Confusion

Hi Froggy and welcome. We often warn women that they can get lots of different diagnoses, on the same or different days or times of day, by different doctors. Your situation might seem to be an extreme example of that. I’m glad at least, that knife-happy gyn #1 packed you off to one who was not in such a rush to operate. That being said, gyn #2 was only slightly more helpful.

But you have found your way here, so you are about to learn that there is much you can do to stabilize and manage this. There are lots of reasons to keep your uterus, including the one you mention – removing it will destroy the natural dynamics of pelvic organ support and leave a big space that your other organs can fall into.

Making the posture correction is the cornerstone to all of this. It is a lifelong change that will benefit you in many ways, but it doesn’t happen overnight. A stage 3 uterine prolapse will require all the tools in the tool box. Learn the posture and try to practice it at all times when you are awake and upright. Eventually it will become automatic. Do as much prolapse-friendly walking and workouts as you can, but when you can’t, just stay in posture and you’ll always be helping yourself. Learn to firebreathe!

Be sure to go to the Resources tab and look for the video page. Watch the first video, if you haven’t already. It’s a great overview.

Lots of really wonderful women here to help you along. Good luck! - Surviving

In hindsight, I can remember being in my twenties and feeling the horrible pain in my lower back and abdomen. I remember going to my doctor and asking him what would be causing it and of course, he didn't find anything wrong. I even had a laparoscopy when I was 28 because he thought I might have endometriosis. Then at age 36, I began having incontinence which progressively got worse. My GYN never mentioned that my cervix seemed low but he was very concerned about the incontinence. However, he never told me why he was so concerned. All the while, I was still having those moments when I felt like everything was falling out, my back hurt horribly, etc... I hit perimenopause at age 37 ( my periods changed in a big way) and then had my last period when I was 49. Last year while showering I noticed that I felt something near the opening to my vagina but I didn't have any obvious painful symptoms. Then, in March, at age 52..everything went kerplunk and I have been trying to handle this without any doctor's advice. For one thing, I have no insurance but mainly because I have little faith that a doctor will tell me anything I don't already know. So far, with the help of this website, I've had some really great days. Right now I'm having a set-back that I know is due to stress and over-extending myself. I'm really glad to find this site. I was so depressed the first time I came here.

Brighter days are ahead Joe but we must believe and keep a light and hopeful spirit within us. I have bad days, really bad days and good days. I know how exhausting and deflating it can be during the bad times but we must be patient. I absolutely refuse to resign myself to disability at my age. I can't even wrap my mind around it. I suppose it's all about acceptance and rowing with the flow instead of against it. Louise wrote about how our mental and emotional state will impact our physical state and she's so spot on. It's critical that we stay positive and hopeful and not view ourselves as defective.

had a high tolerance for pain as well and I know what you mean about feeling so affected by this. It's all strange and new to us. My step father had MS and he lived alone for much of his life with MS and I thought about how lucky I am that I'm still able to dress myself and drive and cook and do most anything independently even though I have to be mighty careful about what I do and mindful of how I'm doing it. My bio dad had ALS ( Lou Gehrigs disease) which was horrible. Thinking about my fathers helps me keep all this in perspective. I'm so glad that you have someone to provide for you. That in itself is a blessing!!! Right now I'm alone and I know that adds to my worry and stress and I lost my job 3 years ago! I was earning money at farmer's markets and now I can't do all that I need to without assistance. I can't imagine dating and having to explain this condition to a new man. Oh well, I shall not think about that!

Did you reapply for financial assistance after they denied you? I've heard that you have to do that.

I have days when I don't want to eat but it's important that you at least drink some soup or a healthy smoothie. It's not necessary to have meals every day but you need to keep your cells nourished and not get dehydrated. I'm sure you already know that.

I told my girlfriend last week that all I wanted to do was sleep because at least I'm in a place where I'm not aware of my discomfort. If you're having trouble sleeping it could be a couple of things..stress for one, hormones and if you're taking a sleep-aid or antidepressant then you may have dysglycemia and a melatonin issue/disrupted circadian rhythm or you've been watching CNN and Nancy Grace before retiring? ( hahahha) I doubt that it's related to lack of sex. I've dealt with sleep problems all my life and finally was diagnosed when I was 42. My circadian rhythm was completely backward. I managed to change all that via diet and lifestyle changes. My doctor did a 14 day saliva test to determine my circadian rhythm. Sleep is SO important on so many physiological levels and not just the amount but the quality.

Thanks for sharing with me. It means the world to me to know that I'm not alone.

it does seem that the majority of women know nothing about this and when we tell them, all lights go off and they seem to enter a different world where they can't hear anything we are telling them. Some folks just don't have the ability to imagine themselves in our situation and frankly, could we before it happened? I can't say that I could even come close to imagining this condition. It's truly unique. I guess that makes us unique too.
I don't have the books and dvd yet but I do follow the posture rules based on what others have shared and I am also altering my diet and such. I didn't eat after 3pm yesterday and I only had water after that. Today I'll have dinner. I'm really trying to shrink my waist and pooch.
I'm meeting with my acupuncturist today and I'll let you know how that goes.
Cheer up Joe. Can you get outside and sit in the sunshine? The other day I sat back in a chair and let the sun warm my face and body. I was fully dressed but it felt like heaven and I mean heaven!

Joe, there is a wealth of information and support on this website and forum, but the fact is that every woman must do this work on her own. I would have found that next to impossible without immersing myself in Christine's works. I began with the book for the first year, then added the first DVD and have built my collection over time. You owe it to yourself. These are not just frills, they provide the basic knowledge and the skills that are essential to making this work. - Surviving