Help

[CP44]

I am now in despair, do adhesions cause pain or not? I've had 9 operations since .2007 and 3 before that dating back to 1999. I'm sick of being admitted to a&e with lower abdomen pain, and being told that it isn't adhesion pain...

Now at the end of my tether....

[bexCollins]

Hi

Well i have had a recent admission, and via process of elimination, they concluded it was most likely adhesions. But I was met with resistance. Some doctors denied adhesions were the cause, and even through a different diagnosis at me, that outside pain, I had none of symptoms of. One consultant said that doctors have different opinions about whether they do or don't cause pain, generally because the literature is mixed in this area. But something like ninety percent of people develop adhesions after operations, and women tend to get them worse than men. It just depends where they form, how they stick to things inside.

Do believe, and have experienced pain from adhesions, including an obstructed bowel. I always think when someone says they don't cause pain, well let me attach a tiny string to your bowels and let me pull on it a bit and you tell me if that hurts. In and of themselves they probably are benign, but when they attach to organs, such as the bowel, which is a constantly moving organ, then the adhesions are likely to get pulled. Adhesions are something that cause me pain on a daily basis, and made me collapse at work the other week, so I can empathise. Keep trying to find an understanding, knowledgeable doctor. They do exist. The problem many doctors have is that adhesions do not show on scans so that's why doctors struggle, and then if this is also met with dismissive attitude it can be hard work for you.

Hope you prevail in making the doctors listen, an that you get your pain managed soon.

[Hidden]

12 ops in one area in such a short time seems very extreme. Why so many? It may well be scar tissue causing the pain. ( scar tissue is like a piece of sellotape on a balloon. Inflate it and it does not stretch where the sellotape is, keeping that area tight).

Try a sports physio. There may also be some left over compensation pain from when you were protecting your stitches after the ops.

Sometimes you have to do your own investigations. Always good to get other opinions.

[wall in reply to Hidden]

scare tissue comes back again ...that is a lot of ops ..poor you ..and still pain ...streching does help as it is a tissue so streching helps as it moves and clings.....I have read articals about it ...Good Luck

[PPSN_JudyB Pelvic Pain Support Netwo]

Scar tissue and adhesions are the same thing. They are the cause of many hospital admissions, can cause extreme pain and bowel obstruction can be life-threatening.

[wall in reply to PPSN_JudyB]

this is very true and I feel doctors are lothe to admit it as it is a very complicated issue ...I feel for all those in pain I suffer myself ..I have paid to find out reasons and still in the dark though at my age 78 I do not wish to go be operated on and I put up with it ..not easy and painful and miserable ...

.they do not show up on Ct or other means as I understand it ....if connected to bowl please get help ....Good Luck Margaret

[poppydoo]

Hi adhesions sure can cause lots of abdominal pain im currentl on ora morph codeine phospahte for the pain i have 13 operations in the past 3 years and awaiting number 14 any time now Adhesions stick your organs together as a result causing pain what you need to do is ask for a gynea refferal and ask for a laprascopic procedure to see what is going on right now i have adhesions on the bowel and the pain alone is horrific i know how you feel last time i went to a&e they told me i had trapped wind and sent me home the best thing to do is get a refferal and make a diary of all your symptoms and how it effects you i hope this helps you good luck x x x

[poppydoo]

have a look at this site reference adhesions for help and support adhesions.org/ hope this is useful for you xx