DEAR DR. GOTT:
My wife had a colostomy because of a bowel obstruction in January 2006. She has had a great deal of suffering since it reversed in June 2006.
It seems like she has to go to the emergency room of our local hospital every three or four months because of severe abdominal pain. The pain always comes from the same location, the area where the two sections of intestine were reattached.

During her follow-up visits after the surgeries she was told that because of her persistent pain that she is in the 25% of patients who have chronic pain because of adhesions and scar tissue build-up at the incision site. The excess tissue is also causing parts of the intestine to collapse, leading to periodic blockages and pain that are treated with IV antibiotics and pain medication in the hospital. [Read more...]