THE PAIN FELT LIKE LABOUR PAINS

Submitted by skydiver on September 24, 2009 - 6:33am
Body: 

I was in such pain I went to Accident and Emergency. I'd had the pain for about a week. I suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and was beginning to think somehow my symptoms had changed and that was the cause of the pain. It started like a mild period pain and gradually grew worse until it felt like I was in labour. I haven't had a period for five years.

I was examined at Accident and Emergency and was told nothing could be seen to be wrong. I saw my own doctor two days later and told him I thought I had suffered a prolapse. He discussed with me all the treatments and finally he examined me.

He seemed shocked when he saw the condition I was in. I examined myself and felt a lump at my cervix and also the entrance to my vagina felt narrower. He said I must have been very uncomfortable and I told him it was agony. He said the only treatment for me would be surgery. He wrote to the hospital and told me to wait for an appointment.

I was taking co-codamol 30/500mg three times a day by this time. I spent most of the day lying down because standing was so painful. Lying down flat was the only thing that eased the pain. I was on this amount of medication for almost two weeks when I started feeling sick so slowly I weaned myself off the painkillers. I then took anti-inflammatory pills.

I've had my initial hospital appointment and I was told that the prolapse wasn't so bad. The doctor couldn't tell me why I'd been in such pain. She recommend I try physiotherapy before surgery. The doctor told me there's no guarantee the exercises will work. I am willing to try. Unfortunately I have to wait eight weeks to see the physiotherapist.

I've stopped lifting heavy items. Stopped cutting the lawns. Stopped carrying a basket full of laundry. The heaviest thing I lift is a 2 litre carton of milk. Stopped going for long walks. I'm sitting down as often as I can. I would say I now feel discomfort rather than in pain at this time. My doctor has told me swimming won't make it any worse so I'm going back to the gym next week.

What I want to know is - Has anyone else had the severe pain when the prolapse occurred? I still find it uncomfortable to bend down in certail positions. I can feel something inside causing pressure. Does anyone else suffer in this way? How did you carry on with day to day living in the early days? How can I prevent any more damage to myself because of the wait I have for physiotherapy?

louiseds

September 24, 2009 - 10:07pm

Hi Skydiver

You certainly have had a hard and scary time. I have not had the level of pain you have had. Looks like you drew the short straw. Just because the doctor discovered your POPs doesn't necessarily mean that this is what is causing the pain, however it might be. The immediate suggestion of surgery would be par for the course. There is very little else that doctors can offer in the field of medicine, and, well, surgery, which they are trained in.

Yes, the vaginal opening does seem smaller, or rather more crowded, because your pelvic organs are now filling it. The lump at your cervix is more worrying though. When you say you haven't had a period for 5 years, do you mean that you are 5 years postmenopause, or that you are younger and there is something else going on? As I understand it, a lump at the cervix is not normal. Postmenopause, the cervix flattens against the vaginal wall and is often quite difficult to find. However, did you mean that your cervix was like a lump protruding from your vagina during the examination? This happened to me a couple of years ago. It was like the late Michael Jackson's nose poking down. Now my cervix is tucked away inside again, and I seem to have stopped menstruating at 56yo, it has gone flat against the vaginal wall again. So there is hope for you.

Just wondering what you have done, apart from the painkillers, then the anti-inflammatories. Hopefully you will be able to ditch these too in time. There are some women on the Forums who take anti-inflammatories for various reasons. No doubt they will contribute to this topic eventually.

I suggest that you visit the FAQ's on the main website and learn how to get your body into Wholewoman posture. Pelvic organ prolapse happens when the supportive fascia becomes stretched or damaged, and less able to keep your organs where they belong. Good posture is the backup. It will move your bladder and uterus forward, over the pubic bones, instead of over the vagina where they are prone to going down the plughole again. It might take a while to adjust your posture, so the sooner you start the better.

The other thing to do is have a feel inside your vagina and become familiar with what you find with your fingers, and the sensations you experience. Use a mirror to have a look. Try it lying down, front and back, and standing and sitting, and notice the differences. As you are having pain this might be difficult. Make yourself comfortable. Go slow. Getting to know the lie of the land down there is very important so you can understand what is happening and respond accordingly. You might not feel OK about doing this. Be assured, that it is your body, and you can do anything you like with it. Doctors are not the only ones who can feel around in there. ;-)

You could also try doing exercises that will move your organs back to where they should be, so you can keep them there with WW posture. These organs are quite mobile inside the pelvic cavity. Bending over with slightly bent knees from the hip joints, and belly between the thighs, will help gravity to assist in moving your uterus and bladder 'up' and away from the vaginal entrance. Jiggling your knees around to assist the pelvic organs to move around and settle into new positions will also help. If you feel air entering the vagina you will know you have succeeded in moving the organs. Later, you can buy Saving the Whole Woman, where you can learn firebreathing which is Christine Kent's more sophisticated technique for repositioning your organs. There is also the yoga move called nauli which many women find is useful, but it takes a bit of mastering.

With a drier menopausal vagina, the walls sometimes seem to stick together and prevent the organs from repositioning themselves. Using a vaginal lubricant or moisturiser will help the walls move smoothly over each other.

I am hoping that some of these things will get your pelvic cavity better organised and might alleviate your pain. No guarantees on alleviating the pain, but you have to start somewhere. Here's hoping. Call back later and let us know how you go. It may take some time to experience improvement, but you might get immediate response.

Thinking of you.

Louise

granolamom

September 24, 2009 - 10:11pm

this type of severe pain isnt' commonly described with prolapse. at least not from what I've read/heard. I wonder if there isn't something else going on? especially since by your description "lump at your cervix & narrower vagina" doesn't sound like a severe prolapse.

if all it is is a prolapse, then read up on the faqs here and start the posture asap. avoid constipation. I'd definitely try this before surgery. especially since your pain sounds different than what women typically describe. makes me nervous thinking about a surgeon going in to do 'prolapse surgery' when possibly there's something else causing this pain.

and of course, you know that I'm no doctor. so I could be totally off here.
just my thoughts.
in any case, I hope your pain subsides. it sounds awful.

skydiver

September 27, 2009 - 12:33pm

Thanks ladies for your input. I really appreciate it. It is now six weeks since the week-end of the worse pain. I am pain free now. I've started doing pelvic floor exercises but am very interested in changing my posture to further improve my situation. I am postmenopausal. Was told in 2001 that I was perimenopausal. The last two years have been the worst for hot flushes and tiredness. Always having to remind myself to rest. Getting better at that.

louiseds

September 27, 2009 - 10:54pm

Hi Skydiver

Great to hear that the pain has basically gone. Very worrying when that sort of thing happens. I had something similar, but only on two occasions, a couple of years ago. Peri/menopause does weird things. We could be off to the doctor every week with something new! They all seem to pass eventually, but they could easily be something not menopause-related. Women in perimenopause must be one of the medical fraternity's cash cows.

How are you going with the anti-inflammatories?

L