adhesions

Hi, This is the first time for me to post a question. I had my WLS back in 2003, then later on in 2004 I had my tummy tuck done and then after that I seem to be having alot of problems after that. 2004 was my wrost year I was in and out of the hosptial after my tummy tuck surgery. I had infection after infection plus I was in alot of pain which it had affected my bowels and the pains were just in my left side. Then my surgeion decided to do another surgery three months later to find out what was casuing all of my problems, well anyway he had went in and found that my intestines was so tangled that he had to untangle them, it was caused by adhesions I ended up having to have another surgery the follwing week. Well since the last surgery I have not been the same. All of my troubles are still going on and it has been two years now. Just this year I had two more surgery's because of the adhesions, and I still have alot of pain. I will be going to a pain clinic in Oct. to see if they can help. I guess my question is.. Is there anybody else here that is having the same problems with adhesions or scar tissuse. Thanks for letting me rattle on. Shelly WLS March 31,2003 Tummy tuck June 21st,2004 Explortory Sept,2004 explortory sept,2004 Explortory March 2006 Explortory Aug.2006

Adhesions can be a real bear. I've read that once you have adhesions you can expect to get them from any surgery and removing them doesn't do much good because they come back again. I had adhesions from my hysterectomy & didn't even know it. My RNY took longer than expected because they had to be removed. Fortunately, I've been lucky & have had no problems but I do mention them whenever I have unexplained pain. I'm curious, did they bother you before the tummy tuck & was your plastic surgeon aware of them? Does your surgeon think that the tummy tuck was what brought on the adhesions? I understand that the surgery when you have a tummy tuck doesn't get down around the intestines but only in the muscles so I suspect they came form your original surgery. You had it open, right?. I'm really sorry you are experiencing all this pain & hope the pain clinic can help you. Does your surgeon give you any hope that he can help you? Dixie

Dixe, Hi, I am not sure which surgery that had casused my problems with my adhesions. I do knw after I had my open RNY I do not of any pain at all. My heath was finally getting great until I had my tummy tuck surgery and that is when all my problems started. I never really came out and asked my surgeon which surgery might of caused it. My surgeon does hope this would at least help me deal with my pain. He hopes that they can at least find a way to help me out. When the pain clinic had called they had even asked me if it was the WLS that had casued it I told them that I did not know. But they do know that I have been going through this pain a long time. When I had my tummy tuck I was open back up from where my RNY incision was plus I was open completly all the way around. I really do know that I have been through a lot and I had really put all my doctors through a lot also , so I hope the pain clinic will help. It really bothers me that I have to wait til' Oct. to get in. Shelly

Shelly, I hope you didn't think I was being nosy with my questions. Your post just got me thinking about adhesions & I did some searching online about them. Did you know that adhesions are very common, with approximately 55-100% of all surgeries resulting in adhesions? They really are just scar tissue & they don't all cause trouble. But when they do, they can cause lots of pain &, as you found out, can require more surgery, which usually causes more adhesions. I did find one thing interesting, there is less likelyhood of adhesions with laporscopic gastric bypass as opposed to open, or any laporscopic surgery, for that matter. There are things doctors can do to lessen the chances of getting them, such as not using sponges to clean up but to irrigate and not letting the area get any drier than necessary. I had a tummy tuck also as well as some work on my backside. I don't have adhesions but still am aware all the time of pulling & tightness due to the scarring, even though they are almost invisible now. I actually welcome the pulling as it makes me aware all the time that I can't afford to gain any weight as I will get very tight & uncomfortable. I hope the pain clinic helps. My niece has lots of back pain & her several surgeries haven't helped much. She has gone to pain doctors & they have heped some. Dixie