My baby is great I had a baby boy and he doing wonderful!
I don't have help lot just my hubby at night and weekends!
Caz,
I too have a RVF due to a tear when I had one of my children over 30 years ago. I started out just passing gas through it. Not sure at the time what it was from. So after many years and upcoming hysterectomy in 2000 my doctor said we should try to fix the fistula. The Obgyn did the hysterectomy and a rectal surgeon was supposed to fix the fistula. Guess what? Nothing was fixed with the fistula and it actually made the RVF much worse. Before the surgery I was only passing gas through the fistula which was embarrassing enough. After the surgery I started passing feces through it. So I go back into my gyn doctor and she tries to fix it herself right there in the office by cauterizing it. Oh my gosh I can't tell you how much that hurt. Okay so a few months go by with severe pain, burning and bleeding in that area. It never healed up at all. So I go back in again to the obgyn office and she tries to cauterize it again. Again the pain and soreness, burning and bleeding. After this many times I just gave up and have been living with the RVF these many years. I have learned to live with it by wearing a small pad all the time because of the feces after a bowel movement. I am on a maintenance antibiotic for bladder infections when they come up. I have consulted with a specialist and they told me there was an 85% chance she could fix it. After everything I have been through with this that was not good enough for me. It has not been easy for my husband and I being intimate but he has been so patient and kind about the whole situation. This is caused me so much emotional distress because of the smell at times if I don't constantly keep myself clean there after bowel movements. My doctor told me if the surgery did not work I would have to wear a bag. Can't think of the name of it right now. Anyhow I feel your grief and pain about this RVF. What did you finally decide to do about it? JCW
Are you ladies on the Rectovaginal Fistula Support group on facebook? Those women are amazing! I've been dealing with a RVF for over 2 years, and have had 3 failed repairs. It's nice sometimes to talk to a group of women who are going through the same thing. If you want more information, let me know. :)
hi.... i am nancyl. i have posted previously..... i had a martious flap fix after 24 yrs of suffering with RVF and 4 children..... and it still holds it has been 2.5 yrs... ... i only had the one surgery to fix it, but due to anemia i didnt heal as quick as i would have liked but after about 9 weeks it did finally heal......go only to a colo rectal surgeon, not a ob gyn.... a good OB would tell you this, mine did.. she wouldnt touch me.. sent me straight to the colo rectal guy... that is my big advice ... colo rectal surgeon only.... one who has done them with a reasonable amount of success.... also if you have one with your first delivery you might as wait till you are all done having kids to fix it...unless you get lucky like my daughter she also had a rvf and was taken to surgery to fix hers immediately, but her cervix had also torn.. so they had many docs working on her all at once..... also the heal time for the surgery is LONG..... it was like 12 weeks before i could move normally....be ready for that....
I had no idea this happened so often. I have two little boys and had 4th degree tears after both kids. My husband and I want more kids, but I am not sure if I should have the repair before or after our next baby. The GI spec said she would recommend waiting until we were finished having babies to have the surgery. Anyone wait to have the surgery until you were finished having a baby? Thanks
finish with the babies first... then only to a colo rectal guy... scar tissue is very fragile, if you fix it now have another child, rip again ( and you will) that tissue gets broke down more and more each time.. making each fix much more difficult - scar tissue to scar tissue adhesion is difficult as there is not much blood flo to heal... and if they cut back to far to get to healthy tissue - well that is self explanatory... finish with the babies or find a ob - gyn who will c- section you..
I am not sure if my rectovaginal fistula is due to childbirth or not. I don't think it is as childbirth for me was 40 years ago. My problem began after having a vaginal hysterectomy. I had recurring pain, a sting-like pain on and off for 10 + years in the back of the vagina. When it got bad, the only way to stop this seemed to be to drop a little bit of colloidal silver down me. I realize now this was stopping an infection. About 3 years ago I realized I was letting gas vaginally. I didn't have insurance, so let it ride. A year and a half ago I had several appointments with an OB-GYN who never really believed me and I feel is not really that good of a doctor. I now have Medicare Plan A, which covers the hospital and Medicaid. I have an appointment with another OB-GYN, but after my previous appointment, I am gunshy. My last experience with that doctor was like an expensive wrong turn when trying to drive someplace. I hope you are all following me with my metaphors.
Because of that past experience, I honestly don't trust doctors or at least doctors where I live to know a lot about this subject. I don't want to spend time and money on a dead-end street.
Does anyone know of a list of qualified doctors who can deal with rectovaginal fistulas and have good results.
Someone here wanted to start a webite, a support group website. That would be such a good idea.
Hi I just wanted to tell you I feel your pain. I hope you don't mind me sharing my story with you about my ordeal with the fistula. I did get my recto/vaginal fistula from being repaired after child birth. For many years I just passed gas through my vagina/fistula area. When I had my hysterectomy my Gyn told me that she thought we could fix the fistula. So I went to see a proctologist and I had my hysterectomy at the same time my fistula was supposed to be fixed. Oh you have no idea what happened after this. First off the surgery made my fistula worse. Instead of passing gas through their I was now passing feces through there. So I went back to my gyn and she said oh I can fix this in the office. So she tried to cauterize the fistula three times in her office. Oh my gosh I can't tell you how painful this was. In between the three times she cauterized the area never seemed to heal. It was raw like a burn would be and I could hardly sit it was so painful. It took months for this area to heal. So after many years I did go see a specialist after deciding to live with this situation. The specialist told me that she could probably fix the fistula although there was a 85 percent chance it would work. After the doctor told me what the results would be like if the surgery did not work. I decided not to have the surgery. I can't go through something like this again. My MD told me that I might have recurrent bladder infections from the fistula so she gave me a prescription for macrobid to keep on hand when I feel a bladder infection coming on. I have not had very many of them in the past years. I do keep myself very very clean in that area especially after a bowel movement. I giggle to myself when people complain about being constipated because for me that would be a good thing. Because if my bowel movements are more frequent and smoother it seems to bother my fistula more. I am so thankful that my husband has been understanding and supportive of me in this area. It has affected our intimacy as far as I am concerned. Good luck with your situation and I would definitely talk to more then one doctor to see what the results would be for completely being able to fix the fistula. I went to see a specialist in Omaha Nebraska but I can't think of her name right now. I know she does specialize in these types of surgeries though. Maybe someday I will go get this fixed if it causes me any other health issues. For right now I have learned to live with it the best I can. Good luck! JC
No I did not know there was a support group for this RVF. Do I look under RVF on facebook or something else? Thank so much for this information.
I greatly appreciate the story of your recto-vaginal fistula. I am having trouble replying directly to your post. Maybe I need a new laptop that is stronger so it can redirect better and I can reply.
This is my response to jjwarkel because I'm having trouble replying directly to your post and maybe need a new laptop. Reading your post and other posts on other sites is really telling me I need to look around for the right doctor or possibly just continue working with the rectovaginal myself. I am able to stop infection with my colloidal silver method, but I can't eliminate the fistula itself. I am thinking maybe my increase in bread in August and September from eating at more fast food restaurants caused irritation of my intestines, re: gluten. I had another small flair up recently after buying and consuming a bag of whole-wheat tortillas. They are so delicious, but I think I have trouble with gluten in the intestines. My fistula, from my experience, is from the rectum to the vagina and maybe from the anus to the vagina. I know this because of the oozing. It increases if I eat pinto beans (I love pinto beans). I get gas from beans and the oozing and gas through the vaginal fistula or fistulas increases.
I have an appointment with another OB-GYN late in November, but I feel like I really need to be smart and think for myself.
It kind of bothers me that we don't have, in this country, something like the National Health Service, of England. If I understand something right, people can leave comments about their medical treatment on the NHS website. I would love to have a list of qualified specialists and rates of success by doctors who work on rectovaginal fistulas. As a modern nation, we shouldn't have, or I shouldn't have this "being in the dark" feeling. I live in northern Indiana where I have experienced the feeling that a lot of doctors don't understand fistulas very well. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't like living somewhere where the doctor projects the idea that they are the god and I am the servant only to listen to them who knows everything. Health needs to be more open.
My experience with that past gynecologist made me think some doctors either are afraid to involve themselves with rectovaginal fistulas because of a low success rate, or they just aren't really sure how to fix them. I did hear that my past gyn's wife had some illness, so maybe his mind was more on her than me, his patient.
Because of him, I don't have trust in doctors around here. I did discover online American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Surgeons can be members of this group. To me, if I am going to have surgery, it seems like it would be a good idea to find a surgeon that is a member. The members should share information and experience with each other, so one doctor isn't just blindly trying new methods.
I am out of words for right now and should finish this post.
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PS: If you do think of that specialists name in Omaha, Nebraska, would you tell me. I appreciate it so much. Have a good day.
always go to a colorectal surgeon for this procedure -- a good GYN would tell you this... there are dye tests and different things they can do to find the fistula in the event they can visibly see it.... trust your gut -- if someone isent "believing " that you are either gassing or pooping out your vagina... i mean it's not like something anyone would want to do... so it should be obvious to the doc , if someone is complaining of this type of a issue no way - would they make this up... so if you can just go straight to a colo rectal person, you want it done right the first time... statistically speaking if it is not done right the first time - other tries do not increase the odds... good luck..and be prepared for a LOT of laying down after this surgery and absolutely NO lifting or anything that makes that "push" feeling... it tookme at least 10 weeks to heal and be able to sit long enough to return to work... no kidding... i am sure age has a lot to do with that, and the fact i am anemic... but do take this surgery serious if you have it done.. it will lay you up, it is not paticularily painful- but it takes a long time to heal !!
Hi Ladies, I gave birth to a big boy 8lbs, 13 oz, 34 years ago. I knew something was weird over the years then I started passing gas through my vagina a lot about 4 years ago and in 2010 had the repair done. I had gyno and recto doctors perform this surgery. They also rebuilt the wall between the rectum and vagina and I am feeling very stupid not knowing what they used and what stage/grade it was. My partner and I have not had sex very often since this operation, firstly to let it heal then fearful of hurting it again on both of our parts. This summer we tried even harder to get past this and it hurt so we stopped again. I think the rebuild between the walls are making it difficult for him to get in. I don't know if they have 'fallen' or what. I don't want surgery again and am embarrassed to talk to anyone about this, so thankful I found all of you as this is a very personal problem and I know no one else that this has happened to. Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do. I just feel like crying talking about it but I do want my sex life back. I am now 54 years old and it is supposed to be a wonderful time for my sex life with no period anymore and I was so looking forward to this after reading all about menopause. I don't know what to do and the embarrassment gets worse everytime I see my gp and still don't talk about it. Thanks again for being there. Wish I had found this chat a long time ago. I too had no idea this happened to so many women out there. Always thought it was a 3rd world problem. I don't get why doctors haven't figured out a way to stop this from happening so others don't have to go through it. Anyone else still have sex issues after repair with a rebuild. Thanks
Hi,
I was just wondering if you had your repair, what it was and how it went? Your situation is ver similar to mine. I had a 4th degree tear with my son and I have a track to my V when I have a BM but no incontinence. Today I got a rubber band, a seton I think? I have to call the Dr tomorrow because when she talked to me after surgery I was still a little fuzzy. Any advice you could give me would be appreciated.