Would sigmoidoscopy pick up on a rectal prolapse?

[breathe]

My last serious relationship, which ended a couple years ago, and the guy I dated before him as well, involved a very well-endowed partner for whom I bottomed.

That along with years of IBS (which have mostly resolved) and loose stools, and certain symptoms (anal irritation, itchiness, feels "fleshier" down there than it used to, a sensation of "bearing down", especially after caffeine or when stressed, etc.), have left me concerned that I have some degree (even if it's minor) of rectal prolapse.

However, for my digestive issues and out of concern that I had some anatomical issue like a fissure, a year and a half ago, I had a sigmoidoscopy.

Would a sigmoidoscopy pick up on any degree of rectal or mucosal prolapse?

 

[breathe]

Oh, meant to add this to post.

ME: 24yo healthy male w/ history of IBS and diarrhea which mostly resolved a few years ago; have had anal irritation (irritation, itching, slight bleeding, etc.) since last partner (2-3 years ago); STD-free and HIV-

 

[Benvolio]

I believe prolapse is usually a temporary condition. If you rectrum were prolapsed at the time, the Dictor would have seen it without needing the scope.

- - - Updated - - -

I believe prolapse is usually a temporary condition. If you rectrum were prolapsed at the time, the Doctor would have seen it without needing the scope.

 

[KaraBulut]

There are different types of prolapse. Most would be discovered either during a physical exam or during an colonoscopy. Rarely, it may be necessary to do special radiology testing to observe the prolapse but that is a small percentage of cases.

Prolapse in an otherwise healthy young man would not be as common as other conditions like hemorrhoids and fissure. Did your doctor give you a copy of the report from the sigmoidoscopy?

 

[breathe]

Prolapse in an otherwise healthy young man would not be as common as other conditions like hemorrhoids and fissure. Did your doctor give you a copy of the report from the sigmoidoscopy?

In the last couple years I've had several occasions where they've taken a look/feel but they never found so much as one fissure or hemorrhoid.

Perhaps I just have a lot of skin irritation down there or something, and I'm trying to be rational/ not paranoid about it, but things feel fleshier/looser down there than they used to, and I often have a sensation of "bearing down" or incomplete evacuation after some bowel movements, as well as things feeling raw during or after bowel movements. I also have had persistent irritation for a few years now, that only hydrocortisone ointment (I think that's the one? It's a mild steroid?) seems to keep at bay with regular use.

The sigmoidoscopy was a year and a half ago; I don't have a copy of the results but they told me everything appeared normal. I just worry that it could have developed more since then or perhaps it looked normal enough to them at the time that they didn't mention it?

 

[KaraBulut]

... I often have a sensation of "bearing down" or incomplete evacuation after some bowel movements, as well as things feeling raw during or after bowel movements. I also have had persistent irritation for a few years now, that only hydrocortisone ointment (I think that's the one? It's a mild steroid?) seems to keep at bay with regular use.

What you're describing is a hallmark of IBS symptoms- it's something that is called tenesmus. Tenesmus is a feeling that your bowel is not empty, even after you've been to the bathroom.

Many IBS and colitis sufferers also complain of irritation that is not limited to just the colon. Often the inflammatory process affects different parts of the digestive system- from the mouth all the way to the anus. So, the symptoms of anal irritation would also be typical for an IBS sufferer.

The sigmoidoscopy was a year and a half ago; I don't have a copy of the results but they told me everything appeared normal. I just worry that it could have developed more since then or perhaps it looked normal enough to them at the time that they didn't mention it?

Call the doctor who performed the exam and ask them to mail you a copy of the results. At the bottom of the report, there will be a section labeled "impression" or "diagnosis" that will give you the information about what was found during the procedure.

 

[breathe]

Yeah, I definitely feel that there could be many explanations related to IBS and/or skin irritation from moisture in the anal area.

I guess I just continue to be worried since there have been a couple times that the area has felt a bit bulging and raw... but I guess that still doesn't necessarily mean it's a prolapse type of situation.

Anyways, you feel that digital examination and/or sigmoidoscopy would pick up on such a thing, even if that's not what they were particularly looking for?

If it was a GI specialist, can I ask them for a copy, or do I have to contact the medical service from my university I attended at the time to get the results?

Thanks for all your help

 

[breathe]

????? Bump...

 

[KaraBulut]

Ontario is on electronic records, so any of your providers should be able to obtain a copy of the report for you. If the procedure was done at a hospital, you can also contact the Release of Information (ROI) department and ask for a copy of the report. If it was done at an outpatient clinic, just call and ask for the medical record department.

Often the ROI forms are on the facility's website.

 

[breathe]

I am going to contact the hospital tomorrow about getting my own copy of the report on my sigmoidoscopy.

This is a really embarrassing problem and I don't even know how to address it with my doctor. :S It's just that it feels like when my anus is really relaxed or I am bearing down to go to the bathroom, my anus bulges out a tad, it feels loose, and like I can feel the area just immediately inside of the anus that is typically internal. But then again, maybe this is normal or at least for a gay guy who has bottomed?

Maybe it's nothing to worry about. I also wonder if it gets this way since I do have a lot of anal irritation, and I think I itch the area at night. However, I think this would affect only the skin in the area, not the muscles, which in my case feel like they are bearing down a lot / working overtime, and which seem to really let go when the area is relaxed, which causes this "bulging" out feeling of the anus itself.

Really embarrassing, and I don't know how to go about getting my doctor to reassure me that this is not a problem or even a partial rectal prolapse.

I wonder if the anal irritation I have is related to the problem, and is a result of the area just inside my anus from being exposed to the air and causing it to become irritated and itchy.

I do not, however, have incontinence or symptoms like that. I get that a full prolapse would show up on sigmoidoscopy or digital rectal examination, but if it's just a bulging out / "looseness" of the anus, maybe this would not show up on such an exam.

I don't know what to do.

 

[breathe]

(PS. does prolapse always get worse with time? If it is mild or partial, will it inevitably get worse with time? I no longer bottom.)

Thanks and sorry for the obsessive posts about this.

 

[Benvolio]

Wait until you get a copy of your record.

 

[breathe]

Given that the Release of Information page on the hospital's website says it will take ~30 days to process, that's easier said than done. Plus, a lot of my questions still stand, regardless of my next steps. I'd like to be informed about this and my doctors, including specialists, in the past, leave out all sorts of information when explaining things to me.

 

[breathe]

Okay, so I was able to get it directly from the specialist's office directly almost immediately and at no cost. So that's good.

My report says that my rectal examination and sigmoidoscopy showed no major abnormalities, but that anal papillae were observed.

That last part was never mentioned to me at all and I don't quite understand what it means or if it would explain anything.

 

[breathe]

Sorry, I can't find how I can edit a post, so I'll add as a response that I have a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. I feel as though a mucosal (partial) prolapse could be possible, but maybe it's just something related to the papillae.