Hi Ty, Beegirl, Flower, CJ and Penny,
TY I am sorry that you have had to track us down, and sorry to hear your story. I think you have read all our stories and I can only re-iterate what the others have said. Please vent on this site when you need - and also sometimes we all need space from talking about it and go quiet for a bit. I hope the info posted here has been useful. Getting advice from a the best surgeon you can find is the best advice really (when you are ready for such things) before agreeing to any surgery. Each operation creates scar tissue which makes the next one harder.
I am about to go in for a repair/reconstruction. Using a Martius graft and also probably cutting the spincter muscles to use them to cover the hole - I think this might be what Flower and Penny have had done? My RVF is now really an anal fistula. Could be my last chance. Op is on 6 July and I will be in hospital for a week - so I'll let you know as soon as. Flower - they are going to close off the loop part of my colostomy so no more poo gets down to the repair. Wish me luck ....
Hope you guys are all OK and enjoying the summer - it's OK here in the UK for a change. And there is the tennis to watch!
Take care all
Bea xx
TY I am sorry that you have had to track us down, and sorry to hear your story. I think you have read all our stories and I can only re-iterate what the others have said. Please vent on this site when you need - and also sometimes we all need space from talking about it and go quiet for a bit. I hope the info posted here has been useful. Getting advice from a the best surgeon you can find is the best advice really (when you are ready for such things) before agreeing to any surgery. Each operation creates scar tissue which makes the next one harder.
I am about to go in for a repair/reconstruction. Using a Martius graft and also probably cutting the spincter muscles to use them to cover the hole - I think this might be what Flower and Penny have had done? My RVF is now really an anal fistula. Could be my last chance. Op is on 6 July and I will be in hospital for a week - so I'll let you know as soon as. Flower - they are going to close off the loop part of my colostomy so no more poo gets down to the repair. Wish me luck ....
Hope you guys are all OK and enjoying the summer - it's OK here in the UK for a change. And there is the tennis to watch!
Take care all
Bea xx
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Hey Ladies:
Good to hear from some of you! I am doing okay. I haven't really been passing stool. Just a few specs here and there every now and then. I guess I can live with that. Don"t really want surgery again. Hopefully things don't get worse. Hope you all are enjoying summer.
Bea- keep us posted on your upcoming surgery! Thinking of you!
CJ
Good to hear from some of you! I am doing okay. I haven't really been passing stool. Just a few specs here and there every now and then. I guess I can live with that. Don"t really want surgery again. Hopefully things don't get worse. Hope you all are enjoying summer.
Bea- keep us posted on your upcoming surgery! Thinking of you!
CJ
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Hi I'm new here. I'm so glad to find this site because there really isn't much information out there about this condition and I feel so alone in this. Unlike many of you, I developed a fistula because of a hysterectomy on June 4th. I started noticed passing liquid stool from my vagina few days after the surgery. It turns out my small intestine was nicked/weakened after the hysterectomy because of severe endometriosis.
I saw a colorectal surgeon few days ago and she wants me to do a small bowel series to see where exactly the fistula is. My surgeon wants to wait until August to do the surgery so the inflammation goes down from my first surgery.
My genital area burns whenever the liquid stool passes through and I am wearing adult diapers. The discharge is more after a meal and it's difficult to enjoy simple things, sometimes even walking burns. I'm trying to stay strong and hope time passes quickly so I can have this fixed and get back to a normal life.
It's great to find someone out there who are having the same problem.
I saw a colorectal surgeon few days ago and she wants me to do a small bowel series to see where exactly the fistula is. My surgeon wants to wait until August to do the surgery so the inflammation goes down from my first surgery.
My genital area burns whenever the liquid stool passes through and I am wearing adult diapers. The discharge is more after a meal and it's difficult to enjoy simple things, sometimes even walking burns. I'm trying to stay strong and hope time passes quickly so I can have this fixed and get back to a normal life.
It's great to find someone out there who are having the same problem.
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Lou914:
Sorry you have an RVF! How did they do your hysterectomy? Just curious. I know I will probably need one someday and I for sure don't want another RVF or make mine worse. I hope things work out for you with getting this fixed. Ask lots of questions. Feel free to post any questions on here for any of us to help you with.
CJ
Sorry you have an RVF! How did they do your hysterectomy? Just curious. I know I will probably need one someday and I for sure don't want another RVF or make mine worse. I hope things work out for you with getting this fixed. Ask lots of questions. Feel free to post any questions on here for any of us to help you with.
CJ
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Lou,
I would just suggest that you try to keep your stool firm and possibly you'd have less going through the RVF. I take fiber pills and imodium. I think a lot of the women who've posted here report the times they've had the most problem is with diahrea. Has your surgeon suggested anything? Has she described how she'll repair it? That might be something to find out more about just so you have an idea of what she'll be doing. Good luck to you. Know that you're not alone. I'm surprised at the number of us who have had these. They can wear you out for sure. Do you have someone you can talk to? That always helps.
PEnny
I would just suggest that you try to keep your stool firm and possibly you'd have less going through the RVF. I take fiber pills and imodium. I think a lot of the women who've posted here report the times they've had the most problem is with diahrea. Has your surgeon suggested anything? Has she described how she'll repair it? That might be something to find out more about just so you have an idea of what she'll be doing. Good luck to you. Know that you're not alone. I'm surprised at the number of us who have had these. They can wear you out for sure. Do you have someone you can talk to? That always helps.
PEnny
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cbennet- I had a LSH (Laparascopic Sypracervical hysterectomy), it's a partial hysterectomy and I still have my ovaries. My case is a special one because I had severe endometriosis and they were everywhere including the colon and bowel. So after my surgeon take out the endo from my intestine, the small intestine got nicked/weakened and I developed a fistula. My fistula is actually from my small intestine to vagina. Next week I'm going to have the test and see where exactly the fistula is.
Penny70- My fistula is a little different, it's from my small intestine to vagina, so the stool is always liquid. I'm having normal bowel movements and pass firm stool through my rectum. My surgeon wants to do a small bowel series scan next week to see where exactly the fistula is. My family has been a great support in all of this and I'm grateful. I really hope I can have a fix soon.
Penny70- My fistula is a little different, it's from my small intestine to vagina, so the stool is always liquid. I'm having normal bowel movements and pass firm stool through my rectum. My surgeon wants to do a small bowel series scan next week to see where exactly the fistula is. My family has been a great support in all of this and I'm grateful. I really hope I can have a fix soon.
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hi All,
I hope you are ok.
I am now home from hospital, it is early days but not feeling too bad just now.
They did an anal spinchter repair to close the hole. Penny and Flower i think you may have had this type of operation in the past. they got the damaged muscles and wrapped them tighter and overlapping the edges. How long were you sore for? I stll can't sit up.Also there is still bleeding (a little) and a clear discharge. Grateful for any info on your experiences recovering from the op.
Sorry for short note - typing lying down is tricky!
Best wishes to all.
Bea
xx
I hope you are ok.
I am now home from hospital, it is early days but not feeling too bad just now.
They did an anal spinchter repair to close the hole. Penny and Flower i think you may have had this type of operation in the past. they got the damaged muscles and wrapped them tighter and overlapping the edges. How long were you sore for? I stll can't sit up.Also there is still bleeding (a little) and a clear discharge. Grateful for any info on your experiences recovering from the op.
Sorry for short note - typing lying down is tricky!
Best wishes to all.
Bea
xx
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Hi Bea,
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. Hoping this is your last time in surgery. You've been so brave and so persistant. I give you so much credit.
I'm not sure we had the same surgery. Mine was called a sphincteroplasty but it does sound like your surgeon did something similar. I had pain for at least a week, used dilaudid (spelling isn't right) which really helped. There was significant discharge for a while but I think it was less every day. My complication came when I became impacted and my MD's office didn't listen. So I'd try to have regular bowel movements and take whatever meds keep that happening. I actually got my fistula after this surgery but they can happen any time and I'm hoping this surgery does the trick for you. It took a month or more before I felt comfortable doing any sitting. Do you have instructions about lifting? Sitting on foam (not the doughnut-type) was helpful. Are you doing sitz baths? They were helpful, too. Good luck on your recovery. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Flower may have more to add (and a better memory!).
PEnny
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. Hoping this is your last time in surgery. You've been so brave and so persistant. I give you so much credit.
I'm not sure we had the same surgery. Mine was called a sphincteroplasty but it does sound like your surgeon did something similar. I had pain for at least a week, used dilaudid (spelling isn't right) which really helped. There was significant discharge for a while but I think it was less every day. My complication came when I became impacted and my MD's office didn't listen. So I'd try to have regular bowel movements and take whatever meds keep that happening. I actually got my fistula after this surgery but they can happen any time and I'm hoping this surgery does the trick for you. It took a month or more before I felt comfortable doing any sitting. Do you have instructions about lifting? Sitting on foam (not the doughnut-type) was helpful. Are you doing sitz baths? They were helpful, too. Good luck on your recovery. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Flower may have more to add (and a better memory!).
PEnny
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Hey there.....Sorry I have been MIA for so long, had to fill in at the University for a few weeks...ugh..long long days and hubby working out of town, well you all get the pic !!
Bea, I had an overlapping anal spchincterplasty done and that actually was a success, My RVF was a result of having that done, so the trade off was one problem for another I guess. Cleveland want to do the Martius graft on me to try try try again...I am undecided what to do....anyhoo.......I was not in any real pain afterwards, laid around alot and did NO lifting for 6 weeks, no house work which was ok by me !! see there is a bright spot in all this....!! hee hee. Do not use a donut to sit on...they are the worst thngs to use after any rectal surgery....How did the closed end colostomy work for you? that was the right move in my opinion.
IF and I stress If I decided to go another round with this, I will insist my general surgeon from my hometown does the colostomy at Clev and assists with the repair and then when the time comes to take it down, he can here at home like he did before, I truely think I have another rvf....good days and bad.....the spchinterplasty is pretty what is saving me now....eat fiber,probiotics, immodium...yum yum and lots of yougurt when the yeastie beasty rears its ugly head......
everyone else doing ok there?
flower
Bea, I had an overlapping anal spchincterplasty done and that actually was a success, My RVF was a result of having that done, so the trade off was one problem for another I guess. Cleveland want to do the Martius graft on me to try try try again...I am undecided what to do....anyhoo.......I was not in any real pain afterwards, laid around alot and did NO lifting for 6 weeks, no house work which was ok by me !! see there is a bright spot in all this....!! hee hee. Do not use a donut to sit on...they are the worst thngs to use after any rectal surgery....How did the closed end colostomy work for you? that was the right move in my opinion.
IF and I stress If I decided to go another round with this, I will insist my general surgeon from my hometown does the colostomy at Clev and assists with the repair and then when the time comes to take it down, he can here at home like he did before, I truely think I have another rvf....good days and bad.....the spchinterplasty is pretty what is saving me now....eat fiber,probiotics, immodium...yum yum and lots of yougurt when the yeastie beasty rears its ugly head......
everyone else doing ok there?
flower
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Hi Penny anf Flower,
Many thanks for your posts. I am feeling a lot better now. All your experience and advice is very helpful. I'm guessing that both of you had your anal spinchter muscle repair without a colostomy so I am hoping that the fact I have a colostomy will reduce the chance that the spincter muscle repair will create another RVF. My consultant says that I have now got some tissue between the vagina and the rectum but it is early days. I'm not really in pain but just uncomfortable to sit on it all. My back passage happens to be sore today but generally it is not.
Flower - I've not been told not to lift anything but in any case I've not lifted a lot. I didn't realise that the anal spincter muscles were used in lifting. I will be careful now.
Was it painful passing poo after the op? I'm not doing so but I wonder what that was like. Also how did your back passage feel? Mine felt tight at first.
Flower I am very sorry that you are having to think of surgery again. I feel very wary about what will happen to me if I get as far as a reversal. I was possibly going to have a Martius type graft ths time but the surgeon decided against it when she opened me up. My surgeon was going to use fatty tissue from the labia whereas a true Martius graft uses muscle tissue. Not sure which type you will have. I did look online and a paper seemed to say that you can get good results with a Martius graft for people who have already had several repairs. So worth considering. I feel for you so much. And you are right, the cut end colostomy I think is what has made the difference for me.
Penny - I haven't had a Sitz bath - what does that involve?
Many thanks to you both and hope everyone else is OK. Beegirl, CJ, Teya, RLmom - how are you doing?
Bea xxx
Many thanks for your posts. I am feeling a lot better now. All your experience and advice is very helpful. I'm guessing that both of you had your anal spinchter muscle repair without a colostomy so I am hoping that the fact I have a colostomy will reduce the chance that the spincter muscle repair will create another RVF. My consultant says that I have now got some tissue between the vagina and the rectum but it is early days. I'm not really in pain but just uncomfortable to sit on it all. My back passage happens to be sore today but generally it is not.
Flower - I've not been told not to lift anything but in any case I've not lifted a lot. I didn't realise that the anal spincter muscles were used in lifting. I will be careful now.
Was it painful passing poo after the op? I'm not doing so but I wonder what that was like. Also how did your back passage feel? Mine felt tight at first.
Flower I am very sorry that you are having to think of surgery again. I feel very wary about what will happen to me if I get as far as a reversal. I was possibly going to have a Martius type graft ths time but the surgeon decided against it when she opened me up. My surgeon was going to use fatty tissue from the labia whereas a true Martius graft uses muscle tissue. Not sure which type you will have. I did look online and a paper seemed to say that you can get good results with a Martius graft for people who have already had several repairs. So worth considering. I feel for you so much. And you are right, the cut end colostomy I think is what has made the difference for me.
Penny - I haven't had a Sitz bath - what does that involve?
Many thanks to you both and hope everyone else is OK. Beegirl, CJ, Teya, RLmom - how are you doing?
Bea xxx
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Bea....I am keeping my fingers crossed for you....sounds promising so far, so keep the faith. A Sitz bath just requires sitting in warm water to alleviate the soreness at the bum....I was told not to do that until a few weeks into the healing as I had some exterior stitches that should be kept dry....Not that any of it mattered, they all dissolved because of the diahrrea ergo the failures of the repairs....The docs didn't seem to understand my situation which is different than most after my surgeries....They were all concerned with constipation....ha hah haha....I have quite the opposite , they understand NOW..........duh. So no...no pain passing poo from this gal !!
I think I need to reserach this Martius graft to get a better understanding before I go see doc (if I decide to ) Did you have alot of scar tissue at the RVF site from previous attempts to fix? That is another one of my concerns...I was told the more scar tissue, the less likely the success of ever getting the stupid thing repaired....Good Golly...will this ever come to to end? Then we can all talk about our kids, weather, jobs, nasty neighbors...anything besides pooing thru the vag....But I am so glad I have you all, been a blessing that's for sure.
everyone else...stay positive !
Flower
I think I need to reserach this Martius graft to get a better understanding before I go see doc (if I decide to ) Did you have alot of scar tissue at the RVF site from previous attempts to fix? That is another one of my concerns...I was told the more scar tissue, the less likely the success of ever getting the stupid thing repaired....Good Golly...will this ever come to to end? Then we can all talk about our kids, weather, jobs, nasty neighbors...anything besides pooing thru the vag....But I am so glad I have you all, been a blessing that's for sure.
everyone else...stay positive !
Flower
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Hi flower and Bea,
Bea I would say you are lucky having the colostomy during the surgery. The first few bowel movements I've read can be very painful as everything is healing. I was impacted by then and discovered my RVF when very loose stool began coming through it. You can have everything heal in those first few weeks and then try your sphincters, etc. when everything is more back to normal. My surgeon made my anal opening smaller but then he made the sphincter problem worse. My biggest regret is going to him. But even with an inept doctor I've gotten to a place where things are doable with the same probiotic, imodium and fiber pills flower is making do with. I'm hoping things are just as good and better for you. Keep us posted.
Penny
Bea I would say you are lucky having the colostomy during the surgery. The first few bowel movements I've read can be very painful as everything is healing. I was impacted by then and discovered my RVF when very loose stool began coming through it. You can have everything heal in those first few weeks and then try your sphincters, etc. when everything is more back to normal. My surgeon made my anal opening smaller but then he made the sphincter problem worse. My biggest regret is going to him. But even with an inept doctor I've gotten to a place where things are doable with the same probiotic, imodium and fiber pills flower is making do with. I'm hoping things are just as good and better for you. Keep us posted.
Penny
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Hi flower and Penny,
Thanks for the further update. I may try a Sitz bath in a week or so. I had my external stitches taken out on Wednesday.
Flower - Re the Martius graft - my surgeon said that the more repairs you have, the more scar tissue you get and that in turn reduces the chance of the repair working. It makes you feel quite sick thinking of it. That is why the 'pad of tissue' she could feel on Wednesday si so amazing for me because i had very little tissue. My back passage was held together with scar tissue and she thought she would need the modified Martius graft (the one using fatty tissue from the labia) to reconstruct it. Before the op, when she put her finger in my back passage she could see the finger tbrough the fistula - that is how low down and thin it was (you must also remember that my fistula did not actually end in the vagina itself but on the vaginal side of the perineum - sort of behind the vagina). I suggest searching on google for Martius graft. I saw a paper written by a team at St Marks with good results. I thinkk the graft using the muscle is better for a fistula which is higher up from what my surgeon said, but possibly had more complications.
Flower and Penny thank you for your support. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile I'm resting etc.
Bea
xxx
Thanks for the further update. I may try a Sitz bath in a week or so. I had my external stitches taken out on Wednesday.
Flower - Re the Martius graft - my surgeon said that the more repairs you have, the more scar tissue you get and that in turn reduces the chance of the repair working. It makes you feel quite sick thinking of it. That is why the 'pad of tissue' she could feel on Wednesday si so amazing for me because i had very little tissue. My back passage was held together with scar tissue and she thought she would need the modified Martius graft (the one using fatty tissue from the labia) to reconstruct it. Before the op, when she put her finger in my back passage she could see the finger tbrough the fistula - that is how low down and thin it was (you must also remember that my fistula did not actually end in the vagina itself but on the vaginal side of the perineum - sort of behind the vagina). I suggest searching on google for Martius graft. I saw a paper written by a team at St Marks with good results. I thinkk the graft using the muscle is better for a fistula which is higher up from what my surgeon said, but possibly had more complications.
Flower and Penny thank you for your support. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile I'm resting etc.
Bea
xxx
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Hey all
I came accross this thread after feeling the symptoms of an RVF. I too suffered a stage 4 tear with the birth of my daughter this past June. I have my 6 week checkup coming up but I already know this has occurred. I pass gas vaginally and will occasionally have a stooly discharge after I've had a BM. I am 24 years old and previously heathy.
I've been reading through some of the posts but couldn't get through all d/t having a newborn! I was just curious if you ladies had underlying conditions that made your repairs unsuccessful. When I read about the surgeries it says it is typically a 86%-90% success rate? Have you ladies heard of success stories the first time around?
As you can imagine I am nervous but am looking forward to getting my CRS referral and see what she has to say as I don't want my OB to touch me again since I am pretty sure this occurred from a bad stitch job!
Thanks for your input!
I came accross this thread after feeling the symptoms of an RVF. I too suffered a stage 4 tear with the birth of my daughter this past June. I have my 6 week checkup coming up but I already know this has occurred. I pass gas vaginally and will occasionally have a stooly discharge after I've had a BM. I am 24 years old and previously heathy.
I've been reading through some of the posts but couldn't get through all d/t having a newborn! I was just curious if you ladies had underlying conditions that made your repairs unsuccessful. When I read about the surgeries it says it is typically a 86%-90% success rate? Have you ladies heard of success stories the first time around?
As you can imagine I am nervous but am looking forward to getting my CRS referral and see what she has to say as I don't want my OB to touch me again since I am pretty sure this occurred from a bad stitch job!
Thanks for your input!
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Hi Guest,
Congrat's on your new baby! I think in a way having the baby with an RVF helps to keep your mind off the RVF. I had a significant tear after my 2nd baby which 25 years later caused my sphincter to lose some of it's strength. My fistula happened after that surgery. I think fistulas can happen after almost any surgery. I do think there are a lot of success stories. They are just not likely to post here. I would recommend getting an MD that has a lot of experience with them to increase the odds of success. Some women have difficulty finding an MD who will acknowledge that there is one, even with all the evidence. (That would include my first MD). Hopefully, you'll find someone who has had a history of successes and you will be the next one!
Penny
Congrat's on your new baby! I think in a way having the baby with an RVF helps to keep your mind off the RVF. I had a significant tear after my 2nd baby which 25 years later caused my sphincter to lose some of it's strength. My fistula happened after that surgery. I think fistulas can happen after almost any surgery. I do think there are a lot of success stories. They are just not likely to post here. I would recommend getting an MD that has a lot of experience with them to increase the odds of success. Some women have difficulty finding an MD who will acknowledge that there is one, even with all the evidence. (That would include my first MD). Hopefully, you'll find someone who has had a history of successes and you will be the next one!
Penny
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