I found this site after Penny mentioned it on another healthboard. I had an rvf 3 weeks ago along with a sphincteroplasty. I've noticed that I have gas coming through my vagina again (no stool) and am wondering if this is normal at 3 weeks post-surgery. I called my colo-rectal surgeon and she says yes but I am suspicious. When did you know that your fistula repair failed and what were the symptoms. Thanks in advance.
Oh Bea, I am so sorry--this whole thing is so difficult, as if your heart sinks a bit each time... It will work out-maybe not perfect, Bea, but it will and you will look back and realize how strong you are. Something sounds off with your ostomy-I am confused, that should not happen-you need a second opinion. I will write more later, I am thinking of you... You can do this! You are amazing for being so strong with all of this, Bea. I am shaking my head right now because I know how you feel and it totally sucks. B
I just had this same operation Aug 20th 09 and had the same question and then started bleeding a lot from the rectum (I have a colostomy) I called the doc and they also said it was completely normal the bleeding started because they said it was caused by the internal healing. So after 7 operations I finally got good news that my fistula is healed after having the sphincteroplasty. We are now just waiting on my mucsles to soften before my surgeon can okay the reversal of my colostomy. I was at a point where I thought I would have to live with this colostomy and would always have a fistula but turns out this operation finally worked and it was with a new surgeon that specializes in it. I am still having some pain and on pain meds but he said it would all go away once I am completely healed. I am gaining little strength little by little and can't wait to get to the end of this. I was down for so long thinking I would never be well again and this would never end but hang in there because there is hope! I had lost all hope in being healed. But I also had many churches, friends and family praying for me and truly believe that God made my operation a success!
Hang in there and the air is normal!
Thanks to all for all the support. I will write more later; it's late and I need sleep because I haven't been sleeping well.
Night!
Jess
Hang in there and the air is normal!
Thanks to all for all the support. I will write more later; it's late and I need sleep because I haven't been sleeping well.
Night!
Jess
Hi there.WOW have I been MIA or what ? lets' see........Bea..I am so sorry things are not working right for you, I agree, there is something off with the ostomy....I would maybe start with that issue....you must stop the stool-bacterium from going near that RVF...But. you have dealt with so much, do not stop trying now.....never give up. I think the test I want done is the dye test where they inject blue dye in the rectum, I wear a tampon and then see if anything seeps thru.....so we will see, the less invasive and traumactic(sp) to that area is better....
B, the ostomy is still hanging with me ha ha...I actually went to NC for a week end, stopped in P burgh both ways and could eat and not worry about running to bathroom, so yes a colostomy is livable and you do get used to it as it becomes a part of your life....but I really want it gone....so back to Cleveland in Jan and then we decide IF the rvf is healed as they say it is......I need more proof...and the reversal hopfully in Feb or Mar.
Jess....hello, 7 operations....wow... talk about reading your blog at the right time, I too had a little rectal bleeding and wanted to spaz out and then my husband said maybe it was the insides healing up.....and then I read what you said.....how's that for Karma !! How was it determined that your RVF was healed? I just have a hard time believing my Doc and he even sent me a note saying congrats..it's healed....mmmm how do you really know? Well, I must get off computer and start my day....late as it is...but everyone, chin up andmost of all, never give up trying, hoping and praying...no matter what..
Flower
B, the ostomy is still hanging with me ha ha...I actually went to NC for a week end, stopped in P burgh both ways and could eat and not worry about running to bathroom, so yes a colostomy is livable and you do get used to it as it becomes a part of your life....but I really want it gone....so back to Cleveland in Jan and then we decide IF the rvf is healed as they say it is......I need more proof...and the reversal hopfully in Feb or Mar.
Jess....hello, 7 operations....wow... talk about reading your blog at the right time, I too had a little rectal bleeding and wanted to spaz out and then my husband said maybe it was the insides healing up.....and then I read what you said.....how's that for Karma !! How was it determined that your RVF was healed? I just have a hard time believing my Doc and he even sent me a note saying congrats..it's healed....mmmm how do you really know? Well, I must get off computer and start my day....late as it is...but everyone, chin up andmost of all, never give up trying, hoping and praying...no matter what..
Flower
Hey Flower! Yeah, I freaked out because I had air, then the blood and all this stuff seemed to keep changing and happening and being that I had been through so many operations I had learned not to have my hopes set high this time because it is the worst feeling to set yourself up for good news and never get anything but bad, ya know? it's devastating at times. anyway....this was my first operation with a "new" yet older man/surgeon that is also a colorectal surgeon but specializes in fistulas. He did the whole muscle reconstruction thing to everything; he completely separated the vagina and rectum and redid muscle; thankfully he found "good" muscle and pulled it down and around to fix instead of having to remove from other parts of my body to fix. It was successful and to be honest with you the entire week plus more after he told me that I still had a hard time comprehending that it was really healed. I still have a little pain but he said it would go away in time. He checked me physically through the front and back and was able to tell that it was healed. Yeah, I know many would have doubts without a test or something for them to physically see but I have confidence in this surgeon. He was able to see how much damage was done to all of my muscles trying to fix the fistula before and had to pretty much make me a new wall and I trust that he knows the feeling of that since he specializes in it. The only thing we are waiting on now is time...again..lol...always time but this time it's okay! My muscles have to "soften up" before he can even think about giving me the okay for the colostomy reversal. I am supposed to go back to doc (he is two hours away) the 18 but that depends on how I am doing if I keep appt or reschedule because I am fighting h1n1 and with a body that is already so weak...man, it has knocked me down and it's very very ucky!
Hang in there everyone! I never thought I would be at the end and I would sit here crying and crying and just pittying myself thinking I'm only 27 and I'm never going to be normal again.
But we will! we can! Just in God's time and His way! Patience!
night!
Jess
Hang in there everyone! I never thought I would be at the end and I would sit here crying and crying and just pittying myself thinking I'm only 27 and I'm never going to be normal again.
But we will! we can! Just in God's time and His way! Patience!
night!
Jess
Hey just stopping by to say hello...and let you all know there is hope...I have been doing well...seems as if the fistula is barely there and life is getting back to normal after the surgeries and ostomy...there is hope. b
Thank you all for your posts and support - and thank you B for reminding me that there is hope.
I have been unwell for most fo the last 3 weeks - stomach upset and a bad cold - but I am feeling better now and ready to take on the medical profession ...
Hope you are all OK ....
Bea
I have been unwell for most fo the last 3 weeks - stomach upset and a bad cold - but I am feeling better now and ready to take on the medical profession ...
Hope you are all OK ....
Bea
Beegirl,
I am glad you are doing better! Do you still get gas occasionally? I usually only get it when I get up in the morning, but not every morning.
Bea- my thoughts and prayers are with you! Hang in there! : )
Hope you all have a good Thanksgiving if I don't post again before that.
CJ
I am glad you are doing better! Do you still get gas occasionally? I usually only get it when I get up in the morning, but not every morning.
Bea- my thoughts and prayers are with you! Hang in there! : )
Hope you all have a good Thanksgiving if I don't post again before that.
CJ
Hi everybody,
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Regards
I have noticed that many of you are posting as guest, but you are very often here. I just wan to let you know that it would be much easier to track all the post if you register. Also you will be receiving an email notification every time somebody answers to your post.
If you wish to register just follow this link: https://www.steadyhealth.com/profile.php?mode=register
Regards
Hello Everyone! It's Jess; I am sorry that I am not able to get on here very much everyone with a toddler running around I'm sure understands. Well..wanted to update everyone. I had pretty much lost all hope with my 4th degree recto-vaginal fistula from giving vaginal birth to a 6.8lb baby (yea, doesn't make sense) anyway....it has now been a year and a half my son is 19 months old and after seven operations and a colostomy I am now fistula free. To be honest with you I never thought this day would come. But keep on hanging in there and give it all to God; the moment I gave everything in my life over to God He healed my body! He also sent me a very good colo rectal surgeon who specializes in fistulas. I went to the doctor this past wed and got my final news from this surgeon, yeah!! He did another exam with finger through vagina and rectum then looked internally with a scope to confirm that it was not there anymore. I do still have pain but he said as the muscles continue to soften it will go away and that it may hurt to have sex to be easy but in time it will all be fine; I haven't had the guts to try yet because I have extra pain from a urinary tract infection right now too.
He also gave me the okay to have my colostomy closed. I am scared about that..I am ready to be rid of it but I am scared of having accidents and will my body have to learn how to use the bathroom again and stuff like that. Will I be running to the bathroom after I eat? I am not as scared of the operation as I am the after operation stuff. This is supposedly suppsed to be real easy a peice of cake compared to what I have been through per two doctors and I believe that just scared about the bathroom part...anyone had a reversal done and can tell me what to expect? you can email me at if you would like.
Thank you all for the support. I wasn't able to get on here very often but I would stay up into the late hours of the night reading all the posts from the beginning because when I started reading I was at the point in my life where I had no hope and no one understood what I was feeling and how I felt and how it effected me as much as they try and think they understand they don't have a clue and after many searches online and not finding anyone to actually talk to with this issue I found this great forum and am so thankful for all of you, the encouragement and all. I will keep posted after the reversal to let you all know what really does happen to me and so on but in the mean time someone please help me with what to expect. any idea?
I have a killer migrane coming on so gotta go.
Thank you all and DON'T GIVE UP! It took me 7 operations and two different surgeons! If you are in Ga or close by I can recommend an awsome surgeon!
Have a great weekend!
Jess
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He also gave me the okay to have my colostomy closed. I am scared about that..I am ready to be rid of it but I am scared of having accidents and will my body have to learn how to use the bathroom again and stuff like that. Will I be running to the bathroom after I eat? I am not as scared of the operation as I am the after operation stuff. This is supposedly suppsed to be real easy a peice of cake compared to what I have been through per two doctors and I believe that just scared about the bathroom part...anyone had a reversal done and can tell me what to expect? you can email me at if you would like.
Thank you all for the support. I wasn't able to get on here very often but I would stay up into the late hours of the night reading all the posts from the beginning because when I started reading I was at the point in my life where I had no hope and no one understood what I was feeling and how I felt and how it effected me as much as they try and think they understand they don't have a clue and after many searches online and not finding anyone to actually talk to with this issue I found this great forum and am so thankful for all of you, the encouragement and all. I will keep posted after the reversal to let you all know what really does happen to me and so on but in the mean time someone please help me with what to expect. any idea?
I have a killer migrane coming on so gotta go.
Thank you all and DON'T GIVE UP! It took me 7 operations and two different surgeons! If you are in Ga or close by I can recommend an awsome surgeon!
Have a great weekend!
Jess
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Please read our Terms of Use
Jess,
Thanks for your inspirational note. I've had 4 ops and you needed 7 - so I will definitely keep on going. Thank you for the encouragement. You have been brave too. Good luck for the reversal.
Bea
Thanks for your inspirational note. I've had 4 ops and you needed 7 - so I will definitely keep on going. Thank you for the encouragement. You have been brave too. Good luck for the reversal.
Bea
Hi,
Jess, the advice I would offer is make sure you have free access to a bathroom after the surgery. When you're hooked up to machines and you have to go quickly, I found I couldn't rely on hospital staff to respond to my calls, even yelling out the door didn't bring anyone, resulting in a clean up for them I'm sure they didn't want. I remember being on imodium for a while which helps things firm up and they give you a diet to follow which also guides your insides back to how they used to function. Recovery was fairly quick, I remember. I remember thinking I could have gone back to work sooner but I was glad to have the extra time to relax and feel like myself again.
congrats to you on being ready to get back to normalcy again. Getting rid of these is so difficult. It would seem science would have done better by us by now.
Penny
Jess, the advice I would offer is make sure you have free access to a bathroom after the surgery. When you're hooked up to machines and you have to go quickly, I found I couldn't rely on hospital staff to respond to my calls, even yelling out the door didn't bring anyone, resulting in a clean up for them I'm sure they didn't want. I remember being on imodium for a while which helps things firm up and they give you a diet to follow which also guides your insides back to how they used to function. Recovery was fairly quick, I remember. I remember thinking I could have gone back to work sooner but I was glad to have the extra time to relax and feel like myself again.
congrats to you on being ready to get back to normalcy again. Getting rid of these is so difficult. It would seem science would have done better by us by now.
Penny
Penny,
Thank you so much; I am real concerned about having accidents and all once I have this operation and really have no idea what to expect except for the things you told me. If you think of anything else let me know and feel free to email me at . I thought I would never be well but I am and it is a huge relief. It took me a while to comprehend because I have never gotten good news before and I stopped getting my hopes up because I set myself up for some major dissapointments and it got me BAD! I just had to give my new surgeon a hug when he told me this and bout felt like crying out of joy! I am looking forward to getting things back to normal but as you said when you are hooked up to everything and will probably be in pain after the surgery and you can't get a nurse to help you get to the bathroom...if no one can get there at least they know what they are up against to clean up. You would think they would rush to you saving them a mess to clean, ya know? How long did this last? I will sure get some immodium before I have the operation that's for sure. I doubt I will even get in the OR before Christmas but that's okay. Was it rough once you got home? Or did things settle down pretty quick to where you get back to eating everything you wanted? I guess each body is different too on how it handles things.
THank you so much and please if you think of anything else let me know; I want to know as much as possible for this. I am just scared that since my muscles there haven't been used in over a year now and I had a complete reconstruction of muscles...are they going to work to hold it to get to the bathroom, etc. I think I am more scared of this operation than all of the 7 I have been through. I knew what to expect during those and the horrible pain but this is different. I guess better than all the horrible pain, huh?
THanks Penny!
Everyone hang in there. It has taken me a year and a half for me to be fistula free and 7 operations; I just kept going and going and didn't stop because I knew I had or wanted to be 100% well to do everything with my son I want to! Hang in there! There is hope even though I got to a point myself where I didn't think there was much hope!
talk later.
Jess
Thank you so much; I am real concerned about having accidents and all once I have this operation and really have no idea what to expect except for the things you told me. If you think of anything else let me know and feel free to email me at . I thought I would never be well but I am and it is a huge relief. It took me a while to comprehend because I have never gotten good news before and I stopped getting my hopes up because I set myself up for some major dissapointments and it got me BAD! I just had to give my new surgeon a hug when he told me this and bout felt like crying out of joy! I am looking forward to getting things back to normal but as you said when you are hooked up to everything and will probably be in pain after the surgery and you can't get a nurse to help you get to the bathroom...if no one can get there at least they know what they are up against to clean up. You would think they would rush to you saving them a mess to clean, ya know? How long did this last? I will sure get some immodium before I have the operation that's for sure. I doubt I will even get in the OR before Christmas but that's okay. Was it rough once you got home? Or did things settle down pretty quick to where you get back to eating everything you wanted? I guess each body is different too on how it handles things.
THank you so much and please if you think of anything else let me know; I want to know as much as possible for this. I am just scared that since my muscles there haven't been used in over a year now and I had a complete reconstruction of muscles...are they going to work to hold it to get to the bathroom, etc. I think I am more scared of this operation than all of the 7 I have been through. I knew what to expect during those and the horrible pain but this is different. I guess better than all the horrible pain, huh?
THanks Penny!
Everyone hang in there. It has taken me a year and a half for me to be fistula free and 7 operations; I just kept going and going and didn't stop because I knew I had or wanted to be 100% well to do everything with my son I want to! Hang in there! There is hope even though I got to a point myself where I didn't think there was much hope!
talk later.
Jess
Hello Everyone,
It's been a quiet week here this week. Hopefully, everyone is enjoying the holiday and family and friends. My children weren't home :-( this year which was sad but had to be expected at some point. I had a lot to be thankful for even though.
Jess, I know how you feel about expectation. I was concerned, too, when I finally lost the ileo. My surgeon was a jerk, really, and may have done more damage rather than help anything but I was more hopeful at the time. I was very glad the fistula was gone, that really resolved itself after a year and a half with the ileo. Unfortunately, I started to have the leaking thing but with a close watch on diet and preparing for the day I've been able to work and do most of what I had. I'm still trying to conquer hiking which I Haven't succeeded at much yet. I think you have to be hopeful until you confirm otherwise. It's so easy to feel negative, I know, but I think we all have to look for the positive and try to keep spirits up. It's sounds like you're happy with your MD which is great and you've hung in there so long.
Penny
It's been a quiet week here this week. Hopefully, everyone is enjoying the holiday and family and friends. My children weren't home :-( this year which was sad but had to be expected at some point. I had a lot to be thankful for even though.
Jess, I know how you feel about expectation. I was concerned, too, when I finally lost the ileo. My surgeon was a jerk, really, and may have done more damage rather than help anything but I was more hopeful at the time. I was very glad the fistula was gone, that really resolved itself after a year and a half with the ileo. Unfortunately, I started to have the leaking thing but with a close watch on diet and preparing for the day I've been able to work and do most of what I had. I'm still trying to conquer hiking which I Haven't succeeded at much yet. I think you have to be hopeful until you confirm otherwise. It's so easy to feel negative, I know, but I think we all have to look for the positive and try to keep spirits up. It's sounds like you're happy with your MD which is great and you've hung in there so long.
Penny
Hi Everyone, don't anyone faint,I am still alive and kicking and really busy. Had a great Thanksgivng and spent a nice week end w kids in Pittsburgh...working, taking care of our rescue dog who is now paralyzed in the hind legs, thus incontience...but I can deal and I willnot let this poor thng suffer because some one neglected him all his life....Any how , hope everyone is well, I am to go back to Cle CLinic in Jan to get the final OK on this "healed fistula" so then I can plan the reversal of the colostomy....I have been reading the posts and I guess the crs can tell via visual if it's healed huh? Some days I thinkit's healed, other days....not so sure as I am getting vag infections now, where I never had them before.....Are they the result of an open fistula? So I will wait and see, good at waiting these days....Doing well other wise and getting ready for the holidays.
Everyone, take care chins up and hang in there and thanks for all the posts !!
flower
Everyone, take care chins up and hang in there and thanks for all the posts !!
flower