recently diagnosed with rectocele and scared!!

This prolapse business sucks, no? It's scary, depressing, etc. I never heard of it, either. And don't "blame" yourself!! I'm no expert, and am dealing (healing!!) with a post partum cystocele instead of a rectocele, but here are a few hopeful/helpful things I've come across on this site:

1. Learn the standing and sitting postures in the FAQs. Get the DVD if you can for good tips/explanations/safe excercise. These will help tremendously.

2. I doubt you'll need surgery -- especially a hysterectomy to fix a rectocele!!. As Christine said, there is nothing but hope for young women in the post partum period. Most every post partum woman I've come across here has improved by at least two grades, if not more. There are women who have improved without being post partum. It takes a long time, and some work, but it does happen.

3. The prevalent advice seems to be to wait at least 'till 12 months after birth (maybe even 18) before you think your prolapse is in a state of permanence. I know that the UK considers healing opportunity for a year post partum; Chinese culture recognizes two years. Also, most women seem to report that they are at their worst at 3 months pp, and then things begin to improve.

4. Read old posts here. I think a lot of women improve and stop posting, and the few die hards who remain can only answer the same questions so many times. You will learn so much from old posts -- I did! You may be especially interested in those by alemama. She also has four kids and a rectocele that she dramatically reversed before her fourth.

5. I can only speak for my own experience here, but my cystocele is sooo very much better now at 7 months pp than at 5 weeks when I found it. So I know that things can get better. How much . . . only time will tell. It may be something I'll have to be mindful of forever, but at this point, I can see that it's not going to limit my life.

6. Don't get constipated, and don't strain when you do go. This seems to be the "golden rule" :-)

There are others here more knowledgeable than I, and I'm sure they will weigh in shortly.

Best wishes and welcome.

No retention of stool. no aching in your perineum, no back pain or tailbone pain?
If so why the heck would they recommend surgery? How weird is that? So you have a little bulge- gee let's sign you right up for some vaginal surgery. And what is wrong with your uterus? NOTHING. But hey, let's take it out just for fun.
Ok I'll try to stop being sarcastic now- this story just ticks me off.
badmirror is right- you have so so so much time to heal that bulge (which by the way if that is your only symptom what is the big deal? right? ) I felt amazingly well at 15 months postpartum.
Use the search engine here to get more information and keep asking questions. But don't worry. Prolapse isn't life threatening. You can chase after your kiddos no problem.

First, congrats on your beautiful baby!!!

Secondly, it's really important to let go of this "if only i hadn't..." it only stops the healing, and adds to the upset (i know, trust me!). POP is upsetting. I found there was a whole mourning process about my body, me as a woman, the whole works. But once i got through that, it helped so much with moving on into the healing zone, and realising i could live with this.

Thirdly, things can change so much, so give it time (and lots of prolapse friendly actions, like badmirror suggested.). It's such early days, and I'd try to rest when you can (with 4 kids...), lie down a few times a day, start the posture, and be sure everything you can is prolapse friendly.

My prolapses arrived around 3 weeks--one after another. I'm in the UK, and the doctors saw me and then said they wouldn't see me again till after a year at least. And that there would be a ton of healing in that year.

I've actually found that there was a ton of healing in the first two years. the most dramatic between about 4 and 9 months, but then little leaps after that. I"m now 2 1/2 years on and I do run after my kids, go hiking, go dancing... and i still get little improvements.

I don't lift heavy things (other than a 2 1/2 year old...), try to avoid constipation like the plague--that's the killer--and spend time on my hands and knees. I started Christine's DVD a few months ago and that really really helped as well. For bulgy days I sometimes wear a tampon or sea sponge ( both not for early Post Partum period!) and am able to manage it well.

so, have some reassurances--it can get so much better & probably will.

one good thing about being in the UK is they don't offer our surgery easily. Everyone i saw said you are better living with it if you can--surgery is only if it is really really affecting your lifestyle. and no one mentioned hysterectomy to me even with a really bad Rect and Cysto and mild uterine prolapse.

keep reading here, and keep asking questions... We have and do ask anything and everything.

Kiki

Hi 518

Congratulations on your new baby. Sorry to hear that your rectocele popped down to say hello. Your other symptoms probably mean that it has been there for a while and the box lifting just annoyed it enough to make an appearance. Reading between the lines your baby is still only a few weeks old, so you have at leasts a year of major normal reversion after the pregnancy, before you will be anywhere near normal on the inside. Yes, it will revert, all by itself to some degree at least.

I think your doctor saw you coming! I too had a doctor who wanted my uterus. I have only had three tenants and the uterus itself is in good shape. I couldn't really see the point in bringing in the wrecking ball because the ligaments holding the uterus would be handy for him to tack my bladder onto. No thankyou!. He could go and do his property development somewhere else, as far as I was concerned.

I am sure you will be fine. With the other symptoms, I think the rectocele would have manifested at some time anyway. At least you know now what you are dealing with, and you have found a heap of women who know exactly what you are talking about.

We have quite a few mothers of 'young litters' here, who face the same challenges as you do over the next few years. I am sure they will pipe with advice about managing babies, toddlers and POPs. They are very inspiring and grounded women. Catch you next time.

BTW, you will find the FAQ's of the site on the homepage of Wholewoman. That's where the basics of Wholewoman posture are written.

Louise