Rectocele & Repairs continued....

[CAZ1958]

Rectocele & Repairs...continuation

Hiya Ladies...
Don't know if this will work, above is the Subject Title
Don't want to lose my friends.
Will come back with a link if poss !!!
Fingers crossed
ZZZ

Dear Matatka, my heart went out to you when I read your ealier posts, I wanted to think of something for you to hang on to but I think what cardamomginger said sounded reasonable.

I also wanted to share my experience with Footle and soremumof2. I had an anterior and posterior repair at the same time as a TVT in September 09. Unfortunately, I had a very unusual and I cant stress this enough it is very rare but I have suffered from neuropathic pain in my pelvic floor. Sitting was impossible, wearing tight jeans, standing and as for sex well it was off the agenda. I thought I would never have a normal life. My point is that things have settled down. Soremumof 2 I would be reticent about having both repairs done at the same time because it does make your vagina smaller although in my case because of the TVT my vag was made smaller still. I couldnt physically manage sex and anyway i didnt ever feel like it. The good news is that dilators do work. I have seen so many consultants but the last one told me to use dilators twice a day, every day. He said dont attempt sex until you can use them easily. It worked this time. I have had a posterior repair because I had problems pooing cleanly this too has got better. I still have to watch my diet and take movicol. In september 2011 I was contemplating having the TVT removed because I was convinced it was that that was causing the pain, but this too has improved. I dont have the pain any more (I have taken bucket loads of pills though gabapentin, amytryptyline, prozac) but now I have nearly dropped them all. Hang in there.

Hi Ladies, Happy new year :) big hello to the new ladies, some of the stories are truly shocking you would think we were all giving birth in the 16th century.. Makata I feel for you honey, things will get better (((((hug))))) on the other hand it's great to hear so many of you are feeling better. Thanks for the info on the yellow stuff :) that has stopped now for the time being. I'm 3 weeks post op not noticed any stiches coming away but i can feel them getting tight. I had some fairly heavy bleeding 3 days ago very dark had me worried as it was running down my legs and pooling at my feet (sorry tmi) I went to bed with some mega pads and it stopped, was brown and light the next day. Bit too early for my period anyone had similar happen? Apart from that all good unless I stay standing too long or do too much :) the ladies taking movical are you using 1 everyday or have you reduced the dose? my bm's have turned yellow sorry (tmi again) is that normal?

Hi matkatka. I know, it's unbelievable. All we did was have a baby! I'm still so preoccupied with what's happened to me and what I need to do to try and get myself fixed that this is all my reality and life feels like mostly. But sometimes I almost step outside myself and the horrendous ludicrousness of what's happened and what I've been left with strikes me and I just can't believe it. It seems so surreal and I sometimes think that if I pinch myself hard enough this horrible black bubble will burst and normal life will start again. But it won't. All I can do is live through it and try and come out the other side.

When are you seeing your consultant? What was it that prompted you to go to A&E? And has that been resolved? I know you probably just want to kick him/her in the shins, but to be fair to your consultant, I think it can be really hard to tell just what a prolapse is truly like until all the stuff that's getting in the way of it prolapsing to its true extent is out of the way. In my case, it also turned out in the middle of surgery that my uterine prolapse was worse than we had thought - once the cystocele was sorted the uterus fell down further and he had to do an extra procedure then and there to secure it.

I know the possibility of further surgery sucks. But don;t shy away from it if you need it. And maybe it;s better that you didn't have any sort of rectocele repair done at the same time as the cystocele repair. If the surgeon thought it was only small she/he would only have done a repair suitable for that degree of rectocele. And given what's happened to you, that repair probably would have failed. And you would be facing a repeat repair and a repeat repair tends to be not as successful as a fresh one. This way the surgeon can see the full extent of the prolapse and you have completely 'virgin' (sorry - rubbish word, I know, but you know what I mean) tissue to work with.

Some days I feel so angry and resentful at what I've had to go through and what I still have to contend with that I just can't face 'looking on the positive side'. So please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way. But maybe this is a better way for things to have panned out for you and that the end result you'll get is better than it would have been otherwise. Take care of yourself. NO LIFTING AND NO STRAINING ANYTHING!!!! Rest up and try not to panic. And keep posting XXXXX

Hi hope everyone's ok. Flymttm thanks for your post, do you mind me asking was your rectocele or cystocele more prominent? Main prob for me is the rectocele, the cystocele not causing any major probs as far as I can tell but cons said if I leave it, it will gradually get worse so better to have a minor anterior repair at the same time. I was also told no more babies as, in cons words "They are what has gotten you into this state in the first place!". He has the bedside manner of a carrot but apparently very good at prolapse surgery. My consultation was very rushed, cons was very abrupt and I went home very tearful and with lots of unanswered questions..so i'm v.grateful for this thread!
I have heard Movicol mentioned,is it helpful to take it just before the op to reduce straining afterwards?

Night all xx

Morning Ladies....
Hope that today finds you all reasonably well under our varied circumstances. .
Dear soremum, My rectocele was larger than my cystocele. Initially my con was going to do a hysterectomy at the same time but repaired the cystocele instead as he felt it was only going to get worse just like you. I am almost 3 weeks post op now,feel free to ask any questions or have a look at my previous posts. This site has been a lifeline to me as well. I heard about Movical on here so I got it pre-op (from docs) & started taking it a couple of days before. I take it daily now & have no intenions of stopping in the near future....just not gonna take any chances yet !!! Also plenty of water & liquiorise have been my friends .
Hiya Bruffyj....OMG, have you been doing too much ??? Hope that everything
has stayed calm now. Just mentioned about my Movial...he is my best mate at the mo.
Quick me update....doing Ok again now. When you ladies cut down your meds did you stop the paracetomal or ibruprofen 1st ???
I know that our bodies tell us when enough is enough but after 3 wks shouldn't I have more energy by now ??? Get up about 9ish, just potter a bit then I am completely finished by about 6pm.
What were all your views on driving etc ...although it isn't totally comfortable for me to sit properly yet.
Anyone else get fed up with it all ????
Speak soon XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hi ladies! Just thought I'd add my 2 pence. I'm 23 and 20 months ago went for surgery for a perineal repair. When I came round consultant told me she also repaired a grade 1/2 rectocele - I didn't even know I had one. But hey, saved money rather than going back in years later I suppose. Every cloud...Anyway, I'm still on movicol because of the way I've been restitched (tmi) I've been left with two skin dimples and thus a thin piece of extra skin between perineum and anus. Don't get me wrong, sounds crap, doesn't look fab but my god compared to the pain I was in pre-op it's amazing. My question is this, I've only managed full intercourse three times. Partly due to fear for which I've seen a therapist, and pain on entrance like I'm too tight. I've seen my consultant 20 times and been examined soo many times everything is fine. Clearly all in my head and I hate it. I'm single so not an urgent factor but I just want to feel human and tolerate sex

Morning ladies I saw my Dr this morning and she couldn't believe I hadn't been see yet. She had referred me as an emergency but the letter I got had me down as routine, she said they have mixed it up and more than likely someone else had had my appointment! She is getting on to the hospital today. I'm going back to her on friday and she's going to fit a ring to see if it helps in the meantime. My last one did except it was too big

Thanks footle will have a look and see what I can fine. Six kids.... Wow..... (is stunned into silence and breaks out in cold sweat)

Hi first - Happy New Year!!! XXXXXXXXXXX

I saw my consultant yesterday and have been fitted with a ring pessary for uterine descent, if it helps( which fingers crossed it seems to be as symtoms have reduced) I will be reviewed in 3 months re further management.

If the pessary helps I can either continue with the pessary or have a hysterectomy.

My questions and concerns are as follows
Can I use a mooncup with a pessary in situ?
Can I have sex with the pessary in situ?- I am not currently in a relationship, so this is hypothetical but would be anxious about a new partner discovering the ring iyswim.
I also have anterior wall laxity and am concerned that a hysterectomy could make this worse.

I work in a medical profession and know my surgeon is very highly regarded and would not operate unless necessary.
I have been sterilised, so having more children is not a question that would stop the hysterectomy, however I am under 40 so may be an issue.
I am aware that I can have sex, but am concerned that in a new relationship it may be less well tolerated than in a long established one where the prolapse and subsequent treatment are part of the history iyswim.

The hysterectomy would only be a choice option if the pessary does work, if it doesn't reduce symptoms then a hysterectomy wouldn't either.
Not sure what the plan would be in that case

Sorry the below messages may seem a bit disjointed, have c/p from another thread I started and cocolepew suggested I may be able to get better advice here

Hi carda how's things?! Xxx

Hi relaxing glad you found your way over here! There might be other reasons why you would not want to have a hysterectomy - lots of women want to hang on to their uterus for emotional/psychological reasons, even though they aren't going to have more kids. And you might need to think about the hormonal impact as well - even though your ovaries will be left intact, I think even just removing the uterus can have an impact. If you haven;t come across it, there's a useful American website called Hystersisters that has lots of support and useful information. www.hystersisters.com/

I wasn't casting any aspersions on your surgeon and apologies if it came across like that. It's just that different surgeons evaluate things differently and that this can be based on their personal surgical preferences, rather than on objective clinical fact. The 3 I saw are all extremely eminent, but have different styles of management and different surgical preferences. You might get a different, but still medically appropriate, solution from someone else. But what is really important is that you have a good relationship with your surgeon and that you trust them, and if you have that with your one, then that's great.

XX

Happy New Year first! Things OK. Had the colposuspension and uterus hoiking up 5 weeks ago. When he got in there he said that things were a lot worse than he had though they would be, so he did a couple of extra tweaks to make sure it all stays in place. I've had 2 check-ups so far and have another one next week. So far, he's really really pleased with how I'm progressing which is great news. I start physio again in 2 weeks. I seem to have hit a bit of a plateau in terms of recovery - felt I was getting better and stronger week by week but fo rhte last 10 days seem to have ground to a halt. I'm still very tired (didn't get my nap this afternoon - grrr!), swollen and in some pain. I know it's inevitable and I'm not worried. Just a bit fed up with it! Second round of surgery due May-ish.
The big relief is that DD coped really well with it. She was perfectly happy for most of the time whilst I was in hospital (8 days) and only started getting a bit anxious and fretful the last day or so. She coped well with my return home, with just a couple of weeks of getting upset and being a bit clingy.
Sorry you are still having pain issues. Are you and DD OK otherwise?
XX

Hello all,still reading but not always got time to post.
I'm up,worrying what will happen at my six week check tomorrow.As I seem to never have a simple appointment without some other problem cropping up I'm feeling a bit apprehensive.Has the hematoma gone? is the cyst still there? is this discharge ok?
Maybe all that will be fine and it's my hormones that have gone to pot!! feeling a bit low tonight.

Thank you all for keeping this thread going

Carda - so glad the op went well. Sure you're glad the surgeon did some extra tweaks whilst he was up there. Gotta love a good bit of scaffolding . I'm good thanks, 1/3 of the way through the pgce course I'm doing which is fab but been exhausting with dd who is a firework that won't stop from the second she wakes - in my bed, won't sleep, pain in the neck - Otherwise just fine! I've accepted my perineum is the way it is, I know the sex thing is in my head really but can't really override it. I've managed Hollywood waxes though

Hi 14k wishing you good luck for your appointment today hope there no hitch :)
Caz I have been fine since the bleeding, just waiting for the stitches to start dropping out, no sign of it yet! I stopped all my pain med after a week, just taking the 1 movical every other day now, going to keep an eye on that department as def don't want a repeat of the first bm after surgery. That was scary!

Makatka, been giving this some more thought! One of my problems was that I gave birth to my very large baby, back to back position, with a head circumference off the scale, by ventouse. It is likely that at that time my 'perineal body' was damaged. This is a thick block of muscle in the middle of us between the anus and vagina which gives the strength and support to the pelvic organs. I was diagnosed last year with a deficient perineal body that had 'split in two', and this had allowed the rectum to fall forward and develop into a significant rectocele because it had no substantial support. Has anybody mentioned anything about your perineal body, because if the other organs are fixed back in place and the crucial support muscle is not repaired then the organs are sort of hanging in mid air as they are not substantially supported.
Just a thought? Xxx

Hi all

Has anyone had a Laprascopic Burch colposuspension plus a posterior done at the same time? Or even just the Burch colposuspension? I am 61 and healthy. I have read with the Laprascopic they can't see as good where to stitch I just can't decide which one to go with. Laprascopic will be a bit shorter recovery time
Cheers

Hi kitty. I had a Burch's colposuspension done 5 weeks ago, together with a uterine suspension. I need a rectocele repair and a perineal repair as well, but my surgeon said this was too much to do at the same time, so I;ll be having the second lot of surgery later this year.

I asked about whether colposuspension would be via a big old fashioned incision or laparascopically, and he said definitely with a large incision. I don't think that laparascopic colposuspensions are usually done in the UK - the preference is for large incisions. The NICE guidelines certainly say that the success rate is lower for laparascopic and the complication rate is higher - exactly because they can't see as well to do the stitches.

If you want any information about what was involved, recovery time, etc, please let me know. I;m going to be running around for most of today, so might be able to post again properly until tomorrow.
X

Thanks Cardamomginger for your reply.

I live in New Zealand and have seen a specialist who doe the Laparascopic burch. I will forget about him, and now go back to my Egyptian specialist who also has worked in the UK. This specialist said he would do TVT (I have incontinence) rectocele and Posterior repairs. He also can do the burch colposuspension way. Read too many bad things about TVT.

That is interesting you still have to have a rectocele repair as the specialist who was going to do Lapa burch colposuspension said I would only need the posterior now done. I would have thought if they lift the bladder (the way you had it done) then wouldn't need a rectocele done as the bladder wouldn't be bulgeing anymore.

Here they seem to like doing the TVT way as it is shorter recovery time but what is the point if you are one of the ones that end up with problems from it.

Yes, please can you give me information about what was involved, recovery time, etc.

You have made me so happy, no-one I know here has had it done.

Just going to sit outside in the sun and have a cuppa.
A Big Hug to you.