Prolapse - absolutely devastated

[SurelyNotMe]

Have name changed for this.

Gave birth to my beautiful DD 4 weeks ago. After a horrible pregnancy (constant morning sickness, 8 stomach bugs, severe SPD) I then struggled so much with bfeeding (tongue tie, thrush and mastitis).

Just got over that and I have now found I have a prolapse. I am so upset. I have no idea what part has prolapsed or how severe it is. It's not hanging out (sorry tmi) but I can see it easily very near the entrance. I can feel it when I walk. I have no sensation to wee and leak urine (not loads but enough to feel disgusted with myself). I have been constipated since the birth (taking meds but think I have a fissure so it's painful every time). I also think I have thrush. Booked in at the docs next week but I can't stop crying about this so need some support/ advice.

I was so active before the pregnancy but was crippled with SPD (couldn't walk, DH had to stop work to care for me and our older DD). I have been looking forward so much to getting back into running but now have no idea how or if I will be able to do this. I also have no idea how I will be able to have sex as the entrance is completely blocked (sorry tmi again). I also want another baby but cannot go through all of this again.

I feel like I am literally falling apart, mentally and physically. I look horrible as it is as I put on so much weight through not being able to walk during the pregnancy, and the prolapse makes me feel even more horrible. I am SICK of resting, I want to be active and make the most of my young family.

Please help ladies :(

bump

Don't have any experience of this but didn't want to read and not post. I hope your GP takes this seriously - can you see him/her any sooner? Could you afford to see a specialist privately if you need to?

You poor thing, you sound like you've had a pretty rough time of it.

I'm no great expert but...
it's till early days...just 4 weeks since you pushed a baby out through your vagina, and what is huge and floppy and somewhat yuk now will not be forever. Pelvic floor exercises can help with prolapse. Not saying visit to GP is unneccessary mind, very good idea in fact.
also, i expect if you had a gentle prbe about with a finger, you could get it inside, past the proplapsed bit...so sex isn't ruled out (although with a fissure I'd suggest not exactly racing to do the rumpy pumpy for a bit!)

Things will get better, I promise. Do look after yourself, give yourself time, this is the newborn phase and while lovely etc is also hell on a stick.

I had a prolapse after DS2. I got an appointment that day with the GP. At that point I was as you described, visible but not protruding. I also felt very upset. It's now a bit better and I only really feel it when my period us due. I was told I could keep running and it might actually help it (consultant told me this). I've been offered a repair but have to wait until I've decided if I want any more children. You will be able to have sex again - the "bulge" will move!! It might be uncomfortable though.

Thanks for the quick replies

Wellwisher have private medical insurance - not sure if this is covered but will be asking GP for referral to private specialist if poss

Tigana yes sex is certainly the last thing on my mind, though I would like to do it again at some point (I think!!)

Wips Did you find pelvic floor exercises helped?. I did so many during pregnancy I'm beginning to think I was either doing them wrong or they were a waste of time

Definitely tell your GP straight away that you have private medical insurance - mine has always been happy to refer me straight away with that. It's only if the NHS will have to foot the bill that they drag their feet on referrals.

Hang in there, it has only been 4 weeks. Things will get better.

I have no experience of this either sorry but in General Health there are some threads which might helped. The Ragged Bits thread is probably a good one. Women facing post-birth repairs post for advice & support.

Will look for link x

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/777985-Continued-support-for-SPHINCTER-INJURIES-FISTULAE-and-other-CHILDBIRTH-INJURIES

Great advice & support here off lovely, knowledgeable women. It's also helpful to see that life can be normal on the other side of treatment.

Good luck!

I don't really have any useful advice for you sweetheart but to echo what everyone else says that it is early days. My third baby came out with his hand above his head, although ostensibly I suffered no major tearing etc I did sustain nerve damage and it the left of my lady garden and my left leg. He is two and a half now and I have had another baby nine months ago and it is still there.

I know this is not directly related to your problem but what I wanted to say is how badly if affected the way I felt about myself. Hobbling about all the time, sex feeling so very different and suffering a lot of pain in the leg. For the longest time I felt just awful about myself, less of a woman for some reason and felt disgusted with myself.

I know where you are at and please give yourself a break and some time to physically heal. Please try to remain positive (easy for me to say I know). Please do not google too much, it is better to talk to ladies on here who have had something similar - prolapses can be sorted, they are very very common and a lot of them are much better in time. I imagine that a consultant will probably ask you to wait for 6 months before they can make a judgement if something needs to be done.

I would however tell my GP, ask advice and try to get the wheels in motion re. the incontinence because it is trashing your self esteem and it is worth taking advice.

Mostly I am so so sorry for you - when I read your post it could have been me a while back and I wanted to send you my heartfelt best wishes.

Please give yourself time - you are there for your children loving them every day and the rest will come together in time.

A great big hug for you x

I am SO sorry this has happened to you. I can sympathise - I have a rectocele, cystocele, detached pelvic floor and partial uterine prolapse. Like you, I was very healthy, fit and active before pregnancy and can't get my head around how this could have happened to me. I agree with other posters that 4 weeks is still very early days and what you see and feel now may not be indicative of how things will remain as you heal and the muscles recover. That said, get yourself to your GP and get yourself referred to a specialist pelvic floor gynae - not a general gynae, you need a specialist. It might be worth having a look on websites of the private hospitals that are nearest to you to find a list of suitable names. If you are in London, PM me and I can give you the names of my gynae and another who was recommended to me, if you think that might help. No harm at all in getting things rolling now and if you do have a long term problem that needs treatment, it will be useful for the gynae to see how you are now to know how much things do or do not change as time passes. Your health insurance should cover this - mine does.
It is awful. The incontinence, the sensations, the assault on your body. I am so sorry.

Dirge thanks for the link, have started to read the thread and think it will really help me

pinky and cardamom thanks very much for the kind words and support. I really need it right now! (cardamom I'm not in London, I'm in the North West)

Another one lending some support. My problems were nothing compared to cardamomginger's, but I wanted to add my voice to those who say things will improve. My MW told me I had a prolapse, but it 'lifted' on its own.

I had lots of other problems related to a bad tear, and 1 year on haven't fully recovered. I completely understand how revolted and upset you feel.

I'm not medically qualified at all, but I'd have thought your level of fitness will count for something. With time, my body started to return not to normal, but it improved. I was really unfit before DD, so I'd have thought someone with good muscle tone would make more improvement, IYSWIM.

Don't hesitate to get help for your incontinence, my MW and HV took that side of my recovery very seriously, it's really important for your self confidence.

I didn't have prolapse but had 37 stitches - I truly thought we'd never have sex again. Tbh it took 10 months before I felt normal again. I'm now pg again (dd1 is 3.5) and it's twins. We asked for cs to be agreed before we ttc.

See what your gp says but it will get better - 4w is very early days. xx

hi there, I read another thread that you posted on, surelynotme then came to this one - I am so sorry to hear you're going through a tough time. I had DS2 nearly 5 months ago and thought things were going well, then I felt uncomfortable down 'there' and noticed a bit coming down which was rubbing (sorry if tmi!) went to the doc, she wasn't very sympathetic but said it looked like a minor prolapse (a bit at the front and the back I think) she told me to do my pelvic floor exercises for 3 months then come back if it hadn't improved- no referral to a physio or anything. Since then I've also felt like I need to go to the loo (wee), an urgency and soreness, I'm praying that it isn't permenant, it seems to come and go.

AFter a day of taking this in I was very upset- like you, I was upset enough about my saggy tummy, deflated boobs and being changed below, and now having to deal with this- I was so upset. DH tried to be sympathetic but just doesn't know how I really feel. I feel like I've sacrificed my body for my two sons, and although I love them so much it feels like I've had to give so much more than my husband- he remains physically unaffected! I have had sex since having DS2 but not since I've been told of this prolapse and am scared to in case it hurts.

I can't really offer any advice, apart from to do your pelvic floor exercises as if it's only minor, these could be enough to keep it at bay. I was also active before pregnancy and am so keen to start running but the doc said not for the next few weeks (though as she told me not to come back for 3 months I don't know what I'm supposed to do after those 2 weeks!) I'm gutted as I was just getting back into getting fit. The thought of surgery also scares me and I was hoping to convince my hubby to go for baby no.3 at some point, but if it means the prolapse will get worse I may have to call it a day.

I have found a book that sounds good that I'm going to order- despite the fact that it's from Australia - the website is www.pelvicexercises.com.au it's called Inside Out and its written by a pelvic floor physiotherapist - helps you to understand what exercises you can do with a prolapse (important to know things like doing the plank are really bad for your pelvic floor) I'm going to get it anyway so I can at least start getting fit and hopefully help my pf in the meantime.

sorry wrote an essay!

Pelvic floor exercises will help, but depending on the severity of the uterine prolapse you may be offered a ring pessary. Google it, at least you will be well informed for your subsequent appointments. HTH.

I'm 5 weeks pp and last week also discovered that I've got a prolapse. I think it's just the front (cystocele). I had a 3b tear and was very relieved that it seems to be healing really well, but now this prolapse has happened a few weeks later it's knocked me for six. So far no continence issues although when I sneeze/cough/laugh I can really feel it bulge. Like you Surelynotme I feel disgusted with myself and am terrified it's going to get worse. I've been doing pelvic floor exercises religiously both before and after birth but clearly they didn't work. I'm so embarrassed and appalled I haven't mentioned it to my husband and do'nt know how I will bring myself to tell him but I guess I'll have to unless it magically gets better on its own. I'll book my six week GP appointment for the week after next and will discuss it then, really not looking forward to exposing my bits to another doctor, especially as I also have a consultant appointment for the tear at 6 weeks.

If anyone's been to see a gynae physio, what exactly do they do - from reading internet info I imagine this might be on the cards for me, and really the mind boggles!

zimbah I read somewhere that gyno physio's will teach how to do pf exercises properly (there's much more to it than just squeezing and holding) and even insert a finger or object so you can feel when you're squeezing- or they can tell (nice!) I know what you mean re exposing your bits- there's no dignity. If it makes you feel any better, it's not our fault- and apparently you can be really fit and still get it, sometimes it's just a weakness in the tissues holding up your pelvic floor- no amount of kegels or fitness can help you there if that's the problem. Also terrified it might get worse, but thinking about it, I think i had a minor prolapse after DS1 (I remember same discomfort and protrusion tho the doc at the time said it was ok) and I ran and did regular exercise and the symptoms went away so maybe I'm panicking for no reason and it'll improve. fingers crossed for us all

I have a third degree uterine prolapse which has been successfully managed with 2 ring pessaries used simultaneously (I researched that myself and it was the first time my consultant had used that method).

I am seen 6 monthly at a large Manchester women's hospital under a very experienced gynaecologist who specialises in this area.

I've had it for 9 years now but I'm not having a repair for many boring reasons.

HTH

I am a physio with a special interest in ante and post natal care. I would second that a quick visit to a specialist physio would be extremely useful. They would do an internal exam and advise on specific techniques. You would be amazed how many women are not doing the exs properly, even physios themselves!! It is quite a hard muscle to activate as you cant see it. I would also add that 4 weeks post birth is early days and with time and exs it may get better on its own. Don't panic too much yet (easy for me to say with no lack of sleep/new baby/sore boobs etc)
See the GP and maybe get ref for physio appt if poss.
All the best.

Have namechanged too.

Poor you, OP, Zymbah and others. Have been (well, still am) in a similar situation (crippling SPD followed by prolapse), so can sympathise. It really is horrible on the psychological front as well as on the physical one. The good news is that it does get better with physio and exercise.

Do try and get referred to a specialist women's health physio and insist that the referral is done quickly- explaining how this affects your self-image, confidence, mental health etc. I discovered I had a prolapse in March and got referred to a NHS physio but, given the wait was v long, also saw a private one while waiting for the NHS appointment. It was really worth it. She checked that I was doing the pelvic floor exercises properly, gave me a device to take home and use to make sure I was continuing to do them properly and then also regularly checked the strength of the muscles with a machine similar to a TENS. The same machine can also help do some other exercises if there is nerve damage. Three months down the line I feel a lot better: it is not fixed, will need to see a consultant and make plans for pregnancy management (we're hoping for no. 2), but the improvement in quality of life is enormous.

If you can, it is also worth asking around and trying to find a good postnatal pilates instructor who is prepared to work with your physio to design a recovery plan for you. Core strength helps but there are a lot of exercises that you cannot do while you have the prolapse and others that need to be adapted. if you are in London, I can recommend someone, PM me if you like. Even if you can only afford one session, it is really worth doing.

DH decided health was paramount, so we hired a pilates instructor to give us both private lessons once a week until I am better and again, the improvement is enormous (especially given that for the first month after the diagnosis I was so weak I was barred from lifting my son and had to lie down with bum in the air for half an hour in the middle of the day).

On the weight front, things can get better too, and they will, if you stick to eating sensibly (particularly if you are breastfeeding). I had gained 17kg during pregnancy and was quite unfit by the end due to SPD, but by the time my son was 10 months I was back to pre-pregnancy weight and 6 months from then have lost a further two kilos, am back into size 8 clothes and looking fine (even the saggy tummy that was so depressing after the birth). Did not diet, just ate sensibly (3 main meals and an afternoon snack, no eating outside those times) and tried to differentiate between being hungry and fancying something (in which case I would have a fruit first and then, if still hungry, bread or biscuit).

Have popped back on this thread to give an update and ask for a little more help :)

GP had a quick check and said I have a mild bladder prolapse but nothing to worry about and to keep doing pelvic floor exercises. She seemed a bit dismissive but I was really relieved at the time.

BUT I am still having problems with going to the loo (both sorts) and I can still feel pressure when I walk. I feel like everything is going to fall out. I have gone from having no sensation to wee, to feeling like I need to wee all the time. I definately still leak urine. Opening my bowels is painful and I feel constipated all the time (but when I finally go it is quite soft).

I have been doing so many pelvic floor exercises but it seems to be getting worse. I can definately see 2 'bits' very close to the entrance of my vagina and I really think its a rectal prolapse aswell but my GP has always been great in the past so I guess I should trust her??!! My GP examined me lying down but I look with a mirror on the loo so I guess it looks worse to me. When they 'grade' a prolapse, what position are you supposed to be examined in?.

Anyway.....I have been referred to a continence clinic - is this the same as a physio?.

I'm still really down about this. I have days where I'm ok (usually when I am having a restful day in the house) but then really tearful other times (usually when I have walked somewhere and can feel the prolapse and also feel like I smell of wee :()

I know my problems are not nearly as bad as others, and I am honestly grateful for that, but I have had so many other problems that I'm not coping very well at the moment. I have constant headaches and feel like I am becoming depressed :(

Forgot to mention that I checked Iif was doing my pelvic floor exs correctly by inserting my finger and squeezing (sorry TMI). I felt NOTHING at the lower part of my vagina. I could feel quite a tight squeeze higher up. Does this mean my pelvic floor is stll knackered, or its because of the prolapse, or both?!

I had a prolapse after both my babies, and have been told to expect surgery repair in the future. I totally get how upsetting it is. I felt so humiliated and degraded as a woman.

My first bit of advice is to get in touch with the physio at your maternity hospital. Mine was amazing and you can self refer. Time is on your side and the exercises have made a massive difference to my life. I found support knickers helped until my muscles got stronger.

I saw a gynaecologist privately and found it hugely reassuring. Is your health visitor good? Mine was very supportive. Please pm me. There ia light at the end of the tunnel I promise. Where are you based?

I'm in the north west Too, can give you name of my gynae, he is great. It's also normal not to feel the squeeze when doing exercises at this stage, the physio will still be able check you are doing them right.

fish have sent pm