Sitting here in pain once again

Here I am again up at 2 am and in pain in my lower left side of my abdomen. I have an appointment this coming Monday to go and see a general surgeon but I really don't want to go. With so many surgeries in my life (3 major) I have an enormous amount of adhesions on the left side. They are wanting to cut them out to help get rid of pain. My question is what is the point they will come back in 5 years or so and I would have to go through another surgery. But I can tell you this living off of Vicodin is no fun either I don't really know what to do now If it isn't constant UTI's it's constant pain, what's next?

Okay sorry for this little pity party of mine, I guess I need some cheese with my whine.

I had 5 major surgeries in 3 years, so I hear you girl. The adhesions are a bit rough to deal with, but sometimes they just have to cut them out to take them down in levels. With the new medical advancements these days, they should be able to do something different this time to reduce the reoccurence of them. I would ask them at any rate.

Cathi, if this pain is severe enough to have you awake and miserable at 2AM, please call your regular Dr. first thing in the AM to see if you can be seen or perhaps just go ahead and receive and prescription to treat this! Please let us know...

Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

Cathi, if this pain is severe enough to have you awake and miserable at 2AM, please call your regular Dr. first thing in the AM to see if you can be seen or perhaps just go ahead and receive and prescription to treat this! Please let us know...

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Right now I have a standing prescription for Vicodin. I don't want to get addicted to those either so I try not to take them. Tonight, however I took one and hopefully soon I can sleep when it kicks in enough to ease it off. It's going to be a really long day tomorrow that's for sure

MA you said there maybe some kind of technique to prevent them from coming back? I want to get this over with I have been dealing with this pain for over 8 years and the last couple of years it has gotten a lot worse.

Cathi, when I had my surgeries, they used my gall bladder incision three times. The adhesions were horrible. This was back in the 1970's. I would think that in this day and age they could offer solutions to get rid of adhesions and keep them gone without adding to them, and not making parts of your body look like a road map. With laser surgery and other measures available really anything is possible anymore.

Originally Posted by hissy

Cathi, when I had my surgeries, they used my gall bladder incision three times. The adhesions were horrible. This was back in the 1970's. I would think that in this day and age they could offer solutions to get rid of adhesions and keep them gone without adding to them, and not making parts of your body look like a road map. With laser surgery and other measures available really anything is possible anymore.

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I sure hope so. I am scared to death of having another surgery. Do you know of anything I can do that might help ease the pain without taking this suped up pain killer? I take advil or tylenol but that is like drinking water and makes my stomache hurt and burn like fire. I have been using a heating pain and it helps some but not enough to make a major difference.

Taking the advil with a little bit of food may make it a bit easier on your stomach. I was going to suggest the heating pad...and I agree, there are so many techniques available now, it seems they should be able to perform the surgery through only a tiny incision. Please ask about this at your appt.

Thanks for caring That is why I love this place so much. Everyone here is great. I've been making a list of questions for this surgeon so hopefully I want forget to ask anything, with my luck though I will forget the list I am going to go and try to sleep a little now.

Cathi, I hope by now you have managed to fall asleep. I haven't any advice to give as I too was going to suggest heat. If you forget to take your list you have a better chance of remembering what you have to ask just because you have written it down. Hope you get some help very quickly.

I'm sorry you're having such a bad night. I also hope by now you are sleeping peacefully and painfree. I have nothing to add either except a great big . Hope it helps some.

Originally posted by blondiecat
MA you said there maybe some kind of technique to prevent them from coming back?

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When I had a c-section they made me get out of bed and walk around a little bit about 12 hours after surgery. In fact, in my part of the country, all surgical patients are routinely walked by a nurse on the day of their surgery, and the patient also has to walk during the days immediately following surgery. Moving around like this while the incesion is really fresh does a lot to help prevent adhesions from forming in the first place.

I'm confused, don't all hospitals follow this practice?

Originally Posted by Lorie D.

When I had a c-section they made me get out of bed and walk around a little bit about 12 hours after surgery. In fact, in my part of the country, all surgical patients are routinely walked by a nurse on the day of their surgery, and the patient also has to walk during the days immediately following surgery. Moving around like this while the incesion is really fresh does a lot to help prevent adhesions from forming in the first place.

I'm confused, don't all hospitals follow this practice?

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Lorie I did have to walk around like that also on all of my surgeries. The thing is when I had them for some reason the Dr(and I use this term loosely) sent me home with nothing for pain. After passing out for the second time and messing the incision up the ER Dr that my Mom called gave me a pain med but by then the damage was done. He also cut my bladder open during the 3rd surgery he was a gyno and not a urologist(sp). Now I am having a lot of problems with my bladder and the whole urinary tract. I just had minor surgery done about a month ago for a bladder neck obstruction due to scare tissue.

I still can't fiqure out why the original Dr that did my surgries did me like that I really was angry for a long time, but now I am terrified of Dr.'s, especially surgerons.
I do feel a little bit better this morning but am still hurting not on the level like earlier this morning. Guess the pain med is still working.

Cathi- I am so sorry you aren't feeling well I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you and your in my prayers

Cathi, don't laugh OK but you can use a sock heater that we usually use for kittens or sick cats. Find a long sock and fill it with uncooked white rice or white beans until it feels firm. Tie a tight knot in the end of the sock and put it in the microwave for two minutes. Get it as hot as feels comfortable on your skin. Lay on your good side and drape the sock over your other side where the pain is.

Hope your pain eases soon.

Poor thing
You sound like you have luck like my friend.
She has Crohns disease (according to duke hospital she has the most severe case ever seen by them) She's 25 and has almost no large intestine. she recently went into surgery (about a year ago) to have her rear sown up and to clean up her bowels a bit better, and also to have reconstructive done on her abdomen. she had developed an infection in her abdomen after her first severe surgery, and I think it left some pretty bad adhesions. when she was fianally up and about she fell and tore her staples open in her abdomen and had to go back in for surgery again to clean the infection.. since then she's been fine and aparently hasn't had any more problems with adhesions...

so.. while that took a while to get through, she is at least doing better, the last that I heard.
I guess the gist of it is ...
or.. there's a silver lining to every storm cloud... even the ones that seem to be more of a hurricane.

Blondie to you . I am so sorry you have to go through this , you poor thing .

I will say a prayer for you

cathi, I'm so sorry you're still in pain today. Times like these I wish I didn't specialize in peds. Wish I had some better advice for you. Hope the sock heater works. Please feel better soon.
Stephanie

Sorry you are still in pain Cathi, and I wish I could do something to help. I do hope you are soon without that terrible pain.

Originally Posted by Kumbulu

Cathi, don't laugh OK but you can use a sock heater that we usually use for kittens or sick cats. Find a long sock and fill it with uncooked white rice or white beans until it feels firm. Tie a tight knot in the end of the sock and put it in the microwave for two minutes. Get it as hot as feels comfortable on your skin. Lay on your good side and drape the sock over your other side where the pain is.

Hope your pain eases soon.

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I've never heard of a sock heater but I am sure going to make me one. At this point I will try anything to avoid surgery The thoughts of me going under the knife again is almost paralyzing(sp) to me I'm so afraid of it. I don't think I can go through that pain again. I think if my original dr had of given me meds to make the pain more tolerable I would be in a better frame of mind about this whole thing. But as it stands I am scared......plan and simple.

Cathi-
I am so sorry I hope the sock heater works and eases the pain. I wish there was something I could do to help