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.

Hi folks, thanks for the good wishes. I feel so lucky, despite the LONG wait and fight, because I got a good surgeon in the end, and so many are at the beginning of the battle.

BocaDeTrucha - I was sent for physio, as well as other pointless appointments. I did everything they asked for, and even came up with extra exercises (the rabbit being one of the most fruitful in the pelvic floor strength field). At the end of it, they had no fob-offs left to use!

Hugs to all. xx

Frenchfrogbutt - Glycerine suppositories are brilliant (supposed to be the kindest method), but I was told that frequent laxatives just make the bowel lazier (the physio did confirm this, saying they no better now!). I refused laxatives for the last year, except prunes, fibre etc. Any painkillers (including Paracetamol) made the constipation worse, so I avoided them too.

I used to use an Anusol suppository each evening, after manual evacuation, then (after my first wee of the day) I would get back on the bed, on my knees, with my head down on the bed (so my bum was up in the air), and wiggle my bum for about 10 minutes. This worked really well, and I usually had a BM soon after. Never let a build-up happen, that's when the BMs become harder and larger - I passed out more than once, as they were so hard, and painful, to pass, and I believe they made the prolapse worse. A glass of Andrews at bedtime (occasionally), really helps if you can feel things backing up.

Sex (or the Rabbit in my case) really helped, especially with muscle-strength, but if you've seen my previous postings you'll have seen that this caused occasional embarrassing situations, as it pushed the contents into my rectum, from the Rectocele!

This is only my experience, but it may help.

Good luck!

xx

BTW - I tried vacuuming today, still a bit soon methinks, as I had to lie down. I had quite a strong pulling sensation in my lower back, so I stopped and rested. Planning to try driving a little tomorrow. Baby steps, at present, as I don't intend to spoil what I fought so hard for!

Apologies if this has been posted before, but wondering if anyone with a prolapse/rectocele has come across the Whole Woman website (Christine Kent). She advocates not doing kegels and definitiely not having surgery, her approach is yoga based. There are DVD's to buy but they are quite expensive. Has anyone tried them?

My god this message is useless except for me i am in the waiting room to see the gyn my legs are shaking . I ve been waiting that meeting as if hé could by magic abracadabra give me hope . Silly me , stupid girl who Stills doesnt accept the reality who is afraid of keeping on that Way but who is even more afraid by the operation ... Where is my Life ?

Hello Footle
Thanks for asking :-) IT was a weird meeting not at all what i expected . I went to see a chir gynecologist ( consultant ) at one of a very spécialised hospital un Paris . He said at this stage we cannot rate the rectocele eventhough i have symptoms they might fade as i am 4pp brastfeeding ans my wall is not tore only weaken. I am send to intensive physio .
Hé said i should wait a few months and get back. If no improvement . I had an irritation that i thought was from the rectocele but its seems i have a bacteria and my episio is Still painful which adds to the discomfort. Hé didnt say you have nothing hé SAID you have one which CAN regress je also send me to a gastro enterologue to help manage the constipation without too much laxative . I Will get back to him in a few months for a bilan . Hé told me that Now opérations of rectocele are easy when ithey are isolated and
That they work ahead of the operation to go through a série of test to prévent récurrence and woman after the operation are carefully folloWed up by the team ( gyn gastro physio) Anyway i am not ready for an operation as long as my son cant walk or be a bit more indépendant . I know a lot of girls were send home with physio by Gyneco an that didnt help but hé is one of the french réfèrence i dont want to be over optimistic and lié to myse?f but i am just going to try and calm down as hé said. He was very warm and funny and i had a long exam un différent position . My husband was with me we spend more than one hour with him asking the thousanf questions we had prepared. Still was in pain last Night but i slept a little bit better and i want to allow myse?f to relax and take actions . Have a very good sunday we have such a sunny day today!

Well I am now 5 days post op and have round the clock nursing from my brilliant elder daughter (almost 19) at the moment and my sister.

I had the planned sacropolpopexy as well as 'mobilisation of rectum' using mesh too. I was petrified about the op and had uncontrollable tears afterwards on about 4 occasions - not sure if this was from the anaesthetic or just from relief that it was all over. My blood pressure was very low (it normally on the low side) and I almost fainted when they put me on the commode a couple of times.

The best news is that I had no need for a catheter and I have no issues with any incontinence from my bladder and my back seems to have come through all of this with no problems.

The gas that they pump into you was HORRENDOUS afterwards and I needed morphine on day 1 and 2 for the stabbing pains under my ribs and in my shoulders - couldn't even breathe properly. PEPPERMINT TEA is a wonderful thing and sorted it out really quickly. All the pain had pretty much gone by day 3.

I have yet to have a BM and it feels 'full to the brim' now but just not coming out with no pushing. I am taking lactulose and eating fibre and drinking plenty. My lady bits are feeling really quite sore and tender when I wipe myself after a wee. Is this normal? Is it just general bruising or do I need to start worrying?

This will be a VERY long road to recovery but am glad I've had it done now. It does feel 'lighter' down there but I just wish I could do a massive pooh now.

I've been sleeping a huge amount as everything requires such herculean effort. I've only managed one shower so far, with help from my sister but am planning another one later today when I can muster up some strength!

My consultant says everything went well with no problems from scar tissue or bladder and bowel damage so I am hoping the next few weeks pass in a very uneventful manner too.

Noordinary I'm so glad you are at the other side now. Just take it easy let yourself be spoilt from your loved ones spoil you for you were dealt a bad hand and hopefully over the next few weeks and months things will greatly improve.
As for your sore lady parts, quiet frankly mine felt like I had done 10 rounds in ring I could make a joke there but I will refrain. It took a good two weeks to feel semi normal. Bearing in mind I didn't have half of what you had done. Hope you had your shower and you feel better after.
Maybe if the earth didn't move regarding poo I would suggest a suppository just to get things moving then normal movicol or whatever was suggested.
Keep us posted.

Dragon well the night before your return to work. Just do what you feel you can do. You have had a stressful recovery and then other personal issues to deal with. ( obviously not talking about your Roger experience.) Though that was eye watering) I just want to say thank you for helping me through my recovery you have been a massive support when others closer fail to understand the emotion of it all. Keep us posted on your return x

Greening I felt exhausted for the first couple of weeks after returning to work. Was very frustrating this period as I felt well in myself and couldn't understand why I was like this. I think it's our body's way of letting us recover fully I guess. Don't be too hard as we have all been through major surgery.

Nanni glad you are recovering well. At long last you can start to feel human again

Frenchfrog, hope you found some answers at your appointment. It's an emotional rollercoaster having a prolapse and deciding the best course of action. Stay strong and remember you are definitely not alone.

Going for a glass of vino after all that phew x

Thanks happy all your expériences help a lot . I hope i have a period more easy just to go on with my Life and raise my little boys . Since yesterday i have a trush ( irritation ) that is killing me nothing Will be spare ... CAN i ask a very intimate question what about sex with a rectocele . ( i Still need to deal with the episio pain though)

GruffaloSmile - I've heard if that before but when I googled it further, it seemed that the advice was to people without a prolapse of any kind.

So two different lots of advice given. 1 = no Kegals if you're already fine

1. Kegals if you're not ok

Having said that, my Physio said don't even do Kegals if you feel that the prolapse is in the way.

Not sure what else you'd do for Physio as Kegals is all I've been offered thus far. Does anyone know what else could be on the menu (before surgery).

I have got my pre-op for my 2nd op tomorrow, I'm feeling quite nervous now as it's only 2 and a half weeks away. I really hope this time it works, I'm not left with any scar tissue and I don't get horrendously constipated!

Happy - day 2 done and dusted. 12 hour day yesterday and 11 hours today! Really not the way to go back to work but apart from some aching all seems to be holding well. Tomorrow I will be home earlier and Thursday I have a funeral. I am thanking my grandmother for timing it so well for me as I am really going to be in need of a day off!
My biggest problem at work is that I seem to have forgotten a lot of names and I really can't bear my boss and having to spend time near her is very trying. She is being very passive aggressive because I have been off and is being a complete bitch.
I spent some of my time off preparing job applications and am actively looking for an alternative.

How is life with you? Have you stopped all that vagina watching?

Noordinary, congratulations on finally getting your op. All sounds like it is going well and good luck with that poo!

Vagina watch is winding down now. Still quite anxious about doing damage trying to wind down on laxatives due to fluid retention feels quite vulnerable about the old poo situation as having to work/push a bit harder. Talking about vaginas though does yours still feel bumpy/lumpy lol. Mine is bumpy along the side. I am hoping this will reduce, can't see any lumps though.

Glad you're coping( somewhat) with work. It's horrible when someone totally makes your job miserable. It happened me once I can't pretend to like someone when I don't. Enough said. Just take it one day at a time. Hopefully you will find another job. People that are passive aggressive usually have issues of their own. She might be jealous of your designer vagina

Mrsclairet glad you have your pre op coming up and you will finally get things sorted out. I have my post op on 11th March 12 weeks after surgery. Bloody joke. 12 bloody weeks.

Well I'm day 8 post op and I have to be honest it's not been a piece of cake so far. I had been feeling quite nauseous for a few days whenever I began eating from about day 4 and couldn't understand why.

Sunday night I began feeling as if I needed to pooh so I began trying to push a bit. By that evening I was quite worried that I was damaging myself so I called the hospital to see if it was OK to take senokot. They said yes. I was already taking lactulose twice a day. By Monday morning I almost passed out - if my daughter hadn't been loitering close by I would have ended up back in hospital. I ended up lying on the kitchen floor calling the hospital and doctors. Anyway, to cut a very long story short, it took 5 micro enemas to get me unblocked and an awful lot of pain. I think I must have poohed about 7 pounds out in 24 hours after that.

Since then it's been loads better and I'm eating prunes, pears, bran cereal, wholemeal bread and anything to keep it clear now. I worried myself stupid that I'd undone the surgeons handy work as I really felt as if I was straining way too hard, but it feels OK now and everything is moving through beautifully now.

It was horrific and something I NEVER want to repeat again so my advice is to anybody having an op is to go in armed with prune juice - or anything to ensure that things don't get as bad as they were for me. I've always eaten a very high fibre diet and can't understand why it got quite so bad. It could be down to needing morphine for the stabbing wind pains under my ribs and in my shoulder or just the procedure I had done to fix my rectocele and the rest of it. (I had a sacrocolpopexy too). I was also on co-codamol, which I've now stopped taking and am awaiting a new medication from my GP to go along with ibuprofen. I also have a 'sick note' on the way for 8 weeks.

Other then that, my stitches are healing beautifully, I have a fantastic huge bruise down the centre of my belly and my back isn't too painful to date. I'm still pyjama-bound but can manage to get on and off my 'bed' myself. I have had 2 showers without assistance and since yesterday am feeling MUCH less tired all the time.

Please take heed and put peppermint tea and prune juice on your list of essentials for hospital! You won't be disappointed.

Onwards and upwards as they say. All in all I am still very pleased with having gone ahead with the op and everything feel much straighter. My bladder empties fine and I have no incontinence issues and my pooh now feels as if it comes straight out!

I have my post op appointment for 8th April, which will 7 weeks post op so that's not too bad either.

Please don't be scared, all you ladies who are awaiting surgery, just learn from my experience.

I too got horrendously constipated with my 1st op and when I was talking to one of the mums at school who admitted she's also had it done she said it was the worst part. Why don't they do more to help prevent it? I was on morphine for 3 days and then co-codamol and I didn't poo for 6 days then of course I had to strain for about 2 days, they say don't strain but if you don't then surely the poo doesn't come out? Is it better to use suppositories?? GRRRRR!!!!

Noordinarygirl like you I remember thinking I never want to go through that again but here I am less than a year later having to face it all again. Sigh. I am going to try to use the least amount of morphine and co-codamol I can this time round. I had my pre-op today and she was telling me that my consultant has just cancelled another operation because the lady has got a cough and that can undo all the good work. Then I suddenly thought on the way home oh god my 3 year old son has got a cough, what if I catch it?? I'm starting to feel just a little bit stressed!

mrsclaire That makes me so cross now seeing that I'm not alone with that problem. They certainly should labour the point more before you have your op and do something more pro-active to help afterwards. GRRRRR indeed.

Why are you needing a second op? Did you do some damage after your first op? I was very worried about straining so much on Sunday/Monday and hope I haven't done any damage to myself.

Hello
my physio who works in post op for prolapsus repair told me he advised to his patient to fight the post op constipation magnésium chlorure( powder) or better nigari
Hope it helps worth a try !

I have to have another operation because at my post op appointment the consultant said that he hadn't done it tight enough and when I saw another consultant to get a second opinion he said I have got scar tissue that needs to be removed (plus he agreed it wasn't tight enough). My bladder has been better since the op, I can hold a lot more urine now than I could before but I'm getting constipated if I don't take laxatives.

I do wonder if it was something I did that made the op fail, I have 2 young boys and after 5 weeks I had to lift my son a couple of times and push him in his buggy but neither consultant suggested it was anything I did so I'm not sure. My sons are 3 and a half and almost 6 now so I shouldn't have to lift them or push buggies. The mum who I was talking to got really constipated but her op was a success and I think she had it done 2 years ago now.

I Just wondering if anyone has tried not taking laxatives I have tried for a couple of days but I've had to take a suppository tonight as I had that feel of needing to splint. Tmi alert I had a feel and the poo is just sitting but I can't push it out naturally. I'm 12weeks post op on Friday. I have a high fibre diet prunes etc I walk at least 20 minutes a day at a quick pace just not sure what else I can do to help go naturally . Any suggestions ?????

How long after your ops did everyone start driving again? Did you all actually tell your insurance companies first or not? I did after my last op but they seemed to pretty much shrug it off and not take much notice. When I phoned to say I'd started driving again there hadn't been any sort of note put on my files.

It's just that I've been left in a very difficult situation now. Me and my lovely (?) partner officially split up yesterday and although we still live in the same house for the moment (him and his son will be moving out as soon as possible). DD1 is off to Scotland in a couple of hours and DD2 is at school all day. He will not even buy food for us now either. Bloody great timing isn't it?! The frame of mind I'm in I feel like taking the car keys off him (I bought a brand new car in October and he didn't pay anything towards it). Or is that being very churlish? Sorry to moan but considering it's only been 9 days since my surgery I'm feeling pretty low about the whole thing and I'm trying to keep positive for my daughters but actually I'm a big mess! What great timing....NOT.

I'm really sorry to hear that, what rubbish timing. Have you got anyone else that can help you out? I started driving after 4 weeks, like you say no-one really seemed that bothered to be honest. I told my insurance, they said to check with gp, I asked my gp they said to check with insurance then when I said they asked to check with you my gp said as long as you can sit in a car comfortably with the seatbelt on and feel no discomfort you should be okay.
ps it doesn't seem churlish to me if he won't even buy you any food!