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!

what amazing brave ladies you all are -
after 20 years of condition getting worse I finally went to GP with rectocele - The embarrassment to great to talk about - I know I need surgery and after reading your stories am terrified. Was hoping for an abdominal repair but looks like it will not be the case.

bondboys007 - my pre-op info said to shave or wax, short stubble OK. I couldn't face waxing so used hubby's hair clippers on 3mm setting, and scissors where I couldn't use clippers safely and that seemed fine.

I rented a valley cushion from the NCT which was great, and can be inflated to suit you. Soft pillows are comfy too. I'm still sore if I sit for too long now but that's probably from having thrush after all the antibiotics.

The thing that got me down the most was being stuck in bed for nearly 2 days with a pack and catheter in, but that will depend on your consultant. Mine hadn't told me much and her practice differs from the hospital leaflet... she didn't even tell me she was doing a perineal repair, I worked it out from reading my notes upside down and asked the nurse at the pre-op check! I'd recommend getting lots of help for the early weeks as you could be very tired and you're supposed to do very little - no standing for too long, no lifting,... which can be unbelievably frustrating, and I was completely unprepared for that. I couldn't go out for walks as it was too icy, and that made my mood worse.

ET63 thanks so much for all the advice! Got my Pre-op appt next wk so will go prepared with some q's. SO helpful having an idea of what to expect :)

jollyelf, the mucus is probably caused by your rectum being irritated by hard stools.
It will produce mucus to protect the lining.
Keep your motions soft, drink plenty, use laxitives if needed. Empty rectum several times aday by making a pad with paper and applying pressure to your perinium when straining. When faeces are retained they dry out and cause irritation.
Thanks all for sharing information. I am going to push for some action. I live in a city with oversubscribed health system so if they can fob you off they do. I think my medical knowledge and the fact that I manage the problem well makes me less of a priority for surgery.

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie on this site. I'm 42 with a small cystocele and LARGE rectocele. I've had my pre op and going under the knife on 25th Jan . I can't believe how many young people are having problems. I'm having a spinal with a sedative as am sick with anything stronger than a paracetamol and have a neck problem. Really nervous now and hope I don't remember much . Most people seem to have a GA and literature states not to eat morning of surgery. Do you know if this still applies with a spinal? Will I need anything special to sit on? Any advice much appreciated. Also how soon after will I be able to have sex as currently unable and very much looking forward to getting back to normal . How have people found their sex life after their op. I'm having a rectocele repair, possible cystocele repair, hysteroscopy and mirena coil fitted. Thanks for listening.

kazimodo, Good luck for the 25th. I had a large rectocele and a small cytocele. I went in for a rectocele, but when they got there I ended up having an entrocele and the cystocele as well. I feel like I must have been attending a lesson for patchwork quilting {smile} but was extremely grateful to them for putting everything back in place. The difference is amazing. I had a spinal block, and it was a totally positive experience. I knew nothing about any of it, and woke up feeling extremely happy, a feeling that stayed with me. I have had no problems with sitting, as everything is inside. I have now reached the 6 week stage, so can relax a tiny bit, but I agree that not being able to lift ANYTHING is much more difficult than one imagines. No lifting, stretching, bending or twisting can be a real nuisance, but it is worth it to care for the stitches that, of course, you are unable to see. They told me that they are able to repair the damage done by not taking care, but it is a much more difficult operation. This was enough to make me be VERY careful. I now intend to continue to take care until I have my check up in about 4 weeks time.
Sorry, I can't give you any advice on the sex side of things but I hope that this helps a bit.
The waiting is by far the worst part.
Good luck.

Hi bondboy

ask your dr about pre-op hair. They will probably shave you unless you do it before. The Doctor I went to has people shave ahead.

jollyelf Hope everything went okay. How are you feeling?

kazimodo, I had a spinal block too (without sedation). They generally ask you still to fast as sometimes (not often) a GA is needed - if the spinal doesn't work, if it takes too long... it gives you a bit of extra pain relief afterwards which is great!

Nothing to say on sex so far - my stitches have just (after 6 weeks) dissolved, but my first period arrived this week... first one post-birth, post-coil and post-op so not great! Everything else seems to be working fine, though.

I finally feel human again after a few setbacks and am independent at last, able to look after my girls (11m and 3yrs) without help!

I had this op about 7 months ago. I had 2 nights in hospital and nearly 6 weeks off work.

I had a catheter and pack which came out the next morning and once home I took it easy as I got tired very quickly. I made a point of having a lie down every afternoon.

My advice would be to take it easy and make sure you have some laxatives at home for the first few day, don't allow yourself to become constipated as longer term its a major factor in reoccurrence.

Had my check up last month and signed off with a good result.

Best wishes and good luck to everyone awaiting surgery.

Thankyou all so much for your feedback . It's good to know some of you have already had the same procedure. I'm very relieved to know that some of you have had a spinal too as I wondered if it would be totally embarrassing . I'm stressing a bit about the fact that I'm due on the day of the op but hoping it doesn't arrive as periods all over the place, can't be very nice for me or them . No doubt I'll be posting before op but I'll let everyone know how it all went. Good luck to all you other ladies awaiting surgery.

I'm now 4 1/2 weeks post-op for rectocele, enterocele, perineal repair and looking forward to getting on with sex. I will keep you posted. I will have stretching to do as the opening is much smaller now

hi all its taken me 2 days to read 2 years worth of posts and hoped the thread hadnt dried up by the time I got to the end!
Anyway I am 42 and after 4 children and some hideous births I found myself with all sorts of problems, rectocele, cystocele, prolapsed womb, hyperactove bladder, intersticial cystitis....... In 2005 when my youngest was 1 I had a hysterectomy and anterior and posterior repair. It was hard for me not to lift etc and would just like to say that I did not feel I was straining anything but alas both repairs failed, the rectocele was back again at 6 week check and the cystocele came back gradually over a few years.
I wasnt going to have it done again as I suffered very badly after an operation to have my gall bladder removed and had internal bleeding and leaking bile duct and nearly died. Was in hospital for 3 weeks.
Anyway...my bladder issues became so bad that i was referred to a uro gynae, luckily i managed to get referred to a private hospital on the nhs! I had my op last Thursday and was happy at how easily it all went, no pain at all, had extra sickness meds as I suffer badly after GA and had no sickness at all. Was watching tv within an hour of op and eating within a few hours. Was drip and catheter and packing free by following morning, my op was at 3.30pm.
I stayed in for 2 nights and am now trying desperately not to over do things again which is really hard! I have pinky bleeding and am not on any pain relief or laxatives and BMs are fine but not sure if totally emptying so may try some.
This site has been very interesting for me and is great to hear from others with same issues as I have felt like a freak of nature for so long and it does nothing for your confidence as a sexual being!

So, last night we finally (7 weeks post op) got round to it (my period arrived just as the last stitches were finally dissolving). I wasn't anticipating it being quite so tight or uncomfortable so was a bit upset. I'm hoping that it'll improve as the scar tissue settles down... how long have others found it has taken to settle down? Anyway, it wore me out so I was fast asleep by 8pm, which did me good after a year of sleep deprivation!

Hi ET63,
I've been looking at vaginal lubricants in anticipation of my post op sex . There are 3 types; water based, silicon based and oil based. Water based ones dry out quick but are good after surgery. Silicon ones last longer and don't need reapplying (sounds good to me ). Oil based ones are no good with latex. KY is water based. Loads of info on internet without nasty pop ups. I've been on a site via the hysterectomy association called prolapse princesses (not as good as this) and they swear by Preseed and sounds like nearly all post op women still with a sex life use lube to start with. Hope this helps you Just when you thought all the embarrassment was over, you might want to pluck up the courage to buy some . My op's booked for tuesday but liver function tests have come back abnormal cos of all the painkillers and anti inflammatories I've been taking. Had more bloods done, hope they still do op. Has this happened to anyone else?

kazimodo, thank you, that's helpful. We have some (a certified organic one that seems good, called 'Yes'; they make an oil-based one too) but probably hadn't used enough, and I was most likely more anxious than I thought. Pre-seed is good (we used it when ttc) but KY makes me very sore since they re-formulated it.

I really hope your op goes ahead as planned. Will be thinking of you.

Can I ask when you can wear tampons after rectocele surgery as I haven't been able to use them for ages?

I was advised not to use them until your first period after any post-op bleeding (mine only lasted 3-4 days, which was great!) has stopped.

I'm trying to find out whether I can use a menstrual cup, but haven't found any info yet.

little update - second attempt (with lots of lube!) much, much better. Phew!

I'm 5 weeks out, and will star working on sex next week. My doctor prepared me for it to be "too tight" and will need to do "vaginal stretching exercizes" (these wacky Americans lol!!). They go a little tight to fix the problem of being too "loose" prior, it will take a few weeks or more, and you need to some of the work on your own so you aren't relying on sex only
I'll keep you all posted next week!
Ash

Hi All I am new here although i have been reading up for a while now and I have found the info on here really helpful.

I am going in on Wednesday for a posterior repair & a sacrospious fixation. I had a Hysterectomy and a burch colosuspension 3 years ago and i was supposed to have a sacropolpexy but the surgeon at the time said i didnt need it.

Now i have a large rectocele and vault prolapse, and they were considering giving me the sacropolpexy now but it would have meant another incision to my stomach so she said they will try this first, but she warned me it may not last :(

My surgeon has said i will be in about 5 days and will need 12 weeks off work, but I have read so many differing stories.

Has anyone here had the sacro thing and does this make the whole thing more painful and recovery time longer.

Bumped

Hi all,
Update- I've had my op and back home all within 2 days. Yippee . In the end I had rectocele repair, hysteroscopy, endometrial ablation and mirena coil fitted. I had a spinal with a sedative, did not sleep at all but felt relaxed. A really positive experience. Felt fine afterwards, no sickness. Catheter and pack out the next day. Didn't like getting the pack removed OUCH!!!! Have to say the aftermath is nowhere near as bad as what you think it's going to be. Up and about the next day, having a shower wearing my lovely white stockings to prevent blood clots. Now just chilling at home Had a look at it (tmi) to see what it was like but all internal and noting horrible to see (and no bulge either). I'm careul not to cough or sneeze though

Hi all, had my Rectocele and perineal repair done yesterday morning under GA. Still in hosp. like Kazimodo said- the after effects haven't been as bad as I expected. have a catheta which is uncomfortable, but that should come out later tonight. They stuck a pack inside after the op- basically a load of gauze which was REALLY uncomfortable- gave me back ache like pressure in my back, so wasn't easy to sleep last night. Not fun when they pulled it out as it unravells and seemed to take for ages. finally up on my feet today- not far, only round the bed to sit in a chair. I didn't have a ring to sit on so nicked my sons swimming rubber ring- does the trick when they make me sit in the chair from time to time as it's painful to put pressure down below. Got some boots that pump alternate feet from time to time and White stockings to prevent DVT and some 'sexy' White fishnet 'Bridget jones' kickers with massive thick pads - the husbands a lucky man :) probably get discharged tomorrow to go home to rest. Been told it'll take 6-8 wks for perineal stitches to produce some scar tissue so it all holds together..... Doing so much better than I'd expected- only worried about BM as suffer from constipation, but been advised to drink loads of water and fruit and veg and not to have laxatives yet- still early days I guess. Good luck to those of you having your procedures soon, you'll be fine! x

well I have had my posterior repair thurs and I am hopefully going home tomorrow. Pack out Fri morning, catherter out last night, no where near as much pain as when I had my Hysterectomy (abdonimal) but my surgeon has said the stitches are internal and yo must rest or it will undo. Bad wind, I dont get people who say they are going aback to work in a week or so HOW ?

Hi, everything still going ok. BM have been fine thanks to lactulose. Still have a tummy ache but stitches feel fine. Had a bit of a coughing fit the other day but survived . I'm surprised how tired I feel doing nothing but enjoying the rest