
My mom has a new problem that sounds like pneumaturia (gas in bladder) caused by UTI or a fistula in her bladder to her colon. She has no pain and doesn’t think she has a UTI. She did have a very bad bout of constipation a few weeks ago. I’ve sent a message to her doctor, who we just saw for her annual less than a month ago.
At her age, surgery for a fistula sounds like it would be off the table. Oy vey!
Her mother had a fistula, colon to bladder, as a result of diverticulitis in her 60s which resulted in a resection and long recovery. So there is family history. And I imagine that tissue thins and weakens by the time you are in your 90s. I will update.
Mom's CT scan shows she does have a fistula between her sigmoid colon and her bladder. Her bladder was half full of air. She has extensive diverticulosis in her sigmoid colon and her descending colon. I think she had a diverticulitis flare (first one that we know of) about 6 weeks ago, so that was probably the beginning of the fistula developing. We're going to follow-up with a urologist, but I know she doesn't want surgery and a resection of her bowel would be something she would never recover from at her age. She's not crazy about the idea of a catheter either, and certainly not a colostomy. Other than staying on antibiotics indefinitely, I'm not sure there are other options or how long she can manage this way before she has a problem with the unresolvable UTI.
Finding a pelvic floor specialist was a godsend to me. I'd been going to a lackluster, unenthusiastic, uncaring and somewhat uneducated urologist when a new M.D. who was a pelvic floor specialist moved to town. I had bladder, urethra, and colon issues. Pelvic floor doctor figured it all out, and what he did worked. If you can find one with a good bag of tricks, there might be help for your mom. Good luck!