Abdominal adhesions form as the body's natural healing response to trauma, infection, inflammation, even radiation.
This natural occurrence, however, can get out of hand.
For reasons yet unknown, some adhesions continue to grow.
Soon, what the body meant as healing becomes an illness of its own when adhesions begin to fuse internal organs together.
Surgery is the number one cause of adhesions; as surgery is trauma to the body.
Problematic adhesion formation can occur within days after a surgical procedure or even many years later.
Adhesions sufferers often report abdominal pain (sometimes, severe) abdominal pulling or feeling restricted, nausea, vomiting, back pain, distended belly, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or intermittent diarrhea alternating with constipation, and a host of other symptoms.
Though doctors are well aware of adhesions, they have long ignored the patient who presents with all symptoms of a problematic condition known as adhesion related disorder.
Many adhesions sufferers are incorrectly "diagnosed" with IBS, Crohn's disease, endometriosis, or other illness.
Most adhesions sufferers (even those doubled over in pain) leave the doctor's appointment with little more than advice on how to calm their "nervous stomach," while also been told to follow a low residue diet.
The quick dismissal of a chronically ill patient can be fatal to the person whose extreme pain is the result of a small bowel obstruction due to adhesions which have entrapped the bowel.
It is often said hindsight is 20-20.
Most of wish we could have seen clearly or had all facts available to us at a a time of great distress.
Looking back upon our long journey with our daughter's illness, we now know the many bouts of extreme pain she experienced were the result of small bowel obstructions.
Due to adhesions which had encased her bowel, food could not be properly digested.
The lodged food caused great pain and distress--a bowel obstruction--which finally resulted in hours of vomiting.
However, even when the food is moving back up and out of the system, the sufferer is not out of harms way.
Anyone who is doubled over with abdominal pain should seek medical attention immediately, as a bowel obstruction is a life-threatening emergency.
If you have reason to suspect you or your loved one is having a bowel obstruction, do not allow ER medical staff to insist it is the flu (something we encountered time and again).
Insist on an xray and pain medication.
Medications for pain, as well as medication which will relax the bowel are a godsend to the person suffering this painful event.
Oftentimes, the bowel obstruction will pass on its own without necessitating the need for an NG tube.
*Note: It is estimated that over ninety percent of patients who undergo major abdominal or pelvic surgery will develop adhesions, with over fifty percent of this group developing problematic adhesions which involve fused organs.
*Source: EndoGyn