GP useless, can MN help?! Does this sound like a pelvic floor issue??

[OhWhatAPalaver]

Since having my second child a year ago (2nd c-section as well), going to the loo is quite different these days. I don't feel like i have much control over things down there, sometimes I have a normal flow of urine but often it is quite weak and often it feels as though my bladder is not fully emptying as I'll be back on the loo within half an hour. Also there is like a feeling of pressure around my back passage, which feels like it's sort of hanging lower than it should.. if you know what i mean. Sometimes it feels like I don't have as much control over bowel movements either, like the muscles don't work as well as they once did.

I went to the GP today as over the weekend me and partner had sex for the first time in ages and after I orgasmed I experienced quite painful cramps around my lower abdomen, particularly around my c-section scar, which was and still is quite tender to touch and feels tighter than normal. I then went on to have pain, bloating, terrible wind and diarrhoea for days afterwards, it's a bit better today but still not quite right. The whole area feels heavier, like all the muscles are loose. Sometimes I can't tell if I need the loo or not. I do occasionally have IBS but haven't had anything of this severity for a very long time. It was awful, really put me off having sex again for a while :( can sex or orgasms trigger IBS?!? Or could it be down to a weak pelvic floor or adhesions round the scar or something?

The GP was not my usual one and she was bloody useless, she did an internal and said there was no prolapse (thank god) although I have little faith in her as she clearly just wanted me to get out as quickly as possible. She just gave me a prescription for canesten (which I didn't need as I know I don't have thrush) and shooed me out the door. It seems to me that she thinks because I've had two c-sections and no natural births that I couldn't possibly have pelvic floor issues.... but I'm pretty sure I do. I've got an appointment to see my normal GP in a few weeks but would like to get some insight from other before then.

Thanks for reading, got a bit long!

It does sound like a pelvic floor issue. Have you been doing kegel exercises all day every day? You don't even need to have had kids to have a weak pelvic floor.

Kegels aren't the way to go. But it does sound like pelvic floor issues. There's a poster called gussiegrips who may appear (hopefully!) here to be more useful.

But it sounds like you need someone who knows there stuff to see in RL. Try looking for a "woman's health" physio or one who specialises in pelvic floor work (same thing, just different ways to ask/search).

If there's no prolapse, that's great news though. With any luck it really is only the muscles and they need some training. In France they call it "rééducation" which is exactly what many of us need!

I don't even know what kegels are! I do try and do pelvic floor exercises but I don't think I'm doing them right as I can't seem to hold everything without holding my breath!

Kegels are pelvic floor exercises. If you have to hold your breath then they are weak. You should be doing the squeezes constantly every single day. Eventually they will be strong enough so you can hold and breath in and out. You will be surprised what a difference it will make just doing these.
A physio might be better than a GP. They will be able to assess if it is just muscular.

With your bowel symptoms, did see do a rectal examination as well or was it just a vaginal examination that she performed?

Prolapses aren't always picked up on an examination at the GP but obviously that's the first hurdle to get over in order to be referred for diagnostics (things like urodynamics and proctogram to see how the bladder and bowel are functioning in use and in real time). It's not just a difficult labour that can cause prolapses, an inherent weakness of the pelvic floor can be stressed further by just the pregnancy. In my case, I'm currently recovering from multi-compartment prolapse surgery after suffering since I was 18 and I've never even been pregnant.

I'd keep a bladder and bowel diary that you can show your normal GP in a couple of weeks so they can see the frequency and impact of the symptoms you're experiencing. Hopefully it's something that can be easily rectified.

Just a vaginal examination. I kept trying to tell her I was currently more concerned about the bowel issues but she just shook her head I will probably try and see me normal gp earlier as she is far more interested in listening to people!