If you have any experience of surgery to repair a prolapse could you come and tell me about it please.

[bumproblem]

I have namechanged as a friend (SAHD) uses this site and there are certain things I'd rather he didn't know .

I had a moderate vaginal prolapse after DS3 (10 lbs 15 VB). Referred to Gynae. She said a repair was needed but that she would leave it until I had had another baby (I had no plans too at time but she was right and I has DS4 two years later but by CS).

DS4 is 3 1/3 now. He has SN and I still carry him a lot, I think this has attributed to not only the return of my vaginal prolapse but it also seems my bum has fallen out too .

I have been referred back to Gynae by wincing female GP.

I will almost certainly need surgery but don't know if this means hysterectomy or just some sort of scaffolding arrangement!

How long will I be out of action for and how much will it hurt?

Hi there, I'm really sorry to hear of your problems - sounds very tough, and depressing too. I have v v v mild problems, and I find that hard enough - your situation sounds really difficult.
I've got no experience at all of surgery, but in my ramblings online I came across [http:www.wholewoman.com this site] which I've found really interesting. I have to say that it is an anti-surgery site, so you may not find it helpful, but at the very least you might like to look at the alternatives to surgery suggested there, and some of the risks of surgery which (they say) aren't perhaps spelled out as well as they should be.
I've found it all v helpful - hope you do too.

My mum had her prolapse operated on last year. Her bowel was coming out of her vagina, so I don't know how similar that is to yourself.

An incision was made in the wall of her vagina, and her bowel was sewn back into place with "very strong stitches" according to her surgeon. She was worried that having a bowel movement afterwards would dislodge everything, but her fears were unfounded and she had no problems there.

She had some sort of "packing" (dressings) in her vagina, which were removed a couple of days after surgery, and she said that having that taken out was the worst thing. But they gave her a puff of oxygen while they did it and she was fine. I have to emphasise that mum faints at ANYTHING so it probably wouldn't affect other people so much.

All in all, she was out of action for about 6 weeks (no lifting etc) but she says that the operation was nothing to worry about, and was by no means as bad as she had feared. There was very little post-operative discomfort and the results were superb.

Hope you get on alright.

Thanks littlefrog, I'll have a look.

I have left it so long but finding time to actually get to the GP, on my own was hard enough. It has now got to the stage where it is ratehr painful and tiring.

My mum had the same at 45 and had a hysterectomy, this of course meant she then had HRT. I'd really like not to have to go down that route just yet.

I managed my previous prolapse with some hard core pelvic floor exercises but this time I think I have gone beyond that.

thanks g&b. I wonder how we as a family would cope with the long recovery time (although we coped when I had a CS with DS4)

At the very least I'll get to put my feet up

From what I remember, she wasn't allowed to carry bags of heavy shopping (hurray!) etc, but she still went out and about around the village, all be it a bit slower than usual!!

Sounds like a time to get a little on-line shopping done.

Take care of yourself and let others molly-coddle you!