... my abdomine causing pain mostly in my lower back and side right now. I was an avid exerciser and now my doctor says no exercise not even walking for 3 months. He said I can go in a pool. Isn't pool aerobics exercise? And I honestly don't know what adhesions even are. My doctor, although very good in his field, does not feel it necessary to answer all my questions. He just says do this or don't do that. I feel like my life has been turned upside down. I'm in good physical shape but what will no exercise (except going in a pool) do. Will I get weak from lack of exercise daily? I'm retired and going to the gym was my social life.
Abdominal Adhesions - After a hysterectomy 14 years ago for uterine cancer, I now have adhesions in?
- Asked
- 1 Nov 2013 by Jackie Waite
- Updated
- 13 November 2020
- Topics
- abdominal adhesions, hysterectomy, pain, endometrial cancer, cancer, doctor, exercise
5 Answers
kaismama
1 Nov 2013
They are bands of scars that form from the surgery, having your organs manipulated. They stick the organs in your belly together. They can cause bowel obstructions, and in this case it would be an emergency surgery. They are permanent. The cure and the cause are one and the same, that is to cut them. But then the surgery will again make more. I don't know what not exercising for 3 months is going to do. I think I'd see a specialist about it.
DzooBaby
1 Nov 2013
Yes, adhesions are scar tissue from the previous surgeries and like KM said, the only cure is to go in and cut them but this can lead to further scarring and more adhesions. They can be painful and problematic but like KM, I dont understand why he says no exercise for 3 months? I dont see what kind of effect he thinks this will have unless the adhesions are compressing or pulling on an organ and he plans to do surgery and doesnt want you to exercise until then or perhaps his thought is he thinks the exercise is making the adhesions worse but I'm not sure I would agree with that theory. Copy and paste this into your browser-it explains adhesions nicely:
digestive.niddk.nih.gov/DDISEASES/pubs/intestinaladhesions/
clare s
12 Jan 2014
I have abdominal adhesions, which returned again after an operation. I exercise nearly every day, from running to high impact aerobics. I also have sports massages on my stomach which really helps with the pain and the bloating. I also find that stretching really helps.
kathyhanson
12 Jan 2014
I have had adhesions for 35+ years after 5 major abdominal surgeries. With each surgery, the doctor would remove as many of the adhesions as he could, but, naturally, they would re-form. I was very active (I was a correctional officer) and exercised every day, including weight training until 10 years ago. Unless your doctor knows that you have adhesions that would cause a problem with exercise, I don't understand his no exercise for 3 months statement. I agree with the others that you should get a second opinion. But, Jackie, you are entitled to full explanations from your doctor. That is what he is being paid for. If he is making a "blanket" statement about exercise, ask him to focus only on you and what you can/cannot do. We do not pay these doctors for generalized answers. We want specifics about our own cases. Best wishes for good health.
clare s
12 Jan 2014
Do adhesions never go away?
kaismama
12 Jan 2014
They are scar tissue, scars don't go away.
kathyhanson
12 Jan 2014
Sorry, Jackie. kaismama is absolutely right. Adhesions won't go away any more than the visible scar from your hysterectomy will. They are permanent and the doctors will do something about them ONLY if they are causing serious problems with any of your internal organs.
mfpdfibro
13 Nov 2020
I used to suffer from Endometriosis and with it caused adhesions that would attack one thing to another like pull my right ovary around and attach to the back of my uterus. Some would stretch from the uterus to bowl and/or other places in the peritoneum. 15 years after the surgery to remove all of my female parts I started having really bad bouts of diarrhea like NOW. That was a lot of fun, as you can imagine. I went to have a scope and colonoscopy and they told me that they couldn’t do it because they couldn’t get the scope passed any further than the sigmoid colon. The very end or beginning of doing a scope because they said that there was an intrinsic obstruction. When I asked more about it, because I have had a colonoscopy before with no problem, the doctor had me do a ct scan, said my intestines were going up and down instead of side to side.
I went to a surgeon and asked him if he could remove the adhesions that were tangling me up, simply because despite the Gastroenterologist and my family doctor telling me that I was just born that way, it just made more sense that it was adhesions and I REALLY NEEDED THEM TO BE WERE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE. My colon/bowel/intestines. The surgeon doubted what I told him, but said FINALLY that he would take a look see and it ended up being a 2 hour surgery and I felt so much better. My thought was that if it took 15 years to get that bad, it was worth it, even if they come back in 15 years and need to do it again.
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