Newbie - Menopausal with Prolapse

Submitted by munchkin_7 on August 31, 2008 - 9:55am
Body: 

Howdy from Texas, everyone - as we are sitting here contemplating the evacuees arriving in front of Hurricane Gustav, hoping the storm doesn't turn, I am also contemplating my health! I went to the doctor yesterday, and was dx'ed with uterine prolapse - I am menopausal - and the nurse practitioner suggested a hysterectomy since I was through having babies. She said my uterus was about an inch from my cervix, and was ready to fall through.

First of all, I am a WIMP when it comes to surgery - I have never had any anesthesia at all, except for the dentist, and even that bothers me! So I'm looking at other options.

So, this morning, I started having pain in my right hip area - where the ovaries are ... and that dropping sensation again ... I decided to feel up inside and yep, there is a lump there, but it seems to be farther down from what I can tell. Scared me to death!

I can't feel a thing when I'm walking along or even sitting, but I seem to have a lot more discharge for some reason. Some of this could also be b/c of the pelvic exam yesterday, so I don't know. She scraped me pretty hard and I was bleeding. Hope that's not TMI!

I have heard about www.wholewoman.com and also the exercises www.t-tapp.com - the Organs in Place exercise. I am bound and determined to learn to live with this at worst, or mitigate the progression and/or reverse it at best!

I'm glad to know there is a forum out here - I'm pretty freaked out right now, so anyone who can write to me and give me some personal comfort would be helpful.

I'm a little annoyed that my doctor didn't tell me about this sooner - I remember the nurse practitioner saying two years ago that I had a tipped uterus - and then said I didn't have anything to worry about. Last year, they said nothing. So, this just came upon me suddenly with no prior warning, education, or anything. And then to hear the nurse practitioner tell me that surgery is my only option ... !?!?!?!?!? Not to mention she was getting phone calls from her husband during the exam, which I thought was inappropriate.

Anyway, hello everyone - I hope to participate more - I am homeschooling my youngest right now, and two are out of the nest already. I keep hearing about prolapse for younger women - but what about us older'n's?

Take care,

Robin

goldfinch1

August 31, 2008 - 11:02am

Hi Robin:

Welcome to the forum! I am one of the older members - not in length of time as a member (I've been on this forum a little over 1 year) but in age. My uterus prolapsed when I was 58 1/2, so I am definitely in the older 'age' group.

It's noon here in New Jersey, and I'm having guests for dinner tonight, so I'm going to come back tomorrow to talk to you more. Just wanted to say 'hi' and good luck with the terrible hurricane that is heading through the Gulf. We're all praying here for the people who are in it's path.

Till tomorrow,
Goldfinch

'Life is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well'

a6a25725

August 31, 2008 - 12:15pm

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I'll start out by saying that I believe your nurse practitioner is wrong about surgery being your only option.

Imo surgery for prolapse is not necessary, unless it is life threatening. On this forum you can read posts by many women of different ages who have learned to live and manage their prolapses.

I was post menopausal when I discovered mine.

Learn the WW posture. It helps to stabilize your prolapse and has many other benefits. Don't strain on the toilet and avoid constipation. Eat healthy and avoid wearing tight clothing.

Read the FAQ on the main page and buy Christine's book "Saving the Whole Woman," second edition. It will answer many of your questions.

Come back to the forum with any questions you have and someone will try to answer them for you. The women on this forum are great and try to help each other.

Good luck and I hope that Hurricane Gustav dies out before it can cause any problems.

Regards,
Flora.

louiseds

August 31, 2008 - 10:20pm

Hi Robin

I am 55 and in the middle of my body deciding whether or not to keep menstruating. My prolapses started developing about 25 years ago, and I can now make my cystocele, rectocele or cervix peek through my vaginal opening at different times. I have been doing Wholewoman techniques for four years now with great results. All my pelvic organs are tucked away inside my vagina all the time now, sometimes not far inside, but enough inside that I do not get pressure feelings or fullness at all while I keep my activities unhurried and controlled. That is one of the luxuries of being a woman of a certain age! Sometimes they are so far up I cannot feel my cervix at all unless I bear down. You can read my story in the Personal Stories Forum. You can also read what I get up to now in the Heavy Gardening Stuff topic!

Your nurse practitioner gave away her professional status by talking on the phone to her husband during your examination. How dare she! I would give more credibility to the security guy downstairs!

You can use the search box to search all sorts of keywords on the Forums. Try "t-tapp" for a start, before you get too enthusiastic about that! Also visit www.wholewoman.com and check out the FAQ's.

Many women arrive at this site feeling distressed, grief-stricken and pessimistic for the future, but usually have a more positive outlook after a few weeks, and are amazed after a year or two how normal they feel after changing their posture, clothing style, bad food habits, and the way they accomplish POP-challenging everyday tasks. Yes, you have a future, and it will be good!

Yup! There is a very good reason why there is a special Forum about menopause. There are lots of us, and I think it is important for all young women to be able to find out about other women's experiences. They will get there one day if they are lucky and look after themselves. Menopause goes along with death and taxes as life's only certainties if you are born female!

Hope to hear from you again. I send prayers that Gustav will peter out in a place where he can't do too much damage. My heart goes out to all who are affected by him.

Cheers

Louise

deborah

August 31, 2008 - 11:36pm

Hi Robin! I too am awaiting the arrival of Gustav and wonder how it will affect our weather. Just a quick note to say, you DO have options! I am very new to this forum (only days) and after beginning the exercises and posture, I can feel such a difference! My Dr. said I needed surgery and it was my only option. Well, unless it is life threatening, I have learned to be a skeptic when a health professional tells me I do not have any options. I am researching now to find someone in our area who successfully uses pessaries(sp). This is a wonderful site and the women you will find on here extremely informative, intelligent and emphathetic. Read everything you can on here and ask questions. Rest easy in knowing you DO have options and an ability to empower yourself now with INFORMATION! Welcome again!
Deborah

munchkin_7

September 1, 2008 - 10:54am

Thanks for all your support!

Gustav is headed for NOLA so pray that the levees hold! Looks like we might get a rain event from the rain bands, but nothing more.

I am gathering in my support resources. I have a friend in CO who is a midwife, and she gave me some ideas, and I just talked to a friend of mine who treated herself through an auto-immune condition, who is also VERY supportive of me taking charge of this condition. We all need friends like that!

Anyway, I spoke too soon about menopause. I am still perimenopausal b/c I am in the middle of another period, and haven't gone a year without one yet. I'm having them every 3-4 months, but every time, I always think it's the last one.

I am NOT ready to give up my womb to the medical profession, that much I can tell you! Don't want to leave a hole for other things to fall in as well. Pessaries sound a bit scary, too ...

I'm waiting for the book to arrive, want to sort through this T-Tapp stuff (I see the postures are completely different), and the whole woman posture - see if I can deal with this until there is a Whole Woman DVD on the market. While I am fine reading about all of this, and even looking at illustrations, I am a visual-spatial learner and need to SEE someone doing these things in movement. Difficult to know if I'm doing anything right otherwise!

Or do any of you know of ANY exercise videos that support this type of posture, so I can lose weight? I need to lose about 50 pounds. I've already read that yoga and pilates are not helpful, so ... ? Belly dancing maybe? Bollywood? Low impact aerobics?

louiseds

September 2, 2008 - 2:48am

Hi Robin

I am a beginner bellydancer (still after a couple of years of lessons on and off, currently on). We do mainly classical Arabic (Egyptian), Turkish, Cabaret & Folkloric (not American Tribal, which I think is a bit different). My teacher is a classical ballet trained personal trainer who understands what I am trying to do with WW posture and understands anatomy quite well, except that she talks a lot about 'tummy in and butt in and under', which may be the way she is dance trained. On the other hand she accepts that this posture is not for me (for 'medical' reasons which she knows about), and is is helping me to reorientate my legs and feet in order to smooth out the steps and techniques. I am proving that it is possible, as she teaches that the moves come from the knees and feet, rather than from the hips and spine.

There is also a lot of emphasis on bent knees, strengthening thighs and stretching all over properly, before and after dancing. Of course, there is also the free belly movement, which I love. Very little involvement of the back muscles.

Christine Kent thinks that bellydancing doesn't sit well with WW, but I think it can, if your teacher understands what you are trying to do posture-wise.

I find bellydancing very affirming for me as a woman (particularly as an older woman who is not into spunkiness), and the body isolations, particularly the upper body and using the breasts as a dance tool, help me to get better control over the thoracic curve of my spine, and just make me more aware of what I can do with each part of my body. I can really enjoy my body!

I say, "Go for it!", but learn the postural principles first, so you can explain to a teacher what you are trying to do, and why. If you choose a teacher who has some sort of accreditation (physical training) and a good knowledge of anatomy they should be able to understand what you are trying to achieve. I would suggest a female teacher too. At least you share the same type of organs. ;-) Download a brochure from the main website and give it to the teacher to read before you discuss it with her. Let her know about the main Wholewoman website.

Don't worry, you will be able to understand the postural principles when you read more about female musculo-skeletal anatomy in STWW, edition 2. You can also search using the search box. Not sure how you will go, as there are so many posts about posture. There are bits of discussion about different aspects of WW posture all over the Forums.

Cheers

Louise

Clonmacnoise

September 6, 2008 - 7:23am

Welcome Robin,

I don't get here much these days because I'm so busy with school, but I did want you to know that I'm also an older member who has been through many rough times with doctors - so many I have Iatrophobia - a phobia of doctors.

At 57, and through a vicious menopause, I am finally picking up the pieces. The final good shake from menopause, which I call crazypause, left me with at least two prolapses - rectal and bladder.

I struggled with what became a stage three prolapse until I finally started using a tampon 50% of the time. My prolapse is much more controlled now. I can do anything for as long as I want - just like before - without even thinking about the prolapse.

As for exercise, I stopped yoga because it seemed to put a terrible strain on my body. I was miserable because this wonderful exercise does it all. Now, with the help of the tampon, I am back to yoga and beginning to get my old vitality back.

Yoga makes you strong from the core out. You actually use your own body weight as a set of weights. You stretch and build flexibility, stamina, balance, and there is a real sense of personal accomplishment doing yoga. Just keep your Whole Woman posture in every pose. Never tuck anything.

Does a tampon interfere with the Whole Woman experience? It helps dramatically, and a doctor has said, "It's a better pessary than a pessary because it's disposible and you only use it when you need it."

I love my WW posture, my vitality has jumped in leaps and bounds, and I feel GREAT!!! I'm finally really recovering from crazypause with no hurdles!

All this will pass for you in time. It's been about 15 months since I joined this group, and I can tell you that you must take your time, breathe deeply, and start being your own advocate. Anxiety will not help anything. Listen to what other women say here because these women know a heck of a lot more than the usual GP. Not everything will work for you, but some things will, and that's what you want. Keep searching and keep asking. No question is too big or too small.

Prolapse is just another part of your life story. It's not an indication that you need to have your body parts removed, God! Tell that moron with the cell phone to get a clue; in fact, she needs to get several clues.

God bless,

Judy

ChannelD

September 14, 2008 - 1:23pm

Hi Robin;

You are in the exact right place. I came to this forum not too long ago profoundly depressed and unhappy about my newly diagnosed rectocele. I felt I would never have another comfortable moment, indeed that I had had my last comfortable moment already and didn't even realize it to appreciate it! After reading many posts and being replied to with great insight and compassion my quality of life has improved enormously. The postures, the diet and supplement suggestions, a little hint to try Miralax (a stool softener/laxative which has worked WONDERS) for me, different positions on the toilet etc all have helped so much that now I am mostly comfortable and only have a few of the bad times. And the bad times have lost their emotional power over me because now I know they will pass and good times will come again. I think "okay, this is a really bad night for peeing but tomorrow night will be better" and it always is.

I have not heard any good outcomes from the surgery. I think it was Christine who said that those organs are designed to slide past one another and once they are stitched together so there is no more give new and worse problems begin to multiply and that makes sense to me. Read the posts, listen to the advice - some will work for you, some will not. For example a lot of people talk about tampons like they really help and I am sure they do for them but for me they just slide on down and out and are really uncomfortable. On the other hand there are probably plenty of people who tried the Miralax and it didn't help at all. You have to be open to try things and listen to your body as it tells you what does/does not help. You are not alone.

Cynthia