rectovaginal fistula

I haven't heard of this, no. It may have been for this particular woman. Maybe her muscles were abnormally weak and couldn't, at the time, sustain childbirth. If your doctor says there's no reason to wait, then there's no reason to wait.

I made a Rectovaginal Fistula YAHOO group:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rvf_s/

I hope this link will show up on the board! Please everyone join the group! It is going to be private, so you must ask to join. I believe you need a Yahoo email address, but that is easy to get. I am hoping that this message board will become a support system for those of us who have or had RVF. Also, I love how easy it is to read old post on Yahoo Groups and find information that way!

Thanks everyone!

I had a baby in March 2008. I had a fourth degree tear (caused by a midline epesiotomy) which resulted in a recto vaginal fistula and a rectal-perineal fistula. I had a hole from my rectum to my vagina and from my rectum to my perineum. I was leaking feces and gas through both places. Air would suck between my rectum and my vagina when I would stand up or get out of bed. Gas constantly leaked from both places and feces as well. It felt like I had insides missing, like I was no longer a woman. I really felt for a fleeting moment like I wanted to die rather than deal with the mental torture of it.
I saw 3 colorectal surgeons, two Gynecologists, and one Vaginal Oncologist to see about a repair. One really good colorectal surgeon told me not to have surgery yet and to let it heal on its own for at least a year. He recommended a soluable fiber diet to ensure smooth bowel movements (not runny, not hard), continuing my herbal sitz baths several times a day, and rest. Well I am so happy that I listened (and prayed). After a couple of months the perineal fistula closed completely and the recto vaginal fistula continued to close until about eight months.
This is an extremely difficult injury for women to deal with. It is even more of a mental struggle than physical. The best chance you have is when the injury first happens. You need to keep it clean and do everything you can to get it to fix on its own. YOUR BODY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HEAL ITSELF with your help. If anyone would like to email me who is going through this, I would be more than happy to be a friend and offer any advice on how I was able to heal mine.

Hi, this is a message for the guest that wrote the previous email...i am living w a RV fistula following a 4th degree tear after a 2nd degree episiotomy earlier this year-first baby. My colo-rectal surgeon is saying that i will need surgery as i have had about 12 weeks of silver nitrate every other week with only a little improvement. I really want to avoid surgery, so i am interested in hearing how your situation was and what u did...is it possible for us to email each other if u still check this link?

Thanks

HI, I AM 25 YEARS OLD AND ON MAY 21, 2008 I DELIVERD A 7 LB 6 OZ BABY BOY. HE WAS A FAST DELIVERY, AND EVERYTHING WENT GR8, HOWEVER ABOUT 2 WEEKS AFTER DELIVERY I NOTICED SUMTHING WASNT RIGHT. I NOTICED I HAD GAS AND POOP COMING OUT OF MY VAGINA, I WENT TO MY DOCTOR ON MY 6 WEEK CHECK UP AFTER HAVING MY SON AND TOLD HER, SHE TOLD ME EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL BECAUSE I JUST HAD A BABY, GIVE IT 3 MONTHS SHE SAID AND IT WILL HEAL AND GET BETTER, SO I DID. WELL I STARTED SEEING ANOTHER OBGYN IN OCTOBER OF 2008 AND THAT DOCTOR TOLD ME ITS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GAS AND POOP TO COME FROM DA VAGINA, AND THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH ME, YET INSTEAD SHE TOLD ME I HAD CERVICAL CANCER AND I HAD THE COLPOSCOPY AND LEAP PROCEDURE DONE BUT STILL NO ANSWER ON WHY IM HAVING THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY BOTTOM. SO I SEEN ANOTHER OBGYN (3RD OBGYN) AND TOLD HER EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON AND AGAIN NO HELP SHE TOLD ME THE EXACT SAME THING AS THE OTHER DOCTOR, "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT GAS AND POOP CAN COME FROM THE VAGINA" I WOULD CRY TO ALL 3 OF THESE DOCTORS AND YET THEY DIDNT CARE TO HELP ME. SO IN AUGUST 2009 I WENT BACK TO MY OBGYN AND TOLD HER IM STILL HAVING THESE PROBLEMS AND I KEEP GETTING TOLD NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME YET I HAVE BEEN LIVING OFF ANTIBIOTICS FOR THE LAST YEAR SINCE I HAD MY SON BECAUSE I KEEP GETTING INFECTIONS. I DONT GET IT, ALL I KNOW IS SUMTHING IS WRONG WITH ME AND U NEED TO DO SUMTHING. SO SHE DID SHE REFERED ME TO A GASTROLOGIST IN SEPTEMBER OF 2009 AND SO I HAD A COLONOSCOPY DONE AND HE FOUND THE FISTULA, I HAD THE FIRST SURGERY DONE OCTOBER 14, 2009 AND THE SURGERY DID NOT WORK, SO I HAD TO WAIT 3 MONTHS B4 THEY CAN ATTEMPT THE 2ND SURGERY, WELL IT WILL BE 2 MONTHS ON JANUARY 14, 2010, BUT THIS TIME MY SURGEON SAID I WILL BE DOWN AND OFF MY FEET FOR ABOUT 2+ MONTHS WITH A COLOSOMY BAG..... NE1 HEARD OF THAT B4 WITH THIS TYPE OF SURGERY????????
NEWAY I AM HORRIFIED TO HAVE THIS 2ND SURGERY, I HAVE TO SEE THE SURGEON THIS WEEK TO SCHEDULE THE SURGERY, HORRIFIED.... I JUST WANNA BE NORMAL AGAIN. I FEEL DIRTY AND NASTY AND UNATTRACTIVE AND EMBARREST LIKE PPL KNOW THAT I HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND I KNOW THEY DONT KNOW BUT IT FEELS LIKE IT TO ME. I HAVENT EVEN HAD SEX SINCE JULY 9, 2008 BECAUSE IT HURTS AND I EVEN LET GAS OUT THE VAGINA DURING INTERCOURSE AND THAT IS TOO EMBARRESSING. IM A DENTAL ASSISTANT AND LETTING GAS OUT THE VAGINA INFRONT OF PATIENTS BECAUSE ITS UNCONTROLABLE IS SO HUMILLIATING. SITTING, STANDING, WALKING, LAYING DOWN I ALWAYS GAS OUT OF THE VAGINA,
MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS LAUGH AT ME WHEN I TRY TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THIS NEVER HAPPEND TO THEM AND THEY SAY ITS TOO NASTY TO TALK ABOUT, THATS MY BUISNESS THEY SAY. IDK WHAT TO DO, IM SCARED OF HAVING THE SURGERY AND IM SCARED OF NOT HAVING THE SURGERY. I NEED HELP AND IDK WHERE TO TURN.?! CAN NE1 HELP ME.

Hi I would really like to find out more about how you healed naturally. I got more than one, from either when the doctor was burning off endometriosis tissue from my organs or while he was doing a fenton procedure. I then felt the gas and fecal matter coming out of my vagina. The next week I had surgery but it there is still a tint hole, enough for gas or leaky stools to come out. I am still recuperating from that surgery. And I am afraid of infection and going to bathroom is always scary. My surgeon says it is too soon to do another surgery. I agree but I am so traumatised from the 1st one that I dont want to do another. I am praying that it heals on its own. The pressure when gas comes through this tiny hole is very painful. Please tell me what I can do naturally to aid in my healing.



thanks so much

CG

I also want to know how to completely heal the fistula. I am now two months after my 2nd rectovaginal fistula operation. The first last October 2008 and the second one in Last February 2009. 4 weeks after the second operation was great, no fecal matter no gas coming out. But 2 days before turning 6 weeks,April 2, 2010, i felt pain and snapping skin while positioning sitting in the car. two days after was i was in pain. I went to the doctor on the 6th week and she found discharge. I bleed because the site which she says still raw was hit by speculum. After that, gas comes out of the vagina and anus or either. I was put to antibiotics for another week and back to lactulose. Another follow up check up last April 19, and says there is still 3points of redness in the repair site. Was advised to continue taking lactulose(stool softener) for another two weeks. April 21, 2010 this morning, i noticed slight brown discharge after wiping after urination. Lunchtime, i noticed about 2 small yellow dot (of fecal nature) , i don't know and sure where it came from but I wipe in my vagina. I'm just hoping it came from the anus and just went up. I'm afraid, depressed, hurt, sad...whatever you call it. I've been very careful doing no household work and refrain from going upstairs after the fourth month. All i do is pray, pray, and talk to GOd.

Please post whoever had the experience of closing the fistula without undergoing surgery.

Thanks,

also want to know how to completely heal the fistula. I am now two months after my 2nd rectovaginal fistula operation. The first last October 2008 and the second one in Last February 2010. 4 weeks after the second operation was great, no fecal matter no gas coming out. But 2 days before turning 6 weeks,April 2, 2010, i felt pain and snapping skin while positioning sitting in the car. two days after was i was in pain. I went to the doctor on the 6th week and she found discharge. I bleed because the site which she says still raw was hit by speculum. After that, gas comes out of the vagina and anus or either. I was put to antibiotics for another week and back to lactulose. Another follow up check up last April 19, and says there is still 3points of redness in the repair site. Was advised to continue taking lactulose(stool softener) for another two weeks. April 21, 2010 this morning, i noticed slight brown discharge after wiping after urination. Lunchtime, i noticed about 2 small yellow dot (of fecal nature) , i don't know and sure where it came from but I wipe in my vagina. I'm just hoping it came from the anus and just went up. I'm afraid, depressed, hurt, sad...whatever you call it. I've been very careful doing no household work and refrain from going upstairs after the fourth month. All i do is pray, pray, and talk to GOd.

Please post whoever had the experience of closing the fistula without undergoing surgery.

Thanks,

Sorry for the error on date on my first post

Hello,

I am also facing problem with rectovaginal fistula. I got it at the time of child birth(1st baby), it took 14 months after my delivery to detect it. I got the same answers -IT'S IN YOUR MIND THERE IS NOTHING HAPPENING ,TRY TO IGNORE IT.

But two weeks back i again took my gyn's appointment ,before going to meet her ,i cleaned myself because i didn't want her to miss that small hole again. She found RVF which is 2mm wide and 1cm. deep.

She suggested me the surgery. I consulted general surgeon, he told me to have surgery too,but these types of surgeries come with series of surgeries and it takes a long time to recover from each of them. As a mother of 14 months child ,it will be really hard to recover form such type of surgeries.

Please can you tell me in detail how you recovered from RVF, the diet you followed and doctor details who help u recover from it.

It will be a great help for me.



Thanks

Hi Friend,
I am having a problem of passing gas through vagina whenever I sit under the high speed fan. It started after my normal delivery and it happened on Dec 31st, 2010. My doctor told me that I had stitches in the perineal portion of the anus. I am not much aware of my stitches as doctor told me that there is uncountable stitches due to forcepes delivery.
Now I am scared and mentally depressed due to passing gas through vagina. Please let me know what are the steps you have taken to close the perineal fistula and recto vaginal fistula. Please reply immediately.

I have also had many surgeries trying to heal my RVF caused during vaginal delivery. I've had 4 surgical repairs and an ileostomy installed. Before I go into surgery yet again I wanted to explore natural remedies. A midwife told me that taking a sitz bath in goldenseal and comfrey helps with tear healing. Does anyone know anything about this?



To anyone who is dealing with these issues I reccomend seeing Dr. Ann Lowry in Edina, MN. She did my last surgery and was able to stop gas and stool from entering my vagina with a muscle that was pulled up from the groin. I am still having issues with my perineum, but at least the vaginal portion of the problem has been solved.



Before I do surgery again, which thus far hasnt been entirely successfull, I'd like to see if my body can heal on its own with the help of herbs.

I gave birth to may baby on November 2nd 2010, 4 months later stool and gases started coming out of my vagina, I thought at the begging that I'm imagining that and everybody was telling me that this cannot be right and i might be not cleaning well. 4 months ago I had the courage to go to the doctor and discuss this issue with him (because it was so embarassing to talk about this) The doctor asked me to do the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Pelvis), The results of the MRI was that I have a grade 2 fistula. The doctor informed me that I have to the operation and the sucess of the operation is 70 to 80%. and that i might need to do another operation.

I am 28 years old and I only have one baby and I want to have another baby. Healing from this operation might time time specially if I needed to make more than one operation, and Am thinking of having a second baby first then make the operation but I am afraid that my currect situation might have bad effects on the baby's health while am pregnant and am also afriad that my situation might become worse after the delivery. and i also heard that fistulas cause cancer? I really don't know what to do.. to have a baby first or to do the operation first....

I also have an RVF resulting from a 4th degree tear during childbirth. My colorectal surgeon told me that I should continue to have however many children I want and then he will repair the fistula. Right now I'm 36 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and have had no problems in the pregnancy from the fistula. I've simply kept myself as clean as possible, especially after a BM. I have a scheduled c section in a few weeks because I don't want to have further damage to that area. I would definitely suggest having your other children first and then worrying about the surgery after you're done. It is a lot more work keeping yourself clean (especially when you already have a little one to run around after) but I feel that it's much better than to have the surgery, go through recovery from that, and then possibly have it fail from going through childbirth and having to do it all over again.

hi! i had a temp ileostomy done 5-3 due to a rectovaginal fistula repair. ive been dealing with it for 8 years now, as of 2 weeks ago the surgeon said the repair is still intact but im paranoid bcause i think i passed gas this morning, im all anout natural & i have a sitz bath, any help would be appreciated :)