Bleeding rectocele

Submitted by fairmaiden on May 11, 2007 - 5:25pm
Body: 

Can a rectocele bleed? This is so strange. I am 54,have uterine for prolapse for about 10 yrs now. I had just finished my BM earlier today and something somewhere started to bleed. EEK!! It came from a tissue hanging behind my cervix near my rectum. It bled pretty steadily but tapered off in about 2-3 minutes. That was a long 2-3 minutes!! I even called the doctor, that's how scared I was!! He doesn't work on Friday, so I just got his answering service. Good thing; I was about to have surgery this weekend so I wouldn't have to deal with this bleeding anymore!!
I have been doing the exercises. I was pretty freaked out!! I have tried so hard to resist a hysterectomy but am leaning toward having one. Not that I want too!!
Please tell me if this is normal(?) or not!! This tissue has been there for 1-2 weeks and it's never bled before. The other day, before getting the sea sponge, I started using tampons to 'put everything in its place'. Do you think they irritated the tissue? So many questions. But, I do want to stay informed before seeing the doctor.

Suzanne

Christine

May 11, 2007 - 5:44pm

I’m so sorry you’re having these problems, Suzanne! I can’t tell from your post if the bleeding was a one-time occurrence or not. At any rate, it needs to be checked out. Bleeding is not at all a normal symptom of vaginal wall prolapse. At this point I won’t put anything like tampons or sponges in…my tissues are pretty thin and I can imagine them becoming irritated and bleeding.

fairmaiden

May 11, 2007 - 7:17pm

or perhaps it's been more in the past week. It happened the other day once I took the tampon out but not to this extent.
I suppose I can live with the 'pressure' of my insides until my doctor visit. I also told my workplace that I can only 4 hrs. a day.
Hopefully, that will help also.

MeMyselfAndI

May 12, 2007 - 7:11am

Was it bright red blood or dark red?

If it was bright red then there is a good chance that you have a scratch or something inside the rectum, if it tapered off and then was gone then that sounds more like that fact. Many people have a pile inside and it can bleed from a BM pushing past it and causing a tiny 'tear' then it heals itself. Constipation can easily cause this kind of thing.

If it was dar red - Then it has been a bleed further up in the insides - I would definitely go see a Dr about that!

But - To make sure you are feeling OK about it - I would say go see your Dr - But if it was a mini type bleed and especially if you just had a constipated BM - then I would say it was that :)

Let us know what your Dr says :)

Sue

fairmaiden

May 12, 2007 - 7:42am

It was dark red and then turned bright red if that makes sense. When it tapered off, it looked like some tissue and mucus was on my pad. The more I thought about it, this is what would happen when I did have periods. Mmm... Ever since I had babies, I would bleed alot. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing?
I bled some through the night. Not alot though. I haven't had a period for about a year. Maybe I'm having one now? Time will tell...

Suzanne

fairmaiden

May 18, 2007 - 8:01pm

I think the bleeding was my yearly period,lol. It looks as if I AM going into Menopause. Is the tissue hanging down my uterus? UGH!! They say the uterus shrinks after menopause. Will it go back up? Is there any hope for me other than a hysterectomy?? My yearly checkup is Tues. and I've been reading day & night on this computer. A friend was suggesting a 'tuck of the uterus' but that is surgery, right? The prolape rests and goes in at night, but as soon as I stand up in the morning, it goes back down. My bladder is protuding too but hasn't stopped me from peeing,thank goodness. Whenever my back hurts, I stretch and touch my toes or go on all fours and do the leg lifts.
This all helps.

fairmaiden

May 22, 2007 - 5:44pm

I went to my GYN today for my yearly physical. The thing dangling down was a polyp from my uterus. He said that was what was bleeding. He sent it to the pathologist and we'll know the results on Friday.
So...at least, that thing is gone. Now...waiting for Friday.

Suzanne

Grandma Joy

May 22, 2007 - 11:17pm

Dear fairmaiden (love that name!),

Thoughts and prayers coming your way. Let us know how it goes.

Love and blessings,
Grandma Joy

fairmaiden

May 23, 2007 - 7:45pm

Thanks for the sweet thoughts. I feel so much better. I suppose it was the polyps that was bringing everything down. I have no pelvic pressure, no bladder protuding. I can't even feel my prolapse. Life is good. Hope it continues.

mommyintx

June 1, 2007 - 9:53am

I have almost the same thing as you do. When I have a bowel movement, I see tissue also and I am having heavier cycles now. The doctor said I didn't have a rectocle though but I do have pelvic floor dysfunction. I read somewhere that it could be some form of endometriosis. My periods have been so much heavier since I had my last child. I have no clue either.

louiseds

June 2, 2007 - 6:12am

Hi Fairmaiden and the others who have responded to this thread

It is very distressing when you find something on/in your body and don't know what it is. This is the very way that many of us have discovered our prolapses. It is a sad reflection of our lives that we do not have an intimate knowledge of all parts of our bodies, and that we often don't know what we are touching, even if we do have a diagram in front of us. A diagnosis or discovery of prolapse is often the first chance a woman has to get to know what is really there, and how it all works together.

Knowledge leads to familiarity and can open a door to being comfortable with our bodies, even if they are not what the fashion/media/slimming/fitness industries would have us strive for. We certainly no longer have to rely on solely on doctors and other professionals to tell us what is happening, but can invite them to become partners in our 'body management', whether that means exercise, diet, posture, surgery, medicines of different kinds or physical and other therapies.

The good news is that any woman can get to know the unknown parts of her body. There is nothing wrong with having a good feel around with a clean hand of course. It is the only way to do it. It is your body after all.

There is nothing wrong with using a mirror to have a good look at the bits we cannot easily see. It is the only way to do it.

Read, particularly Christine's book, to get a better understanding of how your pelvic organs work together with the muscles, fascia and skeleton, to keep the whole thing stable. It really is a source of wonder to me.

If I do not have a right and a responsibility to know what is going on with my body, then who does? And who will know what changes have happened if nobody knows how it normally is, or how it has changed? Certainly not a doctor, who cannot possibly remember what normal was when s/he last had a feel inside and a good look, other than by referring to brief notes made the last time! The only person is me!

The genital area is somehow not regarded the same as a face or an arm or a foot. The aesthetic appearance of our genitals is not important to society. Nobody sees them other than our sexual partner, and sometimes even that is doubtful ;-). They are not displayed on billboards or on TV, well, not usually.

There is nothing shameful about them. They are the source of human life, and I think we owe it to our children to encourage them to familiarise themselves with their own bodies, and know how they work; also the sacredness of their bodies and how to look after them.

I hope this doesn't sound too extreme, but it really annoys me how little I really used to know about my own body, and I give thanks that I am no longer quite so ignorant.

Cheers

Louise