anyone had posterior repair/ rectocele repair

[flourybaps]

Hi, got to have surgery at the end of the month, rectocele repair and posterior repair. Have done a search in the archives but found very little about this prob.......

surely I cant be the only person with this problem? Anyone out there? Just wanted to know a little about the recovery. I have an 8 month old dd to look after so im a bit concerened as my Dr said avoid lifting, well thats easier said than done!

good luck nicnix
we'll look forward to hearing from you when you get back,did they say how long you'll be in?
L x

Yes, the expect me to be discharged on thursday, so thats 4 nights/5 days. Im feeling a little more positive now about it all. I have bought every magazine in the shop and just cant wait for tomorrow to hurry up and come!

Hi there everyone,

Hope you are all doing okay. I just wanted to ask: those of you that have taken some sort of laxative post op - what do they take on a daily basis to keep things soft and also moving (oh the joys of all of this!). The reason I ask is that I am sort of all over the shop with regards to what I am taking. I was taking Senna at first but my stomach felt dreadful. I then got some DulcoEase which seems to work for the couple of days I took it but then I got my GP to prescribe me some Movicol.

What I am trying to do is get into a more regular routine as currently I seem to be hyper-conscious of what I am eating/not eating in order to make sure I can go to the loo without pain. I could do without all thoughts not leading back to this! I know everyone is different as regards their own digestive pattern but I know you gals will have tried different things too and could probably advise me on the right 'cocktail' of prune or syrup-based medicines.

Also, do you think I will need to take them for a while/forever or does it eventually go back to normal?

Thanks all

can all of you who have had your op answer me these questions* please?:

• will I have to wear a nighty in hospital or can I wear PJs? (if have to wear nighties I need to go buy a couple pronto)

• do they prescribe painkillers and laxatives to take home as routine or should I ask for them?

• was there anything you forgot to take into hospital that you wished you had?

• should I shave 'down there' for op?

• what happens at a pre op appointment? I have mine friday morning.

Thanks. Can you tell I am worrying?!

Hi aSilverlining...answers to your questions from my experience
I wore nighties due to the cathetar in place. Once removed one can wear pj's
Pain releif was given for returning home. I would suggest asking for some lactulose and movicol if not given and would buy some prune juice which comes in the long lasting cartons (Tesco sell it for about 70p)
I didnt shave til the hospital asked me to but the razor they gave me was horrendus..I would do it beforehand in the comfort of your own home.
At the pre-op a blood sample was taken along with an ecg and weight/blod pressure.

Hi Blackcat9,
I take lactulose, prune juice and movicol (1 sachet) daily...i have tried omitting and end up uncomfortable. Prune juice at morning and the others about 7 - 8 pm at night. My pattern helps me go to the loo about 7 in the morning so am in my routine for gettingt ready for work.....the last thing i want is having the need to go to someone elses loo. If you try this and you still feel the need to go to the loo I would take another sachet of movicol about lunchtime (again so that i go loo in my own home).

Thanks janjan for your replies

Hi Silver,

• I took nighties for exactly the reasons Jacqs says - for a couple of days you'll have a catheter and pjs are harder to out on with this attached.

• pre prescription drugs - I didn't given any as my consultant said senna would be best as well as Nurofen and paracetamol. If I was doing it again I would ask for Movicol as I had to get this from my GP once home as I had a few probs.

• didnt shave and they didnt do it either

• I would take hand cream, lip balm, bag of prunes and some dulcoease or similar.

The only thing I wish I had done is the latter - day after op I was only concerned about pain and the next day I though hhmm..wonder what it's going to be like going to the loo and by then it was a day too late and I think with hindsight I would have got onto the laxatives a bit earlier. It might just be me though as I was a bit prune in that area anyway. I find the morphine and codiene they give you when you have the op has this side effect on me anyway - others might have been fine.

Huge good luck!

Thanks Jacqs for your reply - will try that from now on and see how I go!

xx

Hi Silver Lining,

Agree with the nightie. Would have been in a right muddle with catheter otherwise!

I was prescibed lactulose and pain killers (ibuprofen and paracetamol)to take home. Phoned GP and asked for something stronger though when I got home as what hosp prescibed wasn't doing the business. Hosp started me on laxative immediately post op so no chance for a 'build up'.

Only other comment is that I didn't shave and wasn't asked to.

All the best. I'm 12 weeks post op now and feeling really well. Worth it in the end.

Hello, a silver lining, agree with the others re PJs. Pain relief and shaving seems very variable. I was shaved in theatre under anaesthetic (I had a epidural + GA so VERY comfy when I came round): I asked about shaving at home (I had rectocele +abdominal repair of prolapsed womb) but was told not to.

I was given ibuprofen and paracetamol after the initial morphine drip came down. Try to avoid codeine- it'll cause constipation.

My consultant (private op in NHS paybed)only gave me a weeks supply of lactulose: it's not enough. For me the Movicol combined with fybogel worked. I tried the prune juice because its got lots of sorbitol in it which works on the bowel but disliked the taste. Allbran helped but increased the wind (and therefore discomfort) bigtime.

Now, 3 months on, I'm STILL fixated on my bowels.I need lots of fruit and veg otherwise bowel gets sluggish. Good luck

Urgh. I hate nighties. I feel vulnerable in them. Will have to go buy a couple just for hospital.

I suffer from IBS and constipation anyway and use fybogel, will make sure I have some in.

I have my pre-op on friday morning so will ask then about shaving as it seems to differ what they say. Hair short down there anyway as I do tend to shave from time to time, would rather do it myself if it does need to be done.

Thank god for this thread where else would we be talking about all this!?!?

Hi, as stated nighties are best due to the catheter.

I have movicol and lactulose and glycerine pessaries. I find I use the pessaries most but I really need to use the others as i find it hard to push (so to speak).

Hospital gave me movicol straight away and painkillers, but i too had to get others from the local gp as the pain was quite bad at first.

I didn't shave and they never did it either.

I was injected in the evening with a blood thinner.

I took antiseptic hand wipes.

One thing that did bother me was - because I was on a ward that dealt with bowel problems one of the cleaning staff turned over the part of a visitors chair where you sit to clean and the cloth was literally covered in old s**t.... I stayed on my bed after that.

Hi everyone.Been a couple of weeks since I've been on the site.
I'm now 8weeks post op. Getting stronger and more able each day but avoiding any heavy lifting.
First bowel movement came on day 7after op and therafter were daily and normal. A wee bit painful.
Things have slowed down and I've resorted to previous remedies to keep stools soft and digestion moving.
I take a product called NORMACOL plus which is granules. I take one teaspoonful after my evening meal with a big glass of lukewarm water. My bowels then empty the following morning.
I have no pain now but area around anus can be itchy and sore particularly when bowel is full.
I still get the feeling my bowel hasn't empyied properly and this is more likely to happen when motions are hard - hence the granules.
All in all things are much better than before op. I feel less bloated and ankles have stopped swelling up.
Haven't attempted to have sex yet but I'm aiming for this within next week. Haven't had post op yet.
Have been signed off work for another eight weeks which will give me time to regain my fitness and loose some weight hopefully.
Re' hospital tips. You need a nightie first couple of days then PJ's are fine.
Take time to make yourself pretty each day as this helps with self esteem.
Re' toilet issues - it helps to prop feet up on a we stool (I use one of those folding types which can be kept discreetly in the bathroom.) This was recommended by physio. Also be concious of your breathing rather than straining.
I took salt baths after the op for the first fortnight which helped with healing and keeping area clean.
Still feel sorry for myself at times and envious of women who do not have these problems. This site has helped though knowing there are others.
Good luck to all those who are awaiting op or in the first stages of recovery.
Will post again after my post op.

hi all, i am four days post op having had a rectocele repair. i was completely terrified, maybe made worse by the fact that i am actually a Nurse. At 41 i was told that i was very young to have the operation. I am in bed as i write...bored, but so happy that i had the guts to go through with it.
My best advice is to clear your bowel pre operatively and make sure you drink copious amounts of water , lactulose and prunes are a blessing.

post op keep up with the prunes water and lactulose and don't expect too much from yourself.

BotoxQueen I am booked in for a cycstocele and rectocele repair at the grand old age of...... 27

I went for my pre op appointment today and have been told the gynae ward has had to be shut for infection control so op on Tuesday may not go ahead!! I am all geared up for it now and won't know til Monday whether or not I will be going in the next day. Grrr.. DS is autistic and I need to prepare him if I am going in, but don't want to prepare him if I'm not. Urgh.

Thank you to everyone on here sharing their experiences, it really helps.

Hi Kkier,
Hope you dont mind me asking, but when you do have sex, could you tell me if it is painful? We did last night after my op in November, and it was EXTREMELY painful, there was also some slight bleeding - I dont know if this was from the internal wound (which I thought would have healed up by now) or the wound where they cut you (the peri wotsit thing). I would just like to know that this is normal. I feel as though the surgeon has stitched me up too tight and I could have cried. Today it still feels quite sore - would be very grateful if you could let me know how you get on.

Hi Ladies, I'm a newby and have been following your threads since before Christmas and thank you all so much for your tips and advice.

My Rectocele op was on 4th Jan so I'm at Day 15 and, although I was getting a bit panicky about a possible painful recovery, I'm VERY pleased to say that it was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.

I was given a pain-block injection in my back after I was asleep, and woke painfree with just a dull ache down below as to be expected, I had no sickness and was very alert. I had liquid paracetamol thru a drip, which was taken down on morning of Day 2, and then just paracetamol tabs till I went home.

On day 2 all tubes were removed plus the packing. I had eaten a dozen grapes and a couple of soft prunes on Day 1 so by evening of Day 2, I had my first bowel movement (was worried about this but it was not too painful at all).

Physio gave us exercises to do, including Pelvic Floor, so I'd say start with these even before you go for your op, and continue every day afterwards - 6 times a day. It doesn't hurt and it makes a big difference.

Home on Day 5 to a lovely hubby who did everything for me the first week (yes I know how lucky I am ...) Went food shopping with him a few days ago, but was knackered when I got back, I didnt even push the trolley or pick anything up either... So best to do nothing at all and rest up.

For you girls waiting for an op, this is what I'd take into hospital :-

Small stick-on pads (the hospital ones are rather big), Wet wipes, Lip Balm, Dry Skin Lotion, Soft Prunes / Grapes, and Peppermint Cordial, which was great for the wind (most of the girls on my ward pinched a bit and agreed it helped get the wind moving).

Thanx again to all you lovely ladies who wrote with your experiences, and good luck to all who are waiting to go in, maybe reading this might help to stop you worrying.

Take care and rest
X

I am now 6 days post op and recovering well.

Walked my little boy to school slowly and carefully this morning (it is literally just around the corner). But still very tired and a little achey.

I took handcream, and pot of vaseline for lips, in my wash bag and have made sure I drank loads of water since waking up from op on Tuesday evening. I have found it has helped me feel 'nice' - all these undercarriage problems are not good for the confidence I have found! Had a BM on the Thurs morning and been fine since (I find I have a bit of pain before hand but feel ok afterwards) but am making sure I keep BM soft and regular, drinking lots, high fibre diet and a senna tablet each morning. I suffer with consitpation anyway so it is something I am mindful of.

At my pre op the nurse told me if I preffered to wear PJs I could, and they would feed catheter tube down my trouser leg. I ended up having catheter taken out the morning after my op while I was still in my nice hospital gown, and then I got up, had a shower and put my own things on.

I am single at the mo so there will be no pervwatch reports from me sadly (unless Mr Right appears while I am healing) .

Coryn can you make an appointment with your consultant to discuss the pain and bleeding after sex? Sorry to hear you were hurting, hope it has settled down now.

Hope everyone else who has recently had op has been ok and those of you going in soon try not to worry - before the op is worse than after IME.

Hi Ladies I had my rectocele posterior repair op back in september....4 months ago now. Although the surgery went fine i now sadly have a rectocele back again and constipation problems again...i was doing so well but it seems once i stopped taking any constipation medication and cutting down on prune juice i soon got the problems back. A bit depressing really after going through so much but at least i am not worse than before the op.
I urge anyone to keep up with medication....although it is very hard to never get constipated . I was told there is a 30% chance of the problems coming back.
I am still glad i went through with the op as it was worth trying. Have any of you had problems return...is it worth me getting movicol etc if i've already got rectocele back, and can you only get it on presciption?

hi, oxob:
i'm having similar problems after a rectocele in October. I don't think I realised quite how bad that end was until 'helping it along' was no longer a good idea.

I think the surgery certainly tightened things up but it can't do anything about lost muscle tone.

Unless I have vast amounts of fibre I have to strain and even that isn't very effective. I have to use a suppository from time to time which I never did before.

By the way, you can buy Movicol without prescription but its about £11 so you'ld be better off getting one.

Hi Oxbob, I had both cystocele and rectocele in October last year, I find that taking half sachet of Fibogel works really well. Like you I still get the odd bout of constipation, my GP recommended the Fibogel works differently than Movicol. Also like a lot of people have advised plenty of fruit and veg plus water, but I can be really lazy with that routine. Hope this helps, and try to get your GP to prescribe this for you.

Hi Kkier glad to hear you are well on the mend, yes I too feel envious of ladies who do not have these problems it would be so nice not have to find out the location of every public toilet or shops that have one before setting out the door. Reading back over these comments made me realise, there are really quite a lot of us have this problem. Not sure if me having to have a hysterectomy at 35 had anything to do with my problems am now 63 and wish it would all go away.

I had a full hysterectomy last August following scan diagnosis of ovarian cyst - it wasn't but they found a growth from the lymphatic system had consumed my ovary and beyond! so as we'd agreed the procedure (I'm 54 post-menopause) they continued with the op. The back pain I'd originally reported to my Doctor with remained. Xrays on spine and surgical assessment followed. Need for rectocoele diagnosed.
I had a mesh repair by a vaginal op on 4th Jan and am taking things very easy as I probably didn't heed this advice well enough after the hysterectomy and rushed back to work too soon. I'm still waiting for the healing to take place as I haven't yet shed any of the internal or the 2 external stitches
The second anaesthetic has hit me and perhaps this time round I'm more willing to listen to my body than ignore it - I don't want any more surgery! I am feeling much more comfortable and don't have that constant "bulky sanitory towel" feeling I was putting up with thinking it was post-op swelling.
The only down-side is the back-ache persists but I am confident that when I am ready to go back to exercise I can tighten my core muscles sufficiently to protect my spine. I'm lucky as I was an active PE teacher until 4 years ago. Probably my switch to a desk-type role was not a good one as I think my body thirsts for constant movement!
I am lucky as I had a very down-to-earth gynaecologist to refer to and feel he is setting me on the right track.

Dear Ladies
Sorry to post with bad news. Struggling with BMs for past two to three weeks. I feel bowel isn't emptying properly again and discomfort in bowel disturbs my sleep which is a sure indication that there is faecal debris in my lower bowel.
I'm feeling very downhearted.
Trying various remedies but haven't found anything that works consistently. Having to revert to aiding!
Still waiting on my post op appointment which has been delayed due to severe weather over Christmas and New Year.
Will post again after post op.