Adhesions

Thanks for the warning. It's surprising that you could go for so long with no problems and then suddenly develop such a bad adhesion. Between my first surgery and takedown I had an adhesion that caused a blockage bad enough that I couldn't eat solids the entire time. My surgeon unraveled it when he did the takedown, and so far I've had one partial obstruction in a different area, but no problem from the original one. I'm always a little afraid of more problems. 

I highly endorse adhesion release therapy for anyone with a j-pouch. I had multiple surgeries resulting in adhesions that went from my second ribs, wrapped around my spine, encased both hips and spread down to the pelvis and thigh bones. The therapy breaks the adhesions up. It is somewhat painful but very successful.

I found your reply very confusing. The surgeons who operated on me call the mess I have myofascial adhesions and fibrosis. During the first surgery, every organ below my lungs had to be moved, rinsed and cleaned of contaminated ruptured organ tissue. After the second surgery, the surgeons said they took pictures of the adhesions because it was the worst case they had ever seen. The adhesion release therapy is not the same as active release therapy. There are only two people in my state licensed to use it.

I have a lot of adhesions also but my Dr. never mentioned therapy for it.  They just tell me that It is to dangerous for me to have them removed.  I had many problems after my surgery 4 in all within 6 months. The first surgery I contacted mercer I thought I would never get out of the hospital and many other problems.    I know many of you also went thru terrible times.  Thank God for all of you If I hadn't found this site and another one that I was on I don't know what I would have done.  Thank you all   Grace

I was lucky to not make too many adhesions (thank you d'Ehler's Danlos syndrom...my body suffers from a deficiency in connective tissue) but over the years with the collagene, silicum, silica and other supplements I seem to be making some...

My Chiro decided to try and break up my scar tissue assuming that I was like everyone else...I guess menopause has thinned my muscle mass too because they 'pushed right through' so to speak (figuratively not literally) and opened up 2 hernias (probably already weakened tissue)...I felt the pain immediately, could barely breath from the pain.

Just be careful...if your therapist is pressing extremely hard and it is hurting beyond reason then please  make them slow down or lighten up...some of us do have very fragile abdominal tissue.

Sharon

Subzero, your issues sound like they are unlike what most any of us might experience. Most of us get the run-of-the-mill adhesions between organs and the abdominal wall. What you had/have seem much more widespread and within the muscular and connective tissues, rather than surgical site related. I have heard of widespread adhesion type rections in rare cases when an adhesion barrier was used. Of course, peritonitis could cause his sort of mess too.

Either way, you have my sympathies!

Jan

Dennyp3 said: The surgeon spent 4 1/2 hours unraveling my adhesions. You can't cut them, it just creates more adhesions! 

Can someone explain what unraveling means?  I thought adhesions were thick fibrous bands of scar tissue.  How do you unravel them? Is this a common treatment?  Is it only done during "open" surgery?  Thanks!

This thread has gotten a bit confusing, partly because we've called some very different things by the same names. Jan and thumprhare have helped shed some light on this. When surgeons talk about adhesions they're just about guaranteed to be talking about fibrous connections of scar-type tissue in the abdomen that attach things together that shouldn't be attached - two different parts of the bowel, for example, or part of the bowel to the abdominal wall. These are a common consequence of *any* abdominal surgery. Sometimes (certainly not always) they can be in very troublesome locations, and as the bowel tries to slide around freely in the abdomen these attachments can't let go. The attached bowel can get kinked or twisted, or even a different section of bowel can get wrapped around the attachment. If you've ever had something in a tumble clothes dryer get twisted on or wrapped around a drawstring you may have a useful visual.

When these twists or kinks interfere with gut function they may cause a complete or partial blockage. Sometimes (usually) things slide back to where they belong after a time, and the blockage is resolved. If not, one option is surgery to either cut the adhesions or simply to unblock ("unravel") the bowel. Most surgeons will cut the adhesions if they are "in there anyway." Any abdominal surgery, even one to deal with adhesions or blockages, can cause more adhesions.

When adhesions are so troublesome that they must be dealt with, surgery simply to cut/remove them can be performed. Surgeons tend to be reluctant to do so, because the outcome is far from guaranteed. Some people get tremendous relief, but others get worse (or no better).

There are methods of abdominal massage that attempt to resolve blockages caused by adhesions, or even claim to help adhesions in semi-mysterious ways. They haven't been well studied, as far as I know - if someone knows otherwise please share. Surely some people have had blockages resolve after such a treatment, but it's hard to know if the treatment had anything to do with it.

I think Scott describes the process well. My surgeon cut/detached my adhesion from my pelvis and said he "straightened out" the intestine. Luckily, he knew where it was from a CT scan, so he didn't have to open me up to find it, and he was able to do it laparoscopically.