I'm lost & don't know what to do anymore. Chronic abdominal pain since surgery...

I'm a year out & I've had almost constant abdominal pain since my surgery. I've had several CAT scans, two MRIs, a small bowel follow through, several rounds of blood work & two exploratory surgeries & the only thing they've ever found is gastritis & scar tissue. I've seen every surgeon in my surgeon's office & none of them can find anything. They recently referred me to a pain management doctor. I don't want to be on pain medicine forever. I want to be a normal, functional person. I just want to figure out what is wrong. I was admitted to the hospital on Monday & releasted last night & they found nothing. I don't know what to do anymore. Someone please help.

 I'm sorry to hear all you are going through and wanted to tell you that you are not alone.  I am 8 years post op and live with chronic abdominal pain.  I see a pain specialist and live on narcotics to deal with the pain.  After many hospitalizations and different tests I had a couple of doctors try and tell me it was all in my head.  I finally found a surgeon last year that listened to me and my complaints.  He did a test called an enteroclysis and found that I had Blind Loop Syndrome.  It's where a section of the small bowel becomes sluggish and bacteria grows causing an infection and sometimes a partial bowel obstruction.  I had surgery a year ago to remove that section of my bowel.  I still have abdominal pain, but nothing like I had suffered with before.  I hope your doctors can figure something out and soon!  Hang in there.  This website is great for support.  Feel free to message me with any questions.

Stephanie E

12/27/02 Lap RNY
12/28/02 Open RNY to repair leak
12/19/03 Hernia repair and lysis of adhesions
12/20/03 Repair 2nd bowel leak, appendectomy, more lysis of adhesions
5/19/04    Bowel Obstruciton Repaired
7/30/04    2nd Bowel Obstruction Repaired
1/05          Port Placed in for IV access
8/10          Lap Revision and bowel resuction