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Re: new here & seeking opinions
From: Gina (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sat, 16 Oct 1999 11:01:28 -0500 (CDT)
Hello Donna,
I tried to get an MRI but my doctor refused. Now what?
Gina
At Sat, 16 Oct 1999, Donna wrote:
>
>>----- Original Message -----
>From: Gina <anonymous@obgyn.net>
>To: Multiple recipients of list WOMENS-HEALTH <anonymous@obgyn.net>
>Sent: Friday, October 15, 1999 8:18 PM
>Subject: new here & seeking opinions
>
>> Hi everyone, I found this board through a long series of links
>> originating at hystersisters.org. I am 36 now. When I was 18 I had PID
>> so bad I was hospitalized and it formed scar tissue throughout my pelvic
>> area (yet didn't affect my life one bit as far as I can remember). I
>> have been sterile since then. Then in 1987 I had emergency surgery to
>> remove my gall bladder and appendix (I had gall stones which had moved
>> to the common bile duct, which is normally fatal I'm told). I almost
>> died, but lived, with an 11" long scar that looks like a railroad track
>> across my abdomen. (This was before laser surgery I guess).
>> I have always had painful monthly periods for as long as I can remember,
>> probably due to the PID scarring. I also had ovarian cysts periodically
>> with my cycles. I had wanted a hysterectomy at age 25 because of pelvic
>> pain and problems, and since I was sterile anyway, why not. But no Dr.
>> at that time would do it because of my age. Recently, the pelvic pain
>> became so severe that monthly ultra sounds were done to see why, and
>> they found numerous growths around ovaries, pelvic area and inside
>> uterus. An emergency surgery was performed 8/12/99 for a laprascopic
>> vaginal hysterectomy, it took 5 hours because they had to remove the
>> extensive PID adhesions 1st.
>> 2 weeks after that surgery I had such severe pelvic pain and right side
>> pain, and had been in the ER so many times, and once admitted just for
>> pain management, that they decided to do a second surgery and removed
>> both ovaries and tubes, plus massive adhesions in my upper right abdomen
>> (from the '87 surgery) which had wrapped around my bowel and attached to
>> organs in that area. I was in bad shape after this second surgery,
>> started to get pneumonia but fought it
>> hard, and my recovery in hospital was much longer. Even the morphine
>> did not help the pain. But I eventually went home after 4 days, feeling
>> I could rest better at home.
>> I am now 4 weeks post-op from that 2nd surgery. My surgeon--even
>> knowing I was prone to adhesions--never discussed any type of prevention
>> technique, nor any type of follow-up to prevent adhesions. I have since
>> learned what they are, that they can sometimes be prevented, that there
>> are exercises that sometimes work if started immediately following
>> surgery, etc. I didn't know any of this til this week. I now have
>> adhesions again, only this time I suspect
>> they are interfering with my bladder and bowel functions. I feel severe
>> pain and pressure on my bladder, vaginal canal and color. I had an
>> internal exam last week and my vaginal canal inside is fine with no
>> prolapse. My Dr. referred me back to my surgeon who pretty much washed
>> his hands of me--neither Dr. at this point wants to see me again, or
>> follow-up on this at all.
>> In the meantime, I am not having normal bowel movements: just diahrea
>> periodically, or pinched stools. I have tremendous bladder pain
>> constantly, yet have no infection and have no trouble going--I just
>> can't expel everything in one shot so end up going every 5-15 minutes.
>> This keeps me up all night so I can't sleep. I constantly feel the
>> pressure on my bladder. I also feel pressure on my vagina internally
>> (it hurts to sit), and on my colon. I was given Urispas pills for
>> bladder, doc thought I was having bladder spasms I guess. It didn't
>> help the pain or pressure at all, but does seem to help with the
>> frequency a tiny bit. I am
>> nauseous all the time, and have to take zantac with every meal or I
>> vomit. I also am having severe stomach pain. I was
>> scheduled to have an upper GI test but when I went in this week, they
>> refused to do it because my bowels are backed up to the limit and they
>> said the barium would make it worse. They were quite upset and it
>> scared me. Yet my doc didn't think anything of it, he has prescribed
>> laxatives.
>> I don't think he understands how much pain I am in, and how much
>> pressure I already feel inside. Laxatives, to my mind, will make it
>> worse--increase the pressure and pain. I know, I had diahrea all
>> weekend and was crying the whole time. I have no fevers, though all of
>> my lymph nodes are swollen and painful. I am not anemic, my kidney
>> function tests were fine, and liver functions were a little elevated.
>>
>> Knowing all of the above, do you think I have a partial bowel
>> obstruction? Bladder adhesions? Vaginal adhesions? Is this something I
>> should wait-and-see, as my Dr. suggests? Or is this something worthy of
>> an ER visit? Would a laxative be safe to take? Finally, I do have an
>> appt. for a urologist in 3 weeks. I'm hoping I can stand to wait that
>> long! If not, I will go to the ER. If a urologist does the tests, and
>> finds adhesions, is adhesiolysis something I can expect him to do?
>>
>> Up until the "simple" surgery on 8/12 my quality of life was great. Now
>> instead of fixing the monthly pain problem, I have been given more
>> problems which are much worse than the original one. Gina
>>
>Hi;
>
>try to obtain an MRI
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