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I am having a fair bit of abdominal pain and am wondering if it is from adhesions as I have had three large abdominal surgeries including the debulking one. Does anyone have expeience with this and is there anything that can be done. Right now my only solution is using a heating pad on my belly. It deadens the pain but doesn't really get rid of it.

Hi @WestWind ... your question is timely as we had a discussion about adhesions recently in a separate post. If you go type into the search bar at the top of this page and type in, "Were you warned about preventative bowel obstruction measures" you should get a list of discussions and this thread should be at the top of the list. If you click on the thread you will be taken to that discussion thread. You may find some interesting information related to this topic. 

The quick response is yes, many of us have experienced abdominal pain. Many of us believe it is abdominal adhesions which are common post abdominal surgery. The challenge we have discovered, is 'diagnosing' them. I have used a heating pad as well, plus I'll take Tylenol if I really need it.

Make sure you add this topic to your list of items to discuss with your medical team. See what information they can offer and what suggestions they may have to alleviate some of the pain. If you learn anything on the topic we'd love to learn more.

#Treatmentandsideeffects

Hi @WestWind .... I wanted to do a follow-up post as I saw my gyn oncologist last week. I asked her about my repeated left side abdominal pain and asked if it could be adhesions or scar tissue? She said it most likely is just that (that's what her team has been telling me for a few months). A recent CT did not reveal anything cancer related (yeah!). I asked her if adhesions/scar tissue can be 'diagnosed' and she confirmed that the only way to do that is to go back into the pelvis via an operation or laparoscopically AND that can just add to the adhesions. So, unless the pain is extreme and causing other complications e.g., bowel blockages, a doctor isn't likely going to investigate further. She suggested massage, heat etc., which are what others here have like @melissa have suggested. 

My doctor also suggested that I continue to explore high fibre and low fibre diets. Again, not going extreme but trying to isolate if there is something food related that might be causing my issues and my scar tissue seems to have narrowed my sigmoid colon. Of course, I'd have to do them separately e.g., spend a few months exploring one and then the other. Ultimately, it's a trial and error game now.

Sorry I didn't have a better answer on this one.

#Treatmentandsideeffects

I told my GP about my pain and she has ordered a CA125 and CT scan plus Hgb, iron and thyroid tests because I am so tired. After I get the results she wants to actually see me. ( she prefers phone appts…which is fine with me for the most part) My oncologist is hard to reach and my GP while not easy to talk to is very, very thorough. Now I just hope for the best. Thanks for taking the time to respond and update. It is great to 'talk' to people who have the same issues and don't either expect me to drop dead any time now or blithely say You will beat it, then go on to tell me how terrible life is for them. Both of those respinses I have received in one variation or another.

@WestWind this is great progress. Good for you for continuing to advocate for yourself. Hopefully you'll be able to get some answers. Please keep us posted.

Hi West wind

My surgeon told me I had lots of adhesions in my pelvis and abdomen. My guess is from my endometriosis. About 9 months or so after my surgery I started getting mild pelvic discomfort/pain but I've had 3 or 4 scan since it started and all is clear. My guess is my on/off discomfort is from them growing back.

I use a heated magic bag and am trying to start doing self massage , I'm trying to learn techniques for this specifically. The heat and stretching help me about 25%

I have started having some aches and pains in my abdomen the last 8 days.  Started on my right side just above my belly buttton, similar pain and area that I had during my chemo treatments.  It lasted about 4 days.  Then it seemed to move over to my left side mid abdomen and is now going on day3 for this side.  It feels like a constant ache/bruise/pain, more with moving and bending down.  Tylenol didn't do anything.  I'm hoping it's just scar tissue forming and nothing else.  I'm not quite 6 months out of chemo.  I am monitoring for now and have my regular labs on March 4.  🤞

Hi Meivan. Your situation sounds very similar to mine. I am booked for blood work and a CT scan so my fingers are crossed too. Beth wishes to us both!

@Meinvan I've had on/off again abdominal pain since September of 2024. Mine too has started on one side and then moved to another side. The pain you describe is similar to what I have experienced. Mine ended up most recently, settling on my left side. It also had some 'pinching' to it as well. I monitored my bowels through it all to make sure I was pooping. I can have the pain for around 8 days and then it subsides. Most recently it was around 21 days. Hopefully as you said, it's scar tissue and your labs on March 4th will come back fine. I'm sorry Tylenol isn't helping. I was able to take x-strength and it helped a bit. Plus I used a heating pad, a LOT!

#Treatmentandsideeffects

I am finally able to get back to the discussion.

In the thread, "Were you warned ….", I said the doctor told me that my intestines were a mess, which she could tell from an x-ray and a CT scan. She was only going by the reports, which described 'multiple air-filled loops'.

As it turned out, I had an obstruction of scar tissue at the site of a previous bowel resection (2021), but made worse with chemo last summer for a tumour near the same site.

I had surgery to remove the obstruction which involved another resection (and no stoma!!). Afterwards the resident told me that she had never seen anything like it. The adhesions were so bad, my small intestine came out in one block. I asked if I had done anything to make it so bad. She said last summer's chemo was probably the cause.

So, yes, doctors actually have to open you up see the state of adhesions and scar tissue.

As for the discomfort you are experiencing, I was also using a heating pad and Tylenol, but I was blaming mine on gastritis which I had developed with the steroids during treatments. Ever since the first resection, there have been certain foods I've learned to avoid. I was just narrowing what I could comfortably eat, not realizing it was an obstruction.

Incidentally, two days after the resection, I needed emergency surgery for a blood clot. I lost a lot of blood and have been very, very slowly recovering, but I'm headed in the right direction. And, on a positive note, thankfully, I came home with both feet. 

All the best to you all.

Hello @GGail and welcome back. We are glad to hear your voice again! 🩵

So glad the surgery is behind you, they were able to hopefully now resolve your issue and no stoma. Sorry however to hear about the emergency surgery for the blood clot. I'm glad you are recovering but it sounds scary. You definitely need to give yourself lots of rest. 

#Healthandwellness

According to my gyne oncologist, the tumour of last winter created a fistula through the wall of my small intestine. It didn't give me any problems at the time and healed as the chemo destroyed the tumour. It seems the scar tissue it created was so close to the scar tissue of one of the previous resections, together it became a 4-cm obstruction.

I could hardly eat anything, was almost constantly in pain, tired all the time, and for the last few days threw up almost everything I ate. And was still thinking it was gastritis!

I think, along with blood loss, it's why I am so slow recovering. I was really not well for a while. It's 3 weeks today since the first surgery and my days are spent on the couch. I was able to sit at the table for dinner today. Tiny steps …

@GGail take it really slowly. You have endured a LOT. As you said, tiny steps....

#Supportandencouragement

@GGail. Glad you are on the road to recovery.  I don't like thinking it's adhesions for sure, I worry about the bowel obstructions.

@Alwayslearning yes I live on my heating pad most days for usual aches and pains.  Well pain seems to have subsided after 8 days….we will see.  Everything else was normal.

@Meinvan I'm glad it has subsided. I think I mentioned above that I have journaled (I just keep a running note in the Notes section of my iPhone), my symptoms. I started it post surgery, then I created a NOTE during chemo and then a new NOTE when I started Lynparza. It has been most helpful as I can look back and remind myself what the pain was like, how long it lasted, did I do anything that might have contributed (e.g., dietary) etc. When I think I may be experiencing something 'new', the notes help remind me it's just a repeat of something I've had before. It has also helped me understand the length of time I might have pain e.g., my longest stretch has been 21 days. I had initially thought the abdominal pain was related to the Lynparza, as it's a side effect, however my oncologist has since stressed it's more than likely scan tissue. Alas, as we all know from @GGail recent experience, they won't really know unless they 'open you up'. I'm very far from having to explore that as an option thankfully.

I hope your pain stays away for awhile. I know you have labs for March 4th. I hope those are all good too. 🤞

#Treatmentandsideeffects