# Post op pain ? adhesions.



## susankrupa (Sep 11, 2002)

I am now 8 weeks post op after having my sigmoid colon removed due to bad endo plus other invasive surgery. I am having bad pelvic pain and bloating. I went to see the Dr today and he told me that it is not my IBS causing the problems but the formation of adhesions, can any one help me with some suggestions on how to deal with this? I was never told about this problem prior to surgery, not a lot I can do about it now


----------



## kamie (Sep 14, 2002)

postr today and he told me that it is not my IBS causing the problems but the formation of adhesions, can any one help me with some suggestions on how to deal with this? I was never told about this problem prior to surgery, not a lot I can do about it now__________________________________________Susie, Unfortumatly adhesions are a fact of life where surgery is concerned.The managment of adhesions is sort of like a whole lot of things that you put together to help make life better and easier.If it turns out that your adhesions begin to compromise the other organs then surgery needs to be weighed for its benefits and risks.There are substances that the surgeon can place in the area where adhesions have been removed.There are various ones on the market but the only one I have heard about is called Interceed and it comes as a sheet of protective material.However, even with the benefit of something like Interceed the promise of a total control of the problem is still questionable.Like it was recent explained to me, they could put the interceed over the problem areas but then there will still be sutures that could in them selves triggers the body production of more adhesions.I have found several things that help with the discomfort. Vitamin C and unestrified dry vitamin E suppliments are helpful.Warm olive oil packs on the problem area are helpful and followed by body therapy and massage make the discomfort more tolerable.I talked to my gastroenterologist about massage and he felt that working the area to help keep the adhesions more flexable would help.Diet also plays an important role because you simply don't want to irritate the gut.Irritation to the gut causes spasms and the spasms pull on those adhesions and then you have a double problem of the irritable bowel and the irritable adhesions and that whole thing is just a mess.the anti-spasmodics work well for adhesion pain because if the gut stays out of spasm then there is much less pulling on the adhesions and then there is less pain.I also find that my adhesion pain is worse when I consume soy in any of it's forms.Soy as a food product or soy as an additive all cause for my adhesions to hurt.Also, if your adhesions hurt it is wise to avoid impact sports like horseback riding or jogging.The impact will trigger the adhesions to grow.That particular piece of information was told to me by the gastroenterologist,the urologist and the family practitioner.The gynecologist had no clue and interestingly enough the new gynecologist had no clue either.So I guess it just depends on the doctors area of knowlege as to what we are told.Sorry about those adhesions.They are tough.But the alternatives to the surgery probably werenot too appealing in their own way.As you know, that endo stuff is a destructive process.Too many women let the problem go on too long and at some point with enough hormone stimulation that endo can overtake the whole of ones insides.So with respect to that, I'm coming to terms with the difficulty of adhesions and trying my best not to trigger an adhesion response in my body.Kamie


----------

