Adhesions

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge they can offer me?

I had my appendix out nearly 2 yrs ago and since then i have had alot of pain from the area.

I saw the general surgeons a few weeks ago and they have said they think i have considerable adhesions that include nerve involvement, there is a definate lump in the scar area and is not a hernia.The area is always tender to touch and when going from sitting to standing i feel as if something is being pulled apart. I am due to have an ultrasound on the 15/3 and they said they would go from that as to the plan of action . Me stupidly didnt ask what the options were.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience.

many thanks.

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Hi Hopalongkp,

Ouch that's painful, maybe your having the u/scan to rule out any other cause of pain. One of the options is surgical but i opted for the painkillers and hope for the best and it worked. I got mine from a c section though and had them for some years.

Hope you feel better soon and that you get some advice from someone not as dosey as me! Take good care.

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Kirsten - Ive been there done this and it hurts !!

If they bad they can do a laparoscopy and cut them !!

I was stupid after my appendix I ignored pain and issues for so long it got to the point my adhesions twisted my bowel the other yr and ended up having two major emergency surgeries !!

They tried to sort mine laparoscopically but I had to have a chunk of bowel taken out too soo they converted to open surgery and then major adbscess cut and drained and all because I got a would infection after the appendix that was left open to drain !!

Best thing I found for the pain (I have adhesions AGAIN) is Buscopan if you can take it !!

But if they offer to cut them Id say its worth it - dont let it get as far as mine did Kirsten hun !!

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Hi Kirsten,

sounds unpleasant you poor thing. From what I remember about these things (and I was never a surgeon type), adhesions can occur after any surgery, sometimes straight away, sometimes more delayed. Some people are more prone to getting them than others. They may be scanning you to work out what is all tied up in there - basically adhesions are scars inside. They may find that they think they can sort it laparascopically, or that it needs an open procedure. The other option may be to do nothing and see how it goes - the risk of the adhesions coming back after a further op is certainly there, and some people end up having multiple ops to remove the problems created by the last one, which is why some surgeons like to wait and see how you get on with things.

Depending on what is caught up in the scarring, they can cause pain, or sometimes obstruct the bowel - the scan might give a better idea of what is likely to happen with yours, and so whether it needs sorted now or a wait and see approach would be ok.

Hope you get on ok

S

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Thanks for your replies.

Donna - i have no intention of letting it get that bad!!! I already take tramadol but often feel the pain despite it. Is Buscopan a NSAID?

Owl- the drs reckon nerves are involved due to the type of pain i have around that part of my belly not just on the lump.

I have to admit if they offer surgery i will take it as im fed up with the pain which has got worse over the time. A friend of mums had some kind of layer of something put over the area which is supposed to stop them reforming so may ask about that if it is adhesions.

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Buscopan is an anti-spasmodic and it does help with the pain or it did in me Kirsten....

I hope they can sort you easily Kirsten.....

Hows ya niece doing hun ??

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hey kirsten,

have they got you on anything for nerve type pain? often it responds better to antidepressants (usually the older tricyclic type like amitriptyline) or anticonvulsants (gabapentin, valproate, carbamazepine) than it does to standard painkillers. Buscopan is, as donna says, an antispasmodic, so less likely to be helpful unless your bowel is caught up in it too. May be possible to get your pain sorted without an op - do you see the chronic pain folk for your hip or am I imagining that?

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Owl

You remember right i did see the chronic pain team but since hip op have managed to reduce pain meds down to only paracetaol and tramadol now so havent seen team since Aug and as far a i know they discharged me as was there cos of hip and that 80% sorted.

Dont think there is any bowel involvement as things there normal.

Am on prozac so i dont know about other anti ds , dont realy want to mess withit as am reasonably stable on it and dony want to risk any more flare ups of the probs you may remember i had 4 yrs ago(which happened last time they tried to stop the prozac).

Will just have to wait and see what comes of the u/s.

Donna- neice doing very well thanks she is now walking and into everything and wears mum uot big time!!She doesnt seem to have any major lasting damage from being born so prem except slightly stroppy lungs when she get a cold she needs atrovent.

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Kirsten glad to know niece is doing well !!

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Kirsten know what you mean re pain meds hunny, i too had similar experience to donna, had adeshions following appendix removal(12mths after) and had a sub acute obstruction needing a bowel resection, luckly it was before my asthma was severe so that wasnt a problem, but i still get trouble from time to time, some people are more prone than others? i had alot of gynea probs so this added to it!! anyway re oral meds ive found amitriptyline 25mgs at nite a big help with nerve pain that i have from diabetes, i did try pregabalin which was good for pain but not so good for lungs so had to be stopped, but as the dose of amitriptyline is low it doesnt interfere with many meds, maybe worth ago while wait as takes a few weeks to kick in.

good luck sweetie

love andrea xxx

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Kirsten I wanted to say also amitriptyline cane be taken with some other antidepressants too - my mum takes it for nerve pain on top of Seroxat !!

I had minor issues with mine at first then it went all out and naffed my bowel so I am so glad youa re seeing the Drs over it !!

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Hi guys

as the girls have said, amitriptyline can be used alongside other antidepressants, however there are risks involved with doing that, as with any medication, and it may be that those outweigh the benefits - it does increase your risk of irregular heart rhythms. The anticonvulsants, particularly gabapentin, are useful in that situation, as they don't interact with antidepressants. They do take longer to work than amitriptyline though. Kirsten, I would encourage you to ask your GP about these in the meantime while you wait for a surgical opinion. Glad to hear the wee one is doing so well by the way!

Sarah

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Thanks, Am wary of amytriptilline(sp) as already have irregular heart rthym but will ask about other meds. Have got an appt with GP next friday. I know that gabapentin is good as my sisterr had to use it and it made a big differnce to her pain from where she had a kidney removed.