Pt 8 (Oct13) Any old prolapse! Uterus/womb prolapse, rectocele, cystocele, enterocele, urethrocele, incontinence, pelvic floor, anterior and posterior repair, TVT etc

[Bladderama]

Welcome to thread 8 (again - see below) 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.

With apologies for confusion in thread numbers - an earlier thread was called part 7 but it was actually the 6th thread.

Here are the previous threads:

Thread 1
Thread 2
Thread 3
Thread 4
Thread 5
Thread 6
Thread 7

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.

Kosher I know exactly how you felt - my cervix totally came out back in May and it was scary as hell. Sex is OK, even with a badly fitting pessary in situ, as long as you want to dtd!

All recovering ladies, it sounds quite painful and scary to me now but I am SO glad when you say it's deffo worth it. Only 10 days to go til I have my op and I'm very glad that Christmas is kind of keeping my mind off it at the moment.

BMs sound a big problem too. I eat a massively high fibre diet already so will have to ask for lactulose and anything else that may help.

I have also felt as if my 'front wall' has now gone wrong too, as well as the back wall. I think it's not soon enough now for it ALL to be fixed. I'm sure it WILL be worth it as I really don't want to live like this anymore.

Take very good care everyone and I'll 'see you' the other side of Christmas. x

Noordinarygirl - I hope we haven't worried you unduly. This op is a big deal and it is full of ups and downs but it is more than out weighed by the benefits. Don't let it ruin christmas for you.
You mentioned that you think the front wall is not right either. My surgeon was a bit cagey as to what he was going to do because he said it can look very different under anaesthetic when relaxed. I wrote down what I thought the worst symptoms were and what I thought we had agreed to before the op plus any wishes I had. I gave it to him on the morning of the op to add to my notes. It ensured he knew exactly what I thought and gave him the chance to discuss things I was uncertain of.
My other words of advice is to get enough help for the first few weeks!

Says Happy Christmas to all you lovely ladies xx
Noordinary - my recovery has been very fast with hardly any pain. We are all different I guess. Try not to worry to much about it,, I know how I felt about waiting and I honestly found this was the worst part. xxx
Like Dragon said I would recommend anyone to have this op. Take it easy for the first few weeks and things get easier.

Haven't read the thread properly the last couple of weeks but just wanted to wish you all a Happy Christmas, this thread was such a support to me when I had my surgery last year.

Hello
A new member for this little group. I gave birth 4 weeks ago to 9lb6 baby, forceps delivery after pushing for a long time. Had a horrible pregnancy with polyhydramnios and by the end was measuring 46 weeks pregnant. I gained 20kg (44lb) but this was all baby, placenta and fluid (weigh less now than before pregnancy, although still very overweight). Had an episiotomy which had to be resutured due to haematoma and abcess.

Anyway, just as I thought everything was healing ok and I could get back on track, I discovered a prolapse on Christmas Eve. It's a rectocele I think, and it protrudes out. I have difficulty having a bowel movement and can feel it push into my vagina.

I feel quite disgsted by it and very upset. I cried about it because I just feel so gross. I used to have quite a nice looking fanjo as these things go and now it just feels like some horrible battleground.

Have had sex twice since baby arrived but these were before I discovered the prolapse. I'm not even sure it was there until a couple of days ago. I can feel a downward pressure all the time, leak urine if I sneeze or blow my nose. Am doing my pfe but just feel so down about it.

Congrats on your baby ms fanacker pants!

Sorry to hear about what you are going through, I have lurked here but after 2 third degree tears I think this is a place for me.

I hope you can get the support you need on here.

that is a big baby you have had.On the upside itis early days for you, go to your go or hospital and get a referral.

Take care of yourself posters on here know what you are going through

I had big babies and got massive. I wish I had sought help earlier, I have spent Xmas wondering if I just have to get used to bowel incontinence episode all my life. I have had accidents at home and am very scared it will happen to me at work!! I a dan accident on Xmas day an ps was glad no one was visiting.

.

Hi all, hope everyone had a great christmas and Father Christmas visited!
I am very happy to report that today I was just plain uncomfortable - no real pain so no pain killers and no longer walking like ?Miss Puddleduck. I am rocking day 15!
I am assuming my swollen, post operation belly is something shared by others. Wore a dress yesterday and looked decidedly pregnant - at 48 I never thought I would sport that look again. When did everyone else's go down? I really want to wear my jeans but they won't do up at the moment.

Msfanacerpants - I am sorry to read about all your troubles. There is nothing very glamorous about having babies and our downstairs departments take quite a bashing. From what I remember, I had a weak bladder for a while after both of my babies many years ago and, from talking to friends, it is quite common and improves over time. Having said that a lot of women haven't had a carefree cough, sneeze or laugh since their babies. I didn't have my op for this reason but since the TVT 15 days ago I have sneezed twice and didn't wet myself once! Oh the joys!
I hope the rectocile is similar in outlook but I really wouldn't know. I was amazed when I was told I had one even though I had all the symptoms - I didn't know such a thing was even possible.
They seem to be easily diagnosed by a doctor after a quick examination so when you visit yours I hope s/he can put your mind at rest.
On a more positive note, how was your first christmas with the baby?

Thanks for the replies. My baby is gorgeous and a very good little girl who tonight gave me 4 hours solid sleep before wanting to feed. We had a lovely Christmas thanks. I'm just so in love.

The six week check for both of us is the week after next so I'll talk to my gp then and push for a referral. Doing pfe as I type!

It's good to know dtd is possible with a pessary should I need to go down that route. I've never been body conscious until this happened. I'm only 33 and am just so surprised and shocked it happened to me. I have hypermobility syndrome so my collagen levels are a bit out of whack anyway and I wonder if there is a link.

Talked to my mum about it and she said she had a cystocele after having me which did resolve itself through time and pfe. I was also forceps delivery and 9lb5 so there is hope! I do keep forgetting my baby only arrived 4 weeks ago and so everything is still recovering.

Aargh my kids are starting to drive me crazy! I have had them without my dh for boxing day and today and am very much looking forward to having most of next week off. My mum is also coming down tomorrow. They are 3 and 5 and are just so full on, everything has to be done this minute!

I have got a date through for my 2nd op, 15th march. Last time I only had a week's notice so it is quite nice to have so much tome to prepare and it is a private hospital which takes NHS patients so hopefully it won't be cancelled. I really hope that the operation works this time. Since the last op my bladder seems to have got a bit better but my bowels seem to be getting worse, it's just so hard to keep myselg clean, I wipe and wipe and it takes ages before it goes (sorry if that's too much information).

Some people say oh you will have the op done and feel like a new woman, I just really hope that happens this time!

Hi all. I have got a cysteole that seems to be getting worse by the week it just feels like I have a tampon in the wrong place all the time, and it gets sore and achy by the end of the day. I saw a gynae back in July who said it wasn't so I got on the internet and googled pictures and it definately is, took a photo of it and showed my gp last week ( I was on my period and didn't want him down there) and he said it is. I am 47 and perimeno had three 9lb babies 27,25 and 23 years ago, have always had a bulge down there but has never been a problem until the last ten months. I have another hospital locally to me where they have a uro/gynae/prolapse consultant, I don't know whether to ask to be referred to him. My gp wants me to try vagifem 2 a week for 4 weeks then 1 aweek for 4 weeks to see if this helps, I also have urethra pain which started after having polyps from my womb removed a year ago. My bladder covers the whole of my vagina and you have to go in sideways to find the hole if that makes sense, sex isn't great but I try to do it at least once or twice a month as I am aware being peri if you don't use it you loose it, the consultant gave me dilators to use but it is just uncomfortable. Just as all the children are self sufficient and I have more time, and a little bit more money Mother Nature decides to throw in a curved ball. Any words of wisdom greatly received. Thanks.

Hi everyone, I've been referred here from the childbirth thread as hopefully you guys are more experienced. 13 weeks pp from a very quick waterbirth, thought I'd been 'so lucky' but now I struggle not to just lie in a heap of despair. I have a confirmed cystocele which they keep telling me is 'mild' and '50% of women have this after giving birth' and 'it will improve in time' but all I feel is it getting worse, and read stories constantly by women saying IT DOESN'T GET BETTER (and how can it, it's soft tissue, not muscle? the muscle of the PF can be exercised but how will the tighten up overstretched, damaged, scarred tissue above it?). I'm 29 years old, I can't walk for more than 30 mins without needing to sit down, or feel like I need to hold myself 'in', I know I will NEVER run again, I probably won't go out and dance with friends again; if I have a period I'm crippled, (literally, the pain and aching in my vulva, that 'dragging' feeling renders me immobile - I struggle to sit upright to feed my DD, I cry all over her about how shit my life is now because of her, and then cry that I am a terrible person because its not her fault...etc), I apparently can't have sex anymore, even though DH was almost ecstatic that 'it feels the same, hurrah' for him, for me it felt like everything was grinding together uncomfortably, and I ached afterwards and felt more 'heavy' inside. And then I tried to use a crosstrainer two days ago (as I'm 3 month pp and supposedly should be 'fine' by now) and it felt hideous inside all flapping about, and then I got home and had spotting, and was in so much discomfort, and feel like I'm more 'open' again down there...honestly I could just cry all day if I didn't drag myself through it by focusing on DD.

Physio and GP say it doesn't fall when I cough, which apparently is 'great'. Wonderful. I'm so glad my prolapse stays sagging where it is and doesn't fall out when I cough. I may go throw a party about it....(oh and the physio also noticed a big lump of scar tissue on the back wall which may be why I can longer pass a BM without excrutiating pain unless I take fybogel constantly).

I felt the NHS were incredible during my pregnancy and the birth itself, but since then its like 'well, you knew what you were getting yourself into, live with it, oh and if it gets to the point that all your organs are hanging out of you we can hatchet job you back together but you'll never have sex again...' I'm surprised more women don't kill themselves over this stuff, if it wasn't for the lovely babies I think we we would. It feels like a life sentence or something, it feels inevitable that DH will leave me over this as well, why would he stay with a depressed, flabby woman who can't have sex with him? Women get such a rough deal.

Sorry if I sound self-pitying, its more anger than self-pity, I just don't know what to believe or what to think, but surely feeling like I need to walk around holding my vagina together or with an ice pack on it, or to sit on a cushion at all times THREE MONTHS after giving birth is not 'normal'? Is it? If so how the hell (and why) does anyone do this more than once!

Rant over- really what I'm looking for is advice on how to go forward. The kegels do nothing, I can contract them but they feel 'wobbly' and after 5 or 6 I ache too much to carry on. And I've read that kegels ultimately don't work anyway. So does anyone have advice/experience of operations and so they ever work?

1966gettingold sorry to hear what you're going through, women really do get the harshest deal. :-(

MissyTJ - I had a quick 3rd birth that caused what they have called a minor prolapse but I have bowel issues to and embarrassingly struggle to wipe clean. I shared all the feeling u have at tge beginning and even had treatment for PND. However slowly I have managed to drag myself bk to some form of normality. Thats not to say I don.t still have the odd meltdown always aimed at hubby. Now baby is 6mths old. I can walk a lot further, emotionally a lot better. I still struggle to get clean :(. However, my life is not over and I will get through this. I have 3 beautiful healthy boys and for that I am very grateful.

kianaidan thanks for that, I feel bad for my rantiness earlier, was just in meltdown mode myself! It's scary that this was my first, maybe it was the speedy delivery that did it if that's what caused yours too. I am determined not to let it ruin my life, just hard sometimes to have faith. I will work harder to manage it. I do feel grateful for my daughter every day, it's just occasionally the cost to my body takes its toll!

*kianai

Oops I meant to say kianaidan also very sorry for what you have been through, your boys are lucky to have you x

Well just over 3 weeks since my op and I have to say I have found the recovery not as bad as I thought. Had a peaceful Christmas day with lots of games, then my little boy had bad tonsillitis, I took my first period since op and in pain and getting stingy discomfort and it's my birthday today and im feeling a bit sorry for myself .
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.
Missytj I know exactly how you feel, I felt very unattractive down there, my sex drive plummeted (my dh said the same about it not feeling any different) however it did feel different for me.
I went to the GP at the end of August and had my op 6 December so hadn't to wait that long. My advice is be quite direct as to what you want at the gp and then gyne. The only thing they said was they wouldn't do it if I wanted more children. On this score I am finished so had it done.
Giving birth is emotional, but I found I was more emotional once everyone had visited and then it was just me and baby. The low days when your hair is scooped back in a ponytail, when you need to have a shower, when you feel you just stink of baby milk and sick. I think as women we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be fantastic, to blossom into parenting, to be this glamorous person etc I was told you don't have to be fantastic just be good enough. We are only human.
I hope you do get help with your lady bits. I was told no amount of pelvic floors would improve my situation. The only thing was surgery.

Missy T. I have just found a website last night which is a revelation called Well Women from America, I will be sending off for the entire package re the video etc, have a look also I have had my cysteole for 27 years and it has got worse in the last few months, from heavy lifting and menopause but I had two more children ( tmi) but you will probably find sex on all fours easiest as the prolapse goes back in and lots of lubricant, it took me six months to have sex after all of my children.

Going back to the website I have mentioned have a real go at the exercises and a complete change in posture, from what I understand prolapse is a way of life that we have to work around, and surgery really is a last resort for me.

Missy T. Sorry the website is called Wholewomen.com

Hi all hope everyone had a good Christmas.
Happy - glad all is going well, albeit little one was poorly.
I am now 18 days post op and managed my first walk down to the town. It took 23 minutes and nearly killed me but I can now reach costa without a taxi or favour. I have had an infection, which I am hoping accounts for why some bits are still so uncomfortable and sitting is a challenge to be avoided. They tell you to look out for a foul smelling discharge and it took me a few days of it getting worse before I decided it was foul. Once I found myself offensive, I decided it must be foul! Probably should have gone to gp earlier...

oh Dragon you do make me laugh. Im sure you didn't smell that offensive Im glad however that you got the reason why you felt so rubbish. Hopefully you will notice a marked improvement from now on.

I really did smell that offensive! I am already feeling better and sat on a hard chair today. Oh the joy.

MissyTJ - Your little one is luckt to have u too! If your on fb there is a PRIVATE supporr group calles Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support. Oh and I.m 29 too; sucks having to deal with these problems doesn.t it. Its def put a downer on my 30th nxt year! :(

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH I actually got taken onto the ward this morning and then they came and told me that my op was cancelled!!!! Pissed off to say the very least. Apparently a letter was sent out on 30th December but it still hasn't arrived today. I thought something was awry when a nurse and another admin lady came to see me and pulled the curtain around my bed. Anyway, they had apparently felt so sorry for me that they went to speak to all the gynae surgeons to see if anyone else could do the op but my consultant is the only one in the hospital who can actually perform that particular procedure. (It's really quite rare - SACROCOLPOPEXY - and only about 5 get done each year by my consultant).

I was so psyched up for it and really quite stressed - didn't sleep at all last night. I was really dreading it but at the same time looking forwards to being fixed and being able to get some sort of normality back into my nether regions.

I wasn't given a particular reason why my consultant wasn't operating today so I think I will write a letter to re-iterate how upset I was about the whole mess up. They could have at least phoned me on Monday to let me know.

All I have been told now is that I have to wait for another date which could be weeks - just how many weeks I've yet to discover. I suppose in hospital worlds it could be anything from 2 up to 26 or even more weeks.

Sorry for moaning but I'm feeling a teeny weeny bit down now (have sparked up a few fags after having gone 9 weeks without) and have had a raging headache from stress and tension for about 3 days now too.

Happy New Year to everybody though - let's all hope we all get properly fixed as soon as possible. xx