I've been part of this forum for a while due to all my problems but now my 17 year old cousin who has had many problems this past year due to Endometriosis.
She was going in today to have a outpatient surgery to clean things out. During the surgery they came out and said the Endometriosis is wrapped around her rectum and they wanted to give her a colostomy.
Her grandmother (who she lives with now) said no because she didn't want her to wake up with a bag on her stomach when she wasn't expecting it. As someone that had emergency surgery and had never heard of colostomy, I can relate and understand how tramatic it would be for a 17 year old to wake up like that (I was 16).

I don't know enough about Endometriosis and no one said if the bag would be permanent or temporary or what. Anyone have any experience. Or Jan, can you send me any links about this?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Olive Oil,

Hi Olive Oil,
How heartbreaking. I'm so sorry for your cousin. I'll leave the medical advice to others, but just wanted to say your cousin is at least "lucky" (sorry to use a word like that in her circumstances) to have such a caring and supportive cousin, and grandmother who has given her a bit more time to wrap her head around the idea of a colostomy. I hope your cousin gets lots of useful advice here and I'm just so sorry she has even needed advice on these things. It makes me so sad and enraged, I can't express it.

First, it is virtually impossible that the endometriosis was caused by childhood sexual abuse. Endometriosis happens and it is pretty common. Basically, the lining of the uterus makes its way out through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity. It remains responsive to the monthly hormone cycles and essentially causes internal bleeding, thus causing pain whereever it is. Since the rectum lies behind the uterus, it is not too uncommon for the tissue to be there, by gravity. It can cause adhesions and infections.

My guess is that this would not be a permanent colostomy, but temporary to releive her pain and/or obstruction. However, the only way to be rid of the affected bowel is through resection, which would be done at a later time, not during an outpatient surgery. A bigger issue for her may be that she may be infertile due to the disease.

http://www.endometriosis.org/endometriosis.html

http://www.endometriosis.org/causes.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abs...us&list_uids=9152194

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/5/1243

Jan

Hi,
I just checked out that website before coming back onto the boards. Was just going to say the same thing....not so eloquent, but more "how does this disease come from the abuse?" Well, whatever caused it, it's horrible for her. Good luck to her. I hope that if they have to give her a colostomy, it's temporary. I wish her the best of luck.

Sometimes doctors can say dumb things without thinking through what they are saying. This would make things worse for her because it would add another psychological layer to what is going on and make it that much more difficult to cope. Much better to know that something is just a random event than to yet again be the victim. I suppose if she was violated with foreign objects, it could contribute by causing pelvic inflammatory disease, but this is not the same thing.

Anyway, she should see a colorectal surgeon about how to handle the rectal involvement of endometriosis. The surgery would be similar to that of rectal cancer.

Jan

I agree with you 100 %, Jan. The last thing she needs is to feel that the childhood abuse has "got her again". So much better to know that she has been unfortunate and contracted this disease, rather than doomed from the age of five. I'm not a shrink, but I would think that part of the healing process would be being able to have faith that life can be good and that past events will not permeate absolutely all areas of her life. I hope she gets good counselling to rekindle her belief that she CAN have a good life.

Olive, I am very sorry to hear about your cousin, she is in my prayers.

My mom had endometriosis until she had a hysterectomy when I was 14 - I guess she was 44 at the time. Its a horrible painful disease to have and sometimes is just not controlable. However, one thing that my mom said worked great for her was the birth control pill. It kept her hormones level while it stopped her period. Whether or not my sister and I have endometriosis, I'm not sure but both of us have exceedingly painful menstrual cramps that take your breath away and make you want to vomit they're so bad. Both of us have also been on the birth contol pill and found immense relief with it. Could this be a possible solution for your cousin?

I know that for some women that nothing will work and the pain is unrelenting. I really hope this is not the case for your cousin and I hope that there is a medical answer rather than a surgical one. She has been through so much suffering in her short life and doesn't need any more.