Mesh or hysterectomy?

[Afibtomyboy]

For a pro lapse.

My surgeon has said that very equal but he would probably recommend mesh for me but ultimately my choice as not a huge amount in it. Surprisingly mesh has a slightly elevated success rate than a hysterectomy. Thanks

As a single parent of two children with no support network, I am mainly concerned about the recovery period.

How long until you were able to drive? To walk? To exercise?

Any thoughts gratefully appreciated

Thank you

Hysterectomy recovery time varies depending on the method. Abdominal has a longer recovery time. I had one laparoscopically in July and was fine. Two nights in hospital. Bus/train home (nearly a two hour journey). By two weeks later I was fine, just still quite tired. I live alone, just left heavy stuff like vacuuming til I was better. So long as your kids aren’t so small you have to lift them, I don’t see a problem.

Re mesh. Please please research thoroughly and ask the surgeon about it. It has ruined so many women’s lives and I’m shocked it’s still even an option. It’s been banned in many countries. It can’t even be properly removed if there are problems.

The fact I had the operation some years ago doesn't affect the risks of high impact exercise now. I was told it at the time and the website I gave you is up to date and says exactly the same thing for women having the operation now.

Take a look at the website yourself if you doubt my comments.

www.pelvicexercises.com.au/pelvic-prolapse/

He said he wouldn’t do an operation on a young Women that would so impede her quality of life

I don't understand this comment.

Which operation? How young is young? Why would it impede her quality of life?

How old are you?

Your friends may be fine now, but I was told that anyone who has a prolapse tends to have less collagen and support in the pelvic floor anyway compared to other women. This means they are always at risk from it happening again if they don't take care. Maybe your friends are fine but every woman is different. My prolapse was mainly bladder with some uterus and I know from simply trying to run that it was starting to sag again.

Your surgeon is 'advertised' as doing all he can to preserve women's uterus and repair prolapses. Is yours really severe because it sounds as if he only does hysterectomies as a last resort.

My mum had mesh TVT and it was great' worked for 10 years with no problems.

She has now had 7 operations to remove frayed bit of tape that have adhered to her bladder wall. She lives with CONSTANT cystitis feelings and is mostly in pain. She's about to go for her 7th op at 76 years old. She's part of that group of woman preparing to sue the makers of the tape.

I would not even consider it as an option and think it should be banned worldwide.

@tcjotm

Hysterectomy recovery time varies depending on the method. Abdominal has a longer recovery time. I had one laparoscopically in July and was fine. Two nights in hospital. Bus/train home (nearly a two hour journey). By two weeks later I was fine, just still quite tired. I live alone, just left heavy stuff like vacuuming til I was better. So long as your kids aren’t so small you have to lift them, I don’t see a problem.

Re mesh. Please please research thoroughly and ask the surgeon about it. It has ruined so many women’s lives and I’m shocked it’s still even an option. It’s been banned in many countries. It can’t even be properly removed if there are problems.

@tcjotm

Thank you for your response.
What’s life like post op? How old are you? How long ago did you have?

I’m sorry... Spanish Inquisition!

[quote JinglingHellsBells]The fact I had the operation some years ago doesn't affect the risks of high impact exercise now. I was told it at the time and the website I gave you is up to date and says exactly the same thing for women having the operation now.

Take a look at the website yourself if you doubt my comments.

www.pelvicexercises.com.au/pelvic-prolapse/[/quote]
Sorry but confused

25 years ago when you had your operation it wasn’t banned and there was no controversy surrounding it. I have researched! The controversy only commenced in recent years

@JinglingHellsBells

He said he wouldn’t do an operation on a young Women that would so impede her quality of life

I don't understand this comment.

Which operation? How young is young? Why would it impede her quality of life?

How old are you?

Your friends may be fine now, but I was told that anyone who has a prolapse tends to have less collagen and support in the pelvic floor anyway compared to other women. This means they are always at risk from it happening again if they don't take care. Maybe your friends are fine but every woman is different. My prolapse was mainly bladder with some uterus and I know from simply trying to run that it was starting to sag again.

I’m 39.

They are same age (had in mid thirties).

How old were you? Sorry if answered already

As for what you’ve described not impeding my quality of life...

You can’t do high inject or lift weights.

I run 4-5x a week! I do weights classes weekly. They are part of my life and really add positive benefit physically and mentally. I build one holiday a year around a very high Impact intense running holiday. I am member of a club.
It would massively impede my quality of life and Mr Slack is fully aware of this.
He says, and indeed my friends my experience coincide, that it is very possible to have this kind of like post op.

I think I’ll walk away and hide this thread now as not my objective for starting the thread.

I am trusting my surgeon.

I wanted to know practical stuff and some posters have very helpfully provided this, and for that I am grateful.

All the best.

Has anyone suggested that all that exercise might have contributed to the prolapse? Genuine question.

Your body, your choice.

I am happy with what I'm doing and do not do the type of exercise you do and never have.

Only tried to help.

All the best with your choice.

OP, if you want to walk away, that's your choice, but please do take on board the comments here from real life experience - and do your own research about what such an operation entails.
I did research TVT, for example, and let alone the risk of mesh (which only became apparent years later), the procedure itself was brutal enough to put me off.

And @JinglingHellsBells, yes, absolutely.
Running is a high-risk exercise with a prolapse - all you're doing is banging your organs up and down against an already weakened set of muscles - it really doesn't help at all.

Only heard terrible things about mesh

I had a non-mesh surgical repair for a rectocele about 8 years ago. Recovery was as described;

Relatives who have had hysterectomies have needed proper looking after for at least a week and not to lift anything more than a kettle about half full for at least two. It took about 3 months for them to feel fully recovered iirc.

I too have been warned off regular high impact exercise and heavy lifting for life by various professionals. I can feel it if I overdo things. I can lift up to about 10kg safely using good manual handling and pelvic floor / core / breathing technique. I can jog gently. I can burst into a sprint occasionally if I need to but I will never do it regularly.

I had my hysterectomy 7 years ago and was told at the time I had to be careful of lifting /exercising from then on.

No worries @Afibtomyboy. I’m 43. I feel fine, I should add mine wasn’t for prolapse though it was for a really large fibroid that pressed on my bladder. I’m so glad I had it, I no longer have that awful pressure feeling.

I had to remind myself of the lifting restrictions because after 2 weeks I felt well enough to lift stuff. It’s just important not to.

A women's physio told me that any exercise where you have both feet off the floor at the same time (running, jogging, star jumps etc AND exercises like sit ups, crunches, the plank etc) can put a huge strain on the pelvic floor because it takes all the weight once you land.

All these physios can't be wrong surely?

One reason why they try to avoid hysterectomies now for prolapse is because the top walls of the vagina can collapse in years to come and that means another op. Having the uterus in place actually provides some support to the vagina.

Obviously all women are different and all procedures carry risks and benefits.

You also need to bear in mind that many women who have a hysterectomy have an earlier menopause- no one knows why but if you do some reading the research says the ovaries tend to fail within 2 years of a hysterectomy, on average, and that can bring its own issues although HRT can be the answer there.

Hysterectomy for sure...I had one at 23 with three young children...was driving after a week...no choice...good luck