Abdominal adhesion following surgery?

I am now seriously considering small bowel surgery to relieve repeated partial bowel obstructions. So I am doing some research on my own. The purpose of the surgery is to relieve obstructions. But I read that bowel adhesion can frequently develop following the abdominal surgery. Then the adhesion can in turn cause subsequent obstructions again. Has anyone heard or experienced about this? I mean surgery itself can cause obstructions. This sounds weird.

I have had issues with scar tissue. But I feel it's more to do with years of inflamation than with surgery.

Habs, my history & your is much alike, open surgery for the resection. Gallbladder was a lap surgery. My resection was done out of the country with very limited modern medical care. Nothing was disposable in the hospital, what equipment they had was donated from drs here in the states!

I've since had 2 abdominal surgeries not related to crohns & things looked good both times.

Paul, strictures can be considered mild by drs, meaning the person does (bowel rest) liquids for a few days & things settle down. They can be given an antispasmodic & something for nausea. Some folks like a heating pad or hot water bottle. They have a good chance of never needing surgery.

Someone with moderate usually ends up in ER often, getting fluids for dehydration, pain relief & nausea, usually admitted for a couple of days on complete bowel rest. At this point, the gi will suggest dilation before any surgery. I read an abstract a while back from the National Institute of Gastroenterology, dated May 2018. They say any stricture 5cm or less in length, the first line standard of care is dilation, not surgery. I think you mentioned one that the dr said he couldn't reach, however, what about the other ones? While we have a whole lot of small bowel, drs still say not to remove any unless it is absolutely necessary.

What about your diet? Raw veggies are not good with strictures, fatty meat, veggies should be well cooked, no nuts, avoid skins on fruits. I like tomatoes but I remove the skin & seeds, lol. It's a pain but I do it.

When it's severe & a complete blockage occurs things can sit there & simmer a few days before all he!! breaks loose. When it does that's when you call 911, you will be too sick to drive to an ER.

There isn't a timeline really with any of this. It all depends on the individual, what medications they are on to treat the disease as an example, how long they have had strictures & the progression of them. I believe it was Gumby that pointed out strictures can be certainly be attributed to untreated & under treated disease activity.

If I remember right, your scope this year was clean, no active disease which is wonderful.I don't think you have ever mentioned ending up in ER or being admitted for partial obstructions. If I had your history, I personally wouldn't feel like I was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. I had to learn to deal with the "what ifs", the disease alone can steal too much from us that we can't control.

In my instance, surgery was not a fix. I was patched up enough to hand immigration a letter stating I was fit for travel to leave the country. I went through 4 gi's telling me since I had surgery I didn't have crohns, lol. Luckily, number 5 was & is my saving grace.

Your anxiety is working overtime with this. With any procedure no one can give us a 100% guarantee we will be just fine. For the most part, yes we do get better.

Paul, this forum is great for people sharing their experiences & providing useful information. However, keep in mind, do not rely on this forum or any forum for that matter 100%, we aren't drs.

The most important thing for someone with either crohns or UC is to have routine colonoscopies with biopsies. One can never express how important this is, it can detect early pre-cancer cells, cancer itself & the usual things they look for relating to either disease. This is a prime example of the old saying, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Knock on wood, I am finally in place that I can manage my symptoms. There are some days of diarrhea & some pain. I take whatever I need to get it under control. While I do not follow a specific diet, I have learned what foods agree with me & what one's don't. Keep in mind, even while on medication we can always expect bumps in the road. I now know what is a true flare up. If I get in a bad way for a week or more, I call my dr. The appetite thing can vary too.

Even with your partial blockage episodes make sure you don't let yourself get dehydrated from either throwing up or diarrhea, or both combined. Never hesitate to go to ER, they can give you IV meds to help with this.