Very curious about this (tmi!!)

[Asparagus and Lemons]

So I had been diagnosed with endometriosis a few years ago, but Im now not too sure if the doctor was right..
If anybody knows what this may have been, please help! -May be tmi!

So I was about 17 when it all started, I would bleed from my anus, bright red blood, just a small amount for about 3 days after AF had finished. It was painful passing bowel movements and I was constantly having sharp pains that would cause me to cramp up and fall over not being able to move for no more than 2 minutes. After a few months I went to the doctor and they said it was an anal fissure. So I got medication for that, and the pain while passing bowel movements went away, but the bleeding got worse.
So, thinking it was still an anal fissure, and the fact I felt so expossed when the doctor put her fingers up my anus, I just left it, hoping it would go away.

So about a year and a half passed and still getting these horrible pains, but the blood was shocking! There was more blood than stool for a few days after af had gone away for this whole year and a half. I realized that is was getting worse, and I took myself to the doctor. I told her what was wrong and she said that there is a tag of skin there, but it may be an anal fissure. I said that is what the last doctor said! So she referred me to a specialist.
I went to the specialist who said it is probably endo, but the only way he could tell for sure was if next time it started to bleed, I should come in and he would get a camera up there and a laser to zap it away. Because he wouldnt be able to see it if it was not bleeding.
It never bled again...
And I left it at that. I still got the cramps that made me fall over. But still, 3 years on and it didnt bleed ever again.
So has anybody had something similar like this happen? I am now pregnant, yes it took us about 4 months to fall pregnant, but some endo sufferers struggle for years and years, which makes me think it wasnt that.

[Asparagus and Lemons]

Anybody know what this might have been?

[CharlieBrownGirl]

Poopie,
I'm no doctor but have you thought about irritable bowel syndrome?
Hope it doesn't affect your pregnancy.
Take Care

[~mamaspice~]

Ohh, I have no idea, sorry I can't help Poopie. My only suggestion would be that if you are still worried, maybe book in to have a colonoscopy after you have bubs so they can check it out thoroughly.

[onthefly]

I don't really know.
I do think IBS can be hormonally linked. I get abdominal pains and constipation around O and during af, so maybe what you experienced could also be hormonal. And, endo can, in theory, be anywhere I think, so if you were bleeding at af time, it could be that. Still a bit of a worry though

[ciara.e]

I don't think it's IBS at all.. don't worry about that. IBS is a term they give to the 'unexplained' changes in bowel patterns etc. As my doctor said to me... the bowel can expel 3 things - poo, mucous and blood. Poo is normal, Mucous is IBS, Blood is a problem.

Bleeding from the bowel can indicate Crohn's Disease. IBS won't cause bleeding... unless you have bleeding from haemorrhoids (sp.) etc. I've been through some similar issues over the last year, although mine has not been linked to endo.

I was diagnosed with endo when i was about 15.. crazy stuff.. i later found out that it's a hormonal thing, and the hormones that cause endo come and go, so symptoms also come and go. I didn't have anal bleeding as a symptom, but the human body sometimes does some crazy things!! if you're passing out, then that suggests to me low blood pressure which can be a symptom of things like internal bleeding. so, even though you're not bleeding OUT of your body anymore, I would be interested to know if you still are bleeding INSIDE somewhere when this happens?

Well, every body is completely different, and no one will be able to tell you for sure on this forum what it is that you may have. I suggest you find a really great doctor that you trust and don't mind sharing this issue with. It took me a year to find a great doctor that i trust enough to share this stuff with... so i understand how you're feeling there. It's just down right embarrassing for us to have these 'finger tests' but they're needed.

I have to bite the bullet and get a colonoscopy myself, so perhaps it's something u could look at doing too? something else that has worked for me, and i've had SEVERE bowel concerns for the last 12 months, is changing my diet. I already don't eat packaged foods or takeaway etc. Now i don't eat dairy or gluten and it's made MASSIVE changes for me. Again, may not be the same for your body - but u can always look at that avenue? (ok, i have to admit that i am a chocoholic.. so of course I do give in on the dairy part sometimes!!)

Good luck with it, and i really hope that you find a great doc to help u with this! It just doesn't seem healthy to me

All the best!

[Floweryfields]

Yes endo can be anywhere - I used to bleed from my bellybutton during af until a lump was removed. I wouldn't rule out endo - even though you fell pregnant easily you may not have it in your reproductive areas - like your tubes, etc.

[Asparagus and Lemons]

Thanks so much for your help girls, I think the reason why I dont think it's endo anymore is because the cramps are still around, and they are very different to af cramps, sort of in a different area.. so I dont think it's pregnancy related. And the doctor said if I have endo, all symptoms go away once pregnant..
I think I may look further into it after the pregnancy, just because I thought I knew what it was, and now I dont, so there may be a way to get rid of the cramps if we find out exactly what it is.

Thanks heaps for that info ciara, very interesting what you said about the hormones, could explain the symptoms coming and going. So sorry to hear what you are going through. One of my friends got diagnosed at 15 too with endo, but she never wants to talk about it, so I have nobody to discuss it with I did go off dairy for a while, because I thought I was lactose intolerant. but I didnt notice anything different, but wasnt really taking notice..

[MummaSue]

You know that endo can be in other places than your uterus?

I had severe pains in the rectal area when AF was around and for days after. I had my endo removed and my Dr said that the most of it wasn't just in my uterus but around my bowel as well which explained the pain I was experiencing.

Something to consider.

S X

[Asparagus and Lemons]

Yep, Ive heard it can sometimes even make it's way into the brain, where it can become very serious..
The doctor told me this, and said it is more common in the kidneys and uterus.