Any old prolapse! Uterus/womb prolapse, rectocele, cystocele, enterocele, urethrocele, incontinence, pelvic floor, anterior and posterior repair, TVT etc part 4

[Ben10NeverAgain]

This is thread 3 of a long-running series of posts from ladies suffering from pelvic prolapses to support each other through the process of diagnosis, repair and recovery.

Here are the previous threads:
Thread 1
Thread 2

Info from BBC Health

What is a pelvic prolapse?

As the muscles, ligaments and supporting tissues in the pelvis become weaker, they are less able to hold in the organs of the pelvis such as the womb (uterus) or bladder.

Gravity pulls these organs down and, in the more severe cases, may appear through the entrance to the vagina.

A variety of problems can occur, depending on where the weakness lies and which organs are able to descend, but in every case there is some degree of prolapse of the vaginal wall, which begins to invert (rather like a sock turning inside out).
Prolapse of the womb or uterus is the most common prolapse, affecting as many as one in eight older women to some degree
Prolapse of the bladder, known as a cystocele, is less common.
Prolapse of the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the bladder) is known as a urethrocele.
Prolapse of the intestines is quite rare, and known as an enterocele or rectocele.

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on which tissues descend, and how severe the prolapse is.

They may include:
A sense of heaviness or pressure in the pelvis.
The appearance of a bulge of tissue in the genital area, which can be quite alarming, and is often red and sore.
Urinary problems, such as having to urinate more frequently, feeling the need urgently, being incontinent (losing control of the bladder) or, conversely, being unable to pass urine when you need to.
Pain in the pelvis or lower back.
Sexual problems, including pain and decreased libido.
Constipation.
Vaginal discharge or bleeding.

Treatment and recovery

Once a prolapse has developed, surgery to fix the affected organs is usually the only way to cure it effectively.

However, another option is to use a device known as a vaginal ring pessary. This is rather like a contraceptive diaphragm or cervical cap. It's made of silicone or latex, and placed in the vagina to push back the prolapsed organs and hold them in place. Many women happily manage their prolapse this way.

waves to 3isthe* to the fallen fanjo club (((8)))

whether you get the op or not I suppose depends on not just the grades of the various fallen bits but how much it interferes with ones weeing / pooing / quality of life.

had some period type pains over the weekend but I feel good today but having learnt from before wont ruin it by doing too much !!!

good health to everyone on here 1

actually forgot to ask if anyone else had any urge incontinence issues after . is it butress. I am already on pills for it pre op but its got more and I am still taking pills

Had to restrain DS who was having a massive autistic meltdown. He weighs 4st 4lbs. My stomach muscles are not feeling very good.

No urge incontinence here tazzle

Ooh ben that can't have been good. If you can, try to lie back and rest.

Hi and sorry to intrude in your thread. I popped in to see if anyone could shed a light in this for me? Last week, I thought I had lost a tampon inside.?

I was certain I could feel it and if I pushed, I thought I could touch it. So I went off to see the nurse. Out came the speculum and to begin with, she said she could feel something. But after much poking around by her and a colleague, they couldn't find anything. They said my cerVix was "twisted" but that was nothing to worry about.

I got up - and felt totally "normal". Could "something" have slipped out of place and they prodded it back in?
Thanks for any words of wisdom.

Anna - I think the only thing you can do is wait and see if it happens again, or if you start to feel any bulging! Can't say I've heard of a twisted cervix.

Ben10 hope it hasn't done any damage. Can only agree to take it as carefully as you can. X

((((0)))) ben10

restraints suck for everyone involved.

I hope you are both ok now

never heard of that before anna.... just gotta wait and see I suppose but glad whatever they did fixed whatever it was

Thanks Fengirl and Tazzle!

@Tazzle -prolapse art....very underrated in my book
I know it depends on all the other factors really -have what seems to be (going by this thread) normal stress incontinence-all the usuals set it off. Urge incontinence not to bad i think -only really is an issue if I've had coffee.
I think I'm quite lucky on that score.No real difficulty poo wise thankfully though do, Ahem, fart for England since it all started ...So all in all feel like I certainly don't have it as bad as a lot of you, though would obviously rather not have to always wear pads and know i will leak everyday at one point. It is as much the physical aspect that bothers me.
Ah well, it is what it is...

Ben-sounds physically tough and obviously upsetting too with regards to your sons meltdown.Hope he finds tomorrow easier

Cut off before finished
*hope you both find tomorrow easier and it's a better day for him and you

Back on to have my 'moan' or worry really..... My mum was going to come to be with me for the first week after my op and it's now looking less and less likely. She's 70 and not really well but copes. I didn't intend for her to do much more than just prepare a bit of veg and thaw some pre-prepared food and put it in the oven for us and dd2. Anyway... she's been v ill recently and I've had the conversation tonight with her where I've offered to get someone else in. She sounded so relieved I knew I'd done the right thing but of course this kind of leaves me high and dry, and I feel a bit panicky about it. I've found somebody to come in (originally for after my DM went) to hoover and do heavy jobs that I can't, but she has family and is unlikely to want to help for long periods of time or at weekends. DD2 has also had a relapse of a serious condition (which could kill her if she doesn't look after herself - she's not been complying with her medication but is 17 and is at boarding school (but don't think I'm the one with any money!) so I can hardly force tablets down her throat) had to take time off work AGAIN today to take her to hospital to get her checked out, with no help from exh....
I'm just so worried because I know I have to be careful and give myself time to recover. Thankfully the worry about DD1 having to be admitted to hospital has passed, but I really don't know which way to turn.
I'm going to call hosp tomorrow to ask if they can put me in contact with anyone that can help.
Sorry for such a long post and a bit of a rant, but this is really the only place I can put it - my DB and DS both live abroad and so can't help.
Really hoping that things went well for Littlefish today. :)

Hi Fen - if you do end up without any help you will manage ok as long as you have made lots of meals and frozen them beforehand etc.. You will be able to get things like frozen peas out of the freezer too (if you go down slowly onto your knees) and do as much microwave defrosting/cooking as poss. Shopping on line will give you something to do too and with regards to hoovering - forget it for a month! It won't show too much, and then if anyone comes to visit, get them to do it. Most of the time post op you will feel really tired and sleepy for a good two weeks. My DSs spent time after school sitting on the end of my bed chatting etc. and it honestly didn't do them much harm. In fact they were really good at getting up and going off to school without me 'up and about' and actually managed to load washing machines etc. following my verbal instructions without too many mishaps (only the usual of the powder spilling all over the floor, the odd pink pair of pants, and trying to open the door before the thing had finished, lol!). You also become a dab hand at picking up things like stray socks with your toes!!! Lol !

I've got it all coming up again shortly, don't know date yet but pre-op is this Wednesday, and I will be coping on my own too but am not phased this time as all the house stuff seems so trivial compared to all these ops/recovery.

Try not to stress too much, it will all just happen somehow or other (((((((8))))))) x

Another quick thing - I had one of those extendable crab claw arm things that one of my DS's had brought back from a science park. It proved to be THE most useful item ever for picking up a book that had fallen off the bed, reaching to get my pills, shutting the door, pulling up knickers, etc. etc. Defo recommend finding one x

Hope all are recovering well and be careful with those stitches (dry your fanjo with a cool hairdryer!) x

Thanks all. It came out of the blue really. We haven't had one like that for ages. DH hasn't really come to terms with the dx yet and had got himself worked up that DS wanted to keep his 20 plus easter eggs and not eat them all at once "like a normal kid". He completely blew up at DS who was then very upset. I had to remind him that "abnormal" had very different connatations and very negatives ones at that than "different" or "special" which is how we have been talking about his ASD. So first had to go and try and calm DS down which has to be by applying pressure either by hugs or lying on him. Neither is a great option when the option weighs 4stone! DH was distraught that he had got it so wrong, DS was easily bribed with cartoons and I'm just going to rest today. Everything seems OK luckily.

One question, for those post-op for the anterior/posterior ladies was the first period after surgery much heavier than normal? I wear a patch so it is normally very light. This seems much heavier and darker and clottier. It is still well within the realms of a normal period but just more than normal IYSWIM.

Fen I wonder whether a "mother's help" type lady is what you need to do things like putting away online groceries, making beds etc. So not doing the actual cleaning but doing the things that you would do naturally. One tip from me. If you freeze meals in advance, freeze them into the foil dishes - much easier to get out of the freezer and you can just chuck them. Some of mine were in glass dishes and were too heavy.

I had a table next to the recliner which had everything on it for the day - water, tablets, books, controller.

Stay in hospital as long as you can - that made it much easier for me when I got home IMO as I'd rested properly after the surgery. I was in for 4 nights.

Hello everyone, It looks like I'm going to have a rectocele repair done at some point this year. I'm at early stages. My GP agrees it needs doing & will write the referral. Fortunately, I have private healthcare through my job.

I wondered if anyone had this done using the colorectal laparoscopic technique? Recovery time seems much better and possibly less post op complications too. Would be very interested to know if anyone has had their repair done that way.
Thank you

Hi all not been on as back at work night shift , feeling exhausted and sore lol but will get there . Only back until 4th then back in for op xx. Finding it really hard to stop the shift related constipation so have had to double my movicol when on nights x.
Ben first period I had was awful clots included not only blood but tissue ( but I did have infection/inflamation from the merina), Gyn said it would take a few months to calm down , hence the decision about ablation being postponed till now to give things a while to settle xxx
Hi to all hope post op ladies doing well and pre-op are not too stressed x
Fen sorry to hear things not too good at moment as the others say you will get there, I actually asked a friend who had popped in one day to hoover my carpet, she just laughed and helped out, she new how anally retentive I am . Loading the machine was fine I did one item at a time but had to wait for someone to unload the heavy wet things and I just adapted my position to do minor things ie I sat on floor or on a stool x Shopping can be done online as everyone said, main issue i had was cooking I found it very painfull for first few weeks standing for periods of time , fortunately I supervised both my DD's 10 and 14 making simple pasta dishes ect( and there is always take away) and now godbless the oldest can actually now make a few things unsupervised lol good for when she goes to university so I keep telling her xxThe worst thing I found was boredom I did not realise how bad it would be as normally I am very independent and quite active .
I also stayed in jammies for first 2 weeks , psychologically it reminded me and family that I was to take things easy, did progress to clothes after this though lol xxx
Well hope all are in good spirits, I am going to get organised ect ect, then back to bed for a nap before the dreaded night shift, lol no rest for the wicked x

Well I've had a strange old time!

Was supposed to have sacrohysteropexy (sling under uterus) and posterior repair. However, surgeon found a grapefruit sized dermoid cyst wrapped round my ovary, attached in various places to other bits and pieces (not sure what!).

The cyst and my left ovary have been removed. The consultant was lovely, and is a little professionally embarrassed that he didn't feel it during initial examination, but explained that it was tucked behind my uterus in a thing called the "Pouch of Douglas".

He didn't do any other surgery as in his words, it was "a bit of a mess". There was lots of inflammation and he feels that it's possible that all my problems have been caused by the cyst pushing down on my bowel, uterus and bladder, so possibly not a prolapse at all.

He has sent a sample off for biopsy but is fairly confident that it's benign. I'm busy not thinking about it.

He wants to see me in 2 weeks to discuss the results and possible future treatment. He has said that I can probably go back to work after I've seen him.

A very strange 24 hours!

woooo littlefish . *hugs

Suppose its just wait and see then to see if symptoms go away then to see whether its the cyst or not that was casuing the symptoms ????

All fingers and toes crossed that its the bog standard benign sort.

Littlefish - hope you are feeling ok. I would still like to know who the hell Douglas is, because this 'pouch' of his seems to create all sorts of problems!!! Could be really good news if it does turn out not to be a prolapse at all and just a benign cyst, so fingers crossed for you that you are not an '8' club member like the rest of us x

Fen - could exH have the kids for you whilst you are recovering or at least for the first week? I remembered you are having a hysterectomy as well, so if you tell the hospital that you will be on your own afterwards, maybe they could keep you in as long as possible? xxx

Ben and Sure - might be an idea telling hospital.... Do you reckon they'd keep me in for a couple of weeks?

Little - I hope that the pathology is all ok and that will be the end of your problems. X

Fen, it the lack of sleep that gets me in hospital! Take ear plugs otherwise 2 weeks would drive you round the twist!

Fen - I definitely agree with Huggy about the ear plugs. My room was tight by the nurses station and my first night was incredibly noisy!

I'm going home today. I can't wait to be in my own bed. My tummy is sore today, but I think it's just all the trapped wind. Any suggestions ladies?