For about two years now I have been experiencing excruciating rectal pain high up in my rectum. The pain is also felt behind my abdominal incision and when I sit down it feels like something is being pushed up into my lower pelvic region and makes both the abdominal and rectal pain worse.
Sitting is unbearable and the episodes last about 3 – 4 days. They then disappear and return a few months later. It feels like I’m constipated but I’m not, my stools are soft and the pain is even unbearable when passing gas.
At first, I thought it was constipation and took laxatives but they made the pain worse and added gas and cramps to the equation.
Since my vaginal prolapse surgery, in Feb 2001, I have had coccyx pain so bad that it has brought me to tears. Sitting was impossible unless I used a doughnut cushion. X-rays showed a hairline fracture of the coccyx but apparently nothing could be done for it. I even suffered through a 6-week course of epidural cortisone shots but they didn’t work either.
I have a history of adhesions (I used to frequent this site regularly until more surgery kept me away from the computer for a long time) and I was wondering if the above symptoms could be adhesion related?
My potted abdominal/rectal surgical history is as follows:
1. Appendectomy – adhesions after surgery – 1971 2. Fallopian Tubes tied – Feb 1988 3. Vaginal Hysterectomy and birch procedure – May 1988 4. Three rectocele repairs – between 1991 - 2000 5. Three cystocele repairs – between 1991 - 2000 6. An additional birch procedure - 1991 7. Gall bladder removal – adhesions surrounding it – April 1999 8. Pelvic floor tightening – three times – during above surgeries 9. Vaginal prolapse repair– vagina was protruding outside the opening – Feb 2001 10. Removal of vaginal scar tissue – June 2002 11. Repair of this vaginal scar tissue removal after suffering from painful intercourse. – Sept 2002
Additional health problems include osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and a failed total knee replacement that left my leg fused and unable to bend. This apparently makes it awkward for my surgeon to perform pelvic surgery and I was told he has to put me in a position that probably caused the fracture of my coccyx.
I have been told I have very weak pelvic floor muscles by three different OB/GYN’s hence the reason I get all these prolapses and had my hysterectomy at the age of 27 years.
I do have hemorrhoids but as far as I can tell I only have one protruding out of the anus. When I wipe myself thought it feels like there is a large lump in my anus.
I am leaning toward this pain being related to adhesions as I have had so much surgery to the back wall of my vagina and rectum.
To top it all I had a cystoscopy a few weeks ago and my Urologist told me that my bladder has dropped and looks like it’s protruding into my vagina. She recommended that I see a surgeon that she knows to take care of it. When I asked why I couldn’t have my own OB-GYN perform this she gave me the impression that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. My own family doctor said the same thing.
So now I am trying to sit here still in excruciating pain with another possible surgery on the horizon to correct the last three pelvic surgeries I had done.
Can anyone give me some idea of what they think this could be?
Thanks and take care
-- Jayne Canada