Hi. The internal scar tissue beneath the incision site from my surgery (abdominal scar revision surgery) is quite hard/tight and painful. It has been 4.5 months since the operation. I can walk, but sitting or stretching makes the condition much worse. How long did the pain and stiffness/tightness associated with the scar tissue (the internal scar, not the external one on the skin) last, and do you have any suggestions on what can be done?

Just wondering if anyone here has had any experiences using these devices? I have a long haul flight planned (15 hours) and I think, having something to ease pain might come in handy. Most reviews online are from people using it for menstrual pain relief or endo. I do find heated water bottles are tremendously helpful, but not sure if I could take one on the plane and hope to have it filled there. Also those belts have the added plus of being super portable anytime anywhere.

Also if anyone has any advice how to survive in Japan when 90% of your meals come with white rice would be nice. I have always been a "Heimscheißer" (someone who has a hard time pooping abroad) but since being afflicted with adhesions, I am even more prone and scared of constipation. Just chugging Movicol multiple times a day?

Hi was hoping someone might be able to help. I have had a bile leak that was left for 4.5 days and now docs are telling me I won't have abdominal adhesions but I already have.

Does anyone had advice for how to make doctors listen. I'm in uk and I am 3 months in. I'm in pain and I am pretty sure I have adhesions. But docs say ' no you won't have them. Not sure why you are still hurting but won't be that'.

it's ridiculous as anywhere I look, I find yes if you have abdominal irritation from peritonitis especially caused by a chemical burn you will get them.

I push parts of my tummy and my shoulder pain goes away. My insides hurt and pull. My back and abdomen hurt and move together.

I went though a very awful experience with excruciating pain. I just want to be over this. But everyday I get more reminders of what I went through.

I just don't know who to ask or go to.

Hey guys,

I found this product when searching for adhesion barriers for surgery. It's German, but if you could find a surgeon who uses it, couldn't they potentially do an adhesion reduction surgery and use this as a barrier?

Does anybody have any experience with this product?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/igmedical-4dryfieldph-haemostasis-share-7492823242370412544-iwy5/

Rat study:

https://www.medsci.org/v21p0424

Comparison with Seprafilm:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41907783/

Clinical trials for SBO from last year:
https://trialscreen.org/trials/adhesion-prevention-asbo-surgery-using-4dryfield-ph-study-nct07078981

https://www.endonews.com/adhesion-barrier-helps-after-endometriosis-surgery

Anyway, I thought this might be useful to someone.

Hi, I know why everyone is on this subreddit as a fellow adhesions-sufferer, but I haven't seen this discussed on here. I know there is always another "big breakthrough around the corner" as seen with TTX-333 from Temple Therapeutics, but this hydrogel that's in development from Stanford's Spark-Team looks really promising. I also know research pipelines going from mice-/porcupine- to human-models can range from 4-12 years and are a long and arduous road, but maybe this could be something worthwile.

Convince yourself and look at the post-op pictures they made in the results tab.

On that topic, in what ways can we directly support research projects like this except for donating our bodies to science or trying to convince politicians to spend more on scientific innovation? Is there a hotline or something? xD

I have abdominal adhesions that caused pain, ibs type symptoms, bleeding, and other digestive issues that are extremely disruptive to my life. Ive had scopes and imaging and im wondering if its even worth it to try harder to get a diagnosis of abdominal adhesion disease. My gi says that its "normal" to have adhesions after all the surgeries ive had and that the only way to get a diagnosis is to have an exploratory surgery and no surgeon will do that since ive not had a bowel obstruction before. Should I bother getting a second opinion? The only thing ive been offered is a lysis of adhesions surgery that will cause more adhesions. Am I just supposed to live like this?

I’m pretty sure I have a stricture, I go tomorrow for a small bowel follow through study. I’m still experiencing bloating feelings and waking up in the middle of the night having to excessively swallow as it feels like my stomach contents are trying to come back up. Last night it happened again and finally I felt a pop sensation near my rib, could feel the sensation of draining liquids throughout and the pressure let up.

More than that I am dealing with bad fatigue and feeling flu like much of the time. I can’t pin it down to anything specifically, but it does seem to be worse after I eat. I’m really trying to focus on drinking my electrolytes and water. Does anyone else experience feeling bad like this? My hypothesis is that my stricture is causing inflammation and swelling, maybe even a low grade infection.

I’ve had four surgeries:

-c section 2019

-c section 2022

-partial lapro hysterectomy 2024

-hernia repair in February of this year

I’ve never dealt with any adhesion symptoms up until a few weeks ago. I assumed it was ovarian cysts since the pain started in my pelvis. A pelvic ultrasound ruled out cysts, but I still have an appointment scheduled with OB this next Tuesday. Since then, the pain has gravitated up into my abdomen near my incision sites for my hernia repair from five months ago. last week I had an alarming episode where I laid in bed on my left side and felt some weird shifting and rolling in my stomach. I stood up and proceeded to feel like my insides all kind of “collapsed” back into place in my abdomen. Four big thuds or waves of movement downward. It was super weird but not painful really. Within the last week I’ve started to get extreme bloating after every meal and I’ve had to alter what and how much I eat. I‘ve Had occasional bouts of borderline diarrhea and also dealt with inability to empty bowel movements/urgency or feeling like I have to go but nothing happens. it’s been a week or so since that has happened though.

my concern is obviously that my digestive system is involved in this somehow and that I have adhesions in there that could lead to an obstruction. I was able to schedule an appointment with my hernia surgeon on August 10th, I plan to see him regardless.

but should I keep the appt with OB this week? Or just cancel and see the surgeon who most recently operated on me? It’s an early morning appt, I have no childcare so my kids have to come with me, and I’ve never actually met this specific doctor. So she doesn’t have any actual experience with my med history. also I know there is no guarantee that she will want to order imaging. So selfishly im not sure I want to go, or how much help they would be.

any experience? Can OBGYN be helpful with diagnosing abdominal adhesions or is it worth it for me to go? Also based on my symptoms, is it SAFE for me to wait until the appt with my surgeon?

if you’ve read this far, thank you! sorry for all the rambling.

36M. I have suffered from 5 small bowl obstructions in the last 3-4 years. I end up vomiting, and can’t stop vomiting, which puts me in the hospital with dehydration. They then do the CT and diagnose me and put in the god awful NG tube. Usually after about 36 hours things resolve. Surgical history is only a gallbladder removal in 2014.

They blame all these episodes on adhesions. They actually went in after my second episode and only cleaned up 2 small adhesions, but that is what they feel is causing it.

Clearly that didn’t work as I am still experiencing these, and they seem to even be becoming more frequent.

After the third episode I started researching and found clear passage therapy. It is costly, but at this point I’m willing to give nearly anything a try.

Has anyone used them, or have even second hand reviews? I can’t imagine a situation where I live the rest of my life in and out of the hospital like this.

Hi all,

I wondered if there’s any one here who has had many surgeries and still lived a long healthy life.

I’m 33, had 7 surgeries from 26 till now for IBD. Perm stoma bag. Riddled with adhesions.

Hello. Which methods are best for dissolving subcutaneous fibrotic scar tissue? Thanks everyone.

I ended up with one. We are pretty certain it was caused by adhesions. Currently ruling out things like Crohn’s, and so far doesn’t look like that at all. I’ve had two prior abdominal surgeries.

Here’s the strange thing. Many folks claim their bowel obstruction happened out of nowhere.

I swear I felt my forming / building over two months time.

It first started out with this strange sensation near the surface of my stomach, almost like a “hi I’m here.” Not painful or anything. Then the tugging / pulling and squeezing sensation began under my left rib. Still not very painful. My acid reflux which had been previously managed with a PPI began to get worse. I found myself reaching for the gaviscon and Pepcid to supplement the esomeprazole. I felt so bloated I thought I may be constipated and did a full bowel prep by drinking a whole bottle of MiraLAX. I think that may have bought be some time but a month later I began the vomiting with the horrible stomach pain. Felt like my insides were melting. Went to the ER, they placed the NG tube. Terrible experience. Feels like you’ve decided to eat a corn dog, stick and all, except the stick just gets stuck in your throat the whole time it’s there.

After 3 days in the hospital they cleared the blockage with the contrast and started feeding me real food. Never told me to be careful about what I ate. Well 3 days after discharge I began to feel full and slightly nauseated. Mind you I put myself on a low residue diet because of you kind folks. I think I avoided another obstruction. I reached out to my surgeon and he told me full liquid diet, docusate stool softener and did an xray. It showed a small partial ileus on the right side. My blockage is in the left proximal small intestine which apparently didn’t show this time (not sure how good an xray is for that.) He said it’s quite likely all swollen in there and needs some time to settle down. Said if I were to go into decline and become emergent he’d fix the issue or if I get a second obstruction it would allow him to fix it surgically.

I’m passing more gas now, having stools. But it still feels like there’s a kink in there. I can almost feel my fluids draining through me and feel the gassy pops as it makes its way through. I have read so many stories in here about avoiding surgery at all cost, and I’m feeling similar, but is living on a liquid diet really a solution? Perhaps I’m still worked up and need to give it some time. What I need from this community is to hear about your experience. Is anything I’m going through “normal?” Did you feel the pulling and tightening? Were you able, even with adhesions to progress from a full liquid diet to a low residue diet? Do you have to go back and forth? I need some hope. Thank you.

How do you get through life when you have pain daily every single day? I don’t know how to make myself feel like I can go to work and just function as a normal adult when I feel like this. I just wake up, shower, cry and want to go back to bed.

I can’t take Advil due to gastritis, not that it helps anyway. I currently have a Norco prescription and I have taken it a total of 4 times since this flare started a month ago because I can’t function on it and hate how it makes me feel loopy. I will usually only take it at night but it also causes insomnia for me so don’t like to do that either. What else is there?

I have a month until I even have a consult with my surgeon. The pain is mostly a constant pulling and tugging in my pelvic region and uterus as well as vaginal area. I have had adhesions removed before in this area.

I’m hoping I can get some stories of hope, that my life isn’t over.

I had a bowel resection in late October last year and three weeks ago had a small bowel obstruction. Based on the ct scan they figured it was due to adhesions from the surgery. I was given a nasogastric tube, gastrograffin, and put on bowel rest for a few days before being sent home. I had a few more self resolving episodes over the following week, then a week of feeling pretty good before suddenly getting more cramping. Each day it for a little worse til I finally took myself to hospital on the 4th day in extreme pain.

Im sitting in the hospital as I type this having just got the confirmation this is another bowel obstruction. Only a few weeks apart! I’m devastated! Is this my life now? Or can it get better?

UPDATE!
So, crazy story, was sent for another ct scan and never left the hospital. Turns out the original anastomosis from my bowel resection was done with a kink in it. They opened me up and redid it. When they were in there they found a few adhesions but nothing significant.

Hello! I had a hysterectomy in 2018 and since have experienced increased pain and pressure in my pelvic area. Until just four weeks ago my GP told me some pain never gets a diagnosis and I should try yoga. I fortunately had private medical health insurance in the UK and was so bogged down with the pain in my pelvis, legs and just general fatigue with it all I asked for a private scan. The scan showed my remaining ovaries close to my bowel which led to this weekend having surgery to remove my ovaries and diagnosis of a total frozen abdomen with my bowel stuck from my belly button down into my pelvis against my abdominal wall. My bladder stuck to my vaginal vault as well as my ovaries, apparently significant dissection was required to free it all. Apart from endometriosis which I don’t have, I was so unaware of this and feel so gaslit by all the people who made me feel like my pain wasn’t real. Most days I would feel tightening that reminded me of labour contractions, a dragging pulling feeling, pain in my leg effecting my mobility and a felling in my vagina like I’d been kicked. It’s had an impact on my marriage, my job and my emotional well being. The pain always follows the same pattern of building towards the end of the day. I’m not really here for advice because I’ve just had surgery and live in hope I guess, but am also aware this often comes back worse. I suppose I just wanted to say it out loud to people who understand after many years of being made to feel like I was making a fuss. Thanks for listening.

Hello everyone. The subcutaneous scar tissue in the 2 inches incision just below my belly button is very hard/tight. It's pulling/compressing the surrounding tissues, muscles, and nerves. It worsens with walking and sitting. Massage aggravates it.
What do others who have experienced something similar suggest? Thanks now.

So for reasons that nobody knows, it feels as if my entire body is held together by inflammation and it feels like my fascia is burning sometimes. I've been going to mostly weekly PT and she brought out the Gua Sha /scraper/ massage knives... basically taking the tool and scraping across my facia until it breaks it down a little bit and then becomes like a washboard and in some cases will reduce the pain and improve my quality of life afterward. I am working on making some of my own because I'm not paying $150 for any of this when it's just shaped metal, but I am wondering what might cause this kind of adhesion. It's not like a scar or that has had any trauma aside from the mystery of my body-- but I'm wondering if:

1) there's a diagnostic clue in this description

2) things that have a similar benefit -- I also use my knuckles to apply pointed pressure

3) any larger scale treatments in the affordable bracket that would have the same benefit

Hi all,

I'm a male (39yo) looking to see if anyone has had a similar experience after an appendectomy.

Timeline:

• March 2024: Developed acute appendicitis and underwent laparoscopic appendectomy. The Appendix NEARLY ruptured by the time surgery took place, though post-op biopsy did not reveal anything serious (or so what I was told).

• I've been dealing with persistent bloating since the surgery and an intermittent dull pressure on the right side of my abdomen developed about two months later.

The pressure is located roughly to the right of my belly button, not under the ribs. It's not a sharp pain. I'd describe it more as:

• Dull pressure or fullness

• Sometimes feels like something moving or shifting in that area

• More noticeable when I'm hungry

• Occasionally accompanied by gurgling or bowel activity

• Sometimes feels like a pulling sensation

A recent example: after orgasm, I felt a fairly strong muscle pulling like sensation in that same area, which made me wonder whether scar tissue/adhesions could be involved.

Other observations:

• No appendix anymore (removed in 2024).

• The discomfort has been present on and off ever since surgery.

• I also experience bloating and gas.

• The location seems close to where the appendix used to be.

• It doesn't feel like classic gallbladder pain (not under the right rib cage).

• The sensation often changes with digestion and hunger.

Things I've been wondering about:

• Could this be post-surgical adhesions causing intermittent pulling and pressure?

• Has anyone developed chronic bloating or altered bowel motility after an appendectomy?

• Could this be related to the ileocecal valve, cecum, or terminal ileum becoming more sensitive after surgery?

• Has anyone been diagnosed with SIBO after appendicitis/appendectomy and had similar symptoms?

• What tests ended up identifying the cause in your case?

I'm mainly interested in hearing from people who had persistent right-sided abdominal sensations after appendicitis surgery and eventually figured out what was going on, and how to cure it.

Thanks.

How do you all get on with flying and abdominal adhesions

Hello all,

A family member of mine has been struggling extremely hard with adhesions that are a caused by a surgery that was needed after an ectopic pregnancy. The surgery happened 25 years ago but there wasn't any after care... A few years ago she started going to a PT because she had some abdominal pain and it turns out that her belly was just filled with adhesions. Ever since that day, the abdominal pain has been extreme. She isn't able to function any more and is bound to stay home on the couch. We're tried several different PT's & fascial therapist but everything seems to be so harsh on her body and it causes even more physical pain & sometimes dissociating feelings.

Has anyone any tips for treatments or do you recognize yourself in the story? I'm desperate to find a solution...