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So I went to my yearly exam for my gyno. After my pap and while doing my vaginal exam, the gyno says ok, now I'm going to do an anal exam but she had already entered my jpouch!!! I was so startled, I immediately said no,no,no and scooched up the table and out of her reach. I was so surprised she did this, considering we had just discussed the fact that I had a jpouch. I was very startled and even though it was only for a couple of seconds, I was and am a little concerned. There was no bleeding from the pouch at the time or in the next stool, but I am a little tender (not a lot, just a little).
Has anyone had this happen to them? I think I may call my GI doc and see if I need my cuff checked as he said that "no one. no one is ever to go there." Very upset about this as I try to be very protective of my pouch and cuff Frowner Another example of a totally clueless doctor about jpouches. Then the part that left me with my mouth hanging open-The gyno asked about my not wanting an anal exam and when I explained that I no longer had a rectum and just had a cuff, and my gi surgeon said no one is to go there, she looked at me like I was out of my mind.She then proceeded to ask me "then how does my gi doc check there." And I told her with a SMALL scope(but I wanted to say- Not with multiple fingers!!!!!.Arggg!!!!!
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I pretty much always have a rectal exam (just to check for rectocele) during my pelvics. It is no big deal unless your GYN has clubs for fingers. Try not to freak out about it. It is not as if you had your surgery yesterday. You are all healed up. Sometimes I think those surgeons cause more trouble than they think when they give such admonitions, especially when some of them can be pretty rough themselves. My GYN is very gentle. My GI always does a digital exam before a scope too, it is pretty standard.

Jan
Multiple fingers, really?! I've never had that, not for a rectal exam, just the bimanual vaginal exam. My GI uses his index finger, I think. My backside vision isn't the greatest, but that is what I feels like. That is how they dilate before inserting the scope.

I am not sure that stating you have a j-pouch would make any doctor alarmed and know that a rectal exam should not be done. It is not as if it is a bear trap in there. But, all kidding aside, I REALLY do not think you need to be concerned that some damage has been done.

Jan Smiler
My gyno is a petite woman with little hands. She always does a pelvic on me and she's aware I have a j pouch....she's careful and I trust her. I'm pretty sure she doesn't use multiple fingers though! Its actually pretty funny because she is fascinated by the whole j pouch thing! I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure no damage was done.
Thanks everyone for your replies and support! It is wonderful to have someone who gets the whole jpouch thing as I don't personally know anyone who has this. I'm not as tender down there today but my cuff still feels a little bit swollen. I went ahead and put a call into my doctors nurse and would like his opinion.He has been my GI for fifteen years and also did my pouch surgery. He knows that I usually go with the flow (lol Smiler) and take it in stride but I just want to be cautious with my precious pouch.
Kathy....I wish my original colorectal surgeon hadn't mentioned rectal exams. He told me, "No one but him was to perform a rectal exam!". So, a year or so later, when I decided (for a number of reasons) I needed another colorectal surgeon, I actually felt "unfaithful" when I allowed my new colorectal surgeon to exam me rectally! Crazy, huh?
a good measure in the future might be to have your gyn to call your crs or gi. have a little chat. I was told no one but a crs and nothing bigger than a pinkie finger. The measure of a good doctor is how much they listen and are attentive to your physical differences. I unfortunately have found most docs clueless about jpouches. It can't hurt them to call your doc and get educated. It only helps them become a better doctor.
Hi everyone. Just an update. Started with some deep aching across the top of my buttocks this past week. Visited my GI doc who wanted to know who the OB/GYN was and why she would do such an exam. He examined my cuff and anastomosis and said there was trauma done to the anastomosis and that I am developing a stricture there. He ordered four hot baths a day, lots of heating pad time, and a bottle of desitin, gloves, and to use a single finger to massage that sight a couple times a day. I guess this is kinda like a self dilation? as he gave it a good one in the office Eeker. He wants to see me back in the office in two weeks and he will scope my pouch then. He says the problem is not in the actual pouch but the anastomosis site because of the trauma to it. He said we are still ok at this point and that as long as I do these things, it should get better. I'm hoping so. He said the stricture is what is causing the pain. I have usually pretty good pain tolerance ( as all of us J-pouchers and UC survivors have had plenty of experience with pain!). Although it is frustrating, I did allow myself a private little cry in the car ride after my appointment. But a few hours later, my husband and I were poking fun at me and my new unfun issue. Most of the jokes cannot be typed for public viewing (LOL!!). But he did mention that I should get a tattoo down there that said DO NOT on one but cheek and ENTER on the other (NOPE, not doing that Smiler). You know... what can you do but cry a little and laugh as much as possible?!! (oh, and buy some wonderful bubble bath)
Oh gosh wow. So sorry that happened to you. You should make that Gyn doc aware of her wrongdoing. I'm always shocked...appalled at how many doctors have NO clue what this surgery entails. I can't believe how many times I have to explain after saying I have a j-pouch/ileoanal anastomosis "no I don't have a colostomy (I get that question a lot- firstly it'd be an ileostomy), or no I don't have any large intestine left, etc."

Sigh...thinking of you. Hope you get better soon.
Geez. What sort of exam did she do? I've had to have rectals for various reasons over the years since I got my pouch, and everyone was gentle, and would even use a smaller finger to be safer sometimes. It's not that you can NEVER have an exam (my surgeon does exams... I've had scopes... I've had dilations and EUAs), but they need to be gentle ones.
What I suspect is that you had a stricture developing and your GYN exam turned into a manual stricture dilation. Your symptoms sound very much like people who had forceful digital dilations without sedation. I sure can understand the pain, since there are oodles of sensory nerves in the anal canal.

Doing the self dilation should help keep the stricture from reforming, so that is a good thing. Hope all your treatments help.

I agree that your GYN should have stopped if she felt resistance. You probably needed dilation, but by your GI doc, nt her.

Jan Smiler

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