Are you passing faeces from your vagina since giving birth to your baby? If so you could have a recto-vaginal fistula. This will need to be repaired surgically.
Passing faeces from vagina
Passing faeces from your vagina suggests that you have a recto-vaginal fistula. This means that a hole has developed in between the rectum and the vagina, possibly due to the trauma of giving birth.
The faeces which is normally held in the rectum will pass through the hole and into the vagina. When you come to pass a motion, it will come out of the vaginal opening, rather than the anus.
What should I do?
Passing faeces from your vagina will be very disconcerting. It is also a concern as the faeces can lead to infections around the urinary tract. These will recur if the problem is not resolved quickly.
It is therefore vital that you seek immediate medical help. It is important not to be embarrassed – medical practitioners will have experienced such issues before and you will quickly be referred to the correct specialist.
A specialist will examine you and confirm whether or not a fistula is indeed present. If so, you will need surgery to repair the hole. You may need a temporary colostomy to allow the fistula time to heal. In such cases another procedure will be needed to remove the colostomy.
Have I been the victim of medical negligence?
A recto-vaginal fistula can happen after birth, so the fact you have suffered the problem may not amount to medical negligence in itself.
However, there may be a breach of care if medical practitioners fail to diagnose and treat the fistula in a timely manner.
There are also occasions when a patient is undergoing investigations for a fistula and a missed perineal tear is also detected. This will amount to medical negligence as perineal tears should be readily detected immediately after birth.
Can I talk to a solicitor?
To find out if you can claim for medical negligence, the easiest thing to do is to contact a solicitor.
A solicitor who works in medical negligence will be able to say whether you have grounds for a claim. We offer free initial enquiries that carry no cost or obligation. During a telephone consultation, we will ask for the details of your case and your subsequent symptoms. We will then suggest what options are available.
To talk to one of our solicitors, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
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