rectocele, periods, and feeling down

Submitted by howdidthishappen on December 30, 2006 - 7:17am
Body: 

not really sure where this would go, so i'll just put it here.

i have my period at the moment -- the end of it. my periods have been so very very heavy for the last year and a half. that's actually what led to the d&c i had in early october where i also had polyps removed. which led about six weeks later to the rectocele becoming apparent. (i suspect i had been asymptomatic for some time and the surgery was just the final weakening.) i was diagnosed right after my last period, so this is the first one i'm really getting through with the rectocele and its been rough. rough rough rough.

this is my fifth day with my period so i do realize it is coming to an end, but things feel like they have back tracked so much. i am very aware of the fullness in my vagina which had improved and i am afraid things are worse. do people continue to do exercises when they have their periods or do they pull back? i know ligaments can be more vulnerable, looser, so i've been anxious to do them, but maybe i should have. the pt i've been working with has been discouraging me from doing all the miles of walking i want to do -- she talks about "gravity" possibly making things worse right now and wants me to get things stabilized. is it REALLY possible to get rectocele's stabilized? have people found walking a lot problematic? is it possible for things to get worse than improve again? is there anyone on this site who has stabilized a rectocele for a long time?

i'm in a very fearful place right now, as i suspect is clear. i'm just afraid things will get worse and worse. i am only 43. i suddenly feel 143. my mindset is not in a good place and i'm really needing some encouragement here.

thanks, all.

susan

PA runner

December 30, 2006 - 1:58pm

Susan,

I definately see a worsening in the rectocele in the week prior to my period, does this mean it is actually worse or just more visible or is this one and the same. It can be so maddening! Towards the end of my period I have consistently seen an "improvement" in the sense is it less visible and more "pulled up". I haven't stopped exercising during my period as I always feel better after a work out. I would say listen to your body and what feels right for you! My PT encouraged me to keep exercising which in my case has included running, walking, biking and weight training. I haven't gone for about 3 1/2 years to PT but I am considering it in a few months for a consultation and review of any new recommendations.

Christine

December 30, 2006 - 2:34pm

Hi Everyone,

I contacted a few members whom we haven't heard from in awhile in hopes of getting information and support for our newer members - particularly those struggling with rectocele. Here is Jane's sweet response in full.

"Christine, how wonderful the comments of that doctor!!! And congratulations on finishing the book.

It is good to hear from you. Life has gotten completely out of control for me as I attempt the balancing act of full-time work (though teaching at times feels like “full” should be “never-ending” work—since e-mail availability and text messaging my students have 24-7 access to me which has its good and bad points), a home, three children, and a husband. Christmas was wonderful, but I am suffering from post-holiday blues. I can’t believe it is over and that my oldest child will turn 7 in two months, that Katie (my first homebirth) is 4 1/2, and Ty is 2.

I can say that physically I feel wonderful. I have no notice of my organs. I wish my diet was better, but I have incorporated nuts into my life and am moving toward eliminating processed flour and sugar. The nuts have really helped the rectocele. I am in the posture to the point that it is no longer “the posture” but my posture. It’s as natural as breathing. I have branched out somewhat in my exercising. I worried at first about the core work I was doing and still am very careful to listen to my body, which is something you taught me that I really appreciate. Listening to my body is what got me a safe homebirth post-prolapse. It has also spared me injury in the various tasks of my life as I rest when fatigued, etc. I have found the plank position with various exercises from that position have restored my core to its state before my pregnancies. I believe it has helped my whole woman posture by strengthening my girdle and my back muscles. Personally, I feel that if one is to have a prolapse, rectocele is the one to have because of its position in the body. Two years and two months post-partum my last birth, I have no pressure there (not even during my period). If I keep the fiber high in my diet, I have no problems emptying. I am still considering a child number 4 and I have no fear about my organs descending any further.

Please feel free to post any part of this e-mail to encourage others if I do not make it to the site. I am able to get e-mail on my phone, which makes e-mailing easier for me than internet. Thank you for your work and encouragement. Who knows where I would be right now if it weren’t for your site. I may have missed out on the most glorious birthing experience and possibly ended up debilitated by pelvic surgery.

Blessings to you and take care,

Jane

a.k.a. fullofgrace"

howdidthishappen

December 30, 2006 - 2:49pm

i can NOT thank you enough for this, pa runner, christine and jane. i so needed to hear hope and jane, well, you, most especially, gave it to me in spades. the idea that you feel physically "wonderful" and that your life is so active...it's like i am breathing again for the first time in a few days. i will have to look into the plank position, see what that is, because i don't know.

and, christine, i can't thank you enough for going through the trouble to contact members who have been around longer with rectoceles. it does seem like there are a few of us here who have been more recently diagnosed and, though it is certainly FANTASTIC to have women really be right at that same place with me, sometimes (like NOW) i really needed to hear from women who have been living with this for a while to hear what their life looks like. it gives me confidence and a great sense of positivity. JUST EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!

so, again, thank you ALL so very very much. my period is winding down. it IS okay to have days that feel less good than others. i do have to remind myself this is all very very new and i have loads of room to create stabilization and, more likely and more HOPEFULLY, improvement. i do think this will get better. i do. i have all my organs, i have information -- and am getting more all the time -- and, at least in this second, i have confidence.

enormous gratitude to all -- and, please, anyone who has more to share, i would LOVE to hear it.

xxsusan

Christine

December 30, 2006 - 3:14pm

YUYI's doc is right:

"My primary doctor says "don't have the surgery, it can really harm your rectum and that I may not be able to control my bowels."

These conditions are not improved by surgery. In some cases the bulge goes away for awhile, but the pressure and difficulty emptying often worsen dramatically.

The growing awareness that "all women have rectoceles" has a certain validity. The famous study, the Women's Health Initiative, found that 19.2% of nulliparous women with a uterus (women who have never given birth) had some form of prolapse, with 14.9% having anterior vaginal prolapse (cystocele); 6.5% with posterior vaginal prolapse (rectocele), and 6.3% with uterine prolapse.

Another study of 497 American women with an average age of 44 years (range 18-82 years) presenting for routine health maintenance, 93.6% had physical examination findings consistent with prolapse.

Here's a great quote from the 2004 textbook Office Urogynecology by a very well-known group of urogynecologists:

"There is no evidence to support the concept that treatment of prolapse sooner rather than later will result in better outcomes. There is virtually no indication for offering surgical repair of prolapse to an asymptomatic woman. You cannot make an asymptomatic woman better; you can only make her worse."

Given the little difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic women, this is a very important statement.

Christine

granolamom

December 30, 2006 - 7:10pm

I have noticed my 'celes being more prominent and symptomatic right before and during my period. Its frustrating and yes, scary. But it is normal for things to change with hormone fluctuations. you are not losing ground so to speak. chances are that after your period things will go back to where they were before your period. think two steps forward one step back.
personally I cut back on my physical activity during my period. I also try to cut back on all non essential commitments and try to be gentle with myself emotionally. this has really helped me deal with my prolapses and get in touch with my body and my needs. so if laundry hangs around unfolded another day while I rest and read a good book, its ok, I feel better and the laundry always waits for me : )
this has been the major challenge for me - learning to slow down. not to give up energetic living or stop being active and vital, but to stop rushing around getting it all done at the expense of my own well being. It took the prolapse to teach me that.
now that I'm pg I am taking the time to care for myself in a way I didn't during my other 3 pg's and this is my easiest pg so far. I rarely have prolapse symptoms...only when I neglect my diet. I am on the treadmill every day (well, 6/7 days anyway), and honestly, I feel great.

re: gravity making things worse, well what are you going to do? spend your days lying down? heck no! as long as you take the time to position your pelvic organs in a more stable manner, gravity can do NOTHING to you! I have found walking to be THE MOST HELPFUL thing I can do short term. I always feel better after a mindful walk in WW posture.

I hope you're feeling better by the time you read this, each cycle is a learning experience. soon you will learn to recognize the changes that come every month and take it all in stride.

in the meantime, we are here