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I think adhesions are reforming in my abdomen/intestinal area.  I had emergency surgery last June and the scar tissue had put my small intestine into a ball.  At that time, desmoid growths were discovered on the outside of my small intestine.  Several months ago, I started getting pain in my abdomen off and on.  Now the pain is everyday and is worse after I eat.  I am going to my GI doctor this Tuesday.  Is there anything I can do to help this pain?

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Adhesions form within weeks of surgery. However, they can cause problems years, even decades after they form.

Once you are having consistent pain, the only thing you can do is to do whatever you can to keep things moving. This means avoiding roughage and heavy fiber. No bowel slowers. You may even have to opt for a liquid diet.

Jan

Jan Dollar

I have experienced partial obstructions over the years and several have put me in the hospital with obstruction surgeries.  I had a c-section 4 years ago with a major ileus afterwards.  I have had a total of 7 abdominal surgeries in the last 14 years.  Over the last 14 years, I have never had adhesions hurt this much.  It's like I can feel the food going through me and when it gets to certain parts, it gets worse.  I don't eat any roughage and stay away from heavy fiber.  Food usually goes right through me.

ksr

I have been having similar problems since my total colectomy 5 years ago. I was hospitalized for a handful of blockages and then had surgery for the last major one (ICU) which included component separation surgery to repair a large incisional hernia.

The blockages have never gotten as severe since the last surgery 2 years ago, but I still get the symptoms you describe. I get the same feedback from the medical community that this is really "par for the course" given our altered anatomy and the number of surgeries. So I am managing it as Jan suggested. I watch what I eat very closely, over-chewing and always balancing my intake of meats, fibers, and liquids while also staying aware of the bowel movement feelings and discomfort before it turns to pain so I can make changes a.s.a.p.

Some things I do if I start to feel stuck: absolutely no food, limited water (1 oz/30 min) and a little (4 oz) grape juice will sometimes get things moving if I catch it early; lying on my back with a heating pad and massaging the area can help if I have an issue in one particular spot; GasX chewables  help with stuck gas bubbles if I feel bloated; ondanestron helps with the nausea that sometimes accompanies; and when all else fails I take a norco and a valium (5 mg each) and it helps with the more severe pain while relaxing things so the juice and massage might work. I have had to do a second round of all this a couple times, but so far no hospital admissions for blockages in 2 years :-)

Best wishes and I hope your doc can provide some insight for you this week! 

JenJen

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