ADHESIONS!!!

You are not dummy - this will be my #2 surgery to fix the insides. 1st was in October last year - GB, hernia and twisted intestines. Then I had the pain  - on and off - from mild to excruciating for app 1 year. (since the surgery) - so we think there is more things there that need to be fixed. maybe?  Since the cat scans did not show anything - I took the wait and see approach (dam I know) but now - I am tired of the pain coming and going - so I will have have the surgery.
When the pain was so bad that I wanted to die - it was easy to decide to have the surgery - but now - the pain is not as bad - but bad enough that it got my attention and made me switch to soft foods and shakes only.   

Hope your recovery is swift.  

Oh wow! You really have been through a tough time lady! I have a pretty high threshold for pain and this was the absolute worst thing I could have imagined. I shudder at the thought that it could happen again. You're one tough cookie! Good luck with your surgery!

Bless you heart, you have had a time!    I have had many abdominal surgeries and I have the tendency to form adhesions too.   In fact, several of the surgeries were to "clean up" the adhesions.   

Had RNY on 7-14-09 and have had a pretty easy time of it.   Hope I don't later have adhesion problems, but thanks to your post, I will be on guard for such things.

Hope you feel better soon.
Bonnie

Oh I pray that none of you have to experience this but if nothing else I hope my post will make you all aware of the dangers of ignoring this problem! We're all very susceptible and we need to be diligent. A bowel obstruction gone untreated can and will kill you. And adhesions, which are common for us are a major risk for obstruction :( 

 I made a trip to the Er this week and then to my surgeon who says it sounds like an internal hernia so I have signed up for surgery again. If it adhesions or twisting they can fix it but if you let a twist or kink go to long you are a goner. I hope you are pain free soon. I know I am scared it will flare up with me before my surgery.I am waiting three weeks for family reasons.

Ouch! Best of luck that it doesn't hurt again before surgery I hope I will be pain free again soon too. I'm getting sick of soft foods. Been craving a cheeseburger and salads like craaaaaaazy!

I don't remember hearing about this risk prior to surgery, but it sounds like it is quite common.

In fact reading this board, I am kind of worried about all of the different posts talking about pretty serious complications from the surgery.  A lot involving more surgery.

Scary stuff.

thanks for posting.  i'm sorry you went through such a painful and frightening experience and had to have emergency surgery, but i'm glad to know what the warning sgns are.

we can get adhesions without surgery, too.  for instance, women who have never been pregnant (like myself) are more prone to get adhesions later in life.  i learned this from a friend who ended up getting an emergency hysterectomy and surgery for adhesions.  they weren't life-threatening but they were causing her excruciating pain.  she was only in her late 30's. 

anyway i had a very uneventful surgery and recovery, and hope it will continue so.  but i knew about these risks going into it, and like other health issues (and certainly the ones i would have faced if i had continued to live obese) i will be proactive about it to the best of my ability and get help if they arise.  and posts like this help me to make that happen, so thanks again.

I just went through a similar incident...18 months post op, no problems only a couple of episodes of dumping (literally)  I got a sudden urge to vomit about 30 mins after dinner on Thursday night.  The abdominal pain was incredible and I thought ??OMG??  "This is dumping!?!?"  I was throwing up, cramping (felt like contractions) and pooping for a good 4 hours, before calling my Dr. and before heading to the ER.  They gave me a couple of doses of morphine and CT Scan (without contrast).  CT showed my small intestine collapsed passed the anastomosis.  I was transported to a bigger hospital, where my Bariatric Doc.  I had emergency exploratory laparoscopic surgery, Friday afternoon.  What they found was a small adhesion (guitar string is how my Doc described) attached to my small intestines, he released it and immediately my bowels bounced back to normal.  I had clear liquids for breakfast Saturday morning and a regular meal for lunch and went home.    

You are right about not ignoring the signs and the pain.  Also always go back to your Bariatric Doctor,  I'm not dogging other doctors but our new anatomy requires a specialist, who deals with this on a daily basis.  Had I not been transferred, treatment would have been delayed further and could have had complications.

Thinking back to months prior to this incident, I had a slight discomfort.  I thought I was constipated or that my belt buckle was maybe pinching my belly in that area.  Thinking back my discomfort must have been stool passing through the narrowing part of my bowels.  Those were the only signs I had, and they were very mild.  Glad its over and I hope I don't have to deal with it again.  

I just wanted to add to this post that adhesions dont really show up on a CT scan they are so small and fine usually (like spiderweb fine) that they are virtually impossible to see so if you have pain and a negative CT you may have adhesions One of our radiologist explained that to me.lisap