Looking for Advice

Submitted by Beadazzled on October 7, 2006 - 8:07am
Body: 

I was hoping that I could find a little help here. I am scared to death. I suspect that I may have a prolapse of some kind. I cannot get an appt for 6 weeks. Until then, I have a few questions if anyone can help to ease my fears.
First, let me start by saying that I am 31 and still a virgin. That in itself baffles me and no one in my family has ever had this problem. Now, I might be making something out of nothing but I figured I'd ask. While sitting in the tub the other day, I decided to bend over to have a look. It has been so long since I looked I don't know if this was there before I just didn't notice it. Where the opening would be, I noticed a bulge. It does not hurt or anything it is just there. I have had no other problems and have regular periods. I touched it and it didn't hurt but it wasn't like I could push it back in. My finger would kind of slip past it. It also looked like it had a jagged edge (tiny flap of skin) closer to where the opening would be. Please understand that I am not looking for a diagnosis. I just am really stressing over this. I did a search and it pulled up prolapse and I am terrified especially since I am a surgery phobe. Also, I have never been to a gynecologist before and still being a virgin, that scares me too. Does it sound like it could be a prolapse? In the meantime, would you advise me to start the posture? ALso, I work in an office that deals with a lot of people in and out so I can't straddle a chair. How should I sit? Also, for the walking postion, is it like a runway type walk? Thanks in advance.

MeMyselfAndI

October 7, 2006 - 8:59am

This may not be a prolapse at all - Does this bulge actually protrude at all? Because there is a pad of fat in there that I mistook for my prolapse at first!

If it protrudes when you are stood up or whatever then it MIGHT be a prolapse - It could also be something as simple as a cyst that needs removing.

I know saying do not worry will help none at all. But IF it IS a prolapse - Then also do not worry :-)

We are all here - Can you feel the hug from here? (((hugs)))

I have 3 prolapses and one of them was peeking when I walked - Through the posture on this site now nothing is peeking and things are much better - I am also a surgeryphobe - And I can honestly tell you that in the beginning I never believed something as simple as posture could work - BUT IT HAS.

No I am not trying to sell you anything - I will GIVE to you - A present - This is free and it is called HOPE.

Read up on the site on Posture - Whether you are a Virgin or not the posture will help you throughout your life.

6 weeks seems a very long time to wait - Could not someone at your local Docs have a look? Remembering when you lie down things tend to return to normal position so if it is only feelable when standing up - Ask them to check you standing - I did.

I am hoping this helps in a small way with your fear. I know that at this moment you are probably feeling so alone and scared and like your world is falling apart - but it really isn't. We are all here to help and surgery is not the only option - I thought that it would be surgery for me - But I can safely and very honestly tell you now - Only one year on from finding it (I have 3 kids) That the prolapse I have hardly even registers in my mind any more - As the posture has made it practically a non event :-)

You will be ok - You really will..

Sue

beandippy

October 7, 2006 - 9:06pm

Hello, and welcome to the site. I can sure sympathize with you - it was only a month ago that my prolapse happened, and I was really scared too. It didn't help that most of the info available online seems frigntening with rare exceptions like this site. It took some time to get the info I needed to feel more confident about my situation, but now I finally feel more assured and less scared, and I think it's likely that things will work out that way for you, too.

It's terrible that you are supposed to wait six weeks to be seen! Definitely try to pursue other options if you can, maybe a GP like Sue suggested. And don't worry about seeing a gyn - afterwards you can rest easier knowing the state of your health, and that has to be worth something. What you described in your post sounded like the exact way I would describe my rectocele. However, sometimes things aren't what they appear, so I hope you will be able to see a doc soon to find out for sure. Even though you've never had kids, these things can happen for other reasons sometimes. For instance, they can happen from pushing too hard on the toilet, especially if you have strong abs. I had no idea.

Yes, I think the posture would be the best thing you can do right now - prolapse or not! Because if you do have a prolapse, it's probably the best thing you can do for it in order to avoid surgery in the long run. And if you don't have prolapse, it will help you to avoid having it at all. Perhaps at work you can sit close to the edge of your chair, with your spine straight except for a very slight curve at the lumbar area of your back. I'm not sure how to do a runway walk lol but just follow the guidlines in the FAQ on standing, and you should be okay. There are lots of other things you can do that are also helpful, and if you have some time, you will find great suggestions on this site. And if you have more questions, please ask away! I am seeing a physical therapist who is convinced that over time my prolapse will all but disappear - so don't believe anyone who tells you that these conditions can only get worse without surgery. My thoughts are with you right now, and I wish I knew what to say to give you some comfort. I had to tell myself over and over, "it's not life threatening, and it's not painful." So take heart, and learn what you need in order to take positive, healthy steps to do what's best for your body. Hope to hear from you again soon,
Glor

Midwest Star

October 9, 2006 - 9:00am

Hi, Bedazzled. Could the tiny, ragged flap of skin you are talking about be the hymen?

Try not to fret about the gynocologist. You really should be getting annual exams by now, anyway. Being a virgin is no insurance against cervical cancer, and the pap smear test they do is vital to detecting it early enough to save your life.

As far as posture, what Beandippy is suggesting is what I've been doing at work for the past couple of weeks. I sit at the edge of my chair, sitting tall, allowing a slight curve backwards of the spine right below the top of the hipbones level. I don't use the chair back at all anymore, although I had to take rest breaks the first week, while my muscles adjusted to the strain. I was really sore at first, but I'm getting used to it now. It kind of hurts to sit like I used to! It really feels like sitting this way is better for my back, as well as my insides.

janice

October 10, 2006 - 6:49am

Hi Beadazzled,

I thought that I would write to you because I found myself in the same sort of situation as you did a few weeks ago. My previous posts are on the website. I felt panicked as well. Since then I have been to see my GP who told me I had a cystocele, which is a form of prolapse. I then went to see my Gyn and he diagnosed it as a cyst and said I did not have prolapse at all.

So today I had surgery to remove the cyst and it turns out that it was a Gartner's Duct cyst. The gyno said that it might have appeared after childbirth but said that they can appear for no reason at all.
I feel fine after the surgery and am not really in any pain.

I just thought I should share my story with you as I feel that we can sometimes panic when we make assumptions before seeing a specialist. If you have an appointment with the GP I would definitely also make an appointment with a specialist, just to double check! I would also try and get an earlier appoinment just to put your mind at rest.

Anyway good luck with it, I hope that it all goes well and will look forward to an update!!!!!