Abdominal Pain Three Months After Surgery

if not today, then at least tomorrow, when your doctor's office is open.  I have read that adhesions (scarring) can develop at any time, even months after surgery, and they can be painful.  There may be other causes too.  I always hesitate to post my own experience, as I've had a lot of worse case scenario moments, but when I developed pain several months after surgery, it was due to tumor growth.  I really hope this is something else in your case (and it probably is), but I would want to get it checked out with a scan.  I don't think there would be any reason not to have a CT scan at this point, or better yet, a PET if it's available.

Good luck, and keep us posted~AA

Maybe you can have his service ask him to give you a call. He/she may tell you to go to the ER or to wait until tomorrow, but I wouldn't wait. Always play on the side of caution.

Lin

TheLadySkye said:

Doc Update

My surgeon fit me in after my chemo yesterday. He said it would be very atypical to have a surgical complication three months out, especially in the absence of other symptoms. What he suspects is that the dissolvable internal stitches do not always dissolve evenly, and one may have snapped resulting in a pull or small tear in the tender muscles. He said it should subdide in a few days. If if doesnt or other symptoms present, we may do another scan, but he would like to avoid the extra radiation if possible and he really feels the issue will resolve shortly.  

Its always good to get that porfessional opinion. 

I hope that the pain is subsiding already, and we can put it down to this small thing. 

I am glad that you were able to get in to see him. 

How are you handling the chemo? I hope no significant side effects. 

TheLadySkye said:

Trubrit

I just finished round 3/12 of the FOLFOX (it sounds better when I say 1/4 of the way there!).  So far it's been a mixed bag for me.  The first treatment went amazingly smoothly minus a steroid-induced headache that was addressed in later treatments by running it slower and some horrid contipation.  Alas, round two was like getting hit by a truck.  That evening, every joint in my body ached and I was exhausted.  I'm still trying to get a handle on the first few days of constipation (have now started the colace the day before), followed by looser stool and some relatively minor diarrhea.  The exhaustion comes and goes and I try to rest when I feel that way. My hair has thinned a fair bit, which is kind of depressing not from a vanity standpoint, but more an identity one as I have always had long hair and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep it.  They say it is unlikely I would lose all my hair, but mine seems to have other things in mind.

The worst has been the cold sensitivity/neuropathy, and I'm afraid I can't always tell them apart or if they are really one and the same.  I mean, I know the electric shock feeling I get when I touch something cold, and am careful to wear gloves when handling anything suspect cold.  However, those same shocky and stingy feelings happen in my hands and feet the first few days too.  At first I thought this must be neuropathy because I'm not handling cold.  But then it would subside when I would sit on my hands or warm them up further even though they didn't feel that cold to begin with.  So is this neuropathy or cold sensitivity?  I can't say for sure.  I also pray this is not a permanent thing, but I keep hearing about the horrors of lingering FOLFOX neuropathy and that scares me.  I'm a writer and so being able to type is pretty darn important to me  Though I suppose living is way more important than that too and I pray this works so badly.

Sadly all of your symptoms are normal. Well, happy that they are normal but sad that you have to experience them.

I know just what you mean about the 'is it, is it not neuropathy?' as that is how I felt too. I personally found out that it was not neuropathy, as when that did hit, I definitely knew it. 

I'm sorry about the hair too. I remember thinking (oh, its good to be at the 'I remember' stage) that it would be no big deal to lose my hair, but when it started happening, I confess I was devestated. I knew it would grow back, but oh, how hard it was to see it all over the place but on my head. I ended up looking like Gollum (Lord of the Rings), so I just shaved it all off. 

Body aches and pains are hard to deal with. A nice hot bath works wonders, but alas is just a quick fix. I have terrible joint pain now, and I'm about to try healing oils. One has to try everything. 

Keep up the good work though. We are here for you all the time, not just when the going gets tough. 

HUGS!