postpartum cystocele - Page 3

[~*max*~]

Fruitful Womb, I am one year post partum. I did have a very difficult shoulder distocia birth, and it was my fourth large baby (she was 9.9 lbs and I am 5'2", 110 lbs), so I guess I should not be too surprised. I also have PSD and varicose vein pain, which are aggravated by the prolapse. I use the ice packs on those.

I have another urologist apt. coming up too, and I am on the fence if I want to go. It is for the urogenics (or something like that?) testing and a cystoscope. I soooo do not want to go, and am seriously considering cancelling.

I am trying out sea sponges as a form of pessary. Yesterday was my first day. It seemed ok. Today I will try it for longer & see how it goes.

Must go have more coffee!!!!

[~*max*~]

Here's the link to the support thread. I hope you all c'mon over.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...43#post8661743

[querico]

cystocele mama

hi all
i had a grade 3 cycstocele at 4 wks postpartum.
my labor was long (26 hrs) and pushing phase 1 hour+ baby came out compound, meaning his hand was over his head.
I had a 2nd degree tear and at 3 wks pp discovered that something was bulging when i was in the shower.

I have been doing vaginal biofeedback/ pelvic floor PT and am greatly encouraged. Now at 8 wks pp, my cystocele is a grade 2. I have actually noticed that on certain days i feel almost normal.
yet if i have been straining (eg. picking up the kids or lifting) then i feel like my bottom is saggy.
I think listening to your body is very important. Also try not to strain or lift, which is always a challenge with litttle ones. Keeping stool soft is important to avoid straining with BMs. My friend who is a nutriotionist recommends All Bran Bran Buds every day and encourages lots of water for this issue.
my best to all who are dealing with this

[Tarasanchez]

Cystocele

I am now 9 months and some pp and my cystocele is still hanging in there, and like everyone says is worse in the evening and after a bm, it actually bulges OUT after most bm's which still suprises/scares/amazes/confuses me. My doctor originally told meto wait and see if it would repair itself, but here I am 9 months later, so now he has reffered me to a specialist, who I will see next week. I have several big concerns...

1. I have no insurance (but I do when I am pregnant, and we want one more, so I wonder if I get pregnant, have the c-section if necesary and then get everything all put back where it belongs)

2. I have gained weight instead of lose since I had my baby, and I really want to start working out, but my hubby is really worried that I will make things "down there" worse an has forbidden me to do anything till I see the specialist.

3. Did I mention no insurance, and broke as a joke, because if I didn't, that is important!!!

Does anyone know of any programs that cover issues like this. Here in Nebraska we have "every woman matters" which covers screenings and some "female" procedures, but it only covers women 40-64, so I guess not EVERY woman matters!!!

Any help is greatly apriciated

Tara

[querico]

Hi Tara,
I'm so sorry to hear that you are still struggling with this and having the bulge after BMS. It is very frustrating and frightening.

I hope I can help you in some way. The insurance issue is really tough. I do not know where to direct you in Nebraska to get help with insurance.

Are you nursing? If so, I would recommend waiting until you have weaned to see the specialist. I have seen 2 urogynecologists and they both said that we won't know what we are working with until i have completely weaned. They recommend I return to see them after i have weaned and resumed menstruating.

If you have weaned, then perhaps your cystocele will need a repair. But if you are sure you want to get pregnant again, then don't bother seeing the urogynecologist now, because they won't do anything until you are finished with childbearing. They only will do the surgery when you are sure you are finished. (otherwise there is a high risk of the problem recurring)..

However, from what I understand they won't do the surgery at the same time as the csection because of the hormones. I understand they want you to return to normal estrogen state after weaning and then operate, as you need more estrogen for vaginal healing.
Did you discuss you insurance issues with your doctor or midwife?
good luck and hang in there

[wombatclay]

hugs mama, I'm so sorry you're experiencing this...

Come on over to the support thread for more ideas from other BTDT mamas.

1. I have no insurance (but I do when I am pregnant, and we want one more, so I wonder if I get pregnant, have the c-section if necesary and then get everything all put back where it belongs).

Unfortunately the repair surgery can't be done during your c/s (unless you opt for a hysterectomy) since the pelvic organs are moving around so much for the next month or two. Although many care providers will say "go for c/s", the real stress on your prolapse comes during the pregnancy itself... a gentle delivery shouldn't cause any more damage than is going to happen with the pregnancy itself. So really reseach a care provider who suggests a c/s will prevent problems! And keep in mind that during a c/s your bladder is moved around a bit and then "put back"... so IMO it could make things worse!

On a different note, in terms of insurance coverage, the pregnancy insurance might cover a c/s but would consider the repair a seperate expense.

As pp mentioned... the repair surgery generally has to wait until after you're done having children (and nursing can cause a delay too). And surgery often needs to be re-done after 8-10 years. So depending on your age you might need to plan for several "lifts". It's something I remind myself a lot... assuming 10 years of decent results, I'd still be looking at 6-7 surgeries over my life! Ugh.

2. I have gained weight instead of lose since I had my baby, and I really want to start working out, but my hubby is really worried that I will make things "down there" worse an has forbidden me to do anything till I see the specialist

There are exercise routines designed for prolapsed mamas! Have you looked at the information on the Whole Woman website? (http://www.wholewoman.com/) Or look into the Tupler Technique (the books are "Maternal Fitness" and "Lose the Mummy Tummy"...both have the same basic info but the first is designed for pregnancy/birth so if you're planning more go with that one. There's a cheat sheet online http://www.maternalfitness.com/baks_basics.pdf). And the exercise routines in "Beyond Kegels" and "The Core" are good too, and the Beyond Kegels book is especially good if you're having any incontenance.

Swimming, belly dance, some forms of yoga (think kripalu/svaroopa instead of iyengar/bikram), resistance band routines (like tupler technique)... basically things that don't put a lot of downward stress on the pelvic floor should be fine!

Hang in there mama...

[veryerin]

Hi Ladies
I have a self diagnosed cystocele. My midwife didn't mention it at my pp checkup : I figured it out on my own. I am *assuming* it isn't that bad since she didn't even tell me about it. It only feels bad if I wear dd for too long, have sex, or jog. I am hoping my period will come back even though I am ebfing, since maybe the increased estrogen would help. I will look at the wholewoman site. It sucks we all have this issue, but its nice to hear other women are going through the same thing!

[wombatclay]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

Here's the link to the support thread. I hope you all c'mon over.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...43#post8661743

[Tarasanchez]

Update

Well, it turns out to ba a fallen uterus instead of a fallen bladder, which of course sounds more frightening to me, but I will just have to take whatever is put on my plate. It looks like I will have my last child whenever God throws him or her into the plan and then I will have a (gulp) hystorectomy (which I know I am not spelling correctl right now, but I tried) and he said the same thing, that I will have to wait until my hormones level out to ge tthings taken care of, so we will just have to start planning finacially. Thanks for the feedback ladies.