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.

No ordinary, I feel so sorry for you. To be waiting all that time and to be told that would be devastating. You have every right to feel annoyed. I really hope you don't have to wait to long for your op. Keep us updated and I would write a letter.
I think perhaps I over did it over the festive period. My lady parts are a little stingy and pulling sensation. Was thinking that maybe I was feeling more as the swelling starts to go down. I was just wondering if anyone else got a lump feeling where the rectocele use to be feels like that sensation only i had a peak (again) and I can't see anything out of the ordinary. Not due to see consultant until March (12 weeks post op) I am now on week 4.

No rdinary - what has happened to you was my nightmare! How rubbish of the hospital not to call you. Any idiot would know that posting a letter on 30/12 wild be unlikely to make it to you due to bank holiday. Do you know when you 'breach'? This might give you an indication of when you might be resceduled.
I suggest you eat, drink and/or smoke as much as you like tonight and get on the phone tomorrow to his secretary and make a bloody nuisance of yourself.

Happy - I sometimes feel a lump down there but when I peek ( and I have got very handy with a mirror) it seems to look normal. I am going on how it feels when I poop and that feels right. 12 weeks to see the surgeon seems like a long time. It would be reassuring for them to look earlier. Would your gp do it maybe? Can you spend a day of two resting now we are into dull old January?
Having said that, I went to the out of hours gp sat Friday due to an infection and he didn't look ( can't blame him, I did stink!) and went to my own gp today and she didn't want to look either. She did feel my very painful and distended belly though and is going to get me a more urgent appointment with surgeon than the planned one in February .
On that note, does anyone have a very sore distended stomach all the tine and/or pains just above the pubic bone on either side (at the level of the hip bones)?

holding my lady parts laughing dragon. Im really sure the smell is not that bad lol. I did have an distended belly over Christmas but decided this was due to over indulgence of alcohol and chocolate mixed with laxatives and a painful period thrown in for good measure. A night of lying on my tummy sorted that problem out.
I will think about going to see the Dr but to be honest I think she is bored of seeing my Lady bits, last time she was even putting on her gloves before I even told her why I went to see her lol I Should have said im here for ear ache.

P.s I have pains above the pubic bone also. Not nice. Do you suffer from IBS??

Happy - I don't have ibs. You?

I am sure you make your GP's day when you walk in with your lady bits! They must have something, as I can't get anyone to look at mine. Should I take this personally?

Well I think I actually heard her sigh while I was getting undressed. Don't think she had job satisfaction that day so I wouldn't get to despondent.
I do however have Ibs and thought maybe this was why I was getting pains . Hard to tell. Although when I sit on my lady bits I get uncomfortable not pain as such sometimes a bit numb.

Anyone elses hubbys really pissing them off?

Happy - the bloating and pain/tenderness I have in my abdomen does feel a bit like gut pain. It feels like someone beat my insides up. I am not loving all this at the minute.

kianaidan - mine pissed me off so I divorced him. What has yours done?

kianaidan -or not done - equally likely.

misstj really feel for you. Think you need to be really persistent with your gp, they are quite useless at times. I had pnd and from how your sounding maybe you have a little, not surprising with everything you've been through. Really hope you get someone to help you out x
noordinary that is so crappy for you, especially when you get yourself prepped mentall. Really hope you get a new date through soon.
well I haven't been on for a while. I am 12 weeks post op now. Feel soo much better than I did. Went out to Xmas do and then xmas market day after,lots of walking, most I'd done since the op. Was absolutely exhausted and did have 2 day's of bleeding but other than that ok. Unfortunately, got ill over Xmas and New year with cold/cough lurgie. Think all the coughing made me sore, think it might be the scar tissue doc mentioned. So reluctant to go back in and have it sorted out! Sometimes it's sore but other times its ok. Haven't dtd yet, I think being ill over Xmas didn't really feel like it and now it's been a while and I've got myself worked up about it and nervous.
Anyone comment/advise on this?
lotsofquestions how are you getting on? Dtd yet?
msclairet glad you got date through for your op, how are you getting on.

happy mine felt quite lumpy for a good while, I think between 6/8 weeks tbh. You should still be resting and taking it easy for a while.
dragon I had an infection and the odour wasn't to nice, in fact when the nurse had a look she told the doc I had 'foul smelling discharge'! Oh the shame what we have to go through, isn't it great!!!!

dragon and happy I get all kinds of abdominal pains, stabbing pains, my pubic bones feels permanently bruised too so wondering if there is some SPD going on? I've been reading about abdominal pains with prolapse and am now panicking that its more than likely I'm having a full uterine prolapse not just cystocele. The terrifying thing is reading that even after hyseterctomy you can prolapse your intestines? WTF!!! Why the HELL don't midwives forewarn this stuff? I may sound stupid here but I didn't know to exercise my PF until I was 34 weeks pregnant at an NCT class. Not one midwife or antenatal class said I should be. I read books, none of them mentioned doing PF exercise while pregnant. It should be the FIRST thing people are told, along with what foods to eat.

I will be getting my DD to do PF from the minute her periods start! lol!

kianaidan my DH generally pisses me off so much more now than before DD was born. He was my world before, my best friend, my favourite person. I couldn't believe so many marriages fell apart after babies, I assumed they must've been weak relationships already. Ha. No. Its just that we suddenly realise how different men and women are. Men just don't see things the same way. Like, with me I'm constantly thinking 'does DD need a feed - if so are the bottles sterilised, is the kettle recently boiled; does DD need a nappy changed; is DD bored? Could I be talking to her more; what time shall I bath her...etc etc' plus the normal 'what should we have for dinner, when did I last vacuum (lol - dread to think!)' whereas DH still needs prompting like a teenager 95% of the time to do anything, but if he does pro-actively clean or tidy up I have to heap praise on him! Yes, he works 50 hours a week but I run my own business and have been having client meetings at weekends since DD was 8 weeks old and work whenever she is napping on my business, so it's not like I'm a 'lazy (HA) stay at home mum (hardest job ever)'. Also, when I'm in pain I fully resent- even loathe - him because all he had to do was supply a bit of semen! lol! Men have no idea what we go through.

Plus...sometimes if he touches me I want to punch him. Not even sexually, he goes for a hug or wants to put his arm around me and it just irritates me and I shrug him off!! lol! Poor guy. I feel bad because he is really lovely and does try hard, but my feelings about him and our marriage are SO different now. I hate to admit it but I've fallen into that cliche - my DD is my world now, my favourite person, the love of my life. Hopefully when she gets bigger (and my stupid body heals a bit) I will start to feel warm towards DH again.

Anyway - just in case you were feeling the same way, that's where I'm at! :-)

Can I join too please? I am due to have a tvt-o on Tuesday to solve stress incontinence. Like many of the other posters it seems the damage was done pushing ds (now nearly 3yrs) down birth canal for over 2 hours only for him to not get anywhere, midwives changed shift and next one noticed my cervix was still over his head, so basically pushing him straight back up!!

I'm terrified of having to have an operation and general anaesthetic, any tips / advice from anyone that has had it recently? was it successful? Thanks

MissyTJ, of course it is always good to do PF exercises when pregnant. However the problem with childbirth is that it can tear your muscles quite badly pulling them off the bone and even destroy nerve endings. Even if you have excellent PF muscles before you give birth you can have lots of problems afterwards.

I have had a scan done of mine and there is a big black hole in my muscles on the right hand side where they have been damaged over the course of my three deliveries. The last one seems to have finished them off....

Obviously though whether you are going for an op or not you need to get your muscles into the best state you can. Which is where a good physio can help.

I have done literally ten thousand PF exercises (have been counting on a counter app on my phone) since giving birth in July. All this effort has led to an increase from 0/5 (no perceptible movement) on my right hand side to a still pretty pathetic 2/5.

I reckon the day before I gave birth to my first DD I would have been a 5/5. I still remember barely being able to get a finger in there and wondering how on earth a baby would get out. With great difficulty as it turned out.

How I wish I could travel back in a time machine and book myself in for an elective C Section privately if necessary. I will be informing my DD not so much about PF exercises as the possible drawbacks of vaginal deliveries so that she can make an informed decision about how she would like to give birth.

Hi doineedhelp.
I am 3.5 weeks after a TVT, rectocil repair and perneoplasty with a further back wall repair. It is difficult to say which bits afterwards were definitely the TVT but the swollen and bruised bit on the front around the pubic bone has been really sore. I wee slower than I did but I do deserve a round of applause every time I sneeze as I don't wet myself. Still feels like a very clever party trick!
For me, I found that laxatives and stool softeners were as important as painkillers. Getting someone else to provide regular food is important as I wasn't hungry and have lost half a stone (really not too sad about that) but more importantly regular eating helps regular pooping!
I have been very tired and spend most of everyday laying down still. I thought it would be hard to do but I can't do anything else at the moment so it is what it is.
My belly is very swollen (5 months pregnant!) so stretchy leggings have been good.
I have also been very aware if I don't look after the surgery then I could end up contributing to problems in the future. I haven't lifted anything, strained (back to poop again) or over done it.
Finally, I had planned to have my bits waxed but failed to do so. I now have a 1970 s bush going on and regret not having had a jolly good tidy up!
All in all a tough 3.5 weeks with more to go but it all seems to be in working order and am pleased I have done it.

I wish I had a c-sections all those years ago 27,25 and 23 years, as I am meno ( 47) my prolapse is not behaving, interestingly my daughter was chatting to a obstetrician/gynae ( my daughter is a large animal vet ) so understood a lot of the indepth convo.

Having spoken to the Dr my daughter said when her day comes she will be having a c-section, as the Dr said that vaginal births cause so many problems, and she said that 90% of women will end up having surgery after vaginal births because of the damage they cause. The Dr herself would only have a c-section. I had know idea what the menopause does to your vag, I am starting off with vagifem to try and plump things up again, all so boring.

Well, after my op being cancelled yesterday (and I actually made it onto the ward!) I had a phone call this morning to tell me that my own consultant won't be operating for quite some time - I still don't know why - and that someone else (Mr Aust) will be back from leave in 2 weeks and that he's the only other qualified surgeon to do my procedure. I am posting a letter of complaint tomorrow and I now feel fairly uneasy about a 'new' consultant performing this fairly 'rare' op.

I will apparently 'breach' by the end of January/beginning of February - not quite sure what that will mean for me though! Does anyone know what effect that might have on when I could possibly have my op?

Hi noordinarygirl - the breach maybe well timed for you. They will be very keen to get you done before then as they will have failed on this target and have to report it. I would suggest a call to his secretary when he starts to ask her to remind him of this! Nothing like making a nuisance of yourself. Once you do breach you have the right to ask the hospital to find you another avenue for the surgery that will be quicker.
Another thought - have you got that letter of cancellation yet? If not you could make the case that the surgery was effectively cancelled on the day. You turned up after all and heard on the day it was cancelled and sending a letter by post on 30th is unfair and unreliable. This gives you the right to treatment within 28 days. If they don't that is another failure to hit a target and another black mark for them. I would suggest you add this demand to your letter of complaint and call PALS to offer support.

I've Coe over all militant - must be all this lazing around!

Doineedhelp - I had the TVT in September. I had it done with a spinal block so was awake throughout. Bit of an experience seeing your bits being operated on but intriguing at the same time. They did offer me a general too. Took me ages for the block to wear off, had to stop in overnight but otherwise ok. I have to say the op was a total success. I was sore after and could only shuffle about for a couple of weeks, no lifting etc but now the difference is amazing, have not peed myself once, am not exaggerating when I say it's been life changing. I am peeing normal speed too, i know some report they take longer. Best of luck with it. Fire away if you have any questions.

Thanks idoallmyownstunts and dragonroad, that is really encouraging to hear that ut has been a success (even though you are still recovering!) I'm sure I will be MNing from my recuperating bed so will let you know how I get on.

Nervous indeed but looking forward to being able to do normal things again (like squatting at the fridge) without leaking. Keep your fingers crossed for me

poster IDoAllMyOwnStunts - I take my hat off to you! As I was About to be knocked out I was offered a spinal, which I assumed was what you had, and I nearly jumped off the bed and ran away. It turned out that he meant a spinal injection that meant I woke up quite numb below the waist for 24 hours.
The prospect of being awake for it seems horrifying. Out of interest, why did you choose the spinal?

raininthesky man I know what you mean about turning back time. I feel so childish saying it but that's what I keep wailing about to my DH - what I would give to turn the clocks back....all those stupid people saying how vaginal deliveries are easier, better, more natural etc etc. Idiots. I was like you - very very um...'tight' before dd. I grieve for that loss!

1966gettingold interesting that the doctor would only have a c-section and yet so many doctors talk about the dangers of c-section, the long recovery yadder yadder yadder. Hypocrites. A c-section would FORCE you to rest and everyone would understand your resting. I want to throttle my MiL when she bangs on about how 'lucky' I was to have a vaginal devliery since she had 2 c-sections which took 'ages' to recover. What - 6 weeks, over the rest of my life? Lucky effing cow. I bet at 62 her bits are in better shape than mine at 29. Ugh.

If I ever have another child (very unlikely at the moment) I will demand a c-section or save up to pay for one. Its hideous that so many women have to suffer like this.

Good luck to everyon about to have ops and those in recovery. Really really hope they make a much deserved, HUGE difference to your lives.

xx

Doineedhelp - my fingers are crossed for you but I am sure you will be fine.