Uncurable severe abdominal pain

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My wife had a total colectomy for colonic inertia on April 26.  She started to feel better.  She was eating a whole lot better.   The abdominal pain was going away.  She was eating whatever she wanted.  

Then, over Memorial Day weekend, she told me she didn't know what was wrong, she just didn't feel right.  I made about 7 telephone calls to her surgeon over that weekend.  It was finally decided, after she had told me she then couldn't urinate, that she would go to his office after she had some blood work done (his office was in a clinic so it was easy).  He then ordered a CT scan of her abdomen for the next day (he said the blood work came back normal).  She had the scan in the morning.  In the afternoon the doctor called us back to his office immediately (THAT told us something was wrong),.  From his office, he ordered us immediately to the hospital.  It seems she had caught all of her doctors (even her PCP) flat footed.  She had a huge abscess in her abdomen and had shown none of the normal signs.  The surgeon had to re-open her abdomen and surgically remove the abscess because the infection was too thick to do it any other way.  

Since that surgery my wife's health has done a complete turn around.  She's back to having severe abdominal pain (Sometimes I'll find her bent over in so much pain).  She's having a hard time swallowing.  She has a lot of gas.  To me her abdomen just doesn't look right.  It looks very distended.  She has tried Vicodan, Fioricet, Darvicet,  Percoset, and Tylenol 3 with no relief at all.  Pain management tried her on Neuronton with the only result that it has, after just 5 days, left her with insomnia.  Now they want her to take Cymbalta!  It seems to do the same thing as the Neuronton.  We've decided not to take it.

Has anybody got any ideas as to why everything went south right after she had the abdominal abscess.  Does anybody have any ideas as to what she can do to ease the pain?

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Doctornee:

My wife asked one other question.  If the laproscopy is done and nothing can be found, what does she do then?

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Doctornee:

I wish to thank you for your prompt response.  Unfortunately, I didn't get it until today.  But that's ok because it was good information.  My wife has a couple of more questions.  

1. She wants to know how it takes for scar tissue to build up inside the abdomen.  Would it build up in just a few months?  She had the total colectomy on April 27 of this year.  She had the abscess removal on June 7 again of this year.  Would it build up that quickly?

2. Would it make a difference if I were to tell you that she has now got a severe intolerance to cold temperatures.  By severe, I mean if the temperature inside the house gets below 80, she has to put on her flannel pajamas and a winter sweater because she's freezing.

3. Finally, she is being scheduled for an abdominal pain block procedure within the next couple of weeks.  Would this be a healthy alternative to laproscopic surgery or would it block the pain while allowing the condition to get worse?

Again thank you for your last response.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
In all probability after the abscess there has been a lot of scarring and adhesions which is causing kinking of the intestines and pain. These cannot be diagnosed by any tests or imaging. Only diagnosis is by laproscopy and treatment is cutting the adhesions. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!