rectocele questions

Hello, I had a hyster in Aug for bladder, rectal and uterine prolapse along with the vaginal walls fallling. So, I have still not felt the same since, have had multiple infections, the rectocele is supposedly a stage one. I am on vaigifem for the atrophy I also have, even though I still have my ovaries that the gyno says are working just fine. I still feel like absolute crap. My parts still feel like I could give a push and we could see each other. Bm as you all know are very scary, just the thought of it makes me woozy with fear.

Something has happened twice this week that I feel is just nuts to have to deal with at such a young age. I am only 41. I have woken up to find I have had some kind of anal leakage. So why is that happening and what can I do to prevent it??? My husband is great and we can laugh about it, but deep down, I am so scared about it. I just want to have my normal parts back. I am so close to tears after being so strong.

Monday I go to my original gyno (this newer one is not on my husbands new insurance, go figure). I will get her opinion on how things look, if I have any bacterial infections lingering, then on the 31st I go to someone who is supposed to be a "specialist" and get his opinion.

I can honestly say, I would probably have lost my mind if this site was not here for me to research, read, listen, ask, etc. I tell EVERYONE about this site. They really need to sell bumper stickers or something to get the word out. Doctors, etc, just look at you like your mental with all of the questions.

Ok, thanks for listenging

hamm--

I'm sorry you are having problems still after your surgery. I had a rectocele repair along with an attempted anal sphincter repair this past February. The sphincter repair wasn't as successful as I'd hoped. My UroGYN's atempted repair brought the fascia together because he couldnt' find the ends of the sphincter muscle which you need in order to repair it. Did your Dr. do this kind of repair along with the other things you had done? It is many times part of the overall 'perineal repair' when extensive repair is being done to that area. You can ask your Dr. to find out for sure.

Anyway, for many months afterwards, it felt like my problem with 'leakage' was made worse. I was determined to wait out the 6 months before possible having anything else done because I know sometimes that things can swell for a loooooong time and that in itself can cause problems. My leakage got better right at around 6 months. It isn't perfect by any means but it has improved so much that I now wouldn't consider surgery to repair it just yet. It would have to get back to that awful leakage of almost every day to make me want surgical repair by a colorectal surgeon/ specialist. I know I will probably have to have it done some day but I hope to put it off for as long as possible because I'm just plain sick and tired of surgery, to tell the truth.

Thank you for the kind things you say about the site. I've also found it to be a huge help which is why I've stuck around myself for the past few years. It's heartwarming to see sisters helping each other.

Many {{{HUGS}}} to you and extra helpings of Good Vibes..........

I was wondering if anything having to do with the rectum should be done by a colo-rectal surgeon? There seems to be an overlap, where gynos or urogynos do rectocele when they do the other prolapses...but colorectal surgeons are the experts on the sphincter, and do rectoceles too.
What type of surgeons did your repairs...hammerit12 and OrahDeb?

My gyno did my repairs, I am unsure exactly to the detail what he all did during surgery. I do know that with the rectocele I will see what my options are with 2 or 3 or more opinions. This stuff is really scary to me.

Tammy

There is definitely an overlap in this area. UroGYN's are the main pelvic floor experts. However, when it comes to the sphincter repair, I believe I'd trust a colorectal surgeon to be more detail-specific with that somewhat delicate surgery. Colorectal surgeons usually have the testing equipment to examine the sphincter as well as the lower internal rectum in greater detail. My UroGYN never mentioned anal ultrasound to see if he could find the ends of the sphincter (btw, there is an internal and an external sphincter) muscle before attempting the surgery to repair it. He was not successful. The colorectal surgeon I saw said that without being able to actually 'see' where the ends of the muscle were, it wasn't surprising another Dr. couldn't find them to do the overlap repair surgery on them. It made sense to me. I wouldn't want to go through any surgery like that again without an excellent chance of it being very successful because I know each succeeding surgery lessens the chances for success. It's one of the reasons I am putting off further sphincter repair for now.

I do wish you the best of luck in your search for info. and in your decision making process. It truly is never an easy one and we just have to make the best decisions with the information we have.

S....