Remember me anyone?

Submitted by zoeUK on February 29, 2008 - 4:18am
Body: 

Hello all,

I haven't been on the forum for a good 6 months I think.

I discovered my Cystocele days after giving birth to my son (almost 9 months ago now!) and this was confirmed by my GP a few weeks later. I have been wearing a ring pessary for the past 7 ish months which I found helped immensely and enabled me to (almost) forget about my problem most of the time.

It's taken this long for me to see a consultant and I had a 'consultation' about a month ago now. I was diagnosed with cystocele and also a small rectocele. I thought I may have a rectocele too as I sometimes have trouble eliminating the last bit of a bowl movement.

The consultant offered me nothing aside from surgery - she had NO advice on anything else and couldnt give me any figures or percentages of successful surgery or how many women need subsequent ops.

When my husband asked her about possible side effects she said very nochalantly (sp?)
"Oh the surgeon may take too much tissue away and you wouldn't be able to have intercourse". !!!

Needless to say she only confirmed my lack of faith in a surgical solution!

I politely declined her offer to hack me up and left with 2 new pessaries.

I am wondering if the use of the ring pessary may have contributed to the rectocele as I had no sign of one (according to my Gp who admittedly wasnt very experienced in prolapse at all) before I started wearing the pessary. Of course it could have been there waiting to happen anyway...I just wish someone was experienced enough to give me an answer on whether or not I should continue to use the ring or whether it may cause the rectocele to worsen?

I feel let down by the NHS who only have surgery as an option for me. Does anyone know a good Dr. in the UK? I would be willing to travel for a consultation for someone who could examine me and give lifestyle advice and advise re the pessary.

My brother is a herbalist and when I can afford the herbs he has some great ideas for douches and the like. He has also suggested a 'slant board' has anyone else heard this will help with prolapse, or any experience of them?

Aside from the Medical run down....I am coping much better with this prolapse business now. I have been through the grief...through the walking on egg shells and lifting virtually nothing...through the 'sod it, I'll lift whatever I want, whenever I want and if my inards fall out so be it!!' phase and am now onto a more balanced 'live my life, but try to heal myself in the process' phase!

I know I have to live with this, I know I can live with this and I know that it can improve or worsen and to a certain extent that's in my hands...

My Son is an angel and my little girl (now 3!) is starting play school next week - Life is good! Prolapse isnt ruling it!

I look forward to 'chatting' to you ladies who helped me so much in the first months, I look forward to my journey of 'alternative' therapies and passing on anything I find helps to you!

Love,
Zoe x

ATS

February 29, 2008 - 5:13am

I think I joined the forum a few months after you. My prolpase happened when my daughter was about 14 months old. I am about 4-5 months into this now and have real ups and downs with both the prolapse and mood swings. I have prolapse of all three, it was my uterus that first alerted me to something being wrong as it is lying on my bladder and squishing it and caused a very heavy feeling, that feeling did disappear for awhile but has just recently returned and I am going nuts with it. I have thought many times about a pessary but have concerns about using one so haven't gone that route yet.

It sounds like you have reached an acceptance of everything now and are learning to live with it. Well done. I wish I could reach that stage but I am still so darn angry with it all and when its bad like it is at the moment I am beside myself as to what to do. I am a bit housebound right now due to the pressure and am hoping its just my period due and things will shift when it arrives.

I am also in the UK and have only seen a gynocologist once back in November when he couldn't find anything wrong. I didn't actually have a cystocele or rectocele back then but it was only a matter of time before they arrived! Did you get your pessaries through your GP? Did they allow you to take them in and out youself? I know that doctors in the UK like to be the ones to insert and remove these things but I feel that is unfair as I want to control that.

What herbal rememdies does your brother recommend?

Sorry for all the questions but I am interested.

Nice to meet you.

Anita

granolamom

February 29, 2008 - 8:39am

I remember you, and its so nice to hear that you're doing well. those babies grow up so fast don't they? my little guy's a month older than your little one. one day you're holding a tiny newborn and then you blink and they're pulling to stand and splashing in the toilet.

your experience at the dr's made me laugh, I'm sorry, but it did. side effects of surgery? oh nothing much, just lifelong celibacy for you. hey - what's a little intercourse anyway?

well, thank G-d you've found ways to manage this and it sounds like you are well on the road to healing. I dont know anything about slant boards and I'm also wondering about the herbs.

zoeUK

February 29, 2008 - 1:39pm

Hi Anita,
Thanks for introducing yourself. Sounds like you're having a tough time of it at the moment ((hugs))
Re the pessary. Yes I got one through my GP after researching non surgical 'remedies' on the web. The GP didnt have much choice about me inserting and taking it out myself. I TOLD them I was going to do it...It's my body after all! The GP said 'oh no, we have to do it' but when I asked 'why?' she had no response so case closed LOL. I did get another GP to check it was in right for me and he said it was virtually impossible to put a ring one in wrong so voila. When I use it, I take it out at night 9 times out of 10. My 'consultant' asked me why as if I was mad and I said simply - I dont need it at night so why have it inside me?! Also although you are supposed to be able to have intercourse with a ring pessary in - for me that would be impossible as it doesnt lie the way it does in all the diagrams in reality it's much more vertical...and lets just say my husband may be in pain should he try - those things are quite hard!!
It's a little tricky to insert a ring one until you get confident with your own body and realise youre not going to damage yourself by putting a relatively big item up through a relatively small passage LOL. You just need to relax as best you can and give yourself plenty of time to get used to it. After the first few times I found it incredibly easy as once you have got it almost folded in half and up past the vagina, your body (or at least mine does!) kind of sucks into place.

As for the herbs - I dont know what he has in mind yet - he did tell me but it wasnt any I'd heard of and so it went in one ear and out of the other. I just know they will cost over £100 to buy and that's wholesale! I have complete trust in him though he's a great herbal practitioner and got me through bad PND with a herbal remedy (with my first child).

Hoping youre feeling lighter soon!
Zoe x

zoeUK

February 29, 2008 - 1:43pm

I remember you too :-)

I know! Can you believe that Consultant? Nothing major then just NO SEX ever again!!!

You should seen my hubby's face bless him it was almost as bad as when he read that the surgical 'cure' for older severe prolapse sufferers is to sew up the vaginal opening!

My little man hasnt discovered the joys of loo splashing yet (thank goodness) but we did find him splishing around in his sisters potty LOL! Ewww.

Take care,

I will keep you posted on the herbal side of things....

kiki

March 3, 2008 - 2:19pm

Hi Zoe,
of course we remember you!!!
I was having a few thoughts...
the first is that even 9 months on, there's still room for things to improve. I'm 14months pp and up until a year was having major improvements. now it feels like it's stabilised, but in a place that i can get on with it so i can't complain.

herbs...i've tried lots of things, so good luck with that! i had great luck with homeopathy--felt a bit of lifting each time. i also used Chinese herbs and again, had great success--really felt a difference. so i really believe they can help.

re doctor...i saw a great consultant in London right at the beginning, who was very positive, and said he wouldn't see me again till 1 year PP or when i stopped breastfeeding, whichever was later. he also said that really, i was better off living with this if i could, but surgery was there if I couldn't--and he is a specialist!!! however, decide his fabulousness, i wouldn't say he had a lot to say about lifestyle. he did however refer to a great physio who i really found great regarding discussing things like diet etc, and she's offered me tons of moral support. but i have to say, most of the lifestyle info i've gotten from right here...

so not sure what you are looking for, but i can give you either details if you'd like. the physio has been doing this for years, so she's great at seeing what is going on, even with you lying flat on your back...

just let me know if you think either would be of use.

Kiki

ATS

March 3, 2008 - 2:39pm

Can you e-mail me the details you mention in your post for both the specialist and physio. I would also be interested to know what herbs and homeopathic remedies you used.

Many thanks.

Anita

kiki

March 3, 2008 - 2:45pm

Hi Anita,
I will email you.

re homeopathic: first i took Hellonius 30 1x a week (though i think we decided to do it fortnightly as i felt a lift for about two weeks, then it would wear off) for about 10 weeks.
then she moved me onto sepia 30, 1x every 10 days. this is the more common remedy, and is one that works on hormones (taking it right now for my lichen sclerosis based on christine's work around this).

re the herbs. eek, my accupuncturist made me a formula. i'll ask her when i see her if it's based on a standard on--i think it may be.

kiki

zoeUK

March 4, 2008 - 4:16am

Hi Kiki,
thanks for your reply.
I'd love the name of your specialist & physio. Were they on the NHS or Private?

I just feel I haven't really spoken to anyone medical yet who specialises in prolapse at all. The consultant was just a butcher in disguise (sorry if it sounds harsh) had no people skills, offered no advice on the condition, what causes it, how to live with it, whether it could still improve etc... Just didnt inspire any kind of confidence at all.

I think to help me towards living and managing this I need to speak to a 'medical professional' who at least knows of women who live and manage their prolapses - someone who has a little experience...probably a physio would have more of a clue on the lifestyle side of things.

This site is great for lifestyle advice but I want to see someone face to face to discuss it if you know what I mean. I think it would help make it real.

Not sure if that makes sense.

Right gotta go pick my daughter up from her first ever morning at nursery...she looks so sweet in her little uniform. They do grow so quick and every day I am reminded that the prolapse is so inconsequential compared to my little people.

Zoe x