just had pessary fitted not sure its in the right position

Submitted by mumof2 on September 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Body: 

Hi Hope someone can help.I'll give you a quick history of my problem. I've been suffering with a moderate cystocele for just over 18 months since the birth of my 2nd child, dragging feeling when I walk, can't pick heavy items up etc, no incontinence. I first saw a consultant 4 months ago who said see how you get on with exercises and if you want to have a pessary/ring fitted at the next appt we'll fit one. He also said he didn't recommend surgery at present and that a ring would relieve my symptoms so that I could get on with life and that it wouldn't interfere with intercourse.
Anyway, I saw a different consultant today who said the total opposite to the first one, saying surgery was inevitable and that he normally wouldn't recommend a pessary to someone my age (39) but fits them to elderly ladies and that having one would make sex impossible. I told him I wasn't in a position to have surgery at the moment and could I give a ring a try. He fitted me with one at 3pm today and I'm not sure whether its in properly.it isn't hurting at all but seems very low.
When I went to the loo I inserted my finger and could feel it within an inch of the opening lying parallel to the vagina wall, I was under the impression that it should fit further up and be 'out of the way' If I leave it as it is then I think sex would be virtually impossible.
maybe I got the wrong impression about pessaries and it is in ok and I guess I went today thinking it would be a miracle cure, i'm hoping that it isn't in the right place because it's not going to be practical. All I really want is to be able to go walking again and pick my kids up without that awful dragging feeling.
PLEASE Can anyone answer the following???'s
Do you think it has slipped down?
Can I take it out and reinsert at will?
Is anyone wearing one that is successful?
many thanks

mommynow

September 2, 2008 - 1:52pm

I haven't had a pessary inserted yet but there are lots of posts by women that have. There was even a really detailed post by someone once about how to insert it yourself and take it out. I am sure you will find lots of info if you search through the posts. I have heard some women say that it helped them a lot and others say they don't like them at all. I think it depends on the person. Some have had good success with the sea sponge too. I tried someone's suggestion of using a sport tampon and I used Christine's balm with it when I was going to be walking a bit and it helped me.

louiseds

September 3, 2008 - 4:53am

Hi Mumof2

Like Mommynow, I am not a pessary user either. However there are lots of different types and each has several sizes. Before you write it off I suggest that you go back to the doctor and voice your concerns. Otherwise he will think you are just fine. If you suss out that he is not very comfortable choosing and sizing pessaries I suggest you ask for a referral to a clinic where pessary prescription is common, so they have had more practice.

Having said that, when you initially posted back in March, a couple of members suggested that you learn Wholewoman posture (which is the main component of Wholewoman techniques), and look at your diet, your clothing style and the way you go about your daily tasks. They also suggested that you purchase Christine Kent's book, Saving the Whole Woman, 2nd edition so that you can understand why these techniques work.

Just wondering if you have done these things, or have not got around to them yet? Even a correctly fitted pessary will be of limited use if you do not amend your posture, clothing and lifestyle. I am not attacking you here, but I am wondering if you have tried these things and are still having difficulty six months later.

We can help you to master the posture and make other suggestions, but we do need to know what you have already done, and whether it made any difference.

Call back and let us know.

Cheers

Louise

mumof2

September 3, 2008 - 4:28pm

yes I did follow up the suggestions re posture, diet clothing etc but unfortunately there hasn't been any improvement plus with 2 small children I haven't been able to give it the attention it really deserves, I am currently losing weight and do take as much care as I can with the never ending hope that things will 1 day improve. Having read the other reply I shall also try wearing a tampon for long walks etc...
I have removed the pessary tonight as it was causing me to bleed and was worrying me.
I thankyou for replying to my query and i shall also try and find other peoples posts in the hope that any info I can glean will help me to live with this.
Thanks

mumof2

September 3, 2008 - 4:35pm

Thanks, I had been wondering whether a tampon may help for long walks and the like and shall certainly give it a try. I'm not really comfortable with the thought of a pessary inside me all the time but thought I'd try it. Some days I don't suffer too much at all from the 'bulge' so the tampon idea may be just the thing. I shall certainly search the posts on here for more ideas. I think i panicked a bit yesterday as I'd built up a 'miracle' cure in my mind and was disappointed. I'm feeling more positive today.
many Thanks

granolamom

September 3, 2008 - 4:47pm

hi mumof2

that statement caught my eye

I can't tell you how many times I *knew* I needed to pay more attention to my body and ignored it because I've got a bunch of kiddos who need me more than I need me. or so I thought. my body started falling apart, piece by piece, as if to say, oh yeah, can you STILL ignore me?? until I said enough is enough, I need - and my children need - me to prioritize my health.
and so I did. with all that it took almost a full year until I saw measurable change in my prolapse. well worth the effort and the wait though, because the positive changes haven't stopped. it keeps getting better and better. and my children have not suffered. in fact I think (or would at least like to think) that they have learned some very valuable lessons, like that Mom is not only their mother, but a person with needs, and that its important to take active steps towards keeping oneself healthy.
now I'm not saying you aren't paying attention to yourself or that your children need to learn anything.
just that I think many mothers put themselves last, and that its ok to prioritize our own health once in a while.

this posture and philosophy works best when given a fair shot (meaning given the attention it deserves). I hope you can find a way to do that, only because it worked for me and I'd love it to work for you too.

mommynow

September 3, 2008 - 6:32pm

I think a pessary might help after you have the posture figured out first. The reason I am saying this is because I read a few people that said the pessary worked well for short term use like when you are going to the zoo or something and one woman said it helped her work on the posture because she didn't have the dragging feeling. I would hesitate to use it before having a strong whole woman posture because I think it would be easy to slip into old posture if you didn't have the prolapse feeling reminding you in the beginning to get into posture. It is the posture that will give you long term stability I think. For me it took a long time to learn the posture - actually I just figured it out with help from others. Someone also suggested using two sea sponges too and using a tampon applicator to insert it. I am going to try that as I think that would be more natural than a synthetic tampon. I think the sea sponge didn't work for me before because I couldn't reach far enough.

gotta-get-better

June 27, 2012 - 10:35am

I am currently on the 3rd pessary from my doctor. Hope this one works. How long does it take to get used to this? Tired of not being able to live normally.

Surviving60

June 27, 2012 - 12:50pm

Hi Gotta - Not a user myself, but I know from hanging around this Forum that pessaries can be a major pain to fit. They don't help everyone (especially with rectocele - they can worsen symptoms) and it's important to have one you can take out and clean every night, to let the tissues breathe. If possible, use a pessary for symptom relief when needed, but not all the time. Do you have your uterus? Have you had any repair surgeries? If you haven't already had surgeries, you would be a good candidate for Whole Woman postural work. Check out the site and ask your questions here - Surviving

gotta-get-better

June 27, 2012 - 1:10pm

Had a total hyesterectomy 12 years ago. Have had several falls that appear to have brought me to this point. Not confident in doctor that is treating me but have no health insurance so not many options available to me at this point. Even though I have told doctor that I can feel it he will not order a smaller one.

Carolyn1952

February 24, 2015 - 10:21pm

For those out there who are having difficulty with a pessary fitting. I had the same problem with the doctor fitting it and then having it "crown" stick out slightly a little bit later. All you have to do is push on the part that is slightly sticking out back up/in and towards the front of your pubis until it pops/slips behind the pubic bone and then it will stay in place. Hope this is helpful!