Any old prolapse! Uterus/womb prolapse, rectocele, cystocele, enterocele, urethrocele, incontinence, pelvic floor, anterior and posterior repair, TVT etc part 7

[gottagetthroughthis]

This is thread 7 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
Thread 6

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.

Thanks very much for the info. It feels a little better today and I have been resting more, so hopefully that's all it is. Very hard to be so idle with a 2 year old though!

Still taking the painkillers on a regular basis, but only have enough for 3 days, so will go onto ibuprofren after that I suppose.

Just wish I could fast forward a few weeks so that I can 'test' it out. Very scared that sex will hurt, but trying to think positive .....

hi ladies.

id like a bit of advice if possible.

is there any other option other than surgery that works? I had a prolaspe 4 years ago after giving birth that apparently resolved itself and my last two smears it hasn't been there. well I get very constipated and last night noticed something sticking out of me slightly. I took some laxatives and now I can visiblysee it unless I bare down. I've made a doctors appointment for weds and I'm very very scared of what she might say. I seriously don't want surgery. I'm only 29. I'm worried about not being able to have sex again if the surgery gets messed up or everyrhi prolapses again. I'm very worried.

thanks ladies

roseanna1 mine was described as a defecating proctogram not a defecating MRI but looking at Dr Google it seems to be the same thing.

Yes I'm happy to describe the experience! I was dreading it as I'm very squeamish about this sort of thing. I struggle with No2s if there's someone in earshot so I was expecting to be mortified and stressed throughout but as soon as I got into the exam room and met the staff I relaxed. The first thing they said was that they knew it was embarrasing which helped. They described the procedure really well and introduced themselves. There were an awful lot of people involved I'm afraid, the specialist radiographer, a specialist nurse and at least three people behind the screens but don't let that worry you.

First of all they carry out an exam then they introduce the barium paste. You have to squeeze, bear down and cough several times whilst lying on your side. Then they set up the equipment for the defecating part which takes a while and you have to hold on to the barium paste while they do that.(NOT a problem for me!)

The 'camera' is swung round and the bed is moved to a vertical position. Then they bring a high commode and you sit on it and follow the instructions. I could see the screen while I was doing it and I found it absolutely fascinating. It made so much sense to see what was going on and I've relaxed an awful lot since this procedure. I haven't had the results but from what I could see my bowel was very low with almost a right angled bend in it level with the rectocele.

It didn't take that long and it was nowhere near as embarrasing as I thought it would be. If you can see the screen it helps I think.

However if I think back to the fact that I was sitting on a ladder having a poo in front of 5 people I get a bit

Thanks for that Misery - I haven't needed that yet but it is useful to know what it is like just in case.

hh - I would tell the GP exactly what you have said here, make a few notes so you don't forget any details. They are unlikely to refer you for surgery that you don't want, in fact many people on here who have wanted it have had to fight hard to get it. Also at your age they tend not to want to operate because you are possibly going to have further children, they tend to want to delay it until you have definitely finished your family. Probably the best thing is to be referred to the women's health physio, they can give you an expert examination and go through all your options, which would be exercise, lifestyle changes and possibly a pessary, which is worn internally and holds everything in place.

Morning all

Does anyone else feel its worse when on your period? I'm having to use pads due to flooding (nice) and just doesn't feel right with my prolapses to use tampons.

I'm new here and have just got a date for a grade-2 cystocele repair in a month. It's being done under a local anaesthetic ( ?) so I'll become the same day and not need a catheter. So far, not too scary.

BUT I start a new job (desk-based) the week before! I've had to tell my new boss that I can't drive for at least 4 weeks and he's been great about letting me work from home. I'd thought I'd be on the laptop within a couple of days - but that was before I found this thread and now I'm worried!

Can someone who's been through it tell me if this is realistic or aibu?

thanks,

I have very light periods, no back pain, if I'm desperate for the loo I will dribble slightly, basically no symptoms other than when I'm constipated and the bulge appears.
I'm positive that I've been doing my pelvic floors wrong all these years!

my poor husband thinks I'm having a mental breakdown because all I've done is cry and been on my phone reading hundreds of posts on here Haha. I think its been there all these years and I just haven't noticed it again and the nurse hasn't because I've been lying down for smears. I think I've lived with it this long then I can for a few more years.

thank you

Hi Neoprene - I suspect it's unrealistic TBH, you are warned not to lift anything heavier than a half full kettle for the first couple of weeks, that certainly ruled out my work laptop which is quite heavy, then you need to build up gradually and with great care. It's a good idea to lie down as much as possible in that time too, rather than sit, although half reclined in bed for some of the time is a good compromise. I probably could have done a bit of work on a laptop in bed after 3 or 4 weeks, but probably not much before. I was signed off for 6 weeks and went back at 7 (due to the days of the week and me being part time) and could only manage a couple of hours a day at first in an office chair, even that was quite uncomfy (needed cushions etc) for the first couple of weeks. To be honest, you have got to put your health before the job, you really do not want to jeopardise the success of the op for the sake of a few weeks work.

Thanks WhoKnows. I appreciate your honesty, even if it's not what I wanted to hear.

I don't have my pre-op appointment for another couple of weeks so this is my only opportunity to ask questions at the moment. Can you walk afterwards?

I have 2 DCs aged nearly 3 and nearly 1 but they will be with a childminder until my DH gets home so I shouldn't be on my own with them. Dreading not being able to lift the baby in/out of bed/highchair, etc.

Yes, walking was not a problem really, I was very wobbly for the first couple of days but I suspect that was more from the GA than the actual surgery. However I couldn't have gone far in that first 2-3 weeks, it was really just pottering round the house and garden for up to half an hour before the pressure on the wound got too much. It takes it out of you a lot more than you think it will if I'm honest, your body has to put all its energy into the healing and most people are very tired indeed for the first few weeks. I didn't go more than a couple of hundred yards from the house for about a month.

I do sympathise re the childcare, mine are 7 and 8, so no lifting required, but I normally do all the school runs and ferry them around a lot after school, not to mention cooking, housework etc and I did have to call in a lot of favours. I didn't feel safe to be left alone with them in that first couple of weeks, it would probably have been fine, but if one of them had hurt themselves or something I wouldn't have been able to cope.

what is the success rate of the op? and how long do they say the repair will last? I know I'm young and dont want the op for a good few years yet but I'm interested. can it last forever so to speak?

my one concern is not being able to lift my kids up and swing them around ever again and that's what is getting me the mist if I was round be offered the op.

hh - for a rectocele repair (back wall of vagina, which is what I assume you have if constipation aggravates it and is what I had repaired), there is about a 30% relapse rate, obviously factors like heavy lifting do impact that.

I discovered mine after the birth of my first DC 9 years ago and did nothing about it till last year apart from intermittent PFEs, then it got worse suddenly and did need surgery. In that time I lifted my children, heavy shopping, whatever. The thing is you never know, you might get away with it or one day you might lift a child and that's it, damage is done. If you go and see the physio, they will get you doing your PFEs properly, show you how to lift to minimise risk etc.

whoknows- thank you. I'm so emotional at the moment. I'm only 29 so feel that I'm far to young to have the surgery because I'm worried I'll need it again in few years time.

That's a valid concern, I'm 45 so definitely no more children and my existing ones are too big to lift, although not being able to still tugs the heartstrings a bit.

I'm praying like mad that it isn't a prolaspe and its something but deep down I know exactly what it is.

So you can't lift anything if you DO have the op? (Once it's healed of course). What about jumping?

If not, what's the point?

I understood that once the initial recovery period was over, normal lifting (kids, shopping etc) could be resumed. I believe we are supposed to learn to lift correctly in future and that heavy lifting (furniture etc) should be avoided for life if at all possible.

hh83 - I am only 33, so know how you feel. Seems a bit of a raw deal to have this problem so young doesn't it?

I am not planning any more kids, so that didn't factor in my decision to go ahead. My doctor even said that if I did change my mind or have an 'oops' baby, I may need an episotomy to deliver vaginally or I could go for an elective c section, but that it wouldn't prevent from adding to my family at a later date. There would be the risk of undoing the work again with a normal delivery of course.

I don't think there are any benefits to waiting to have the operation. If you have a prolapse that does not respond to physio etc, it will only get worse over time.

can the operation last forever then? I'm att doctors tomorrow so ill see what the outcome is :-/

I believe it does last forever (with the proviso you do your PFEs every day, as every woman should). I hear you too - I'm 34.

Yes, I guess it can last forever, 30% relapse rate presumably means 2/3 of them last forever. Can presumably tilt the odds in your favour by doing your PFEs, shedding excess weight (that one is my target this year), avoiding the heaviest lifting etc. Running and jumping, plus various other exercises do put a higher pressure on the pelvic floor though.

If you google Michelle Kenway, she is an Australian physio who specialises in pelvic floor problems, she has a lot of useful advice about exercise and lifestyle for people with prolapses.

its making me chronically depressed. I clean for my mam twice a week and he dyson is so heavy, little things are getting to me like that on the worrying side.
I feel that I am so young and shouldn't be goin through this at my age.
hopefully I'll be referred to a physio who can help put of surgery for a few years!

Hello to all - especially the new ladies! Wouldrather, I hope your holiday goes well.
I fell off the thread and have been rather busy. I thought I'd check back in and blimey! Just a few things to catch up on.... I'm now back to my usual work hours, so am pretty weary by the end of the day. I'm pleased to say I noticed over the holidays that I have days with no aches or pains at all! (I rather fear I may have said that already but can't remember!) However 'my friends' are still there - the stitches - and sometimes feel like someone has given me a kick in the perineum. How do you change your NN on here? I'm thinking of 'Ihaveamantrapinmyfanjo'!!!!

hh83 - No doctor is going to tell you to have surgery if you don't wan't it! If you don't feel you can deal with the op right now, just go to the physio and leave it at that.

It all depends on how much it bothers you at present. If you feel you can live with it for a bit longer, then don't even worry about having the surgery.

One thing I will say - if you think you might want it at some point, I would get private health care first! I went private and have been treated like a princess throughout. My consultant even called me last night to see how I was getting on!

Good luck

Hello ladies, I haven't had time to read all the posts but from reading the ones I have I feel a bit silly. Just saw a continence nurse and she's confirmed I have a very weak pelvic floor. She says they grade them from 0 to 5 and mine is a 0.5. . No sign of a prolapse but I appear to have decreased feeling on the rhs vaginal wall. She's advised me to do the electrical therapy - start in feb. bit nervous about it - I know it will patron feel weird but will it hurt? Does it work? Really hope so because I am sick of having to make sure I'm never too far from a toilet etc i feel like an old lady at 32!!
Also since my examination on wed I have had what started as a little pain around my coccyx which has got steadily worse - feels kind of like a trapped nerve but I'm wondering if could be related?

have all your ops been a success? I suppose not many people post about it online so there is not many long term success stories around!