Hi Raggedies - is this thread still going?
I posted about a year ago for some advice on my anal fissure, bowel probs and skin tags in the fanjo. You were all so helpful I'm hoping to get some good advice again now that I'm pregnancy with my second. I'm 38 week and today I have been offered the option of an elcs and wondered if anyone had gone for this is and if it helped?
Before I give you my backstory, I just wanted to say that I am in awe of all of you dealing with everything that is going on with your bodies. It is such a shock how much damage a 'natural' birth can do. Felt very unnatural in my case and it took me ages to get to come to terms with it. I am also SO pleased that threads like this exist. It's so hard to manage stuff like this if all your RL mum friends come out intact.
So my backstory is that after DD1 (induction, back to back, failed epidural, episitomy, ventouse, heamoragh), I suffered from an anal fissure for a year. Eventually cleared up on laxido and GTN. But for a large chunk of that time it was so bad I couldn't drive, I gave up bfeeding and eating really!
My bowels are also quite different now and I have to 'manage' them. I have 'urgency' and sometimes get spasm's of pain in my rectum. The urgency takes the form of feeling like my poo is a jaugernaut. I can feel it travelling down through my bowels, sending me the message that it WILL come out. I could hold on for maybe 5 minutes I reckon but that's probably it The same with wind - I just can't hold it like I used to. I find this relatively manageable, although when I went back to work briefly I found that stressful as I could be stuck in meetings where it wouldn't be polite to 'excuse myself' to go to the loo, like it is at the minute as a SAHM. So I guess I've never really been challenged to 'hold it in' and I would get very sweaty and stressed at the idea of having too!
I also had skin tags in my fanjo which had to be removed but that seems ok now - if anyone else has to have that day surgery I would recommend you go for it, it really was ok.
I should also add that my mum had bowel cancer very early in life and after the op (which saved her thankfully) experiences a lot of urgency so I feel I'm at risk of this in the future too.
Fast forward to this pregnancy. My midwife recommended I meet with the obstetrician/consultant because she felt I may need an elcs to avoid early incontinence issues, even if it wasn't immediately after birth.
The first consultant I saw was awful and said that there was no reason why I couldn't go on to have a vaginal birth - if I was incontinent it would be a different issue. I said I was trying to avoid getting becoming incontinent and got quite stubborn so she has referred me to someone else who I met today. I also paid privately to visit a colorectal consultant to get some specialist advice.
The colorectal consultant was really helpful and said that there may be some nerve damage which went undetected, however, they would be unable to do an examination because I am pregnant. She was more concerned about the urgency than the year long fissure. (Although I am still concerned about getting a year long fissure as it stopped me driving, eating etc)
Anyway - the fab consultant I saw today said she understood why I would want to avoid any further risk and it was my body, my choice. I almost hugged her and wept at her feet. She said pregnancy could equally take it's toll on my bowel and that I may still be prone to get a repeat fissure due to c section pain relief/drugs. She also said there were risks to tearing the bladder in the c section)
But at least now I have the option of an elcs. So I just wanted to see if anyone else had this experience and if it helped avoid further risks to bowel etc? And also how they managed constipation from c section pain relief?
I so hope this thread is still going. I have looked around for advice, but really there is so little out there.