HOLE in vaginal wall?

thanks everyone .....

my lifting days are probably over too -- and I am one of those people who do everything. I grow plants, sell at Farmer's Mkt. Putting in a greenhouse in Spring! Not sure what I'm going to do about lifting things.

I am the type who is very familiar with my body. I know what everything is supposed to feel like, so then when things don't feel right, I don't wait months or years to address it. A lot of women wind up dead from cancer because they were 'afraid' to feel around in their own body.

I found the hole when I was doing a quick finger check in preparation for our first post-op sex. I had read about stitches hurting during sex, and my doctor said that he could still see quite a few stitches still in there during the exam at week 6. I did feel some stitch tags, but also found that hole! It hurt a lot to touch it -- like a bad bladder infection.

Really, I think a normal surgery would be suspect because of the fistula, but mine was so not normal that I am sure the best surgeon in our area did the best job possible with what he had to work with.

I was sort of surprised something like that didn't showed up sooner,and was counting myself very lucky not to have a lot of bad complications considering there were adhesions, much scarring and endo to deal with. Lots of bladder swelling afterward, so I had a cath at home until day 10 or so.

In any case, I feel calm now, so will just wait until Tuesday to see what must be done. Maybe I am wrong and it's not really a fistula with leaking, but just a flap where the stitches came off.

I believe my cystocele repair is already failing -- without ANY lifting, straining, bending during the 8-9 weeks since my surgery except that one day.

The surgeon decided not to do a sling or tape because I have Interstitial Cystitis, and it does not react well to those things -- but I wonder now if he will realize it is already failing and try something different, if I have to go in for a second surgery for that hole?

I just want to be normal!

hi everyone ....

an update on the "hole".

The liquid feeling and the bubbling have stopped since Sun morning. It's funny -- for the first time since Dec 18th, I don't feel any of those things!

I had only discovered the "hole" in vag. wall on Friday, and worried it was a fistula, but now I am not so sure!

I tried a tampon test on Friday and it "seemed" full of liquid, but I guess I could have been wrong.

Today I took a red pill, put in a tampon, and all I got w/ two different tampons was a green spot in the same general place, w/ a bit of blood. No red dye, not full of liquid like on Friday.

So.... i am not so freaked that I have a fistula for sure .... Now I am more like - "ok, check the hole, but if it's not a fistula, but just a loose spot, WAHOO!"

I have to go to Dr. tomorrow even if I now don't think it is a fistula.

CAN A FISTULA LEAK ONLY SOMETIMES, THEN STOP LEAKING?

thanks for all your support.

I just wanted to say that I can really sympathize with you! I am facing another abdominal surgery because of a dime-sized fistula caused by the doctor's error--taking the cathether out the same night as surgery even though they'd nicked the bladder. I'm also in a similar situation with insurance!!! I hope that you get your health and sanity back soon. I hope 2007 gets better and better for you!
Shannon

hi everyone,

I saw the doctor yesterday, and he said the hole does not go all the way through the wall. If it did, then it's healed on its own partially.

He said that the vaginal area was not healing well -- it's been about 9 weeks I think, since the surgery -- so he gave me some Progestin cream to use for 2 weeks. Still no sex, but after the first week of using the cream twice a day, I am supposed to "have as much sex as you can stand or the vagina will not heal normally" .....

What a relief!


d

Good prescription there then, di?!! Cream does help the healing, as apparently does sex as it brings the blood to the area...
I have also got lifelong lifting restrictions after 3 repairs in all and a weak pelvic floor.It does put off the evil day of going through it all again.
Good luck with your healing.

hi all,

I just wanted to come back and update you on the Hole I found.

I saw my surgeon, and he said the hole did not go all the way through, but said the vag. was not healing properly, so prescribed hormone cream to insert.

After using it for a week I was amazed at how 'normal' things felt in there. No more hard lumps, etc.

The hole is still there, but it is more like a dip now, and even I can feel the back of it.

He told me I had to have insertion at least twice a week, but have been unable to achieve it! He said "I'm prescribing a device if you can't have sex enough"

Thanks for letting us know what happened!

Hang in there!