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.

So glad that the cons has been so good Roseanna and all the best for tomorrow x

I was wondering about exercise too Surewoman I am really nervous about the prolapse coming back and how to avoid it whilst regaining my fitness. Pre repair I used a cross trainer on high resistance 5 times a week and went swimming once. Will be interested to hear opinions for others that are further down the recovery route too.

Bellakins I really do feel for you, I was very upset between GP / cons appointment, it is so bewildering and personal. I do agree with other posters in that 8 months is so soon after birth that you have a great chance of things correcting in time. Congratulations on your DC please try not to worry and tell everything to your cons because it is the little details that seem to make the most difference. Hope that all goes well for you too tomorrow x

Thank you PostBellumBugsy WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes Surewoman Jackie62 and *bladderama"

I am feeling a little more positive today. I was just so scared yesterday when I realised what might be wrong with me. Most of the treatments just sound so invasive and there seems no easy fix. I can kind of pinpoint the symptoms getting worse to when I began exercising properly again a month or so ago. The funny thing was I was recently commenting to my DH how I was feeling like myself again after the birth and adjusting to my new life as a Mum. Perhaps a bit premature!

I will see what the doctor says tomorrow but thank you again for your supportive comments, they have brought me some comfort.

Bellakins - if you've been running, it has a high impact on your pelvic floor! If so, maybe you need to find a different exercise? I'm not a great one for exercise (!) but something gentler like swimming would be better if you could. (Says she who walks a lot but not much else! )

Bellakins - I first noticed my prolapse had got a lot worse while out running this year, I have had to give up for the time being and am having surgery soon. However I fully intend to take it up again in the future, I am being inspired by a friend who has had similar surgery and was back doing half marathons within the year, so it can be done. I hate swimming but it is about all I can manage at the moment cardio wise.

Yeah, I was kind of scared that the exercise was the problem. Not running no, but some pretty high impact exercise classes. I love them though and would be pretty gutted if I had to give them up (before I was pregnant I would do 3 or 4 classes a week so I suppose I was pretty active).

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes I hope your surgery goes well and you can get back to running soon. I hate swimming too but I might have to look into it now.

Hi all, sorry my posts are all me me me at the mo - just popping in during brief moments of feeling relatively lucid between doses of meds so will catch up on posts soon :)
Sure - don't ever feel bad about doing well- you've had your fair share of troubles and I wish you nothing but success. Besides, like I told them at the hospital, I'm looking for an award for Best Troublemaker and Attention Seeker so don't need you giving me competition :o I think its also good to see the success stories too, so people can see a more balanced.view rather thanjust the ones who have problems.

Jackie - good shout re the overnight stay. Can't see this ending up as day surgery to be honest, but if they try and chuck me out I am handcuffing myself to the bed :o

Take care all, will post as soon as I can and let you know how its gone x

Roseanna - it's good to hear you sounding so positive. Here is a good place to unload your troubles so don't ever feel bad about it! My thoughts will be with you tomorrow. If they even look like chucking you out too soon (given your reputation ) start saying you feel faint!

Good luck Rosaanna - I'm so sorry to read what has been happening to you. It is scary stuff and it's great that Jackie and others have been able to give such good advice. Once removed hopefully they can sort it a different way - AND soon.

Bellakins - welcome. It's a hideous thing to happen when you have such a young child - you've come to the right place as there's a great bunch of women for support. As for exercise I would ease off and wait for a proper diagnosis.

Like Post I also have an inspirational friend and she is back horse riding, cycling and skiing after anterior, posterior repairs and hysterectomy earlier in the year. I had a rectocele repair in March and now have what I think is a cystocele and possible uterine prolapse - appointment is 5th Oct. I'm keen for a clear diagnosis and way forward. One thing to consider is a battery operated pelvic floor toner. I use the Tens iTouch daily and I think it does help. If you are referred for pelvic floor exercises it may be worth asking whether this could be helpful and would be suitable for your condition. They're not for everybody but for me it's a good routine as frequently forget to do them - the machine means I do 20 minutes of intensive ones.

Hi to everybody - I have been reading posts but a little cheesed off with the continuing feeling that my insides are falling out. I did have a wonderful day at the Paraolympics and survived walking all day - AND the rectocele repair is feeling good - so not all bad news.

Roseanna - hope all goes well tomorrow xxxx Here's to a speedy recovery x

Roseanna, good luck tomorrow. If they try and chuck you out, call me and I will personally travel to wherever you are and handcuff you to the bed ( I do have handcuffs, not the fifty shades sort either...and I am on duty during the night...)
Relax, go with the flow. I came round after my op with a strange sort of ocean machine on my legs, oxygen, drip, and TLC nursing for hours, but I had been under for a long time due to the complexity of removing TVT once it is deeply embedded. I am hoping that this will be a whole lot easier for you due to the speed with which your surgeon has recognised the problem. I just wish they would stop putting the damned stuff in in the first place, but that is another story!
We all look forward to hearing your story once the tape is out. You will feel so much better.xxx
Bella, good luck with your consultation tomorrow. Make sure your doctor refers you to a good surgeon. You could do with concisive action and don't need the 'wait and see what happens' approach. A lot of gps don't have any idea of prolapse and faff about a bit.
Sure, just spotted your post of 11th Sept which completely confused me! No, you didn't offend me, I knew exactly what you were talking about, it IS little consolation, made me laugh when I worked out what you were worried about though!! On the exercise front Michelle Kenway states that zumba is a good low impact exercise. I have been doing it for a good few weeks now and love it. I avoid the 'jump, jump,jump' bit in one of the songs, and have to go for a quick wee stop in the middle but it is brilliant fun. Give it a go. It is really good for aerobic exercise. And, yes, I am feeling better, thank you for asking! Luckily I don't appear to have broken after the gym incident, but the Seroma is back, grrrr!
Xxx

Hope that all goes well today Roseanna and stay in and get looked after!

Hello again.
Can anyone enlighten me to how long a referral to the hospital will take? It's been over 2 weeks since I was referred.
I really want to avoid surgery if I can possibly help it, do any of you have sucess stories with pessary rings, particularly in relation to doing sports.
Thank you, and sorry if its been covered before, there's a lot of scary surgical reading in the previous threads.

Hi all. I had a bit of (good?) news from the doctor, who was really kind and not at all dismissive. She examined me and says I don't have a prolapse ... yet. She did say though that the walls of my vagina were quite slack (or words to that effect) and that it's likely without action now it will end up more serious.

She diagnosed stress incontinence and has referred me for physio and further investigation. If I decide I don't want another child I could have surgery but physio is first step. I'm not sure I do want another child though if this is the outcome of my first pregnancy (what on earth would things be like after baby no. 2?!). Very confusing.

Thrifty - it took me 5-6 weeks from referral to appointment but I guess each area is different.

I was fitted with a pessary ring last year to help ease symptoms of rectocele. I've reported on here before that it was very successful for me. I have been hugely helped by a friend who has been through all the same things - she was fitted with one and took it out every night. There was no way I could take mine out that regularly as it fitted so snugly but I did manage to remove it roughly every ten days. It's a bit scary at first but like anything you get used to it - anyone trying to put it back in I found putting in a basin of hot water to make it more pliable and plenty of lube. When they are fitted they say they can stay in for 6 months - yuk! I noticed a huge difference as it really alleviated the dragging feeling and just kept me going until my op. Good for exercise.

Please bear in mind there are loads of ops carried out that are successful and my friend is fine now - people don't generally keep posting on forums unless there have been problems. Good luck

Bellakins - that is good news.

Thanks, wouldratherbe skiing,

Gah, stupid phone, actually your name is quite apt, cos I know I praps sound a bit impatient, but am self employed and certainly can't afford to close my business for 3months for am op. Also we have booked to go skiing at New year which is costing much more money than I thougt possible for a week away, so this prolapse lark is doubly inconvenient. So when I'm trying to find out is will I be able to ski/learn to ski with a pessary ring do you think? I have to finish paying for the holiday in 6 weeks time, so it would be useful to know if i have to cancel it beforehand.

My friend has skied twice with a pessary ring - she even scheduled her ops for just after the ski season so she didn't miss out. She sought advice from her GP who was knowledgeable and supportive. The first one was for a rectocele and then she had one fitted when she developed a cystocele a few months after the first op - I think she also had a uterine prolapse because she had a hysterectomy.

I did not feel comfortable going skiing even with the pessary - By the time of the holiday I just wasn't fit enough and had got to the stage where the dragging sensation was so bad it was all I could do to go to work and crawl onto the sofa when I got home. I had to cancel my ski holiday last year and had booked to go this coming January before symptoms of a cystocele were obvious. Once I see my consultant in three weeks for a diagnosis I could well be back using one if recommended for whatever is going on.

I can remember googling pessaries and came across an account of a lady who didn't want surgery and used one just for ballroom dancing - just popped it in for the session!!! Loved my naive days of not knowing about prolapses, pessaries etc.

sure, not too sure on the enterocele. The consultant said that the rectocele was longer and went higher up the posterior wall than he had expected and he had also done an enterocele repair. To be honest, I didn't ask if that was a preventative measure, which I probably should have done.

Hoping the op went well Roseanna. Had my fingers crossed for you yesterday.

Bladder, my consultant was very keen on swimming as a suitable exercise. Non weight bearing & no strain on pelvic floor. It is not easy for me to squeeze in a pool trip around work & the DCs, but I'm going to try and do more. He couldn't have been more clear that anything that put any kind of strain on the pelvic floor was a bad idea. He said my whole pelvic area will never be as strong as it was pre-DCs and he said that although the stitches had disolved and the tissues were knitting, I must be hyper careful for at least 3 months post op. I felt very well warned!

I completely forgot to ask him about pelvic floor exercises - which I'm really annoyed about. I've been doing the basics (kegels) again, but wondered if there were any recommendations. What have others been told about this? I was interested in the pelvic floor toner you were talking about wouldrather. If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost?

Glad your GP was sympathetic Bella

Thrifty - my referral appointment was about 6 weeks after I visited the GP IIRC and my op has been scheduled for 4.5 months after the initial GP visit.

Bugsy - I have found swimming to be very good pelvic floor wise, only one problem, I hate it. Really hate it. I'm blind as a bat, the chlorine aggravates my eczema and trashes my hair (hats give me headaches if they are tight enough to keep the water out) and it is BORING beyond belief. Whereas running, out in the fresh air with lots of things to look at is no problem with any of those things apart from the pelvic floor. Although I have discovered that if I run in the style of a power walker, ie feet barely leave the ground and fast, short strides, it is pretty low impact, especially on grass.

Roseanna - hope you are OK after yesterday

My op is scheduled for the week after next, so I am planning to be totally out of action till half term (a month) and be easing myself slowly back into normal life until Christmas. Pre-op is on Monday, I need to start putting all my questions down on a piece of paper.

Hi all, just to let you all know surgery went well yesterday and am now safely home (they said as soon as I went in I could stay in as long as I felt I needed to so no need for the handcuffs :o ) . You were right Jackie, as soon as I woke up I felt the pain gone in my left hip, and had a completely different pain where the main incision was - not a patch on the pain I was in before though and I've had no painkillers at all today so slowly loosing that really woozy feeling from all the morphine I've had all week. I can honestly say I feel like a different person, almost like waking up from a nightmare. I don't know how you coped for two months like that Jackie - I think there is a real problem in getting staff to believe you are in so much pain because its not something that is recognized a lot. I know the nursing staff didn't believe me until the second day after the original surgery when the consultant examined me and said to the nurses 'she's not swinging the lead'. I think that had it been a more junior or less experienced doctor I would not have been treated so quickly, and it was hard enough to manage for the 8 days I suffered for. Am going to speak to him about raising awareness of this when I'm back at my check up in six weeks.

Take care all...hope all is well with everyone x

roseanna - so pleased to hear you are ok & the pain from the tvt has gone. What a relief. Rest up and heal.

So pleased to hear that you are already feeling better Roseanna x

Post I would find it difficult to fit swimming in too but will also try.

Not long to wait wouldratherbeskining goodluck with the prep. Being organised has really helped me to be able to stop for a few weeks and let my body heal.

Bella really pleased that your GP was positive

Odd question for you all that have had a posterior repair. When I stand or walk for too long I am getting a sharp uncomfortable pain right in my rectum any one else had this and is it just part of the healing process?

Post - I bought mine from Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk/TensCare-itouch-Pelvic-Floor-Exerciser/dp/B001S2LGH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347643474&sr=8-1

Bladder - I can remember something similar but not so extreme sounding and also a sort of pressure in that area if I had been on my feet a lot or overdone things - hard to describe. It takes so long to heal hopefully this will stop soon.

Roseanna - phew - what an ordeal.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Thank you wouldrather, I'll take a look at that.

Bladder, I get a dragging ache when I do too much. Haven't experienced any sharp pains anywhere.