Rectocele help. New and in pain

Submitted by Feeldown on June 18, 2014 - 6:20pm
Body: 

I'm so glad I found this forum as there is not much support for this issue. I was just diagnosed with a rectocele. This is long I apologize. I've had IBS my whole life and have suffered from depression and anxiety as well. I started a new medication which has constipated me severely. I've been taking laxatives daily as well as stool softeners. A few days ago I was having excruciating pain in my rectum as well as pressure and a pain in my tailbone. I thought it was hemorrhoids. I got an app to see a proctologist and was taken right away as they had someone cancel. The Dr started my exam and said I had a thrombosis hemorrhoid but it was not big enough to cause all my pain. He then said he was going to do an exam, he stuck a probe in my rectum and I screamed in agony, he said ahh I see you have a rectocele. He said my rectum is bulging into my vaginal canal. I just started crying... He said it was more than likely from all the straining and constipation, and the fullness feeling is because it's hard to expel all my stool because the sphincter is not working well, he also said having a rectocele is why I always have pressure in my bottom, like I have to go or pass gas.
He will be doing more tests next week to measure the pressure and motility of my rectum. I'm sorry about the details, it's embarrassing.
I'm so upset, I feel awful!! I'm 41 and feel 80. I can't stop crying and am nauseated from all the stool softeners which aren't helping. He told me not to strain even if I don't pass stool but when I don't I have extreme stomach pain due to IBS. I'm so lost :( Ty if you made it this far.

Forum:

dizzydee

June 18, 2014 - 9:18pm

I'm sorry to hear about your pain. I have a bladder prolapse and I know how lonely it seems. The women on this site are really great listeners and have a lot of experience in many areas Keep you head up and breathe. Take one day at a time.
Diz

Surviving60

June 19, 2014 - 6:00am

Hi Feeldown and welcome. If you have a rectocele, please understand that this is very very common. A proctologist is not going to be of much help to you in dealing with it, though. He does not understand female anatomy and the natural postural adjustments that are needed in order for that rectum to move out of the vaginal space. That is what WW is all about. Please watch this little video:
http://wholewoman.com/newpages/video/ww101.html

The sooner you can get off the laxatives and stool softeners, the better off you'll be. I understand bowel problems but you need to address these from a dietary standpoint if you can. Magnesium is used by many women here successfully. You can try eliminating gluten and/or dairy for awhile. Forgive me if you have already tried some of these things, but believe me, you need to get off the cycle you're on now.

The stool may be getting stuck due to the rectocele, so you can try splinting - insert one or two clean fingers into the vagina to press the bulge out of the way, allowing the stool to pass. If this works then you can stop worrying about your sphincter and concentrate on the WW postural work instead! Our goal is to restore lumbar curvature and learn to hold the organs forward in the relaxed lower belly. It is the only way to manage prolapse, despite what you will hear from doctors and PTs. Have a look around and consider giving this a serious try. You have nothing whatsoever to lose, and a better life is out there for you. - Surviving

Feeldown

June 19, 2014 - 8:53am

Thank you for the advice.... and the thank you for the welcome :) I am currently taking lactulose. If I do not take anything my stools become very hard due to the meds I take. My stomach controls me, when I don't go to the bathroom well I can't function because of hte pain in my gut. When I pass stool I can feel the bulge into my vaginal area...it freaks me out. Ive always been freaked out about my own anatomy. I tried splinting with my fingers but it hurt and i wasn't sure if i was doing it right. I cannot stand the fullness and pressure.
Ive been reading about the pessary...I heard mixed reviews on it being used with rectocele.
I am going to begin the posture care today.... I have terrible posture and tend to be very lazy. I have cervical spine problems and lately my lower back, which i think is from the hips. I am thin but not in shape. I really pray this works.
I am trying to eat high fiber and lots of cooked veggies...its so hard running around, end of school, 2 kids.... I feel like I am taking care of everyone else and in the mean time I have become a shell. I need to get motivated just became so depressed and this was icing on cake.

I'm so greatful for this site.... this is the only support group on the web. TY

Aging gracefully

June 19, 2014 - 9:48am

Hi feeldown,
Getting those bowels under control is really one of the most important things you can be doing right now. A high fiber diet can be just as detrimental for prolapse. Balancing your foods and really paying attention to what each type of food does to your body is a good start. This is a very individual process. Weaning yourself off the meds is really a good idea also as you have found they can be very constipating. I speak from personal experience with this. I started by cutting out foods that can cause hormonal shifts in our systems(you wouldn't believe the excess hormones that are found in commercial factory farmed meat), and cutting way down on sugars and processed foods really makes a difference. I had high anxiety, adrenal fatigue, and have had a lifetime of low grade depression. I really had to slow things down and start thinking about myself for a change. We all need to do that. We are important too! Long mindful whole woman walks really helped me also.
Meditation was suggested to me, but I could never get into that quiet of a place. I find the whole woman exercises relaxing and meditative though, with my thoughts focused on moving my organs into my lower belly with each deep breath I take.
This is a process worth engaging in, and I welcome you to your new beginning.

Aussie Soul Sister

June 20, 2014 - 1:46am

Hi Feeldown & welcome,
I have rectocele, & have had severe cramping in my anus and gut in the past, due usually to a stressful event as well as lack of hydration.
Our tight clothes, along with reverse breathing (chest breathing) has combined with poor posture to squeeze our organs, displacing them and squashing them together, which can create pain and dysfunction.
Our digestion/bowel is connected to our brain, sometimes known as our second brain and is very sensitive to our disposition, so if you can find a way to relax as Aging Gracefully suggests. The WW exercises build muscle, strength and flexibility and are also meditative, as well as walking in nature.

WWPosture and belly breathing, helps the body to give all our abdominal organs the space and correct position for them to be in. As the organs perform their various functions they do have the flexibility also to move past each other.
I do take a magnesium supplement at this time, however in time I plan to source, or grow more natural alternatives, which are anti - inflammatory also.

Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister