Cystocele- Maybe Rectocele also? This is frickin' annoying! I am only 29!

Body: 

I am new here. I am 29 years old. I have given birth to 6 children, 4 of whom were born naturally, 2 born via cesarean.
After this last birth {15 months ago} I felt like things were "different" down there... it felt like something was falling out or trying to fall out. I did kegels like crazy and it hasn't seemed to help much. Just this month right before I started my period, I noticed that everything felt even lower than before. I was afriad to walk and not lay down. I did a self exam to check my cervix and I could not figure out where my cervix was {I used to do FAM so I could always find my cervix without a problem and knew what it felt like} but this time it was like being in a foreign country. Nothing felt normal and I was worried. It felt like everything was right there in my vagina. I was 6 days late starting my period, major pain in my lower back almost like I was in early labor or something. I went and finally got checked. It turns out hat the ARNP said I had a cystocele {she 'thinks'} she said it could be a rectocele but she wasn't sure. She had be bear down twice so she could feel better. After I bore down like that, it felt like things moved down even more. She recommended a laprascopic surgery to put in a sling that would pull the bladder up into place. Having had enough surgery in my lifetime, I am leery when that is the first thing offered as treatment for this. I don't want it to happen again. So what else can I do besides kegels? Should I be doing something else? i have looked around on this website and I am unclear as to what kinds of exercises I need to be doing. I really want to avoid surgery if possible. If that's my only choice for relief I will take it, but in the meantime I don't know what else to do.
Any and all help is appreciated!

Thanks,
bookwormmama

welcome to the site
sorry you had need to seek us out, but you're in the right place.
we are avoiding surgery here. there's plenty else you can be doing aside from kegels, which in my book, dont' help much anyway.

first thing, get the book, and make sure its the second edition. the book really illustrates and explains what a prolapse is, how it develops, how you can stabilize and/or reverse it, and how you can do almost anything you want even with it. this is important to know, because as you've seen with the RN, the medical community is sorely lacking in helpful information.

next, make sure your bowels are happy. constipation is your nemesis, avoid straining on the toilet. again, as you noticed, bearing down pushes your pelvic organs further into the canal. no good.

you mentioned you did a self exam, just wondering, do you mean you just felt around, or are you referring to 'the prolapse self exam' as described on this site? if you haven't already seen the article, go to the homepage, click on articles and then prolapse self exam. this will help you figure out what is prolapsed (uterus, bladder, or rectum).

then learn the posture. the posture moves your organs from a precarious position over a hole to the space in your lower abdomen supported by bone. it also helps reposition the fascial and ligamentous supports, which hold those organs up from above (rather than kegels which supposedly hold them in from below).

know also, that many of us report worsening of symtoms around our periods. whenever my period is late, the bulge feels worse. but it always goes back afterwards.

Your body has nurtured and birthed six babies (incredible!!) so some changes are inevitable. but rarely does surgery have to be the answer. I really think (not that I can honestly promise anything) that you can expect a significant improvement with the posture, exercise and other lifestyle changes advocated here. but realistically, it takes time. some lucky women report drastic improvement in weeks or months. I didn't see a real change for almost a year, and even that was somewhat subtle compared to what some others have experienced. but that's ok, I have no symptoms (aside from mild pressure before my period) and life is good.

hey im only 22 and have birthed 2 babies (both only 7 1/2 lbs)and i have a cystocele and a rectocele....i am new to all this as well and have been very very upset by this....i am 12 wks postpartum and have already noticed some changes some days are good some are not so good and some are horrible....i have changed my diet dramatically and have been working on staying in the posture....if things have already changed just from these 2 changes i have made then i cant wait until i get the book and start changing all the other areas of my life. Its all about taking care of yourself and trusting your body to help you do that