Question:
What exactly does adhesion pain feel like?

Off and on tonight I'm experiencing a very sharp, very concentrated pain near my incision scar. My first thought was that it could be a broken staple, because that's what the pain feels like. I came here to see if anyone had had that happen, and ended up reading about the adhesions. That also sounds similar to what I'm feeling, but no one has answered the question with a description of the pain. I just moved out of state and I'm now about a 3 hr drive from the nearest bariatric surgeon in any direction. The pain doesn't last long, and varies from bearable to excrutiating, depending on how I'm moving or how deeply I breathe. I don't want to ignore a serious problem, but I also don't want to subject myself to the emergency room and deal with people who generally have no clue what I'm talking about when I try to explain that they have to call my surgeon before they go sticking tubes and things in me.    — Kasey K. (posted on May 24, 2001)

May 24, 2001
Can you call your original surgeon? Perhaps they could call the ER or your local PCP to explain your situation and have someone in your area take a look it you. I have tons of adhesions from prior surgeries, and they were uncomfortable, sharp pains, but never excruciating. Don't take any pain lightly! Better to be safe than sorry, right? Let us know what happens.
   — PT LawMom

May 24, 2001
As just having returned to work from emergency surgery 4 weeks ago to remove an adhesion that was obstructing my small bowel, I hope I can answer some of your questions. First, I had discomfort in the lower right side (appendix, ovary area) for approx. four days. Didn't think much of it, but on Sunday, April 22, the discomfort started to increase. I decided I would call my surgeon the next day. At 3:00 AM Monday morning, I woke up with the most unbeliveable pain I have ever had. The original WLS pain was NOTHING compared to what I was feeling. I couldn't take a deep breat, stand up straight or bend all the way over. I have had ovarian cysts rupture and this was even worse than that. The pain then began to move. It ended up being very sever right in the area of my belly button. I couldn't even let the ER doc touch me, it hurt so bad. It would ease up, to the point where I could breath, talk, etc., but only for short spurts. At about 6:30AM, after being in the ER for about an hour, the pain increased again and never subsided. I would suggest that you call your doc, tell him/her that you are going to the ER, and can you have the ER doc call with any questions. Just remember, don't let them put in an NG tube without using a scope. They will need to run bloodwork, a urinanalysis, an obstruction series of x-rays and possibly a cat-scan. This is what I had run. The first two were to rule in or out an infection (appendix or ovairan) the others are for the bowel. Please call your doc ASAP. This can be very dangerous. If I had waited any longer to go to the ER, things would have been much worse. As it was, my doc took me into surgery at 5:45PM, (he had two scheduled WLS patients that I told him he was NOT to cancel them if I could wiat, and he was OK with that because of all the tests they had to run on me)and I was in recovery by 7:00PM. I now have a nice new scar on my belly that has healed very nicely. My initial WLS scar is an arched incesion, this is a vertical mid-line incesiion, so I have a "this end up" arrow on my belly....too funny! Yes, I can laugh about this now, then, I was in too much pain! Good luck to you and please let us know how you are doing. Much luv,....
   — heidiinPA