Internal scarring. If only we could see the interior of our bodies as easily as we see the exterior. Our lives and the problems we encounter, especially when it comes to our health, would be so much easier to solve! Unfortunately, when it comes to the intricate workings of the machine inside of us, we truly see through a glass darkly. When health issues arise, we are forced to seek out medical assistance. Radiation imagery provides that look inside, which often paves the way to solving a health issue. Other times, however, even the best of medical imagery and blood work provide little to no clue to a problematic condition.
Internal scarring–adhesions–can cause life altering, debilitating symptoms that often leave the physician baffled after all medical tests have been concluded. Adhesions elude the eye of standard medical imagery and can only be diagnosed by diagnostic laparoscopy. The physician who suspects adhesions may suggest “exploratory surgery” or diagnostic laparoscopy. He may feel the need to have a look at internal organs. Unfortunately, however, this is rarely the case. Most adhesions sufferers will spend seven to ten years (on average) in search of an answer to their pain before learning they suffer from internal adhesions. In most cases, the sufferer is the one who usually stumbles on to information that leads him back to the doctor with the request for diagnostic laparoscopy.
Still yet, even if surgery is performed and adhesions are found, the journey to wellness is usually far from over. Though the surgeon may remove adhesions during laparoscopy surgery, if an adequate barrier is not used after adhesions are removed, the tissues begin to adhere once again. Adhesions are, after all, bands of scar tissue that form as the body’s natural method of healing; thus surgery without an adequate barrier is almost always an effort in futility.
For reasons yet unknown, some adhesions continue to grow, branching out like a vine, entrapping everything in its path. If you have seen a telephone pole or other structure encased by a wild vine, you know much of the pole or structure is no longer identifiable. In severe cases of adhesions, the surgeon must painstakingly remove adhesions just to find the organs that have been taken over by abnormal scar tissue growth.
Organs that have been compromised by scar tissue can play havoc on one’s life, as the internal organs are designed to move freely within the body. Scar tissue encasing the bowel can cause nausea and vomiting or a full blown bowel obstruction. Scar tissue on the diaphragm can cause breathing problems or a general shortness of breath. Adhesions on fallopian tubes can cause infertility problems, as well as severe pain during menses. Overall, adhesions that become problematic can destroy a person’s life, much as was true in the case of my daughter who suffered fourteen years–often in agonizing pain–before we learned the true culprit behind her debilitating pain–adhesions.