Hello,
I was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer Sept 06, the bladder was surgically removed and an Illeal Conduit created. Chemo followed and, beyond occasional constipation, all went well till June of 08.
Since then, I've been in the hospital for a full small bowel obstruction, and had numerous partial ones. During this time, I started getting stomach cramps and pains more and more frequently. I've learned through various tests and doctor discussions that:
1. I have no new masses/cancer
2. The small bowel works well--motility is fine
3. I have adhesions that impact part of the small bowel, which is causing the pain.
At first I tried to let the situation work itself out by cutting back on food when the pains came, hoping a liquid, then semisolid diet build up would do the trick. After three months and more frequent bouts with the cramping, I'm not seeing progress. In fact, I've lost 24 pounds (some of which was neededB) ), seldom sleep much of the night, I'm basically exhausted most of the time and my work, family and social life has basically revolved around whether I'm feeling good--which is not what I'd like to see. The bouts with cramps seem to come every few days and last longer and longer.
My primary care doctor suggested that I consider seeing a surgeon to have the adhesions cut/cauterized--possibly laparoscopically to minimize future scarring/adhesions. He recognized the downside of surgery, but felt quality of life issues made this my only avenue for relief.
So, my primary contacted a surgeon here at the University of Iowa (UI) who indicated that they did not favor surgery unless, after a full blockage episode in the hospital, they found that they had no other options. We're meeting with the surgeon tomorrow to discuss my situation and his stance. We're prepared to look elsewhere for some help if UI won't assist us. I don't think I can keep going this way without something changing.
My questions to anyone here are:
1. Has anyone had a similar experience? Have you been able to solve the adhesion problem without surgery? Or is surgery my best solution?
2. For those who've had adhesions surgically removed, did it help in terms of allowing you to return to a more normal lifestyle? Have they come back and/or how long has it been since their recurrence?
3. How does one go about finding a surgeon who is good at adhesion removal? I've made preliminary inquiries at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN--no answer yet.
4. Any other advice?
Thanks in advance for listening and for any suggestions. This is my first trip to the new forum. Folks were so incredibly helpful on the old webcafe after my original diagnosis.
