I have a lot of sigmoid adhesions but can find no doctor who wants to even talk about the issue. So it is no wonder then that when you explain to people that your issues are due to adhesions then you don't get much sympathy because if doctors won't talk about them then most of the general public isn't going to really know much, if anything about them either so sympathy/empathy are simply not to be expected. If you have bowel issues (usually get told it's IBS) then doctors and the general public alike will blame you for the problem and will often say somethijng like 'You must not be getting enough fiber'.I'm going to my first gastro in many years (got tired of the 'It's in your head' bit or the usual fiber/probiotic advice. I don't care if they want to call it IBS but even then they should be searching for a cause and our descriptions of the tightness, tugging and pulling, etc. should be leading them in the right direction. Plus some of us might also have SIBO because adhesions interfere with the cleansing-wave motions that keep the small intestine reasonably sterile and we can end up with bacteria there that belongs only in the large intestine and have increased bloating due to that.
I saw online the other day at a blog for endometriosis something about a patient whose adhesions apparently were visible on a barium swallow. It sounded promising but I've heard from other patients who said that their adhesions did not show up on that test. The site was EndoTimes. I wanted to believe it but the pictures they showed were not convincing. One showed a twisted bowel but I could see nothing on the outside that was causing it. Anyway, I did get my hopes up for a minute. It would be nice if one of the excuses for not dealing with adhesions- the fact that they don't 'know' you have adhesions, and can't justify an exploratory lap due to mere suspicion.
Anyway, I might end up having my first colonoscopy in quite awhile. I had a sigmoidoscopy 13 years ago that was very painful when the scope got to one area and the doctor knew it but kept going. I never got a follow-up discussion to discuss why that area hurt so much. I swore I'd never get scoped again. If I do get a colonoscopy I'm definitely going to talk about that horrible last experience and insist that if it happens again I want some follow-up discussion. Really, I feel that a colonoscopy should be able to suggest adhesions if the scope comes to tight, painful areas- even if it can be seen from inside the colon.