Hi all,
First time posting on Mumsnet. I've been diagnosed with a cystocele very recently and frankly am in a panic about it.
Some background.....Have had stress incontinence since the birth of my first DS 3 years ago which continued through the pregnancy and birth of my DS number 2 (now 16 months old). Basically, I've just learned to live with it/manage it and while it was a bit unpleasant/annoying (wearing a pad, not doing any running or high-impact exercise), it wasn't THAT bad.
Now here's the weird part - I just had a terrible flu with 2 days straight of violent diarrhea, and had a heavy period at the same time. Once the period and flu were over I've noticed a big bulge in my vagina and a terrible heavy feeling.
After some lurking on the internet I got myself into a state of panic. Saw a urogynae who told me that I have cystocele, and can either have surgery (not ideal as we may have a third child, and frankly I feel like I'm too young for surgery and just don't really want it.....), or have physio, which may or may not work. I'm booked in for physio, but as it's on the NHS it might take a while for my appointment.
Basically, I'd love to hear from anyone who managed to 'bounce back' from this condition without surgery - as the internet seems to be mostly full of scary stories of things getting worse, surgeries that don't work, lives ruined, etc.
Any middle-of-the road solutions out there? Any success stories? Can anyone tell me of any positive experiences with physio or other non-surgical treatments??? I don't expect things to ever completely 'heal' down there, and I can live with a certain degree of discomfort, but not the current bulge-o-rama down there - the very thought of it makes me tear up and want to curl up under the duvet....
Thank you!