Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Support Thread - Page 2

[~*max*~]

Originally Posted by pigpokey

I had pelvic floor reconstruction in March; laparascopic cystocele and uterine prolapse surgery, and then my perineum was re-opened and incomplete repair work re-done to correct the rectocele. I have lingering stress incontinence issues (new post-surgery; I did not have an elevated risk of it pre-surgery, but got nailed by the normal risk). I may go back under the knife for this in a couple of months.

Thank you for sharing this pigpokey. How has it been for you since the surgery? How are you feeling? Do you see any improvements? Every now & then when I get overwhelmed I think maybe I should have the surgery, but I really am hoping to avoid it. It would be helpful to hear from someone who has been down this route.

[wombatclay]

Do you recall where you were reading that? i'd really like to learn more.

I'll see if I can find it again! I think it was a UK website...hmmmm...that narrows it down.

ETA- this isn't the article I was reading, but similar findings (though they're looking at SUI following surgery for POP):

Associated pelvic organ prolapse in women with stress urinary incontinence: when to operate? Department of Urology, University of Michigan

RECENT FINDINGS: POP can functionally mask SUI. Surgery for POP may unmask occult SUI in many women. Clinically continent women undergoing POP surgery are at risk for developing symptomatic SUI postoperatively.

And, from the Canadian Family Physician Association

Correcting cystocele can unmask stress incontinence (unkinking the urethra makes it easier to leak).

[~*max*~]

Thank you wombatclay. I appreciate you pulling that up. Another reason to avoid surgery! My mother had a hysterectomy due to uterine prolapse and she has had trouble w/incontinence ever since. Although being very pro-medical intervention, she just believes the SUC is from old age. She's been telling me "how much better" she felt after the surgery, etc., etc., etc. A lot of people in my world just do not get where I am coming from....... sigh.........

[wombatclay]

mother had a hysterectomy due to uterine prolapse

Mine too...but since she wants more grandkids she is pushing schedulded c/s births in the future, even though the research shows that doesn't help.

[cocopop71]

Very thankful for this thread.

[debsdancer]

this may be rather off-topic, but does anyone have advice about menstruation with prolapse? My guess is I'm limited to pads for now? My first inkling that anything was amiss after my first birth was 14 mo postpartum when i got my first period and - oops!- the tampon wouldn't stay in! yipe! now, after second birth, it's much worse and I can't imagine any other options besides pads... bleah. and what about swimming....?
sigh.

[fruitful womb]

I haven't started my menses since I had my baby. It wasn't until my last child that I discovered POP. I wonder about sea sponges. Ever try those? Personally I love to swim. Its the one exercise I feel that won't hurt my prolapse. I've heard different opinions about swimming tho. Like the chlorine isn't so great for pop. Not sure about that one either.

[~*max*~]

I haven't had AF return yet either, but Sea Sponges might be worth a try. They are pretty big, but you wet them to insert so the are easy to put in. Their shape just may work for you. If you've got to go w/pads, you may want to try cloth. ireally like my Luna Pads.

[pigpokey]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

Thank you for sharing this pigpokey. How has it been for you since the surgery? How are you feeling? Do you see any improvements? Every now & then when I get overwhelmed I think maybe I should have the surgery, but I really am hoping to avoid it. It would be helpful to hear from someone who has been down this route.

Certainly everything seems more normal to me now. It's not like before I had the babies but I have a vagina again and for that I am so happy. It's hard to say how I'll be at 50. I'm glad I did it. I can wear tampons again.

[runes]

Originally Posted by debsdancer

this may be rather off-topic, but does anyone have advice about menstruation with prolapse? My guess is I'm limited to pads for now? My first inkling that anything was amiss after my first birth was 14 mo postpartum when i got my first period and - oops!- the tampon wouldn't stay in! yipe! now, after second birth, it's much worse and I can't imagine any other options besides pads... bleah. and what about swimming....?
sigh.

sea sponges work great for me. they are more comfortable than the tampons that i used to use pre-prolapse, in fact. they look kind of large but remember that you wet them before inserting so they're very soft, and i insert it by bending forward and making sure that i get it up and over my pubic bone. i've been able to go to the beach and swim in a pool with it without any problems whatsoever. i actually prefer them to tampons due to the environmental impact anyways.

i do still have my diva cup from before dd was born, and i might try that this cycle (just got AF yesterday so it's good timing for this thread ) i'll report back with my findings.

i have also used the sea sponge as a do it yourself pessary, and it works really well for that.

this cystocele mama say...thanks for starting this tribe!

[runes]

update on diva cup-a tad tmi

it was a no go on the diva cup.

i was able to insert it, and it was fine for a few minutes.

then i bent down to attend to dd, and when i stood up, it PINCHED me internally.

YEEEEOWWWCH!!

it's possible that i just couldn't get it up high enough, i'm still a bit sensitive due to episiotomy so i'm not as comfortable as i once was with getting the diva in the right place.

perhaps the keeper might be a better choice? it's a bit softer, right? i think the stiffness of the diva is too much now that things are, ahem, rearranged.

anyone do a comparison of diva vs. keeper with prolapse issues?

in the meantime, it's back to the sea sponges for me. i just went swimming with dd for over an hour without a leak and i wasn't aware of the sponge at all. as you can see, i'm a big fan!! i was really hoping that the diva would work as i loved it pre-baby...

[~*max*~]

kidsperation, when you used the sea sponges as a pessary, how often do you change them? Did you sew a string onto them for easier removal? I just bought some & am trying to figure out how to use them. The one tried I tried, it was comfortable, but hard to reach to remove. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!

[debsdancer]

I have both a diva and a keeper but only bought the diva when i was pregnant with #2 so haven't used it yet- they don't seem too different in stiffness... I wasn't able to use the keeper after #1. Had used it for years before any pregnancy, then only had one period between pregnancies so didn't try many things, just figured out that the keeper AND the tampons would hang halfway out of me... sigh... I will have to try sea sponges, though, I have NO experience with those but anything's better than pads (IMHO)!!!

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by kidspiration

i'm still a bit sensitive due to episiotomy so i'm not as comfortable as i once was

How bad was your episiotomy?
Have you ever applied aloe vera on it? I didn't have an ep this time but I used the aloe any ways to see if it would help. I really like it. I can't explain what it does for me... It feels fresher I guess. This was right after I did the placenta experiment. Aloe is great for recovery of any injury. I used the plant. I think getting the liquid from a health food store be fine too. If you use the plant I would break a piece off, sick it in the fridge and apply it.

I'm so sorry your still in pain from the ep. That sucks. I had one with ds1's birth. 4th degree. Suffered that for a year! OB that diagnosed my POP at 8wks pp (child #4) said my pop is a result from the ep. and the forceps OB used for ds1. :

I hope you feel better

[wombatclay]

I second the aloe for the epi/tear recovery... I got the gel at the health food store (actually, it was with the beverages since the purest gel I could find was the drinkable one!). I'd take a sitz bath, then gloop on the gel and relax for 10 minutes or so...then take a shower. I sometimes put a little gel on during the day, but make sure it dries before getting dressed since it can get messy.

[runes]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

kidsperation, when you used the sea sponges as a pessary, how often do you change them? Did you sew a string onto them for easier removal? I just bought some & am trying to figure out how to use them. The one tried I tried, it was comfortable, but hard to reach to remove. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!

i only used it during physical activity (yoga class, pilates class, power walking) to see if it made a difference in the way that i felt, so it was in maybe 2 hours max. i didn't have a problem retrieving it but i know that other mamas do sew a string or some dental floss through the sponge to make it easier to get out.

i don't have the draggy feeling much anymore (thank goodness), only for a day or so when i ovulate and then a little bit during my period, so i only feel like i might need a pessary for support one day a month. but i've also realized that part of my self care is to take it easy when i feel that way, so if i feel like exercise at that time, i'll opt to swim instead, which is invigorating and relaxing at the same time, and no need for a pessary with that.

Originally Posted by fruitful womb

How bad was your episiotomy?
Have you ever applied aloe vera on it? I didn't have an ep this time but I used the aloe any ways to see if it would help. I really like it. I can't explain what it does for me... It feels fresher I guess. This was right after I did the placenta experiment. Aloe is great for recovery of any injury. I used the plant. I think getting the liquid from a health food store be fine too. If you use the plant I would break a piece off, sick it in the fridge and apply it.

I'm so sorry your still in pain from the ep. That sucks. I had one with ds1's birth. 4th degree. Suffered that for a year! OB that diagnosed my POP at 8wks pp (child #4) said my pop is a result from the ep. and the forceps OB used for ds1. :

I hope you feel better

thanks so much for your well wishes and suggestions about aloe vera...i think the epis was a grade 3 (haven't yet reviewed birth records with midwife). i did apply some lavender essential oils when it was still healing, along with doing herbal sitzbaths. my physical therapist also did a lot of scar tissue release techniques that did make the area a lot less sensitive. the scar tissue is still forming up to 1 year postpartum, so her gentle hands-on technique was really helpful so that overall, i think i'm doing quite well with the epis scar area. it's healed really well...it's probably more psychological for me than physical...i'm just a bit tentative about that area now.

to everyone that had to endure the pain and recovery from an episiotomy. :

[querico]

Pigpokey, how do you feel after the surgery?
Are you happy with the outcome? Are you symptoms improved?
It must be hard to have to undergo multiple surgeries for this.

I'm just editing this post now, I see you already responded.

I was feeling better and then I feel like I had a flare up of my cystocele. I'm 10 wks PP and starting to get quite frustrated and depressed at times. I was really hoping this would be better by now..
So I have been thinking I may need surgery, but I know that this is premature of me. The sensation of my cystocele, esp at the end of the day really brings me down.

I did find that swimming this weekend was wonderful for me, so I'll just have to set up regular access to a pool. It feels like a great exercise for this condition.

[~*max*~]

Originally Posted by querico

I'm just editing this post now, I see you already responded.

I was feeling better and then I feel like I had a flare up of my cystocele. I'm 10 wks PP and starting to get quite frustrated and depressed at times. I was really hoping this would be better by now..
So I have been thinking I may need surgery, but I know that this is premature of me. The sensation of my cystocele, esp at the end of the day really brings me down.

I did find that swimming this weekend was wonderful for me, so I'll just have to set up regular access to a pool. It feels like a great exercise for this condition.

Querico, I feel this way about surgery too when I get really frustrated w/my symptoms. Try to remember that even though you are 10 weeks pp, that is still early for your body to fully heal from the birth. Keep doing all the great things you are doing to facilitate healing, rest when you need it, and try to stay positive.

[wombatclay]

I keep remembering (from the old thread I think?) that it takes at least a year for the body to "settle" after birth...so organs and tissue and muscles and tendons and all the "gooey bits" aren't in their final forms for at least that long. So I'm trying not to think of anything that is going on now as "permanent". It's depressing, but I also think it helps me to think that I've got another 10 months of healing before we'll be able to say which path is going to be the best choice.

hugs...

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

I keep remembering (from the old thread I think?) that it takes at least a year for the body to "settle" after birth...so organs and tissue and muscles and tendons and all the "gooey bits" aren't in their final forms for at least that long. So I'm trying not to think of anything that is going on now as "permanent". It's depressing, but I also think it helps me to think that I've got another 10 months of healing before we'll be able to say which path is going to be the best choice.

hugs...

I keep telling myself that too. And I've heard that in Chinese Medicine the pp period in TWO YEARS! England stated the one year ppp. They consider the vagina to be in trauma until that time. No Sh!t

I went to a PT yesterday, sorry I didn't post this sooner. She taught me a lot about the proper way to do Kegels. I have to lift my bum and prop them on two pillows so my organs fall to my middle. Then I'm instructed to hold for seven, release for seven. Your not suppose to do more than your body can handle or you'll weaken the muscles. Got to give them time to build. Your training for a marathon. It takes at least a yr to get into shape. About my grade 4 cycstocele, she said I may need surgery for that. But now is definitely not the time. Ppl who have surgeries tend to visit the knife every 10 yrs. That was discouraging. She sounded so confident on the phone. Told me that the worse she has ever seen was an 80y woman who was terrified of surgery. Her entire uterus was out of her body. PT got it in its place and it stayed. How am I worse than that? My cervix is up in my body! Maybe I'm just sensitive and any mention of surgery sets me off completely.