Pelvic Pain/Bowel Obstruction/Adhesions

Sorry to hear about your issues....I have had numerous surgeries back in my 20's for adhesions, Endo, and ovarian cyst ruptures...They even went ahead and took out my appendix one time as they were worried it would rupture as well. Unfortunately I learned that with any new surgery, it would cause a lot more adhesions! So thankfully I found a Dr. who said, "No more!"...

I also was diagnosed with IBS at age 20.

So I changed my diet, exercise each day (walk 1.4 miles), and take Miralax about 4 times a week and drink LOTS of water (12-14 glasses a day. I also do a gentle yoga in the am/pm as I have spine issues so I go easy but it really seems to help stretch my abdomen muscles and keep things "loose".

Switching to all organic made a really big difference in my bowel situation. There was an online video made by a scientist who ate a bowl of Ramen noodles as well as swallowing a camera pill to watch their "travels" from start to finish. It was VERY eye opening in that artificial ingredients and things put into food to make it survive 100 years do NOT digest in our system very well.

And I am on the SNAP program (previous name for food stamps) and get $200 a month and have no problem budgeting and cutting coupons to eat very well each month with buying all organic so it can be done inexpensively. Most all groceries stores have their own "all natural or organic" version of many foods.

Anyway, my point is that yes, opiates and muscle relaxers will absolutely slow down your system and cause a great deal of problems. I am on Morphine Sulfate ER, OxyIR, and Flexeril myself. This is where the Miralax and all the other things including the exercise/water/organics have made a HUGE difference for me.

The difference with Miralax is it is not a stimulant, it just helps draw water into the colon to make things much easier.

Again, it's one of those things that surgery really can't do much except cut away the adhesions that are causing possible life threatening stangulation of other organs but it's definitely not a cure of them but just make more.

I can empathize, along with others on here, what it's like to live with chronic pain and issues that can't easily be solved. I've learned that medication only does so much so that is why I believe in using as many other natural ways to keep them from forming and keep the pain levels down.

Good luck on your surgery...

Sounds like the surgery is definitely needed this time around to take care of the majority of them.

We will say some prayers for you next Friday! Keep us posted:)

Hi DreamBoatAnnie & welcome to the chronic pain forum. It sure sounds like you are really having a hard time of things. I sure hope when they do your lap that will take care of things and get you back to feeling good. Adhesions & scar tissue can sure bring on a lot of problems for people. I do know the drs can remove only so much scar tissue or else they can cause worse problems than what they started with.

Please let us know how your surgery goes.Keep us posted.

Take care...Susie

Thank you Susie and Vickie for the warm welcome. I have felt so alone (literally and emotionally) so this connection means so much! Unfortunately they do cause more scarring to remove the old scarring, but I just don't see how I can put this off any longer. I can't even drive since its entrapping a nerve that goes all the way down thru my inner thigh/leg and into my foot. I got some nerve blocks in my abdomen that helped for a while but even those are wearing off now.

Up to this pelvic pain becoming so unmanageable I was doing well on just the fentanyl patch and wasn't needing much in the way of breakthrough meds and I'm really keeping those to as much of a minimum as possible. I'd be pretty okay to just get back to my own batch of (not)normal! LOL

Didn't mean to bore you with more details. Thank you both so very much for your well wishes and for reaching back and breaking this isolation. I'll let you know how it goes. Be well!