rectocele and haemorrhoids

Probably quite common, as both are associated with straining.

Hi Ikam,

I too have hemmorhoids that have nothing to do with straining. I first got them when I was pregnant years ago and they come and go since. I asked my doctor once and she said that yes, hemmorhoids are very affected by hormones. Which is funny because when you read about them no one ever mentions that. They always say don't be constipated, don't strain, and since that isn't what is causing mine that doesn't help!

Christine's paper on how her hormones shifted at menopause and caused anal swelling etc, was the first time I ever heard anyone else mention it. Just one other thing that Christine has enlightened me on! Now that I am in perimenopause I have some months where they flare up. It seems to be in conjunction with an all-over pelvic inflammation for me, when my hormones are all wacky. Then it takes quite awhile for them to go back down. I have no problem sitting, but at times they ache a lot. I find that taking sitz baths helps them feel better. Also, putting lubricant on the area before a BM helps. And exercise makes them feel better as well. Probably because it gets me up off my butt! :-)

I feel for you! And me too! Coincidentally right now mine are bad - last month my period was 2 weeks late and the hemmorhoids flared up ... I am tempted to try that collinsonia (sp?) that someone here recommended. If I do I'll let you know how it goes.

i used to become consstipated the week before a period. Bowel motions were always more 'difficult' at that time. I think this is where the connection might come from.

Try witch hazel with a generous amount of tea tree and lavender oil. Soak a cotton pad or ball and place directly on the offending area, about 10 minutes at a time. This works wonders for me in immediate relief and helps the 'rhoid shrink away. If you need some lube there for BMs, try olive oil.

ETA: I use these same ingredients to make wipes solution for diaper changes -- it is very gentle and neither of my boys ever developed diaper rash.

History: age 61, menopause age 42 (HRT for 14 years discontinued at age 56), colon resection 2010 for diverticulitis (good final results), hemorrhoids mild stage 2, hemorrhoid laser surgery 3/2012 (symptoms seem a little milder?), colitis (flareups have always been infrequent and short), cystocele stage 3+ with rectocele recently diagnosed though I now know they've have been coming on for years, pessary and estrogen cream for past 3 weeks. I am now having anal itching that causes much distress and keeps me awake at night. I think perhaps the rectocele "sac" that has trouble eliminating is the problem though the MD said he could not laser a hemorrhoid that was near the anal opening. I've used Prep H etc. so much through the years that it seems to just irritate the skin (makes little bumps) and the itch is worse. I've discovered Balneol and can clean after BM's now without too much pain. Sorry to make this so long because my real question is: What might be causing this terrible itch and what can I do about it? Any suggestions are much appreciated as my Gyn though good with the pessary etc. is not helpful about anal problems. BM elimination with recurring constipation, tears, irritation, rashes, ITCHING, has always been the biggest problem with each of my medical conditons. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

This must be driving you nuts! I am not familiar with the medications you mention. How does each of them act? I don't have haemorrhoids, so I am not speaking from experience.

Tell us a bit more about what has been happening? Has your diet changed? Is the itching on the inside of the anus, or is it outside, or both? You mentioned that it keeps you awake at night.Is there a relation between time of day and the itching, apart from that? Is it the same every day? What about before or after a bowel motion? Have you changed any other medications recently? Have you changed your laundry detergent or personal cleaning products? Or panty liners, pads, etc? Is there anything else in your life that has changed at the time that the itching started?

Louise

Hi Louise, the meds are not prescription - just Balneol (a gentle anal cleanser - it's very good and I highly recommend it -sometimes I am so tender that I have to use it on a cotton ball - if not really clean the itching is worse). Prep H I no longer use as over time it seems to be more of a problem than a help. Sometimes I use Cortisone but when everything stays moist over time, it gets worse. Staying dry seems better. My hemorrhoids have always been very itchy but now that the rectocele is diagnosed, I think that it may have been the problem all along. The itch is just inside the anus and seems to be at the rectocele "pocket". It itches everyday off and on and the same at night. Sometimes I think I will go crazy. I am using the pessary temporarily. We have a 2 week trip to Europe planned and I did not want to cancel. I plan to have surgery to correct Cystocele and Rectocele soon. I do leak urine with the pessary but did not leak with the cystocele as mine fell the "right" way. I try to stay dry with liner pades. When the cystocele appeared, I Googled "ball of skin sticking out of my vagina" and so many women had Googled it before me...funny but not HaHa funny :>) Denise

Hi Denise

So, there are two separate issues, the itching and soreness around the outside of your anus, and the itching inside your anus. It sounds like it might be something in your stool that is aggravating your anus. Have you tried a simple barrier cream, like a zinc-based nappy rash cream for the outer irritation? And have you tried a local anaesthetic, particularly at night. Another possibility is candida. Another less likely culprit could be pin worms.

There is another possibility. The nerves that control your anal function come from the sacral and lumbar spine. If they are irritated by being malpositioned this will create irritation, sensitivity or pain around the anus. As you have haemorrhoids already it indicates that there is some inflammation in that area. If you can make the nerves happier your haemorrhoids might be happier too, and stop itching.

Whole Woman posture will get your spine, sacrum and pelvis aligned more correctly for your female body. I would strongly suggest that you give this posture at least six to twelve months to improve your overall pelvic configuration, before even thinking about surgical fixes for your cystocele and rectocele. These surgeries will change the way your pelvic organs are supported, and you may end up with further prolapse, and bladder and rectal issues worse than you currently have, if you have repair surgery.

Correcting your posture so that your bladder will move forward onto your pubic bones (and off the top of your vagina), and your intestines will tip forwards, out of your pelvic cavity, and into the abdominal cavity, will take the pressure off your rectum and anus. This may be what they need to give you less grief. It may not be coincidence that you have all these pressure conditions.

You may be able to fix this yourself, as so many other women on these Forums have done, simply by learning new ways of using your body .

Doctors are very good at some things, but "do no harm" goes right out the window when it comes to pelvic organ prolapse, which they do not understand well, and for which their fixes all risk further problems that are a lot worse than an itchy bum. These surgeries are not a cake walk either, with a lot of post-operative pain and post-operative limitations, all of which you can do without if you can make Whole Woman posture work for you.

Louise

Hi dkg51 - here is a link to a very informative forum thread from earlier this year, with lots of important comments from Christine on the subject of her own problems with anal itching:

http://www.wholewoman.com/forum/node/4495

I hope you will take Louise's comments to heart about avoiding surgeries and looking into Whole Woman concepts. Please go to the Resources page, look for the on-line video clips and watch the first one, which is a 20-minute overview of WW and why surgeries are not the solution. - Surviving

Hi all, I am taking all advice to heart and am wanting to try all the suggestions. Just have to learn how to navigate to some of it. Forgot to say that I do have one new prescription for past 2 weeks - vaginal estrogen cream that I am using 3x weekly to build up vaginal walls pre surgery. Also forgot to mention that since stopping all Prep H creams and suppositories, I find that child size glycerin suppositories bring some itch relief which leads me to the idea that bits of poop in the rectocele pocket need moisture. I do take stool softeners nightly and eat lots of fiber. I was doing pilates for 4 years and after reading this site, have stopped it and only do a few yogas ones that seem good for my problem. You certainly have me reconsidering suregery. What do you think of pessary use as I have had one for 2 weeks and hoped to wear it on vacation but don't want to get far from home and have a problem? I got it just for the trip so my prlapse wouldn't fall out as before. Would it be better to take the pessary out and just deal with the porlapse as before. I had no leaking with the prolapse (found out on this site that that happens when it falls a certain way - my only good luck) and now have light leaking with the pessary.The GYN says that happens when the pes. unkinks the uretha. My husband does not like that the pess. will stay in 2 months and it is a cup type that does not allow intercourse. After 40 years married, he is patient with this but he sure is looking forward to me having the surgery. I guess if I get the pess. out, we could have sex if careful. Right? Denise

Great link. I am thinking that the hormone cause mentioned here by Christine may be it. I am going to research this some more. Maybe the vaginal estrogen cream will help the anal itch by changing my chemistry some??? I wish I had never gone off the estrogen replacement pills but after those studies everyone did - or at least everyone I knew who still had a uterus. I never had any of these problems, felt better, and enjoyed sex for all the years I took them.

If you are still considering surgery, you best read up before you go ahead with it. You may change your mind. there is much information here, in Christine's book and elsewhere, that will explain the various surgeries and the honest ones will explain the repeats, the dangers and the unfortunate number of women who go into them thinking they will solve our world. Well they don't. It is possible for them to do more harm than good and I do hope you read well before making your decision. I do not use a pessary but many women here on this site do, so you can search many forum discussions and find first-hand info on that. When I saw my doctor, she offered one. I didn't want it (had already discovered this wonderful place and really wanted to try this healthy, natural approach--and, my symptoms were manageable by the time I saw the doctor). My doctor did tell me that although the pessary that stays in a long time does not allow for intercourse....you can also consider another type (there are several types) that you learn to put in and out, and then you can simply remove it when you want sex :-) My best wishes to you!

Hi again dkg51 - did I hear you say that your husband is looking forward to your surgery? Is this because you don't feel that you can have sex with prolapse? I've certainly never heard anyone even suggest that repair surgeries were good for one's sex life! Prolapse is certainly no deterrent to sex, in fact it's pretty good for pushing everything back up where it belongs! Use some lubrication if you need to. But really now, do some searching on this forum and you'll find some really lively discussions on this topic. - Surviving

there is a high probability that post surgery your sex life would be over for good. neither you or your husband would probably consider this a good thing. husbands have a tendency to be "mr. fixit" and they want what is best for their wives and if surgery will "fix it" then off to the operating room!

If he could hear some of the stories we hear from women who call in weeping uncontrollably because they didn't find this site in time it would break his heart.

print out a copy of my "husband's guide to prolapse" which can be found in the library.

lanny (christine's DH and handyman)

Thankyou Lanny.

My Gyn admitted, when I asked him, that my vagina would have scars from end to end after the surgery, and that this would probably cause sex problems (*read pain for me*!) for a considerable time. Needless to say, I read up on the surgeries and decided firmly against the surgery.

DKG, I suggest that you go to the Library, then to Articles, then to Inspirational. Read my story call The Two Doors.

If you are set on surgery, then it is even more important that you let your initial enthusiasm for surgery wane a bit, study our successes, and give Whole Woman's *totally* non-invasive methods a try for 6 months minimum, then go ahead with the surgery if you still think it is necessary.

It is just like writing a really angry letter. You will get the best result by writing it in full rage, then sit on it for a week, read it again, be shocked by what you wrote, and edit it, *then* post it. Many an angry letter has been sent in haste. Once the recipient has read it you can't take back what you have written!

Pelvic repair surgery is similar. It is much more difficult to get benefit from Whole Woman methods after surgery, but you can have surgery after trying Whole Woman methods, and not affect the results of the surgery.

Hasten slowly.

Louise

It's probably nothing to do with your condition but have you ruled out thread worms?
These can cause horrible itching and can be a chronic condition and are very common.
...as I know from experience! and can be treated- although they do come back.
Do hope you sort out the problem soon
comfort is all!
good luck
Amel

Hi dkg51, a couple months ago I developed itching and stinging in my anal and vaginal area I was given a cream that had cortisal in it for the first couple of days it felt wonderful I told my daughter that my doctor gave me a magic cream and then came day 5 and I thought I was going to fade away itching, I stopped using the cream and started using Dove with green tea with cucumber soap, ever since then I haven't itched or had any stinging. I hope I've found the cure, for myself any way I have very sensitive skin give the soap a try it might just help.
Mahalo and much Aloha,
Heavenlyflower