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STORTFORD GRANGE
Physiotherapy Centre
Jenkins Lane Hallingbury Road
Bishops Stortford Herts CM22 7QL
01279 654020
1. PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT FOR SCARRING OF THE BOWEL
This patient first went to her GP in August 2002 with a lump in her groin. No treatment was given and she had no real trouble with it until May 2003 when it really began causing pain. Another GP thought it was back pain caused by work. She was eventually diagnosed as having a strangulated hernia and was seen by a consultant and had surgery in June 2003. 2 weeks later she sneezed and felt a deep tearing inside. She was off work for 5 weeks but still had pain over the next 6 months. This was diagnosed as deep scarring in the bowel.
This pain continued until she came to Stortford Grange in May 2006. 3 sessions of Interferential Therapy and Ultrasound has completely resolved the condition.
I first visited my GP in August 2002 as I was worried about a lump in my groin area, he said it was the start of a hernia, no problem at that stage and to keep an eye on it and go back to him if I felt any discomfort or it got larger.
It remained the same and gave me no trouble until May 2003
Visited Paris weekend of 24th May 2003, when climbing the Sacre Coeur felt extreme discomfort and what felt like a stitch in my side but a ripping sensation as well.
Could not stand straight and held my right hand side to walk.
Thought it was my back!! Saw another GP on Weds 28th May 3.30pm. and he thought it was a work related back pain to do with sitting for long days at the computer.
Got worse, went back to the surgery and the GP immediately detected a large strangulated hernia and said I needed an urgent operation, as my work had private health cover I saw a consultant on the Friday 6th June by which time I had a swelling the size of a large sausage in my right hand groin he wanted me in that day but I promised to be ‘good’ for the weekend and I had the operation on Monday 9th June 2003.
The consultant said it had been a ‘messy and deep’ operation, strangulated hernia in the bowel part of intestine, I was amazed at the extent of the bruising.
Home to recover.
2 weeks after ‘op felt a lot better. Then I sneezed and felt a hot tearing inside.
Back to see the consultant, in pain, he said torn deep stitches, nothing he could do really but I MUST rest!
Had a total of 5 weeks off work, returned for half days not comfortable if sitting for too long.
August 2003 still in a lot of discomfort, expected to be a lot better by now, area on my tum/groin gets hot and is painful, went back to see the consultant he said rest was all I could do, it would take time, a lot of deep scarring to heal.
Constant discomfort aware of the 3 inch long area inside and always found myself holding it when getting up etc, to support that section. Discomfort in the hours before a bowel movement and during.
Visited the GP surgery twice more during the next 6 months, the most helpful was another GP, he said that the bowel was like a string of slippery sausages when healthy and that in my case he thought two pieces of bowel had fused together with the scarring etc and the discomfort was due to this ridge of scar tissue and the fact that this small section could not freely move.
He agreed with the consultant that it was too messy to open me up again to try to fix as this would only add to the scaring and no guarantees it would free everything up, he would have booked me in however at this stage if I had insisted.
His best advice was drink peppermint tea to help with the constant bloated and wind feeling I was getting.
Also tried reflexology, again good advice given this was late 2005 and from that visit onwards I started drinking over 2 litres of water a day and eating all bran, definite improvement due to easier bowel movements.
Always have done a regular daily exercise routine, 20 mins of step, touch toes, upper body workout etc, and believe this has helped with my general fitness and ability to cope with constant discomfort from this operation.
I visited Stortford Grange in May 2006 because I was living with constant discomfort.
DISCOMFORT:
Wind and Bloated feeling all the while especially after eating
Discomfort when sitting and needing to often stretch my right leg and right hand side of groin to relive discomfort and also my right leg which often went numb.
Often the discomfort in my groin became almost a pain and then that area would feel hot.
The area of about 3 inches was always hard.
Discomfort when passing bowel movement but the worst discomfort in that respect was
about 2-
Aware that when walking I often supported my side with my hand and especially if walking up hills felt like an old woman!
IMPROVEMENTS:
Since seeing Wendy I cannot believe it.
I am able to move so much more freely and realise that I have NO discomfort cannot feel the constant nagging from this area that I was living with
No wind or bloating
Tenderness and hardness when touching or pressing this area vastly improved.
I am amazed how I can press that area now and it is soft, it was always so hard.
Just returned from holiday, walked to the top of Ibiza town cathedral and this is a steep long climb, again so easy now and NO discomfort or awareness of the area at all.
Sex life improved.. hee hee!!
Hope I have remembered everything………………..
It is always useful to know if someone has suffered the same condition as yourself!
It is also useful for you, the patient, to know if we, at Stortford Grange have also
seen other patients with the same condition -
So what we will be building here is a series of interesting Case Studies for patients and health Professionals alike who are interested in the work that we carry out here at Stortford Grange.
These Case Studies are provided by the patients -
CASE STUDIES