Adhesions

abrub said:

Adhesions are still a problem
My first surgeries were over 3 years ago, and I continued to have pain from adhesions. To add insult to injury (on the adhesions front) in June I had abdominal surgery to repair my incisional hernia from my 2007 surgeries, and the pains have been worse. I, too, wonder if I'll ever be free of those belly ouches.

I've been cancer-free since 2007.

I had appendix cancer, and had major debulkings, colon resections, TAH-BSO, omenectomy, and intraperitoneal chemo. Now I'm told I'm a "spider web" of adhesions.

However, I'm glad they found the cancer, and that I'm now NED and in what should be long-term remission.

Alice

WE are glad, too, Alice!!!!!
YEA!!! We are grateful you are here!!!

Hugs, Kathi

LaundryQueen said:

Visceral massage
Paula

I posted a similar response on the ovarian board about how I have dealt with adhesions in my belly.

I do abdominal massage aka "visceral massage." I started doing this about 2 1/2 months after surgery or maybe sooner. I figured that if the debulking surgery didn't metastasize the disease, the massage wasn't going to spread it either.

I do the massage in a hot bath with Epsom salts. I told my integrative physician what I was doing and he agreed that it was a good idea. He said to work clockwise first, then counterclockwise.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to reach all of the areas that need help but I have noticed the difference right away. I stopped being constantly aware of the tightness in my belly. The massage was somewhat uncomfortable at first but not uncomfortable anymore.

I think there should be research done on visceral massage as "belly rehab" to see if there is any noticeable reduction in bowel obstructions in the group doing the visceral massage. I read somewhere that after de-bulking surgery, 50% of the patients will have a bowel obstruction. I certainly don't want to be one of them!

Excuse my ignorance, but
Excuse my ignorance, but what s debulking surgery?

Barb56 said:

Excuse my ignorance, but
Excuse my ignorance, but what s debulking surgery?

De-bulking surgery
I am not yet a long-term survivor but I can answer the question about de-bulking surgery.

That's what a surgeon does when he/she needs to remove as much visible cancer from the pelvis/abdominal cavity. I had it done to remove ovarian cancer that crawled all over my innards. It's more extensive than a hysterectomy.

There is a lot of scarring & adhesions that form w/ a high risk of bowl obstruction even if the cancer is gone. Do a Google search if you want the gorey details.

Personally, I hate the term. Couldn't they have thought up a different name?

Tethys41 said:

Castor Oil Packs
I have heard that castor oil packs with heat help eliminate the adhesions. I don't know if it's true, but I've had very little trouble with adhesions.

Castor oil and belly unwinding...
I am taking castor oil (Nordic Naturals). I take a teaspoon every morning and I absolutely hate fish. This stuff tastes like lemon...lots of benefits from castor oil. Also..when I had my debulking surgery my belly pain was horrible. My daughter (a chinese medicine doc) recommended the book "Unwinding the Belly". It's all about belly massage and breathing. Helped immensely.

abrub said:

Adhesions are still a problem
My first surgeries were over 3 years ago, and I continued to have pain from adhesions. To add insult to injury (on the adhesions front) in June I had abdominal surgery to repair my incisional hernia from my 2007 surgeries, and the pains have been worse. I, too, wonder if I'll ever be free of those belly ouches.

I've been cancer-free since 2007.

I had appendix cancer, and had major debulkings, colon resections, TAH-BSO, omenectomy, and intraperitoneal chemo. Now I'm told I'm a "spider web" of adhesions.

However, I'm glad they found the cancer, and that I'm now NED and in what should be long-term remission.

Alice

Adhesions causing partial bowel obstructions.
I had appendix cancer in 2004 with 2 surgeries and a major abdominal debunking surgery in 2007.

I haven't found any discussions on this. Just wondering if anyone else has had this trouble? I take glycolax every day and try to reduce the amount of bulky food I eat. I can't honestly say what helps or hurts. I've been playing this guessing game for 6 years, luckily I am still here to be in the game! It took a couple of years of quietly suffering with it, and a trip to the ER along with a one week hospital stay, before I realized what was happening and what I needed to do for myself. Not even the gastro specialist could diagnose what was happening in the early years when I went in for help. In the end I've learned to stop eating immediately when the pain hits and try to drink plenty of fluids as tolerated. It is something I just have to ride out. I am usually back to normal in 5-7 days.

Also, has anyone had scar tissue after a lung resection? My surgery was in 2010 and I still have a lot of pain from that surgery. It is slowly getting better, but seems to feel worse when I get fatigued.

I am currently stable with new scans in a few weeks;)

Thanks for your time and enjoy your day!