I have been living with a vaginal fistula for four years. I first showed it to a gynecologist who said that it wasn't possible for it to be that since I didn't have children and even if it was she didn't treat them anyways. She was kind enough to swab the area to make sure that it wasn't an STD but apparently couldn't take a culture to make sure that there wasn't fecal matter coming out
So this summer I finally get up the courage to go and see a GI doc. I tell gim about
my acid reflux and IBS as well as the very small area I believe to be a fistula. He doesn't do an exam in the offfice instead only sets me up for an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Doesn't find anything.
I make my decision to tell my family doctor and I go in armed with a picture. It was literally the size of two pinholes and evidence of liquid stool would always be on the toilet paper. She sent to to a colorectal surgeon. I saw the man for the first time on Tuesday of this week. He said yep your aren't crazy that is definitely a fistula and had me scheduled for surgery on Friday!
I have now went from have two very small pin holes to a whole the size of a quarter and as deep as a qtip head!!! He left it
open so that it could heal from the inside out but I have no clue how long this healing will take! He also done a flap procedure on the inside of my rectum so that the stool can't escape into my vag anymore.
I had no idea that it would be so invasive! I have yet to go number two and I'm scared to death even though I have been taking stool softener. I have also never been diagnosed with crohns but that seems to be the only explanation for my having this fistula.
Any advice would be appreciated.