2 years post-op, pelvic pain and bleeding

Hello all!

It has been a good 2 years post-op. I had a TVH and oophorectomy in January of 2008, followed by the development of a 2" abcess at the site of the surgery. A rehospitalization followed and all has been fairly well since. The surgery happened due to adenomyosis, endometriosis, ovarian cysts and my uterus and cervix were stuck to my bladder. It was my 7th abdominal surgery (2 C-sections and an ectopic pregnancy, a tubal ligation, appendectomy and an exploratory laparoscopy).

Several days ago I started experiencing nasty "menstrual" cramps and pelvic pressure. This was post-intercourse. It almost began to feel like the pain when my abcess was forming. Hard to sit down and hard to sleep. My lower back was aching too. Today in the grocery store, the pain suddenly lessened and I felt some moisture, as if I had just got my period. Sure enough, there is some bleeding (pinkish, orangy in color) and I had to go out and buy some pantyliners for the first time in a long time.

Has anyone heard of this before? Any reason this could be happening? The pressure is returning a bit again, along with a bit of cramping, but still feeling a lot better than this morning. Strange!

Thanks for any advice you may have to offer!

((jopiedot))

I am so sorry you are dealing with all of this!

Have you called your doctor? Any post hysterectomy bleeding should be discussed with your doctor. There could be many reasons for what you are feeling from hormonal issues, possible ovarian remnant syndrome, vagina cuff problems, vaginal dryness/atrophy, endometriosis, and the list goes on!

Write down as many details about your symptoms as you can and then sit down and talk them over with your doctor.

in there and let us know what you find out!

Thank you for your response Weiser!

I phoned my gynecologist's office on Monday and I have an appointment next Thursday afternoon. Her nurse seems to think it may have been a polyp that burst and purged. Is it possible to have endometriosis still after a complete hysterectomy? I have no ovaries, uterus, cervix....nothing left, really! I had a lot of endometriosis and scar tissue and cysts pre-surgery, but I thought the surgery would have gotten rid of all of those issues....no?

I am also a DES daughter, meaning I had a cervical collar and other benign excess tissue....I am going to research the vaginal cuff and what that may be.....I had not heard that term until recently.

Thanks again!

Here is a link that explains the vaginal cuff: http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/article_192677.htm. Basically, a vaginal cuff is created when the entire uterus is removed. The cuff closes the vagina from the rest of the pelvic cavity.

There is no cure for endometriosis. If any of the endometriosis was missed, that endo has potential to grow and spread. You can learn more about endo by reading through our Endometriosis Resources and checking out our Endometriosis Support forum.

I hope your appointment goes well next week and the solution is a simple one!

Update:

I saw my gynecologist a couple of weeks ago and she saw some granulomous tissue upon examination. She did a few biopsies and cauterized the tissue. Earlier this week I also had an ultrasound (internal as well) and yesterday we had our follow-up consult.

The ultrasound showed nothing but healthy internal structures. The biopsies confirmed the presence of granulomous tissue and also the fact that it was "irritated". The theory is that an end of the permanent stitch that is holding the vaginal cuff together irritated some of the surrounding tissue causing a fluid pocket to develop. It grew and worked it's way to the surface, "popping" out the day of my sudden relief of pain and bleeding. The cauterization apparently tends to "fix" granulomous problems and things should be fine from here on in!

I do feel well again and have had no further problems! Just thought I would post the findings in case anyone else comes across a similar problem in the future!

Hugs,

Jose

Jose,

I'm so glad that you are feeling better! Thanks for updating.

Thanks for sharing and updating us! I hope that you are completely healed soon and all of this becomes a distant memory!

FYI.....it was called a "suture granuloma"....not uncommon, but I had never heard of it before......

I do appreciate your post. I am nearly a year post op. Had a dream last night that I had started my period. Woke up with relief remembering that those days were behind me. Went to the restroom and noticed blood on my panties. Bizarre to say the least. I assumed the pain in my abdomen and back had been from the amount of heavy lifting I've been doing but now I'm not sure. So, thanks to your info, I am a little better educated on what it could possibly be and know how to proceed. Thanks again.