Suffering and thrilled to find you all

Body: 

Hi I am a 31yo with 2 boys the first one was 7lb 8 oz with epesiotomy
the second one was 9lb 7.5 oz with minor tearing... I now have rectocele and some problems with urine retension! I saw a doc in albany ny who said that I was not a candidate for PT(HUH??) and should just go for the surgery! He told me this on DEC 31st, way to end the year;) and that he was going to use cadaver tissue to do the repair! I have started to get better since splinting and lubricating and eating better! Any other advice? thanks - Jodi

First I would cancel the surgery
Secondly tell him to get a life
And third and most importantly - Read up on here on posture and as you are eating better etc all should in a few months be far far better than now :)

I don't think I would like the idea of cadaver tissue either at all!

Things take time. But I am sure things will get better for you and you can go back and tell your Dr that his idea was abismal and you found a better way :)

Sue

Look into the eyes - They hold the key!
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/img/maddy544x150Banner.jpg

Welcome to the forum. I would definately recommend reading up and absorbing as much as you can from this site and when you get the chance get the book and DVD.

With regards to the urine retention - if you go to the home page (just www.wholewoman.com) and click on resources you will find a section on urine retention. I know it refers to cystocele but I can't think why else you would have urine retention. Anyway if you haven't a cystocele the tips may still help you. Christine recommends the hands and knees position as the best way to completely empty the bladder, I haven't personally tried that one yet as so far I am managing o.k. Somedays my urine flow seems a little poor but most days its fine.

I think you will come to view surgery very differently once you have armed yourself with the information provided here and if you are not soo symptomatic then even more reason to put it off.

I also have a rectocele which can be bothersome and cause me to get constipated but eating loads of fresh fruit and veg really does sort that out without the need for splinting.

I am wishing you all the best on your road to living well with prolapse.

Take care and keep in touch.

A

yeah the wierd thing is that he is scheduling 3 months out for surgery! Gives me time to really research it! But also Is the person out there walking around who would be my donor??? EEEEWWWW!

HaHA. But seriously, I've had only two Dr. visits after my injury. The first
was days after when the inflammation hadn't even gone down. I
was in quite a state emotionally - could barely stop crying. His manner
was dismissive because of my lack of insurance. He assured me that
I could just push it back up ! I remember thinking how handy that would be
at the grocery store. And my HORROR. The only other Dr. was at our
low-income clinic, she talks about 100 klics per minute, and the info just
pours out, I like her and her approach was calming. She used to work in a Gyn
office and said many women live with this.
No "hows" or "whys" or real help either.
After everything I read here I have come to several conclusions.
We place entirely too much trust in Doctors abilities and intentions. We have
a tendency to even give over responsibility for our Healthcare. I mean this as a
culture. We have been conditioned to think western medicine is the pinnacle
of Healthcare. When really much of it is Barbaric and entirely fiscally motivated.
I don't know about the U.K., but here esp. in the morning between talk shows
and soap operas, there is a constant stream of drug ads. Marketing themselves
shamelessly like some deranged candy store, with often hilarious disclaimers...
but then I'm black-humored. We allow ourselves to be conditioned to believe
"There's a PILL for that !" (and there's a Doc that can fix me.) We are even encouraged
to go to our doctors to ask for this or that drug and given the proper language to
convince the Doctor of our need. Sometimes I feel like a transplant from another
world, this one feels so alien and bizarre.
Christine's incredible spirited and seemingly tireless research into the most
complex and most ignored region of Women's Healthcare is right up there with
Lewis and Clark or any fearless and courageous explorer you can think of. We are
sharing in something that I believe is putting the reins back in our hands Ladies !
And I think it will change the world for many many women to come. The Martin
Luther King of Women's healthcare. Why can't I think of trailblazing Women to compare ?

Oh - and don't assume that PT's are any better. I think there's quite a range in competence
in that field as well. So be cautious -and above all listen to your instincts. 100 kegels
a day nonsense, kwim?
Zelda- from up on her soapbox.

and welcome aboard
any other advice you ask? RUN, JODI, RUN. as fast as you can, away from that dr.
'just go for surgery' is lousy advice. even if, and ***if*** is unlikely, imo that you *needed surgery, I would think it prudent to try a less invasive approach first. why, pray tell, would you not be a candidate for PT? though honestly, I'm still unconvinced that PT does any good, but still, whats so severe about your case that you couldn't try an alternative to surgery?

about the urine retention, make sure you're drinking lots of fluids and try to empty as fully as possible. there've been many discussions on that here, try a search. I know christine advocates the 'hands and knees in the shower', Sue's recommended double micturation (pee, get up, sit down again, pee again, and oddly for me I find I can empty better if I twist a bit to the right. go figure.

make sure you don't get constipated. lots of stool in the rectum can also block the urine. and while we're talking constipation, don't ever ever strain on the toilet.

aside from that, get the book if you possibly can, make yourself a cup of tea when the boys are asleep and sit down for a good empowering read. there is still every reason to believe that you can live well with this, happily avoiding the scalpel.

Hi and welcome.
I have had prolapse for 12 years. I am only 35 now (and am happy that I found Christine’s web site in 2004). Take your time to research and learn more about prolapse.
Tough this doctor performs “his new” surgical repair of prolapse he points out that(quotation): “classical anterior colporrhaphy- with all its known defects and ethical issues or to implant synthetic meshes between the bladder and the vaginal cavity. (..the implanting of a synthetic mesh (n=70) between two cavities leads to shrinkage in 100% of cases after 12 months, with resultant risks of support failure, and even more important, erosions and dyspareunia.) Both these techniques are a disgrace to our profession and can not be condemned in strong enough terms!”
http://pelvicreconstruction.blogspot.com/