Has anyone suffered from chronic pain after surgery for years?

[cwal1951]

My son had surgery 4 years ago.  Ever since the surgeries, he has suffered from chronic pain. He has been to San Francisco and now Stanford to try and find out why he continues to suffer from chronic pain.  He has since had two hernia repair surgeries and his gall bladder removed. Still has the chronic pain. It is located in the lower right quadrant right under one of the incisions.  It isn't any where else even though his stomach area is full of scars. We have to take him to the emergency room every 3-4 days for pain relief as there is no other way to get him some relief. Local doctors don't want to take him on as a patient because of his undiagnosed condition. He has lost 3 jobs and just wants to get back to living.

Now when he has his pain, the pain is so severe that he goes into convulsions and blacks out.  The black outs are now lasting 5 minutes or longer.  It is the only time (other than with high powered medications) that he is at peace at all.  He can't take much more.  At this point, he just wants to black out and not wake up.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what it may be (possible adhesions), please let me know.  He is so tired of hearing "you are just going to have to live with it".  This is not living.

[reese09]

I have never known anyone else to have Meckel's.  When I saw this, I had to respond.  I am 36 years old.  I had a resection last January for Meckel's Diverticulum.  Since then, I have been in the hospital 4 times with severe pain in my upper stomach...in the middle under the rib area.  I have reoccurring intestinal blockages.  After extensive testing (colonoscopy, endoscopy, CT Scan's and now the "cam pill").  They have diagnosed me with Crohn's strictures.  Actually, I haven't passed the "cam pill"....24 days....and they say it is stuck in the narrowing.  Anyway, just thought it was interesting to hear of someone else with Meckel's.  Hope they find your son's problem and that he is able to get some relief.  I know the pain you are talking about...it becomes so bad that all you can do is go to the ER.

[cwal1951]

He was diagnosed with Meckel's Diverticulum. They did a small bowel resection. Six months later they had to go back in because of a stricture where the bowel was joined.

The location of the pain is the lower right quadrant, just parallel to the hip bone.  I hope that helps with the location. Right now they are assuming it is adhesions. They would like to rule out certain gastro issues, but are unable to get a true reading on any test until all of the opiates are out of his system. He is not able to do that because the pain is so severe.  No, they have never done a 3D untrasound that I know of.  I know they have done numerous ultrasounds, CT scans and x-rays and say there is nothing there.

He has been to San Francisco and has had numerous mobility tests done--i.e. stomach emptying, etc. Was done by the head of the GI department at one of the hospitals up there and all we were told was that his "serotonin level is off".  Once he gets his head together than he could go back and see them.  Felt like we got the royal kiss off.

Bowel habits are the same--diarrhea, now some bloody stools probably from hemorrhoids, so the doctors say.  He vomits every day, sometimes several times a day.  His pain is a sharp, stabbing pain. He says it feels like razor blades. No fever. Has his blood and urine tested every time he goes to the emergency room which is about every 2-3 days.  

I hope this gives you a better understand of what is going on.

[CalGal]

On your tags, you've also listed a Meckel's divertium. Has your son been diagnosed with a diverticulum? Was that one of the surgeries?

When you say lower right quadrant, can you be more specific about the location? Are the doctors assuming the problem is due to adhesions and have they followed up using 3D ultrasound to see where the adhesion(s) may be located?

What other tests has he had done to try to find the source of the pain? Is there any change in his bowel habits? Any other symptoms you neglected to mention?