New to all this, going through hard time

Submitted by madsmom on November 16, 2009 - 8:55am
Body: 

Well here is my story (sorry if it's too long) I delievered my daughter just over a year ago. Had a great pregnancy, labor went well, pushed for 45mins and remember looking up at my doctor and saying "yay, no stitches right? that was nothing!!" ......Yeah right. I thought it was all fine and then I started to bleed really bad. The doctor stitched for about a hour, then called in the gyno to continue to stitch for another PAINFUL 45mins. internally. They thought I had damage to my bladder (I don't know if I did or not) and had to wear a catather as well. About 3 months post-partum I noticed a bulgy feeling down below..almost like a air bubble feel is the best way I can describe it. So I got a little curious and decided to take a look in the mirror and could see a bulg prudruding. I was scared!! I mentioned this to my doctor and they did a internal vaginal exam. Noticed no prolapse just said the uterus felt a little "bulky" but would send me for a regular ultrasound and trans vaginal ultrasound to be sure. In the mean time I should note I continued to have that "air bubble" feel down there, and lot's of bladder pressure. I was peeing a lot more than usual..and it always felt like I had to pee after I stood up. Went for the ultrasounds and everything came back fine!! I don't know what else this could be. Now for the last 2 days I am constantly feeling full bladder, burning to pee and tested no urine infections. I am now 1.5 month pregnant again and starting to feel so uncomfortable I don't even want to stand because I just feel so full..I'm so upset because I can't get any answers at any doctors, and no one else to talk to. Dose anyone know what this could be??

louiseds

November 16, 2009 - 10:09pm

Hi Madsmom

I'm not a doctor but ...

Your story is a familiar one. It sounds like you sustained some serious damage during the first birth, and it sounds like you still don't have a good idea of what exactly happened. First step would be to find out from your notes in the hospital records exactly what happened and what was done. Sometimes in the excitement of a new baby the details of what was done 'down there' are not important, but you now want to try and make sense of what the doctors and the tests are saying, and there seems to be some inconsistency.

I have a lot of respect for doctors in some ways, but many of them do not know a lot about POP, especially if they do mainly obstetrics and not much gynaecology. Many of them still say that young women don't get POP, and it is often this lack of experience that lets them down, or else they are in denial as a way of protecting their own holy, infallible reality (IMO).

No doubt you were examined lying down. Had you been examined standing up they might have seen a completely different picture. YOu know there is something wrong. If they cannot see it, they are not looking for the right things, and are unable to interpret what they can see and feel.

Having said that, you went into this pregnancy as a woman whose body had experienced pregnancy and labour and birth. The first time your body was in its 'virginal' form, all tight and high. Different story this time, eh? Some of the heaviness you are feeling could be just the normal sagging that happens after a woman has a baby. You won't have felt that before, while pregnant. And you were only 10 months or so postpartum when you became pregnant again, so your body was well short of the two years it takes for all the significant reversion to happen. ie your body is still recovering from the first pregnancy and birth.

It will get better once your uterus rises out of the pelvis but it will probably get uncomfortable again in late pregnancy.

You are certainly not the first woman to fall pregnant before baby is 12 months old, and you won't be the last. Think of this as a temporary state. Get cracking on your WW posture. Pay plenty of attention to keeping your bowels light during the pregnancy, and then during lactation, with plenty of fibre and water. Lots of fruit and veg and healthy foods. I am sure you will be fine in the longer term. Keep posting as your pregnancy progresses.

OOOoooo! Another WW baby on the way! How exciting.

Cheers

Louise

madsmom

November 19, 2009 - 6:26am

Just thought I would update. Having all this trouble now since Sunday morning with burning in the urethra area and unable to fully empty bladder (now burning in pelvic bone area) I finally got a pelvic exam tuesday. I made my doctor do a internal with me standing as well. After all the exams, ultrasounds etc he finally found my bulge!!!!!!! I was told it is a extra flap of skin, a dropping of me vaginal wall. He didn't use the term prolapse, but I am assuming he means a vaginal prolapse? Luckily he said it wasn't an organ prolapse. He said I can have surgery done after I deliver this baby, if I am all finished having children..which I will be. However, after all that and urine dip tests I am completly normal..which doesn't explain why I am having a burning in my pelvic bone area and a little trouble fully emptying my bladder. On amoxil but don't see any major improvement. Has anyone with prolapse experienced this symptoms early in their pregnancy?? If so, did it ever go away? How did you cope? I must also note "my bulge" I have noticed about 9 months ago, so I'm so happy to finally have a diagnosis :):)

davemayamom

November 19, 2009 - 7:55am

Hi Madsmom,

Your problem sounds quite similar to mine when I was pregnant with my second. I had lots of bladder infection symptoms, but no bladder infection. Fullness, urgency and burning. My symptoms started around 17 weeks. I had no idea what it was as I did not know this could happen, and had no symptoms after my son's birth. 2 GP's diagnosed me with a vaginal varicose vein; it took a gynae to diagnose me with a urethrocele. At around 16 weeks I felt something move and had this very urgent need to use the bathroom. In retrospect, I now know that that was my bladder tipping. Not long after, I could feel "something" down that. That "something" was my urethra. I had lots of discomfort/bladder infection symptoms til' I was about 24 weeks pregnant. Things then started to subside. Things got worse (for me) around weeks 33 1/2 til delivery. I felt SOOO much better after. Yes, I still have some visible vaginal rugae, but no other bladder infection symptoms, and mosty I don't feel it.........Pee on all 4's everyday, use lots of natural lubrication to prevent irritation, and I wore a prenatal cradle plu and a V2 supporter. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. Chin up, it will get better!