Abdominal Pain a year later?

tommycat
tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Does anyone have any idea why I would be experiencing pain a year later where my resection was done? It's a dull ache that comes and goes. I see the surgeon Monday for dilation, but was going to ask her about this too as it is bothering/worrying me.
Your Friend in California~

Comments

  • mom_2_3
    mom_2_3 Member Posts: 953 Member
    #2
    Tommycat
    I was having lots of pain in my abdominal area that turned out to be ovarian cysts. They typically don't bother me but I had severe pain a month ago. I even went to my doctor to have it checked out as I was worried about recurrence or adhesions.

    Good luck!
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #3
    Adhesions

    Adhesions don't usually rear their ugly side until a year or
    more after surgery. Sometimes, things will "settle down" over
    time, and less pain may be experienced.

    Unfortunately, adhesions do take their toll, and are the main
    cause for intestinal obstructions.

    Welcome to the "club".

    Think healthy!

    John
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #4
    John23 said:

    Adhesions

    Adhesions don't usually rear their ugly side until a year or
    more after surgery. Sometimes, things will "settle down" over
    time, and less pain may be experienced.

    Unfortunately, adhesions do take their toll, and are the main
    cause for intestinal obstructions.

    Welcome to the "club".

    Think healthy!

    John

    Thanks John...you are
    Thanks John...you are right...it is probably an adhesion. Yet--here comes the chicken or the egg question---if surgery cause scarring, and the scarring causes adhesions, then what is the treatment for adhesions? If it's more surgery, then it's a Catch 22.
    My appt. is Monday but am trying to be worked in today or tomorrow. My lower right area of my stomach, where the ileo was put, is visibly distended.
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #5
    tommycat said:

    Thanks John...you are
    Thanks John...you are right...it is probably an adhesion. Yet--here comes the chicken or the egg question---if surgery cause scarring, and the scarring causes adhesions, then what is the treatment for adhesions? If it's more surgery, then it's a Catch 22.
    My appt. is Monday but am trying to be worked in today or tomorrow. My lower right area of my stomach, where the ileo was put, is visibly distended.

    Well....
    Surgery to repair/remove an adhesion results in more adhesions.

    Adhesions are the normal process the body uses to heal any damaged area.

    When it does that inside our body, things can stick and join together
    that do not belong together.

    The surgeons do have access to a few different types of products
    that can be used during surgery to lessen the chances for adhesions
    to form; make sure you ask about that! If they give you a blank stare,
    find another surgeon. (I'm in terrible shape now from surgery back
    in 2006; they were like a wrecking crew to my innards)

    Aside from surgery, there is no treatment to remove an adhesion.
    Our body is held together thanks to "adhesions". I can see myself
    taking some new TV drug to remove adhesions and having my
    arms fall off.... Ooops... was that one of those "rare side effects"?

    I read about Chinese herbal treatments that had proved to be of
    merit, but they have to be used during surgery... Western
    medicine has similiar products, but also for use during surgery.


    You'll be OK. Like I said, the pains usually subside in time.

    I tried to stretch, with the hopes that it would tear the adhesion
    away, and provide some relief (it did), but it may have also
    made matters 100x worse. The body wants to heal; leave it be
    and let it heal, then you can beat the hell out of it again.

    (haha)

    Best to you!

    John
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #6
    John23 said:

    Well....
    Surgery to repair/remove an adhesion results in more adhesions.

    Adhesions are the normal process the body uses to heal any damaged area.

    When it does that inside our body, things can stick and join together
    that do not belong together.

    The surgeons do have access to a few different types of products
    that can be used during surgery to lessen the chances for adhesions
    to form; make sure you ask about that! If they give you a blank stare,
    find another surgeon. (I'm in terrible shape now from surgery back
    in 2006; they were like a wrecking crew to my innards)

    Aside from surgery, there is no treatment to remove an adhesion.
    Our body is held together thanks to "adhesions". I can see myself
    taking some new TV drug to remove adhesions and having my
    arms fall off.... Ooops... was that one of those "rare side effects"?

    I read about Chinese herbal treatments that had proved to be of
    merit, but they have to be used during surgery... Western
    medicine has similiar products, but also for use during surgery.


    You'll be OK. Like I said, the pains usually subside in time.

    I tried to stretch, with the hopes that it would tear the adhesion
    away, and provide some relief (it did), but it may have also
    made matters 100x worse. The body wants to heal; leave it be
    and let it heal, then you can beat the hell out of it again.

    (haha)

    Best to you!

    John

    Be careful with adhesions.
    Be careful with adhesions. You may get a hernia. I have two. One at the belly button, had surgery. Now I have one over my liver resection.

    I get so many aches and pains, my sisters all say it's age. Nope. Chemo and surgery!
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #7
    Nana b said:

    Be careful with adhesions.
    Be careful with adhesions. You may get a hernia. I have two. One at the belly button, had surgery. Now I have one over my liver resection.

    I get so many aches and pains, my sisters all say it's age. Nope. Chemo and surgery!

    You are right, there is a
    You are right, there is a certain amount I am willing to chalk up to age, but yet there are are things that are happening in my bod that just don't feel normal, regardless of time.
    Maybe I am skittish, because my cancer dx was so long in coming, and so many misdiagnosis along the way. It has been a learning experience for sure!
    I don't even trust my instincts because I was in denial for so long.
    This pain and swollen belly even make me doubt myself...what if it's constipation? what's if it's IBS? what if it's just an age thingy?
    Where it starts and ends I don't know...
    How to know----I don't know. Cancer is emotionally and physically difficult on many, many levels.
    Your Friend in California~
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #8
    tommycat said:

    You are right, there is a
    You are right, there is a certain amount I am willing to chalk up to age, but yet there are are things that are happening in my bod that just don't feel normal, regardless of time.
    Maybe I am skittish, because my cancer dx was so long in coming, and so many misdiagnosis along the way. It has been a learning experience for sure!
    I don't even trust my instincts because I was in denial for so long.
    This pain and swollen belly even make me doubt myself...what if it's constipation? what's if it's IBS? what if it's just an age thingy?
    Where it starts and ends I don't know...
    How to know----I don't know. Cancer is emotionally and physically difficult on many, many levels.
    Your Friend in California~

    Watch the salt. You stay
    Watch the salt. You stay bloated longer. Alcohol also makesed me bloat. No gall bladder, Glutamine helps. That swollen belly won't go away anytime soon, but a journal of what makes it swell helps. Are you taking a daily Tagamet, Prilosec or something like that? If the bloating gets bad, let your ONC know. I had all kind of tests done and no acites. I made sure, I was good there.

    Hope you get better!
  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member
    #9
    Tommy, I get pains too.
    Tommy, I get pains too. Usually in the lower abdominal area, near my scar. It comes and goes. And I always wonder just what is going on with it. I try to self diagnose it as just a change in body after all the cutting, moving and resecting. And of course the way things "work" down that way now. Please pass on the information you get from your dr.

    Hugs to you girly, Gail
  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member
    #10
    Nana b said:

    Watch the salt. You stay
    Watch the salt. You stay bloated longer. Alcohol also makesed me bloat. No gall bladder, Glutamine helps. That swollen belly won't go away anytime soon, but a journal of what makes it swell helps. Are you taking a daily Tagamet, Prilosec or something like that? If the bloating gets bad, let your ONC know. I had all kind of tests done and no acites. I made sure, I was good there.

    Hope you get better!

    Hi Raquel, I miss you!
    And
    Hi Raquel, I miss you!

    And Tommy, this girl is full of good suggestions! Love her :)

    Gail
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #11
    Pain
    I hate to tell you this, but I just celebrated 4 years of being cancer free (Stage 1, so surgery was it), and I have chronic pain every day.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • jjaj133
    jjaj133 Member Posts: 867 Member
    #12
    Hi all/ wanted to share a
    Hi all/ wanted to share a "funny" story. my 2nd liver resection was in may. I have a hernia that if it gets any bigger i will hsve to get it, it's own social security card! We were at the beach, My chair does not allow me to flip over..So i put a towel on the sand and prceeded to lay down on my stomach. OH mY Lord, the pain was awful. I looked like someone flipped me, I turned over so fast. Now, i will be nice and tan in the front and ghostly white in the back. No lectures on the sun please. i take precautions. ; )So i guess the belly pain stays around for while : (

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