Just wanted to share my recent experience. I've been constipated all my life. Whenever I had my period I'd have intestinal cramps and frequent BM's. I considered that to be a form of IBS.
I had a hysterectomy (just the uterus) for fibroids about 6 years ago at the age of 49. A few years later, I started to have bouts of cramps and loose stools that came approximately once a week. I assumed it was because I was perimenopausal.
Then I noticed that my rectocele was starting to cause me problems. A rectocele is a prolapse, or hernia (pushing into), of the rectum into the vagina. I only knew that I had one because I had been told so when I'd had a routine, normal, colonoscopy at the age of 50. It had not bothered me until my uterus was removed, and I began to go through menopause and no longer had estrogen to keep things flexible.
Over the last few years, the rectocele became so bad that I had trouble initiating a BM without using a glycerine suppository (unless, of course, I was having a bout of IBS!). Then all the straining gave me a hiatal hernia, and GERD. Finally, about 6 months ago, I started to have almost constant bloating and right upper quadrant pain, something entirely new for me. I had an EGD, a barium swallow, an abdominal ultrasound, and a HIDA scan (to assess gallbladder function): all normal except for the hiatal hernia. Then I was scheduled for a stomach acid test, but the doctor cancelled at the last minute (it was the day after a beautiful July 4th weekend!) and the office forgot to call me!. I was so fed up that I said, "that's it! no more tests!" I'm an RN. I knew that an acid problem wasn't causing my bloating and pain. I was taking Omeprazole once a day (and continue to) for my GERD.
I decided that I had to have my rectocele repaired before it made my hiatal hernia worse. The gyn surgeon told me that I probably had an enterocele, also. This is a prolapse of the small bowel into the pelvic area. Something clicked. I had been told by a PA that it was some sort of a motility problem that was causing my bloating. I knew it wasn't my stomach; I had no nausea or vomiting. It must be my small bowel! And it was! I had surgery a month ago. The surgeon opened my vagina and put mesh in my pelvis to hold up my small bowel, and to keep my rectum from pushing into my vagina. I haven't had the bloating or pain since then! He said that I had quite an extensive enterocele. But, no one can know that before the surgery (except, I suppose, by CT scan). It does, however, go along with a rectocele, which you would know about.
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For menopausal women who have a rectocele and unexplained frequent bloating
