vaginal hysterectomy..or live with it...

Body: 

Good Day ...
vaginal hysterectomy..or live with it... those were the words that my gyn said to me less than 24 hrs ago...I have been since googling the procedure...the complications...recovery,etc...and I did not like what I have read...I stumbled upon this site ..hopefully a "God send" to answer my many questions and maybe give me more choices..
I am a 46 year old pre menopausal nervous wreck....I need some advice....I read on a site that acupuncture could help???...my gyn also wants to do a "cystocele repair" as well as a "rectocele repair".....is there another route to go than surgery????Any help would be very much appreciated....
I have been an avid gym goer for many years...has the weight training been a negative impact ....are there exercises I should avoid?????all the while I thought I was being good to my body..is it possible I was doing more harm???please any advice on where or what to do would be appreciated...
thanks for taking the time to read....

Hi and welcome, Sporty,

The Whole Woman alternative is to help women stabilize, reverse (to a greater or lesser degree, depending upon age and many other factors), and live well with prolapse. The “do nothing” approach is part of the gynecologic strategy to continue to treat these conditions surgically. Your body is calling you to change, and those changes are what make up the Whole Woman work. The pelvic organ support system is a postural system. The organs suspend from the spine and the shape of the spine impacts how the organs are positioned. The classic “suck and tuck” posture of our time slowly dislodges pelvic organs, resulting in prolapse and urinary incontinence. Acupuncture may contribute some small benefit, but the problem is structural and must be addressed primarily by posture and movement.

This postural work is described in a book and three videos, sales of which support the propagation of this information. Currently, we are developing a teacher-training website, which will train Whole Woman teachers to work with women all over the world to stabilize and reverse prolapse naturally.

There is also a good description of the posture on YouTube, many insightful articles up in the Village Post, and, of course, a wealth of information here on these forums.

Wishing you well,

Christine

sporty
I found out I had pop in march 2011, had to wait one month to see gyn he told me I needed a Hysterecyomy and mesh to repare the cystocle and rectocele.I asked how long I could wait he said I couldn't wait it would only get worse. I found this site and read all I could sent for the book and dvd. I checked out other sites also. I have been doing the ww poature and exerices. There have been good days and bad days and some really bad days. Just last week June 17 I woke up and every thing was in place when I walked everything stayed in place, have had great days IT IS WORKING. Give it a try what work for one might not work for all but find out what works for you it is worth the try.
onna

Thanks Christine...for taking the time to respond....I feel already so much better knowing there are others feeling what I am feeling....I am going to try and start with the whole woman posture.....My husband thinks I should opt for the surgery...he is very concerned what will happen if I don't....I really believe I stumbled upon your site for a reason....
God Bless You for caring.....

For example- I did have surgery--- after 3 years of POP---NOW- am so sorry i did-- My back is sensitized where the mesh was sugered. The mesh needed to be removed after it broke loose whre it tethered the upper part of my vagina to the tailbone--

I now (more than 6 years ago) understand postural affect on my abdominal contents and do indeed recommend that you study and practice a change in posture and work at managing the POP . After much damage to my abdomen, I am back at square 1 and as a less WHOLE WOMAN, trying to use a pessary to manage... Ask your husband to be also concerned If you DO have the surgery...(I had 6 relatives and 3 doctors make me feel I was wrong about not wishing surgical(taping of organs) so changed my mind - had surgery- did not work for me- can have additional surgery - but ENOUGH is enough...hope to be able to leave well enough alone...

This Forum has so much info in it and so many points of view and perceptions, it does take a lot of focus and time to draw from this forum the info that you can make sense of and apply as chief exective office of your own body to yourself.. Christines book is informative too. I will order the DVD as soon as our mail stike is over in Canada..
Basically, I wish someone had shook me and said--Can your live the rest of your life and not lift more than 15 pounds- what about moving the furniture, the snow not to mention the grandkids... NOT LIKELy
Can you live the rest of your life walking proud and eating so that your bowels stay small - posture ,exercise and lifetsylt to keep your innards in the basket of your pelvic floor and not falling out the back? YES

besides the WW posture what other exercises can I do while waiting for canada post strike to be over???should I stop weight training completely??

First, take a deep breath, and let it out again. I was where you are now, but 52 years old, six years ago. My last menstrual period was 2 1/2 years ago. I had the same advice, and similar surgery suggestions and instillation of fear from my family doctor and gynaecologist. The details of the removal and hitch up procedures escaped me. I was so traumatised by what he said. Fortunately I had found Wholewoman about a week before the gyn appointment, and was already having some success with the posture, so I didn't panic completely in the consult. I had already shared about Wholewoman posture with my husband, who came to the consult with me. I didn't proceed with surgical repairs and hysterectomy, and now have most of the WW techniques embedded in my lifestyle, which is now not limited at all by my POPs. There is machinery and younger stronger people than me to do all the really heavy lifting, but I can still give almost anything a nudge, as long as I am not wearing a miniskirt and stilettos!

I suggests that you send your DH and anyone else who has ideas counter to yours, to the Hers Foundation, www.hersfoundation.com, where they can view very good information about hysterectomy, or should I say a more negative view of hysterectomy to balance up what the gyn told you. Then see if they are still in favour of your having a hysterectomy!

There is a wonderful interview of Nora Coffey, owner of the site, in the Village Theatre.

Go to the Village Library and search for "The Two Doors". This article explains why, no matter what you ultimately choose to do about your POPs, it is important to give Wholewoman techniques 6 to 12 months to either give you improvement in your symptoms, or not enough improvement.

You are very scared and uncertain at the moment. I am sure that, once you understand what is *really* happening in your pelvic region, and you start to affect positive changes, your fear will slowly dissolve, and be replace by a new confidence in your body's ability to deal with this yourself.

Louise

Hi Sporty

We're the same age and I went through a similar experience to you last summer - except mine's just a cystocele. I was certainly in shock and so was my husband, and we were thinking of spending savings to have an operation fast . Thank goodness I discovered this site and read Saving the Whole Woman.

There is a lot to take in to begin with, but it helped me when I realized that pop doesn't appear dramatically overnight ( it just seems that way) and it doesn't get dramatically worse quickly. The really good news is that once you have mastered living in posture ( and it takes time and is confusing and tiring at first - that is where support and tips from this forum are a godsend) it can't get worse and can really improve. ( Mine has improved substantially in ten months or so.)

Female bodies aren't badly designed: they don't just fall to bits after babies or at a certain age. Christine's book and DVD explains beautifully the natural female pelvic support system and once we are living in the posture nothing's falling out because it's supported by the public bone just as it's intended to be.

If it's any comfort, my pop is now just a minor niggle now and only bothers me at certain times of month. Thank god I didn't have that surgery and am marginally less impoverished than I would have been- with an intact pelvis, active healthy life and good sex. There really is hope with the whole woman approach.

Doubtful

I have been trying the WW posture...how can I be sure I am doing it right??I question my stance everytime... while walking I find it very difficult to remember where everything should be....any tips??

Become Queen Sporty.

Seriously, proud, regal,tall, elegant, womanly, primitive, sexy. Can you relate to any of these? It might feel weird at first. For me it is about raising my chest so I don't slouch at all. My breasts are certainly out the front. I have been doing this for about six years now. I feel weird when I am not using this posture. Check out Youtube. Wholewomaninc is the channel.

Louise