Any old prolapse! Uterus/womb prolapse, rectocele, cystocele, enterocele, urethrocele, incontinence, pelvic floor, anterior and posterior repair, TVT etc part 5

[Piplysmelie]

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
Thread 3
Thread 5

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.

Mummy No. :( The GP surgery is now shut.

I have a spare box of anti-biotics I got for something similar then they changed their mind. I am going to take them and hope for the best.

have already taken paracetamol and Tramadol.

I really think you should try and get seen quicker btw, is there no way for you to see a Dr?

Whoknows, the 2nd october! Not too long but long enough to get nervous...
Schrodinger - make sure you are having plenty of fluids and eat if you can. I hope you feel better soon.

I'm too scared to drink, the more I drink the more I need to wee and the more pain I am in. :( I can't eat.

I hope you're in bed asleep by now, but if you're not, GET A DOCTOR OUT!!!!

I'm not, still here.

Thinking about going to A+E as have been told to by so many people on my thread in chat, I just can't bear the hospital, they are always so shitty with me and it's that hospital's mismanagement of me that has caused me these problems in the first place by not looking at notes properly or listening or going against warnings in my notes or flat out lying to me.

I've just read your other thread and I think you need to go to a&e too, even if it is a shit one, you need medical attention tonight. Will be thinking about you. x

I have to wait a little bit before I can go for someone to come in, then I will go. Promise.

Good, it looks as though you have had lots of good advice on the other thread too, hope you get some relief ASAP.

I have. :) Will phone now x

Hope you got some help last night Schrodinger.

I did, got to OOH and got anti biotics. Feel all head coldy and sick today, not nice. :(

x

Not good that you feel I'll but good you were seen. Keep taking painkillers and anti-inflammtories, regular sips of drink (something with a bit of sugar in would be good - tescos cranberry and raspberry juice is rather nice) and do absolutely nothing!

Lacka, thanks for your post. Know what you mean re stubborness, I REALLY wanted a HB and insisted on working to 38 wks (I went into labour on my last day!) and will alway wonder if I'd just played the game and gone for a hospital birth it would be different, then again I felt bad enough having to go in after the birth for surgery on my tear, felt like I'd failed.........it's just crazy isn't it!?
Postbellum, thanks for your post too. I just want it to be something "fixable" IBS seems so permanent! So for now, I'm not thinking it's that! Trigger-wise.....stress makes me go -immediately! But how can you guard against it?!?!? (Eg a friend/family member phones you up with stressful news)Foods.....? Who knows, really doesn't seem food specific but things like curries and spicy stuff or fatty stuff doesn't seem to help or alcohol...........seriously, what the heck do IBS people EAT?!??!?! I have read that fibre isn't good (fruit veg), fat isn't good, sugar isn't good, spices aren't good.............can I have a glass of milk (skimmed) and an egg??? My social life is drying up fast and not like I can even explain to people why I can't eat out any more and obv have to drive myself everywhere (in case of accidents) so can't drink (read boring). I had a miserable holiday this year, dreaded it, and was relieved when I'd completed it accident-free!
This is not living. :...(

Monica - are you on any medication for the ibs? I found buscopan and other anti-spasmodics helpful. Caffeine can be a trigger. There was a piece on Embarrassing Bodies recently with a man who ate very healthily but had terrible ibs. He was advised to eat potatoes and white bread only wherever possible and to start introducing individual foods slowly. Within two days his gut had settled. I believe what happens is your gut is already irritated so when you come across a trigger - food, stress, etc it's enough to start the 'everything out' response. Strangely, mine is much more calm since I got divorced!

Hi all, had the dreaded urodynamics test yesterday, so thought I'd share the experience in case it helps anyone.

The nurse called me and took me into a little room which had an ordinary examination couch, a small curtained off area with a commode type thing and a little computer that another nurse was operating. They took the time to sit down with me first to explain what they were going to do and why.

First I was asked to remove clothing from the waist down and empty my bladder into the commode before positioning myself under a paper blanket on the couch. They both left the room to let me do all of that in private. When they returned, the one not operating the computer put some local anaesthetic gel on the urethra and then inserted a catheter into my bladder. I was then asked to lie on my side and she inserted another one into the rectum. Both were mildly uncomfortable, but in no way painful.

I had to move into some different positions (back, front, side etc) as the woman

Hello, I was recommended to this thread by someone else, and I believe I may have issues in this area. I'm not going to be shy (I am sure you've all had to go there already), so here goes...

I have been under a Urologist for a while as I have kidney problems, but since my second child have noticed a bulging sensation when I bear down to wee or poo. I did ask a nurse to check while I was having a smear, but the speculum sort of pushed my bulges back if that makes sense. Was great afterwards as I couldn't reach my cervix for a while and it felt back to normal, but it's fallen down again now.

I have trouble completely emptying my bladder, have to rock and wiggle, and my poo also gets caught in my rectum. I have problems with constipation due to my pain relief for my kidney problems and arthritis, which doesn't help.

So what are my first steps? Do I speak to the Urologist? Because it occurs to me that this could be part of the reason I catch so many cross-contamination infections. It is also uncomfortable during sex, and I often have to manually evacuate myself when I go to the toilet, so these three factors are something I am now considering, especially since I am no doubt going to have a kidney removed and need to care for my remaining kidney and ensure it remains healthy.

Monica, I did an exclusion diet to work out what my IBS triggers were. I just ate lamb & pear for two days & then introduced different foods to see what reaction I had. To be fair, I already had a fairly good idea that wheat was my main irritant - but the exclusion diet confirmed that. I'm also not good with corn, potatoes or citrus fruit. I try and eat a paleo type diet - so if my ancestors wouldn't recognise it, then I don't eat it!
Of course, the other major trigger is stress & having a nightmare ex-H and a son with autism doesn't help - but generally speaking I can keep a grip on myself about these issues. I managed to work myself into a complete state just before the op, as must be the only posterior repair patient in the history of the op, to have diarrhea 2 hours after coming around!!!!
I find fennel & peppermint tea very helpful & never leave the house without some buscopan in my bag.
I also take probiotic supplements as there is evidence that these are helpful for some IBS sufferers.
Sorry - that sounds like a lot and it did take me quite a while to work it all out - but it works for me.

Oops...seem to have posted early by accident!

So I had to get into different positions because the woman with the computer said she needed a flat line to start with and although the bladder was fine, the probe in the rectum kept picking up spasms from my ibs...got there in the end though.

The nurse then removed remaining urine and started filling up my bladder with saline and I had to tell her when I needed to pee and when I was really full. I think she might have released some of the saline because I didn't feel 'desperate' for more than a few seconds. She then asked me to do a big cough 'from your boots, not a ladylike one' lol. I could feel some leaking at that point. She put a big pad on the floor and asked me to stand on it. This was probably the most embarrassing part, because I had to stand with my legs apart holding a paper blanket in front of me while the nurse peered at me while I coughed.! As it happened, when I coughed standing up there was a mini tsunami!

After that they both left the room again for me to empty my bladder with the tubes still in. When they came back in the catheters were pulled out when I was standing up as they said it was easier that way.

Whole thing was pretty embarrassing, but the staff made it bearable. At the end they told me I had severe stress incontinence and would need a minor tape procedure to sort it, so am now waiting to be contacted for an appt with the consultant to discuss further.

Sorry for the huge post, but hope it might be useful to someone :)

Monica - I have used Colpermin for years to help with flare ups and its very effective and I like the fact its a 'natural' treatment.

Rabbits - I would ask for a referral to a urogynaecologist as they're the specialists for prolapses.

I hope you find the answers you are looking for here.

Good luck.

Thanks for introducing me to a place where other people might not be so dismissive of "women's troubles" and I might get some support SchrodingersMew

You're welcome although at the time I honestly had no idea this thread would be helpful. :) I hope it is, I have only just found it myself.

Rabbits, there's certainly lots of info and support here.
How are you feeling now Schrodinger?
Sure, how are you doing? Did you find you were more nervous second time around??

Sore, Fen. Hoping the anti-biotics kick in soon. But I will live. :)

How are you Fen?

Bugsy, not sure how to even begin a food elimination diet, did you do it alone or under the guidance of a doc/specialist etc? At the moment I just don't eat if I have to go out of the house and make excuses for not eating if I am meeting a friend "for lunch". How do you manage eating "out"????? How do you manage to have a social life and go for drinks with friends etc???? I'm vegetarian so lamb prob won't help, but in all honestly think i'd revise my principals if it meant i could live a normal life! I don't really drink a lot of caffeine, maybe only one tea/coffee a day (when in company to appear normal) otherwise stick to peppermint tea. I have been prescribed Mebeverine to take 3 times a day 20 mins before a meal, I just take it 3 times a day as obv can't eat 3 meals a day or would be on toilet all day!!! And doc prescribed antidiarrhoea capsules so take 8 a day if going out. Made the mistake of only taking 6 once and went for a really stressful meal out and STILL had diarrhoea!!! What does Buscopan do? Does that stop diarrhoea? What probiotics do you take? Sorry, a lot of questions, I know, just want to know how to be normal again.

Roseanna1, embarrassing though it all is the TVP tape op is well worth it- I had it done in 2010 and can even do star jumps now....if I wanted to! Does Colpermin stop diarrhoea? I don't really have bad cramps just before I have to "go" that's all.

Fengirl, my hubby is a star to put up with all this so can't really divorce him so that's not the answer! I still have issues with a prolapse etc in my vagina but I can live with that as don't have periods (tampons fall out/feel awful) and obv can't face sex. Poor bloke, 3 1/2 years of sex-less living- I did tell him he could have an affair and I'd understand...and wouldn't blame him...