When I first “cracked the code” on stabilizing and reversing prolapse, and wrote and published Saving the Whole Woman, I set up this forum. While I had finally gotten my own severe uterine prolapse under control with the knowledge I had gained, I didn’t actually know if I could teach other women to do for themselves what I had done for my condition.
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louiseds
November 17, 2007 - 11:33pm
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bladder woes
Hi Wenz
I don't want you to go unanswered on this one. Just taking a look at your earlier posts I see that you initially had a mild bladder prolapse which seemed to disappear with Kegals, which is great.
I had a similar first birth experience to yours, probably the same year. IN addition to the epidural I also had stirrups, forceps and big episiotomy, as I was numb right up to my breastbone, and couldn't have pushed my first baby out to save myself! However, I don't get the leaking with fullness that you get. In fact, the fuller my bladder gets the easier it is to put off going - wierd! However, I do remember wondering whether I would ever start weeing again after that birth. In time, I did wee, and it got easier and easier by the day. One thing I do remember is having an ultrasound as part of infertility treatment prior to my second pregnancy when I was about 2 years postpartum from the first birth. I was kept waiting in the waiting room with an overfull bladder, to the point where I was starting to get kidney pain - not nice! They eventually saw me, but I had terrible difficulty emptying my bladder afterwards. I have never since then experienced that degree of pain and discomfort trying to have a wee. Once the flow started it was easier, but my urethra must have had a serious kink in it, even then. I have never experienced that difficulty with an ultrasound or very full bladder.
I am wondering if your bladder woes are simply 'post-baby' bladder, and your bladder just operates slightly differently since the initial pregnancy. I think it might be unrealistic to expect a woman's bladder to be identical to how it was pre-pregnancy. Even if you had no symptoms of prolapse for all those years, and you don't seem to have one now I suspect there may have been some bladder prolapse there, giving you that bit of leakage. Have the Kegals helped the leakage at all?
As to whether it gets worse as you get older, not sure how old you are now. I am 54 and very close to menopause. My bladder has gotten better as my kids got older, or maybe I just adapted my activities so I didn't annoy it! However, I have had stress and some urgency incontinence since childhood, so it is a bit hard for me to tell. I think menopause and the next couple of years after that will be the test, but that will be menopause related and not to do with that horrible birth in 1982. I have noticed that recently my prolapses are lower for longer during my cycles, but I suspect that is because my cycles are longer, and the change appears to be that the runup to menstruation when my cervix and bladder would normally be lower, is longer too. But I don't really think that my bladder is more sensitive than normal.
I hope I have got your story right. Correct me if I am wrong.
Cheers
Louise
wenz
November 18, 2007 - 1:06am
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Hi Louise
Thanks for your post Louise, you have a lot of good sense, particularly the bit about not expecting everything to be like it was pre-pregancy. I am 53 and I'm pretty well past menopause although I thought I was a year ago then I had one isolated period and nothing else since. Yes, the kegels have helped the bladder situation I think - hard to say, but I'm still doing them as I figure a few every day doesn't hurt and may be doing some good. I think I may have had a bit of a UTI lately as I have actually felt a bit uncomfortable in that area recently. But all seems good now. I haven't felt bulgy around my vagina for about 2 months now, so my pelvic organs feel pretty much as they did before the "sag" appeared. So that's good news. I think I will just have to accept that my bladder is a bit weakened after the birth of my first child all those years ago and hope like hell it won't get worse. On the few occasions I've had sex in the last year, it's been better than ever so I'm quite convinced that a mild prolapse does nothing to detract from your sex life - but I don't need to convince anyone here of that !!
Cheers,
Wendy
louiseds
November 18, 2007 - 3:17am
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Hi Louise
Hi Wenz
And good sex is better if you have an 'active' pelvic floor, so keep doing a few Kegels. Just ensure that you empty your bladder properly and keep up the fluids. Have a wee on all fours once a day with a loose belly, maybe under the shower. This will really tilt your bladder forward so the urethra is on the bottom so gravity will help empty the last drops. Somebody else (Sue?) suggested double emptying the bladder to get out the last bits, ie have a wee, stand up, pull up your knickers, walk around a bit then have another wee. IMHO, complete emptying of the bladder is one of the functionally important things about having prolapses. It really is important for your health, so you don't have too many antibiotics (apart from UTI's being really painful and debilitating, and the risk of kidney damage).
Not sure who you are referring to re "I don't need to convince anyone here", but cultivating an interest in erotica, as opposed to pornography, can make a very rewarding hobby! ;-)
Cheers
Louise