Anyone here had adhesions? Scar tissue?

[fateful_one]

anyone here had adhesions? Scar tissue?

so, the best crohn's radiologist in the country took a look inside of me, but couldn't see all the parts because they were all stuck together! my new doc thinks it is scar tissue or adhesions that have essential caused my small bowel to grow together...would explain why it hurts

has anyone else had this problem? i have had several bouts of long-periods of sever active crohn's over the last 5 years, but no sugeries as of yet.

 

[Lucy]

fateful_one that sounds serious. Are they planning surgery for you? What were the rare side effects you suffered from the Humira? I hope they can help you.

 

[Jennifer]

Grown together doesn't sound good. I haven't noticed anyone mention that specifically on here. Just like Lucy I'm wondering if they are planning surgery as well. I can't imagine how else you could take apart things that are fused together. What did they say your options were?

 

[vonfunk]

My brother who has Crohn's had surgery a few years back to remove a mass of scar tissue from his large intestine. It took a few weeks for him to get back on his feet.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

I have adhesions. When they first start sticking, it's quite uncomfortable, although quite different from the usual Crohn's pain. When they finally fused, the pain pretty much stopped. As long as it's the outsides adhering, and the don't kink in any unusual ways, it shouldn't cause any further issues.

 

[Lucy]

Just sounds like surgery would be needed if your intestines are starting to fuse together. This is such a crazy disease. I'm amazed how many different problems we all can have. And how different two people diagnosed with the same condition can be. Best of luck and hope everthing starts looking up for you.

 

[2thFairy]

I have had multiple abdominal surgeries for endometriosis, and what is left of my internal organs are all stuck together with adhesions. I have had small bowel resections , not related to IBD, but because of damage done during hysterectomy, and the surgeons were not able to determine what part of the small bowel was removed because everything was fused together. Like Creepy Lurker said, when things are first sticking together, it is very uncomfortable.

I hope the doctors will be able to help you. In my case, any further surgery be to remove something only if absolutely necessary, since the adhesions will just form again and again.

 

[rottengut91]

I have had multiple abdominal surgeries myself, I would hate to see what my abdomen looks like on the inside. I always have some sort of abdominal pain, even when I'm not in a flare.

 

[Mountaingem]

Yes, I have adhesions from my abdominal hysterectomy. I can bend down and reach for something under the couch, and I'll get a sharp burning pain shooting across the area where I had the incision. It's pretty painful, that's for sure.

 

[Shannon]

This isn't of much help to you, because I'm quite the opposite - my doc said my colonscopy/endoscopy was very easy to read because my bowels were so raw - they said I'm smoother on the inside than a garden hose! Due to my constant D, I had shed the lining of my intestines to a point where there was a lot of room to look around, I suppose.

Anyway, gracious! I hope all works well with you.

 

[mario]

Hi everyone.
Am new here and this is my first post.
2 years ago I was in a seriously stressful situation and working way too hard.
Weight dropped off me and I found it became impossible to eat without without vomiting.
After 4 weeks of agony I was diagnosed with Crohns. I had so many lesions and my intestine had fused together to the point that the food had nowhere to go, hence it just came back up. I had to gain weight before surgery as by this point i was only 5 stone (and 5'6"). I had to drink some disgusting predigested gunk and had a drip full of some other gunk and tbh its all a bit of a blur. Anyway once my weight was up to 7 stone i had on op to remove 23cm of intestine. I had to have an ileostomy bag, which was awful but was only for a few months. It is 18 months since my resection and I have had no more pain and can eat what i like. My point is that perhaps you should push for surgery before you get into the life threatening state I did. I don't mean to scaremonger just to point out that the removal of the offending area should be done sooner rather than later and you could possibly avoid the bag bit!! Sorry for long post - won't do it again, just felt like telling my little tale!! Good luck!

 

[Lucy]

Hi Mario and welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have been thru a lot. Since your surgery have you been put on any meds? Where are you from? You will find lots of wonderful people here. Hope you stick around.

 

[Astra]

Hi fateful

According to my gastro team I've got several adhesions/strictures and scar tissue, all on the outside tho, a combination of endometriosis all over my bowels, bladder and uterus, hence the hysterectomy, doc said my bowels are all 'glued' together and demonstrated this using a long piece of string! Seeing it demonstrated like this helped me to visualise how it looks in there, apparantly quite a 'car crash' were his words! Once 'fused' and become scar tisue, there is no pain, like Creepy said, really weird!
And, 9 years later, like Jeanette, I can reach down for something and feel the sharp pain!
I believe any surgery causes scar tissue no matter where it is.

 

[rottengut91]

Hi everyone.
Am new here and this is my first post.
2 years ago I was in a seriously stressful situation and working way too hard.
Weight dropped off me and I found it became impossible to eat without without vomiting.
After 4 weeks of agony I was diagnosed with Crohns. I had so many lesions and my intestine had fused together to the point that the food had nowhere to go, hence it just came back up. I had to gain weight before surgery as by this point i was only 5 stone (and 5'6"). I had to drink some disgusting predigested gunk and had a drip full of some other gunk and tbh its all a bit of a blur. Anyway once my weight was up to 7 stone i had on op to remove 23cm of intestine. I had to have an ileostomy bag, which was awful but was only for a few months. It is 18 months since my resection and I have had no more pain and can eat what i like. My point is that perhaps you should push for surgery before you get into the life threatening state I did. I don't mean to scaremonger just to point out that the removal of the offending area should be done sooner rather than later and you could possibly avoid the bag bit!! Sorry for long post - won't do it again, just felt like telling my little tale!! Good luck!

Hey Mario,
Just wanted to welcome you to the forum, don't worry about being long winded, many of us have that problem. Sometimes, once I get going, I just can't stop. Maybe that's from spending my days with my five yr old daughter. Having a conversation with an adult is something I miss sometimes.
You have a valid point, sometimes surgery is necessary and can provide long periods of relief. It's not easy to scare the majority of us here, we've all been through so much.
I'm happy that you have found relief from your CD sx, and I hope it lasts for a very long time. Stick around, browse the threads. See you around.

 

[mario]

Lucy
Thankyou for your welcome!
I am currently taking daily
Pentasa 3000mg
Loperamide 10mg
Adcal D3 x2
A bit of a pill popper but it's working!!

Julie
You are way too pretty to have christened yourself Rottengut!
But it did make me laugh!!

 

[SwtNdSpcy]

I also have numerous adhesions, strictures and scar tissue. My last resection was to remove part of my bowels that were stuck to my ovaries and uterus. But they have already come back. It is incredibly painful! I have had no relief from the pain yet, but it is nice to know others have, gives me hope!

 

[2thFairy]

SwtNdSpcy, I still have pain from my adhesions, but it does lessen a great deal over time, sometimes years.

 

[fateful_one]

thank you everyone for the replies. i figured there must be people out there that had first hand experience with this crap

wow, how crazy is all of this! i have heard about endometriosis growing in the pelvis, but I didn't know it could get in the intestines! i am pretty sure i have endometriosis because menstration has always been very painful for me. My Crohns seems to get worse during this time too...maybe this is contributing to my issues?

I had my first MRI and MRI w/ contrast last week and I should hear from the doctor first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully they found the problem, otherwise my only option is exploratory surgery! Not like this really matters though because I am pretty sure that I need surgery anyway to fix whatever is causing my pain in there. O geeze, why can't my insides cooperate?

 

[DustyKat]

I so hope the MRI results find the problem. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

:goodluck::goodluck::goodluck:

Keep us posted!, :hug:
Dusty

 

[fateful_one]

Holy Crap!! They found the problem, finally I know what the problem is I have multiple strictures in my terminal and distal ileum. I am looking at a resection, or possibly laproscopy/strictureplasty. 6 to 10 inches need to be removed. I am not sure if this is considered a lot for crohn's or not, but personally I don't care...I just want it out of me so I can eat like a normal human being

Any advice on this kind of experience is welcomed!

 

[2thFairy]

Hooray on having a diagnosis with a solution!!!!! Surgery sucks, but wow I bet you will feel soooooooo much better afterwards!

 

[scifi-enthusiast]

Just found out I have adhesions. Doctor said surgery isn't done until they cause an obstruction, and to just live with the pain. He gave me Lortab for the pain though, which is a real b**ch when trying to take an algebra test.

When I don't take the painkillers I'm in so much pain that it causes me to do poorly on the test, but when I'm on the painkillers I'm so woozy that I do poorly on the test. So, I'm screwed either way.

 

[BLM]

HAHA scifi, not to laugh at you....but I know all to well what its like trying to take hard tests doped up on pain meds. I went through college on lots of pain meds, but still had no answers...not until this year did they finally tell me they think they know what the problem is. Good luck to you

 

[Shirl F]

I had same diagnosis with pain and infection repeatedly about every four months
in 2006. I was diagnosed in 1981 and was tired of taking prescription drugs...I was managing Crohns with probiotics. A surgeon recommended and performed a laparscopic right lower quandrant hemicolectomy to remove the scar tissue and appendix. The reason I had this surgery was so as to not get into an emergency situation with a perforated colon. With the scheduled surgery I was able to be on antibiotics prior to the surgery and not poisoned by sepsis from a perforation. I am glad I had the surgery....my pain and infection is gone. I watch my diet....no alcohol, fatty foods, sodas, red meat....there is an option to do an "open" surgery which is more involved and takes longer recovery....the incision is 10 -15 inches vertical.....my daughter just has that one and it was not as easy a recovery as mine. Hope this helps.