Parousia
Well-Known Member
Note: This is probably not DS related, but I haven't had any answers going down other paths, so I'm wondering (Admins welcome to move to a more appropriate forum, if more appropriate).
The backstory: For about 2 weeks after I had my right Fallopian tube removed (along with a 4.5 inch diameter cyst) and hernia repair, I had very strange lower left quadrant abdominal pain. It was a burning pain and felt like a nerve was being pinched. I assumed it was caused by the surgery, despite being about 5.5 inches to the left of the laparotomy scar. Anyway, the pain resolved and the scar healed.
Now to the present: With the approval of my surgeon, I started wearing a corset last week for the first time (mainly to help with back pain, although the surgeon said it would help with supporting healing after the hernia repair as well). The corset has to go through a seasoning period, so I barely tightened it and wore it for 1h 30 on the first day. I felt a twinge of pain where I had experienced it before, but not enough to "click".
The next day I tightened the corset by about an inch, and wore it for 2h 30 (it should have been two hrs, but I lost track of time). Towards the end of that time I was experiencing a bit more pain than before, which was quite a bit worse after removing the corset.
The following day I was in a significant amount of pain, despite forgoing the corset altogether. It continued to worsen, and after phoning a medical helpline, was told it might be an abdominal hernia and I should get help within 4 hrs. It was late in the evening, so hubby took me to the ER and after several hours they admitted me to the surgical ward.
Over a couple of days I had x-rays, an ultrasound and blood tests, but didn't find anything. The surgeon there suggested it could be muscular (something about end point(?) of the muscle - not sure). Possibly damage from the surgery(?). He also said I was quite constipated (hospitals and oxycodone do that to me!) and that could be putting pressure on scar tissue from the surgery and causing the pain. They prescribed a Fleet enema, which resolved the constipation over that day and the next, but didn't help the pain at all. The surgeon seemed dubious about whether the corset could cause the problem, but yeah...it probably didn't cause it, but it clearly aggravated it!
Anyway, yesterday I was discharged with instructions to go to my GP if the pain hadn't resolved in a week, and get her (doctors always say 'him') to send me for a CT Scan to see if there was bowel involvement and to contact Peter Nottle (DS Surgeon) to see what he thinks.
So, my question is: does anybody have any experience with something like this? The pain is constant when I'm standing up, but eases when I lie down (it doesn't go away). It really does feel like nerve pain to me, but as there is no hernia, it's not from that. Could there be bowel involvement, even though it feels like it is in the abdominal wall/muscle? Could it be DS related?
PS Apologies for the length!
The backstory: For about 2 weeks after I had my right Fallopian tube removed (along with a 4.5 inch diameter cyst) and hernia repair, I had very strange lower left quadrant abdominal pain. It was a burning pain and felt like a nerve was being pinched. I assumed it was caused by the surgery, despite being about 5.5 inches to the left of the laparotomy scar. Anyway, the pain resolved and the scar healed.
Now to the present: With the approval of my surgeon, I started wearing a corset last week for the first time (mainly to help with back pain, although the surgeon said it would help with supporting healing after the hernia repair as well). The corset has to go through a seasoning period, so I barely tightened it and wore it for 1h 30 on the first day. I felt a twinge of pain where I had experienced it before, but not enough to "click".
The next day I tightened the corset by about an inch, and wore it for 2h 30 (it should have been two hrs, but I lost track of time). Towards the end of that time I was experiencing a bit more pain than before, which was quite a bit worse after removing the corset.
The following day I was in a significant amount of pain, despite forgoing the corset altogether. It continued to worsen, and after phoning a medical helpline, was told it might be an abdominal hernia and I should get help within 4 hrs. It was late in the evening, so hubby took me to the ER and after several hours they admitted me to the surgical ward.
Over a couple of days I had x-rays, an ultrasound and blood tests, but didn't find anything. The surgeon there suggested it could be muscular (something about end point(?) of the muscle - not sure). Possibly damage from the surgery(?). He also said I was quite constipated (hospitals and oxycodone do that to me!) and that could be putting pressure on scar tissue from the surgery and causing the pain. They prescribed a Fleet enema, which resolved the constipation over that day and the next, but didn't help the pain at all. The surgeon seemed dubious about whether the corset could cause the problem, but yeah...it probably didn't cause it, but it clearly aggravated it!
Anyway, yesterday I was discharged with instructions to go to my GP if the pain hadn't resolved in a week, and get her (doctors always say 'him') to send me for a CT Scan to see if there was bowel involvement and to contact Peter Nottle (DS Surgeon) to see what he thinks.
So, my question is: does anybody have any experience with something like this? The pain is constant when I'm standing up, but eases when I lie down (it doesn't go away). It really does feel like nerve pain to me, but as there is no hernia, it's not from that. Could there be bowel involvement, even though it feels like it is in the abdominal wall/muscle? Could it be DS related?
PS Apologies for the length!
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