mid to left side ab pain

[ShelleyR44]

about 4 years ago I went through cat scan and colonoscopy for mid to left side ab pain.  A little IBS was all that was found.  11 years ago I had emergency vertical c-section.  The pain is like burning tearing pain that radiates through my back on the left side only. Way worse when on my period or about to start. Appendix removed as a child.  If this is adhesions, what are options, and does it continue to get worse?

[kelkel55]

Has your doctor checked for endometriosis? or adenomyosis? It took 3 years before they diagnosed me. I have severe chronic constipation, constant sharp ache, burning stabbing knife-like pain in pelvis that radiates all the way to my rib cage and wraps around my sides and into my lower back. Sharp stabbing pain in the pelvis and rectum during bowel movements, lots of blood and mucuos in stool. Nausea, bowel cramping. The pain is constant but flares up dramatically approx. 3 days before my period, during, and 3 days after, and before, during, and after sex. On my period I change to diarrhea, drastic bleeding, passing blood clots. Endo and IBS go hand in hand, usually you have some endo on the bowel as well. It won't show up in a colonoscopy, only if it's severe enough to actually invade the bowel wall. Another thing that causes your symptoms is ovarian cysts. Especially if the are reoccurring and keep rupturing, that's another sign of endo. See an ob/gyn, but the only way to actually confirm diagnosis is with a laparoscopy. Let me repeat, the symptoms can be a sign of many other conditions that's why it usually takes so long to diagnose, it took 3 years to diagnosis me, about 15 doctors, and a boat load of procedures: colonoscopy, hida scan, x-rays, CT scan, ultrasounds, blood work, urine samples, stool samples, specialized genetic testing. All negative, when I finally had the laparoscopy it had invaded my entire abdomen. My only choice for pain relief other than narcs. or pelvic block is a complete and total hysterectomy, and removal of some of my bowel. And even with the pelvic block I will still need narcs for the endo that's in the abdomen. And even after a complete hysterectomy I could still have pain due to adhesions. It spreads like wildfire, it's basically a woman exclusive benign cancer so to speak. Even if the surgeon removes the implants with laser, they will continue to come back as long as you have a uterus and ovaries. I could be barking up the wrong tree, but I would still be undiagnosed if one doc hadn't obsessed over the fact that symptoms changed and worsened with my cycle.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Shelley,

Welcome to the Pain Mangement Forum. I am sorry for your pain but glad that you found MedHelp and posted.

An adhesion is a band of scar tissue that binds together two anatomic surfaces which are normally separated from each other. Burning pain is the primary description of nerve pain. However I have massive adhesions and burning pain is part of the description of my pain. They have not gotten worse.  Everyone is different and some ppl report that their symptoms improve over time. Mine has remained about the same with possibly some slight improvement.

Lysis (destruction or dissolution) of adhesions is a surgery performed to free adhesions from tissues. The medical community seems divided on the subject of pain caused by adhesions and how to approach that pain. Some physicians beleive that adhesions are not a source of pain awhile others recognize it as a pain producing problem.
  
Surgery used to be avoided for adhesions as the thought was if your body is prone to adhesions surgery will just produce more. It is my understanding that lysis is a last resort procedure.

Discuss your options with your physician/surgeon. In the meantime seek treatment for your pain. Hopefully others will have suggestions for you.

Please let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to your updates.

Peace,
Tuck