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!

I'm in my mid-50's, having had 2 prolapse ops b4 and now just had my 3rd posterior/vagina with mesh. Someone tell me that this pain will pass. I know its only been one week, but I can't sit, even lying down can be uncomfortable. I'm bleeding, pink not red, more heavier now since my dog jumped up on me and put his heavy paw on my pubic bone! I'm frightened to do anything because of the 'don't carry anything heavy' quote. I'm being cautious particularly as its my 3rd but even carrying my dinner to the table's proving too heavy and causes pain. I googled hoping I'd find something and found this site with others talking about the same type of operations. Am I being foolish thinking I can go back to work in 4 weeks? I'm also a singer and although I realise I can't carry my equipment, I'm frightened that I won't get better in time to do a 2-3 hour shows that I have booked. Is there someone out there that can offer any advice?

Has anyone had laser vaginal rejuvenation and/or rectocele repair using sutures? Interested to know if it can hamper or increase enjoyment in sex life afterwards??

hi guys im very upset my rectocele is back plain and clear to see.........im gutted

Hi, Had surgery for cystocle and rectocele repair at Easter. Not a great time, as had two infections and a catheter for 4 weeks. But thought that at least all done. Saw consultant at 6 weeks and told him that I thought that the rectocele was not resolved, even though before surgery told him MANY times that this was the biggest problem. He said that he didnt do more as he was concerened that sex would be a problem with more stitches.In fact he has just stiched the base of the vagina on the back wall. Sex is still painful, but not impossible. But the consequence of his repair is that the bowel problems and rectocele much, much worse. I am seeing GP tommorrow, as consultant says he can do a further repair! Certainly need something to be done and cant just leave it. Distressed to see other Kent Mum is in similar situation, Im sure your devastated, we dont go through these things lightly. Does anyone know of these ops being successful? The only people I know with no problems are the ones who have had abdominal surgery.

hi kent mum im guessing you had your op in kent as well would it have been at the PRUH

kentmumtj I'm horrified at your post. Are you sure it's back again? How do you think that happened? If you don't mind me asking, how did that present itself? Did you feel it had been a success apart from the over-tightness and now you've got problems with BMs again? I am so so sorry given that your recovery has been so troublesome, no wonder you are upset

I don't know what to suggest, I'm assuming you haven't been to see anyone about this yet, since you've posted on a Sunday.

I have done a lot of googling since I had my own operation - I've been very anxious and obsessed at times. I went to a well-respected local gynae surgeon where I am but one site that came up on my searches was this one:

www.perineum.net/

This place in Croydon, Mayday hospital, has a dedicated unit for prolapse/repairs. The surgeons there have a special interest in the subject and have written research papers. In an ideal world, I think this would be the place to go. Their NHS site is here:

www.maydayhospital.org.uk/page.asp?pageid=820

I'm impressed by the fact that the surgeon's email address is published on the site.

If you think your own repair has been wrongly done, or has not held, I wouldn't be inclined to go back for more to the same person. I would look for another surgeon however inconvenient (if you understandably couldn't face more surgery in the near future it might just be worth getting another expert opinion).

I wish you luck anyway

I have my follow up on Tuesday, which will be five and a half weeks post-op. I'm going to have a few questions for my surgeon. On the whole it seems OK, but there are definitely some knobbly stitched bits near the posterior entrance that I'm worried about (skin tags? - I hope this won't require more surgery). This area also bleeds slightly when I have a BM. Only other problem is the one I mentioned earlier - it feels dead down there, like it's just any old hole, which is a bit concerning. I dare say I'm just being impatient, but the idea that this might be a permanent state of affairs is horrifying.

Hi Kentmumtj, No I didnt have op at the PRUH, I had mine done privately at Fawkham. I will talk to my GP tomorrow and let you know what he suggests.

georgiegirl2, thanks for that info. the Mayday hospital does look as if they have a more comprehensive team. As for your problems, I think it really is early days and you need to give yourself more time to recover. I know I didnt rest as I should have, and regret it now.

7 days post surgery and my "bulge" is still there. Ive just seen my consultant to find out why they hadnt done what i was expecting and she said that when she got in there, there was no obvious bulge so she just repaired the perinium and the entrance! She said any bulging i have further up needs to be looked at with an xray which involves me being xrayed whilst having a BM! Im still confused as to why they didnt give me this information upon being discharged as they had discussed it during my surgery, rather than only giving me it once id complained? And shouldnt any xrays to find out the actual cause, be done before any sort of surgery??

blimey we are a sorry ole lot at the moment aent we.

Yes mine is def back i had a coplposcopy which was done very gently last Wednesday and on Friday morning when in the bath i was washing myself like you do and i felt a lump down there which felt just like it used to, i got out of the bath and looked in the mirror and it is there plain and clear to see.

BM are pretty much like they used to be and im really really Pi**ed off, i have an appoitnment with consultant on 4 Sep. Fat lot of good it will be anyway what they gonna offer me the op all over again.

Im just so upset and angry after everything i went through it feels for me that it was all for nothing and most other people i know have benn successful.................why me???

georgiegirl i too had 2 nobbly bits at the entrance before it all fell apart, wish i still had only the 2 nobbly bits now.When i queried them i was told it was normal to have these.

I did feel as though it had been a success apart from the tight opening which has prevented me from having sexual intercourse with DH but i felt this would be addressed and all would be ok and all functions and feelings were back to normal pretty much.

Just had my follow up. Surgeon v pleased and says I can resume normal activities. He was reassuring about the knobbly bits, said that bit is healing (it still bleeds) and they will go, if not (unlikely) can be removed.

He said full healing is 3 months, seemed a bit perplexed about my fears re sexual response and seems to think it's a) partly psychological and b) related to the fact that I am only 5 weeks post-op. So I must remain optimistic

Looks like I can avoid sex for a bit longer, which won't be much of a hardship.

Had appointment with GP who was horrified that my rectocle was made worse by the surgery [by what lots of you are saying I think that these surgeons dont understand the rules of gravity, and when your lying down, with legs in the air, the problems dont show, and they dont repair them properly!!]I told him about the team at the Mayday hospital {thanks Georgiegirl2]and he felt that I should definately not go back to original consultant and try these. Amazingly, Mr Sultan could see me today,{very lucky have BUPA] had to pay to see him. But worth every penny. He was very thorough, sensitive and took a different approach to others Ive seen.He even examined me standing up! Going next week for Barium function test[not nice]seeing specialist nurse, who helps you manage BMs and he does 3D ultrasound of whole pelvic area to fully understand everything thats happening. As he does research I will be monitored for 10 years, and any surgery is done by both him, gyne conultant and colo-rectal surgeon.I dont think many places offer such treatment, but it seems really worth trying to find one. I feel that at last someone will understand the full extent of the problem and very lucky to have seen him. Other Kentmumtj..... Im sure your GP would refer you to him, as the Mayday hosptal cant be that far from you.
Georgiegirl2...I am really grateful and hope knobbly bits arnt too knobbly for much longer!!

Hi there, kentmumap
You are so welcome, I am glad to have been of some help. I don't know the place personally, but it looked impressively focused on these problems and your experience sounds very encouraging!! Good luck. My surgeon examined me standing up too.

Am trying to leave knobbly bits alone to heal now, but immediate problem today is that I was so keen to have a nice clean fanjo for my appointment yesterday that I used far too much soap and now have thrush!! TMI I know, but oh dear...

I totally agree with whats been said about the gravity thing. My consultant said she couldnt see a bulge when she looked, but of course i was lying down. And 2 weeks post op my rectocele seems worse. I now have to go for a defacating proctogram to find out whats happening during BM. What the doctors dont seem to understand is, BM is not the only problem this causes, i cant use tampons as the either get pushed out or are really uncomfortable, and at only 27, cosmetically, i just want a normal vagina!! Also my stitches are all still in place, my husband says it looks as though theyve stitched the sides together. Its hard to explain but its like if you stitched 2 of your fingers together, side by side, the stitches would hold them in place but they wouldnt bond with each other. Does anyone know what i mean?

Hi 27yorkshiregirl. I joined this site when I found it because I was upset with what I have been through, distressed at the thought of more sugery, but so very angry that this is clearly happening to lots of other women. Im sure we are the tip of a very big problem! I feel so sorry for you, being so young, Im 56. [Dont usually do things like this on the internet...Dont do facebook etc!!!]
My poblem was a large cystocele which I think masked the rectocele bulge! Now where I had a gentle bulge,I now have large loop in the bowel, from him stitching the base of the vagina. The only way of BM is with colonic irrigation!! As my GP says that I would be better off if he hadn't done anything.
Im glad that your having the proctogram, It really is a pity that the consultants dont consider all this before surgery...Good luck.

Yeah i think it should have come first really. They dont seem dont understand how upsetting this is for me but it really is nice to have a place like this where you can find support and ask questions from people with similar experiences. Ive also just noticed that my stitches are blue? was told they would dissolve but im pretty sure the blue ones need to be removed. Does anyone know.

Hey yorkie
My stitches were blue and they dissolved. They changed colour over time, went sort of more greeny/yellowy/grey as they got older. I don't know where they all went tbh - there were quite a few! - I found a couple of bits on the paper when I wiped and the odd bit in the bath. The outside ones went first, then the inside ones, nearly five weeks post-op.
I agree with some of the things people have said. I am very happy with how my surgery seems to have gone, and the results. I'm glad I had it done, assuming sexual feelings all return to normal eventually. I had a surgeon who is very well thought of and feel lucky. But I don't think these problems are well understood in general, and for myself I struggled a bit with the idea that a man would be doing the op, however competent, or that he would be able to advise me how I would feel afterwards, because he doesn't even know what it is like to have the same anatomy.
Good luck to everyone who has unresolved problems. I am off to Italy for a fortnight tomorrow and it's going to be so nice to have a break after a fairly grim summer so far.

Does anybody have any clear guidance on when you can drive following vaginal repair?
My hospital said 6 weeks my nurse practitioner said around now 3.5 weeks, my insurance company doesnt care, websites are saying anywhere between 3 days and 8 weeks. Its bonkers and all I want to do is drive

I drove after about 3.5 weeks and it felt OK. My consultant/surgeon said 3 to 4 weeks

I have ready all the messages and it has been helpful for me. I had my rectocele repair on July 20I still get really sore-and the stitches itch and pull like crazy. I had my post-op visit on day 12cried during examwas having a dischargefelt as if a packing was inside of me internally-was told by urologist that everything looked well and it will get better as the weeks go on. I am off work for 6 weeks. No one could have ever prepared me for the agony of post-op healing. I do have a regular bowel movement now and it comes out normally--

I am able to sit for extended periods of time now. I use dermaplast spray regularly to soothe the stitiches. Cleanse my perineum area with half water and peroxide while sitting on the commode. Iwas also prescribed a topical cream anesthetic four times a day-this numbs the area and takes away the pain. It is a hassle to void throughout the day with the above rituals but they are so needed.lol...I also had a abdominal hysterectomy 6 weeks before I had the rectocele repairI did not have the mesh repairmy physician used my own tissues/skin she felt that it would be a better reapir and would last longerI do still have external stitches posteriorly and internal stitchesI am hoping that these dissolve soonI was so in the dark about recovery time and what to expectthese blogs have been helpful

getting nervous.....going in for surgery on weds.....any good advice to give?

what is the cause? is it through having children? I wonder as I was in a car accident and my problems have commenced since.

Hello JanJanJanJan! I am also having surgery, posterior repair next Wednesday and I am starting to feel really nervous as well.

I have 2 ds and both were big babies. I had failed ventous and forceps on ds1 and ventous on ds2.

I have found this thread a godsend as it is a relief to hear other peoples experiences.

Best of luck on Wednesday, hope everything goes well.

janjanjan and kildare34 good luck guys hope it all goes well