With adhesions, there is only 1 definitive way to diagnose them. They won’t show up on ultrasounds, or any other kind of scans. Blood tests and urine samples won’t give any answers. No examination either. So the only way that will diagnose 100%. Surgery!
A laparoscopy is an investigative surgery, nowadays generally done through keyhole procedure. What does that mean in layman’s terms?? Well here’s a rough guide to adhesion surgery;
Keyhole surgery involves having 3 small cuts made, as opposed to the olden days when they would cut you right open. The cuts are roughly an inch wide, if that! This is good for a few reasons;
1) You are left with minimal scarring
2) The healing process is much quicker and safer
Once these incisions have been made, they then fill your abdomen with gas. This gives them room to see what they are doing, and more room to move about. The down side to this though, is the aftermath. The gas goes in…….so it has to come out! For a few days after you do have the constant farts! It can also make you feel quite uncomfortable, and almost like you have indigestion. One thing I found that really helped with this is flat lemonade. I’m not sure how or why it works??? But it does lol!
Ok, where was I? After your stomachs been inflated, a camera is then passed through into your abdomen. This is when they have a good look around, and how they can see if and where you have any adhesions. 9 times out of 10, if they are found, the surgeon will remove them if possible at the same time, instead of leaving it to another operation. For any surgeon though, this is a very time-consuming job. I remember being told before one of mine that I should be in theatre for around 45 mins. This was a 7:15 am. I remember looking at the clock when I was brought back up to the ward and it was 11:45. This gives you a rough idea of how long it could take! It’s a very fiddly job and as adhesions can be stuck to pretty much anything, a good surgeon will take their time, as they don’t want to damage any other part of you, or any other organs.
Nowadays, there are now ‘Adhesion Barriers’ available and are used once the adhesions have been removed. This is a liquid that is left inside your abdomen. If the adhesions regrow, this barrier coats your insides and is meant to prevent any sticking, which is what causes the problems. Unfortunately they are not 100% successful yet.
So this is a rough idea on how adhesion surgery works. Any kind of surgery can be extremely daunting and scary, especially if you have no idea what’s going to happen.
I have been pretty lucky that my consultant went through everything with me before hand and told me exactly what was going to happen, yet I know that not everyone is that lucky and can be chucked in at the deep end, with no explanation what so ever.
***I would like to state that I am not a Doctor though, and have no medical education. This information has been provided from my own experiences. Every surgery is different, so this should not be taken as set in stone***
Diary of Adhesions 