Bands of scar tissue in the abdominal lining that form after surgery, infection, trauma, or disease.
Medical records that document the origin of your adhesions — operative reports, discharge summaries, records of trauma, or records of infection or inflammatory disease — help establish that adhesions are confirmed and symptomatic as required at every rating level above 0%.
For the 10% level, records or provider notes showing at least one symptom such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, colic, constipation, or diarrhea are central. For the 30% level, documentation of a healthcare provider's dietary instructions — such as a low-fiber or low-residue diet prescription — adds the medically-directed dietary modification element. For the 50% level, hospital admission records showing at least one inpatient stay per year for recurrent obstruction are also needed. For the 80% level, surgical or specialist notes stating that the bowel obstruction is inoperable or refractory to treatment, or records showing TPN has been prescribed for obstructive symptoms, directly address those criteria.
Your own statements and statements from people who know you, describing how symptoms affect your ability to eat, work, and carry out daily activities, can support the overall picture of severity at any level.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
