Endo affecting Bowels?!

[LauraB_04]

Can anyone out there explain why Endo can cause bleeding when Bowels are opened??

I had my lap a couple of weeks ago & a friend was asking if my bleeding had settled down (which at last it has on the whole - hurrah!), to which I can only reply 'sort-of,' because when I open my bowels I get a small amount of bleeding.... so said friend then wanted to know what caused it or what he could search Google for about it... to which I had absolutely no answer & even searching myself I can't find a sensible answer, all that I can come up with is blood in stools etc (which is not my issue!)!!

So if anyone has any answer for us I would love to hear!! xx

[mikkid88]

I have endo on my bowel it's from the tissue becoming inflamed as we pass stool especially if we're constipated (if you're anything like me ) it can cause blood to pass with the stools or at least that's what I understood from my gynae consultant lol

[LauraB_04 in reply to mikkid88]

OK... I don't get blood with my stools (see my reply to applebird!), but yep I do get constipated, although I know before my op that was because I was basically living off Codeine to survive & post-op I know it's just because I need to keep moving

I'm really perplexed reading both your replies though - maybe I'm just a random case?! lol!

[applebird]

Endo tissue when it grows elsewhere acts as it normally does ie builds up when stimulated by oestrogen and breaks down causing bleeding during the latter part of your cycle. It's the internal bleeding that causes inflammation etc in your abdominal cavity - the blood has no place to go. When endo infiltrates through the bowel wall and grows inside the bowel this is when the blood can appear in your stool - usually in and around your period.

If you never had this happen prior to surgery I would try and consult with the surgeon and definitely speak to your gp as blood in the stool can be serious.

The other thing it could be - when you have surgery you tend to end up quite constipated from all the pain meds/anaesthetic. Even a little straining can cause haemorrhoids - it might not be that painful but if the blood is only scant and bright red this is likely to be the culprit. If it's dark red it's liable to be from further back in your colon, they may have nicked it esp if operating around the area hence why speak to the docs asap xx

[LauraB_04 in reply to applebird]

Hi,

Thanks for responding! Sorry my post probably wasn't very clear - I don't ever get blood IN my stools, but when my endo has flared up in the past & obviously at the moment it's early days so still settling down, I get some (sorry tmi!) bloody vaginal discharge... Sorry to be confusing!

But if you know what causes this, I'd love to just be intelligent as Google didn't have any answers that seemed relevant!

x

[applebird]

Oh! I see what you mean! Ok reply will be tmi - but basically I don't think you have much to worry about - when u have a movement it actually moving through colon to rectum puts pressure on your cervix which can cause it to open and dispel blood from the womb into the vagina (like a piping bag) - so you get a larger amount of blood discharge from there when you have a bowel movement rather than the weepy kind you're probably having post surgery. Again darker blood is old blood - could be from prior Endo flare ups or the surgery itself.

It's just like how you might notice increased vaginal discharge after a bowel movement - the pressure causes it esp if you're constipated!

Some people with bowel endo can have nodules that bleed whenever bowel movement passes by - happened to me and also when gynae doc palpated the nodule. But since you're post lap I'd think this unlikely, keep an eye on it if it gets any worse and bleeding increases in general.

Ps once you're feeling better get an exam done at your gp to have a smear and check for cervical erosion just to be on the safe side - the blood may be from your cervix itself.

[LauraB_04 in reply to applebird]

Ah! Thank you for enlightening me... it makes sense now!

Don't know whether my friend will really want to know all that, but at least I can sort of answer should he ask again!

I will keep an eye on it, but hopefully that too will stop soon, as I had the Coil fitted during my lap anyway

Thanks again xx

[LauraB_04 in reply to applebird]

Sorry, I just noticed your last comment about having an exam - as I had a coil fitted would they have checked around the cervix at the same time do you think??

[applebird in reply to LauraB_04]

Probably not, they're on a schedule and will have quickly inserted it when finishing up your op. If you're due a smear anyway I'd get one at your gp and have it checked out, takes two mins and will rule out any other issues x

[LauraB_04 in reply to applebird]

OK, I'll definitely bear it in mind then (I'm only 21 so don't have the regular smears!) - it does seem to have calmed down, but if it starts up again I'll make sure I speak to them thanks x