i need to exercise!

Submitted by ronshel30 on January 12, 2008 - 1:53pm
Body: 

hi im new here im 30 and had a front wall prolapse 3 wks after having my 2nd child, i was told to just carry on with my life and when she turns 2, she is 19mths now, they would possibly consider me for surgery? the thing is i need to exercise and have a mini trampoline but sooo afraid to use it? i try it and soon after things are all back down. if i dont go near it i get goods days maybe 7 to 10, any ideas, i am very down about it and delighted to find this site

ATS

January 12, 2008 - 3:45pm

Welcome. I am 36 and I have a son, 6 years and a daughter, 19 months and I discovered my uterus had dropped about 6 months ago and now I also have a cystocele (front wall prolapse) and rectocele (back wall prolapse). I think they would all be considered mild but can feel anything but mild! As far as jumping on a trampoliine I wouldn't even attempt it myself but there are ladies here who do just that and run, go to the gym, do yoga and the list goes on. Its about finding out what your body is capable of without making the prolapse worse or more symptomatic and it can be a bit of trial and error.

We are all here learning to live well with prolapse and I hope you stick around and join us.

Sorry this is quick short message but a horrendous headache is preventing me from concentrating.

Take care of yourself,

A

mumwithone

January 13, 2008 - 4:26am

Exercise is a tricky one to advise on as everyone is different. Therefore, my only advice would be to try different things and see how your body reacts. If it's uncomfortable or makes you feel worse afterwards give it a miss, if it feels good keep doing it!

I would think jumping would be a hard one to start with. I find it very uncomfortable to do any jumping but everyone's different. But you can start with things like walking, swimming, dancing, yoga, anything like that you enjoy. These are all non-impact forms of exercise.

When I first had POP made the mistake of wanting to override how my body was feeling and not let it beat me (although I didn't even know what prolapse was at the time, let alone that this was what I had). But in not listening to my body, I think I made things worse for myself. Now I only do exercise that feels okay with the POP, and I'm enjoying it!

ronshel30

January 13, 2008 - 5:04am

i am delighted to hear from someone else, i think people who have not experienced a prolapse can not understand how it makes you feel.i did know not to lift anything heavy after giving birth but my case was a total accident as i caught a friends 7 year old as she fell, i didnt think and just reacted, and 19 months later i still feel like i just had the worst luck, i wish it hadnt happened as i had a perfect birth and now feel like im broke, even talking to my other half or best friend deosnt help so again thank you

ronshel30

January 13, 2008 - 5:07am

i wonder do you think it is safe to have surgery to repair this problem, i have heard more bad things than good so i am really confused about it. i hate it with a passion and just want to feel normal again and not a broken woman like i feel now...

ATS

January 13, 2008 - 9:32am

I do understand totally the feeling of being broken but surgery comes with sooo many risks. Yes there are some women who have successful outcomes but they also live with many restrictions on what they do so they do not undue the work that was done. The surgery also does not last a lifetime and you will eventually have to undergo it again and again each time risking further damage which could leave you with incontinence, pain, sexual disfunction and the list goes on.

I have read nothing but horror stories about the surgery but yet it still crosses my mind. I am working hard to put it to the very back of my mind as I want the natural way to work. I am terrified of what surgery may bring and if my prolapses stay all tucked up inside and I have a certain level of comfort then I can live with this. I try very hard not to think about the future as that really does depress me.

I very much doubt that catching your friends 7 year old was the sole reason you have POP. The fact is that you may have already had a small prolapse or weakening that you could not feel and the impact of that day just worsened things. I could be wrong here and I am sure someone else will chime in but those are my thoughts. If not that day then just a combination of things you would have done eventually over time may have lead to the same outcome.

I am always wondering "what if" but that really doesn't change what has happened. I remember a few months before I found my POP lifting my 5 year old son which nearly put my back out:-

Was lifting him what caused this?
Was it lifting the vacuum up and down the stairs that caused this?
Was it moving furniture that caused this?

The answer is probably yes to doing all of the above and not supporting my organs. I did not have a clue that vaginal prolapses even existed. My main concern after my son was born, and the damage was done, was that I would end up incontinent at an early age. Why was it that I recovered from his birth but only prolapsed nearly 6 years later? I will never have the answers to all of these questions and I could drive myself insane thinking about it.

So here we are in a place that we really do not want to be and we need to grieve and scream and shout and get angry about it but when that is done we have to make the best of the situation and that is what I am trying so very hard to do. It can be very challenging and upsetting and I am certainly not done with the crying, shouting and getting angry. I desperately want my old body back but that is never going to happen no matter what I do so somewhere I have to accept that and move on.

I hope you get the gist of what I am trying to say here. I am not very good at explaining myself but know that we are all here to help one another along this journey and live well and I do hope you stick around. Post with all your worries and if you are having a bad day there are so many women here who have been living well with prolapse for years that have great words of encouragement. I've done plenty of ranting and raving - you only have to track my posts!

Best wishes,

A

ATS

January 13, 2008 - 9:52am

One thing that crossses my mind ALOT lately is the amount of popstars and actresses that have babies and how many of them might have POP issues. They seem to be back in the gym within days of giving birth doing rigourous workouts to get them back to their prepregnancy shape, they wear figure hugging outfits to show off those wonderful figures, high heels and I was watching a video the other day and the singer was tucking her butt under and pushing her hips out whilst dancing around and it just makes me think.

I guess that's another question that will never be answered!

A

stella

January 13, 2008 - 5:55pm

I have found so far that most exercise is ok for me(depending on what time of the month it is!)but trampoline jumping is not one of them. After some experimenting with this, I decide to retire my trampoline and do the activities that do not aggravate my situation. Luckily, I have found plenty.
Do what feels good for your body.
Good luck
Stella

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 5:35am

thank you for your words, i get upset just reading about this, i actually hate my body now and wish i could feel better about it. i was wondering if you knew about pregnancy after prolapse?its just that im only 30 and we didnt think we were done having children before this happened i feel like im at a wall i cant get over. the doc's told me another pregnancy would wreck me even more, then onother one told me to carry on having my babies and go back to him hen im done for surgery??? any ideas??

ATS

January 14, 2008 - 6:47am

This is a very emotional journey and believe me I hate my body too. Today is not a great day for me so I am feeling all the frustration.

There are a few ladies on here who have had babies after their prolapse and have not worsened their symptoms and they are the best to help you in that department. Granolamom is one, Fullofgrace is due any day now and there are others but can't think of them all just at the moment. I do hope that they chime in soon. I will have a search round when I get a moment later and see what I can find. From what I gather there is no reason why your prolapse should become worse by having another baby.

I'm just off out but will check in again later.

Take care,

A

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 6:52am

thanks so much, you are a great help :-}

granolamom

January 14, 2008 - 8:41am

they really don't. YES you can have more babies. another pg won't necessarily cause more damage, especially once you learn how to take care of yourself (another thing the doctor won't tell you, because he doesn't know). and you in all probability won't need surgery. another thing the doctors don't know.

the beginning of this road is HARD. I hated my body too. it was depressing and demoralizing on so many levels. trust me, that can change. I really think that the emotional, psychological and spiritual aspect of prolapse is so much harder to deal with than the physical. but that's what we're here for.

and I emailed you, I hope it gets to you, I've had trouble using the email function. let me know if it didn't.

ATS

January 14, 2008 - 9:34am

I totally agree that although the prolapses can be challening and pretty darn uncomfortable at times, the emotional and psychological aspect of this is so much harder. I am still in the early days of all this and am still coming to terms with everything. Granolamom has been a great support in helping me deal with this and I know she has e-mailed you and I am sure has given you so much more information and hope.

With the correct diet, posture and exercise we will get there.

All the best,

A

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 9:41am

thanks for your reply, i got the email too! your words actually cheered me up so much, as i always felt it was surgery OR babies, i didnt think it would be ok to have another one, my baby is only 19mths so not just yet, but to feel i dont have to rule it out is great, i find i think more about prolapse when i having a {low} day and less on a good day, i suppose if you dont feel it to much you dont think of it, but im glad to hear from you, i wish i had found this site when it had first happened i might not have had so many bad days or cried so much, thanks again

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 9:47am

i keep seeing posture coming up in chat, how can i find out about it as i was not told by doctor, should i have??? does it make a big difference??

granolamom

January 14, 2008 - 9:57am

the posture we're all talking about is the brainchild of Christine Kent. if you go to the wholewoman.com homepage you should see a link to the faq's. read them! and if you can, order the book, saving the wholewoman, by christine kent, its available on this website. get the new edition, it has more information and exercises in it. well worth the money, imo

but you can learn the posture here, and I recommend you do, asap

the doctor didn't tell you about it because he doesn't know about it.
surgery really can't fix a prolapse, all it can do is change the shape of your vagina so that the prolapse isn't as obvious. of course this has its repurcussions and then sets the stage for futher prolapse.
the posture changes the way your pelvic organs fit inside the pelvis, so that they are positioned over the bones of your pelvis and not over the 'pelvic floor' which is really just a hole and not a functional floor at all.

and YES the posture makes all the difference

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 10:44am

i just wondered what you came up with to do for exercising, i walk my dog, will start swimming
[but with my 19mth old} as soon as the weather picks up, i am also in Curves, when i have time to go.. anything different you could suggest?? dont want to overdo things but would like to do something!

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 10:52am

i think i read you are expecting baby number 2, i was just wondering how things are with the pregnancy, i was told not to carry another baby with this prolapse but have been told on this site you can actualy do it... just wondered how its going?

ATS

January 14, 2008 - 3:07pm

I am not sure if your last 2 posts ended up under the correct topic?

I just wanted to point it out incase you don't get a response from the person you were intending.

A

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 3:40pm

thought i was asking two women two questions, if i click on their name and reply should that work? is there a different way to do it?...oh just noticed i sent one to wrong lady,
thanks

ATS

January 14, 2008 - 3:44pm

If you click on their username you will get their user profile and if there is a tab "Contact" then they have allowed e-mail access and you can contact them direct. Otherwise you can start a new thread by clicking on "post new forum topic" which you will find under each of the forum headings i.e. food, bodywork, lifestyle, pelvic health etc. You could head up your post with their username to bring their attention to it.

I hope I have explained that well. Does it make sense?

A

ronshel30

January 14, 2008 - 3:48pm

i just noticed both were wrong im silly and tired at this stage!!! it really feels like people care here and i can speak my mind, more than with friends, they dont understand

ATS

January 14, 2008 - 3:56pm

I'm tired too. Had an argument with hubby earlier and I went out for a few hours by myself. Now he definately does not understand or even try to understand how I am feeling, so I come here. We are all in the same boat and nobody else understands our frustration, discomfort and upset better and there is nothing like a few comforting and uplifting words.

I'm actually sat in bed whilst typing this - its not even 10 o'clock yet but its been a long day.

I hope you contact and get responses from the ladies you were trying to talk to.

Speak soon.

A

Rainey

February 9, 2008 - 9:20am

Hi Stella.
I just joined and posted today.
I have been diagnosed with RECTOCELE and want to walk on my treadmil and workout on my homegym. The doctor says it is ok .
Please see my posting today. (i explained my situation there)
I would apprecite any information about exercise.
Thanks, Rainey

MeMyselfAndI

February 9, 2008 - 10:28am

Is good in the posture - Personally i dont think i would use the trampoline as its a bit bangy - lol

But walking or other stuff i would do...

I would also avoid surgery and read the book

:-)

Sue

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

stella

February 9, 2008 - 12:56pm

Welcome, Rainey
I am also new at this and just finding my way...I am learning the posture and from what all of these ladies here say who do it, that is the most important factor in all of this...so I would say listen to your body and do the exercise in the correct posture. I have found that my body tells me what I can/cannot do. Can't jump, can walk but sometimes my crotch feels achy after a long one, some days I can run and some days I can't...yoga and chi kung always seems good...my cycle affects how much I can do as well...
good luck!