What on earth is going on with my body?

BebeksporMember

I need some help please! Having several problems and I don't know who to ask. I'm a little past six months post takedown. I was taking cipro from the beginning of July until early august, a month course. Prior to that, I had frequent accidents, urgency issues, was up all night with bms, and had a hard time having a bm, like my body would feel the urge to push, but nothing would come out, leaving me with heavy pelvic floor pain.
I've been off the antibiotics for maybe two weeks and life is no longer awesome like it was on cipro. The only issue I really had on cipro was still leakage. After stopping the antibiotics, I apparently developed a yeast infection. It's weird bc it is coinciding with anal itching and basically my whole area from my vagina to anus is so itchy I just want to stay home and cry. I took a diflucan for the yeast infection after diagnosis by my gynecologist on Wednesday. Could I also have a topical yeast infection by my anus? It hasn't itched like this in months, since I installed a bidet.
I am again having trouble emptying the pouch, the consistency is either liquidy, or if I just have a single half tsp of Metamucil, the stool becomes so thick I have to strain. I'm not having accidents like before, it's not keeping me up at night, but I am miserable with this pelvic floor pain, straining, and itching. It itches when I have a bm.

I had a pouches copy on Tuesday the 5th, and the surgeon said there was some inflammation and took some biopsies. I'm going to call him tomorrow but I don't know how much info to tell him. Do I tell him about the yeast infection to see if that affects my skin on my butt? Do I just tell him about my butt itching?

Another weird thing - I've had this happen three times in the past couple months - I'm lying on my stomach and have to pass gas, but gas comes out of my anus and vagina at the same time and I feel a stabbing split second pain in my vagina. What the heck is this? Do I tell the surgeon tomorrow?

I want my happy body and happy pouch back

Thank you very much,
Katie

8/10/149:32 PM

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SpookyMember

Hi Katie,

Sorry to hear you are having problems.

First of all, I would definitely mention the passing gas through your vagina to the surgeon, as this is suggestive of a fistula. That is something you'd need to rule out.

Yeast infections are a common side effect of antibiotics, so it's not surprising you developed one. I've had a yeast infection while taking cipro once before.

Your symptoms, however, don't really should like typical pouchitis. You may have some degree of pouchitis, but you could also have a stricture making it difficult for stool to pass.

Basically, I think it's important that the surgeon is made aware of all your symptoms. They may be related or not, but he needs to know.

Hope you can get this sorted out!

8/11/1410:00 AM

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BebeksporMember

Thank you! I did mention everything to the surgeon yesterday, I figured that since he's a doctor, he hears all kinds of strange things. He said my pouch looked fine when he scoped it last week, but there was some inflammation in the rectal cuff. He said I could do a couple weeks of cipro and see how it is, that some people do a couple weeks on, a couple off.
He did say there could be a fistula, which terrifies me. How does that happen? For now he said to keep an eye on it, unless there is stool coming out, in which case I'd tell him right away.
I'm to see someone in the pelvic floor division at mass general, someone who sees jpouch patients who have pelvic floor pain, trouble emptying, etc.

8/12/147:35 AM

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SpookyMember

Glad you got a few answers!

With respect to the yeast infection, since you are back on cipro, it might cause the infection to recur, or aggravate the already existing problem. Did you surgeon prescribe an antifungal to be taken in conjunction with the cipro? I would suggest calling the office and inquiring. The most common antifungal is diflucan.

Fistulas can form from a number of reasons. They are in fact common complications of any abdominal surgery. They can also be Crohns related, or idiopathic, meaning there is no known cause. It is something to keep an eye on.

Best of luck!

8/12/141:20 PM

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BebeksporMember

My gynecologist prescribed diflucan, I took one last Wednesday and the second one Wednesday of this week. They had mentioned I should take probiotics while I'm on antibiotics to prevent a yeast infection, any recommendations on which one? Thank you!
Katie

8/15/1412:33 PM

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CTBarristerMember

quote:
With respect to the yeast infection, since you are back on cipro, it might cause the infection to recur, or aggravate the already existing problem.

I agree with this- the worst yeast infection I ever had was when I was on cipro for a period of months and when I started diflucan I simultaneously rotated onto xifaxin which is not really systemically absorbed like cipro is, and stays in your gut.

Cipro kills bacteria throughout your body. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic and has a wider shotgun effect than other antibiotics like xifaxin which is a designer antibiotic with limited action. As was explained to me by my dermatologist (my yeast infection was on my skin), when bacteria die the fungi in your body and on your skin multiply and fill those empty spaces formerly occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Bacteria. Unfortunately Mr. and Mrs. Virus, in the form of warts, can also become unwelcome guests into those empty spaces where Mr. and Mrs. Bacteria formerly lived. We all have these microorganisms in our bodies and the drugs we take can disturb their populations and the proper balance that is needed between these microorganism communities.

8/15/148:18 PM

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BebeksporMember

I posted a question on the 'rv fistula question' thread, but I should post it here too. My gynecologist found a 2mm hole in my perineal tissue upon a pelvic exam for the yeast infection issue. She directed me to my colorectal surgeon. Spoke to him, he said it could be possible Crohns (which I don't think I have), and that it shouldn't be from the surgery because it 'went perfectly'. He is going to see me on Sept 8th to look at it. So far I just have gas passing through it once every few weeks, and my gynecologist said she could see mucous coming through.
What should I expect? What questions should I ask? If he recommends surgery, should I get a second opinion? This surgeon was actually my third opinion before I had the jpouch surgery, in my opinion the highest surgeon in my area.
Thanks for the support.
Katie

8/22/148:47 AM

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LHettiMember

I'm sorry for all the troubles!

I agree with what's been said above- fistulas come because of disease, surgery complications, childbirth and to just wreak havoc for women and surgeons! You asked on the other page about Crohn's diagnosis...my diagnosis was changed because I had Crohn's like symptoms: fistulas, stricturing, and Crohn's of the cuff. They stopped calling it cuffitis because my rectal cuff had so much mucosal lining eaten away it was just beyond cuffitis in nature. Because of the Crohn's diagnosis (back in 2010) I was able to try Remicade for my r/v fistulas.

My fistulas were painful (swelling, pus, pain, swollen lymph nodes in my groin, fevers). I had to have multiple surgeries (setons, glue, tissue flap) to try to help. I had a lot of pouch contents drain through the holes. Cipro and Flagyl were my main antibiotics for years, then Remicade for two years. All this involved the recommendations by my colorectal surgeon and my GI doctor.

To start though, it was totally manageable. A seton, left in for a year, and really no pain or anything. Things really started to act up 5 years later for me. Many women deal with them in so many ways. If they are minor and you're dealing, just deal (my opinion). There is only so much surgery, cutting and sewing that our poor bodies can handle! See what the surgeon or doctors say. Again, if pouch contents are getting through, that's the biggest concern. I always found that the thicker the output, the better off I was (very little draining). And don't hold it if you have to go.

I have met with 5 surgeons in my decade with fistulas (mostly because of moving states) and they all tried their best with mine! I hope your appointment in a week helps you decide how to move forward.
Laura

8/29/1410:16 PM

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BebeksporMember

Thank you very much! I appreciate the feedback.
Katie

9/2/148:08 AM

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