Is ignorance bliss? Scared.

Submitted by Liss'83 on January 24, 2017 - 6:58pm
Body: 

Hi everyone,

Firstly, I want to say I'm grateful for this forum. So many things women don't know about their bodies and so anything like this is a great benefit to us.

Some background on me: I have had 3 vaginal births, the last one being a 10.4 lb fatty whose shoulder got stuck and who have my pubic bone dysplasia while pregnant, I had sciatica with second pregnancy and external haemorrhoid. I had some symptoms of prolapse (wasn't really aware of what it was at the time)
Being that my (what I thought was vulva) was rubbing on my underwear and painful. I also had a lot of presssure on my rectum.
That seemed to all ease up but I continued to have issues with tampons staying in especially when on heavy period and when expelling a poo. (Tmi) I thought that was all just normal after childbirth. :-/ I now know different.
Recently I feel like I have to wee a lot but not a great deal of urine comes out. I don't have incontinence (yet) and even when coughing can tense enough that nothing comes out but then I read it could be from pressure on the urethra. Sigh.
I have done self examination. Nothing is obvious from looking with a mirror (although not entirely sure what to look for) and when I inserted a finger to feel I could feel a lump on front wall but no idea what it is. My Dr said she will check at next appt.

I have a lot of lower back and tail bone pain and I am about 40 kgs over weight. Also pre diabetic.

I am 33 and absolutely miserable at the thought that my organs are or could fall out.
I want to work on preventing this from happening but worried that without losing a huge chunk of weight first I won't be successful.

Thank you for reading :-) - Liss'83

Forum:

Aging gracefully

January 24, 2017 - 7:30pm

Hi Liss and welcome,
First of all, weight has nothing to do with prolapse unless you lost a large amount of weight in a short period of time. Then worsening prolapse could happen.
From your description, it sounds like you have the garden variety cystocele, which is very manageable with this work. And, the reason why you are experiencing problems with urine flow is because your bladder has fallen back to the point it kinks the urethra which is also very common with prolapse. With this work, you can start moving your pelvic organs forward and you will get better urine flow, and start feeling a whole lot better overall.
Keep reading around on this site and check out the whole woman store for the many great products. I would suggest the Saving the Whole Woman book and First Aid for Prolapse DVD for starters.

Liss'83

January 24, 2017 - 7:49pm

I am in Australia, was wondering if there were any suppliers in Australia? The postage costs are a little hefty from the US..

I actually had my partner check internally for me too. He said he felt a lump but it's always been there. Suppose it's possible to have had it for years?

Aging gracefully

January 24, 2017 - 8:50pm

Yes, very possible. Many of us have had prolapse unknowingly for years, until symptoms got worse or became more noticeable.
You can also get the products in the store online, or even pdf for some, I believe. If you have any trouble navigating the store, just contact Lanny in customer services.

Liss'83

January 25, 2017 - 12:26am

Today I visited with a pelvic floor physio who did an examination but I was lying down, She said she couldn't see anything significant and that my cervix had dropped to about half way which is what I think I was able to feel this morning in the shower. She said vaginal walls are not what they used to be but nothing to worry about. Recommended swimming, walking and kegals. Offered pessary.

Also had a urine test which showed up trace amounts of blood and infection which might explain the urine issues.

I mentioned posture that allows for lax abdominal muscles she agreed that they shouldn't be sucked in for posture. Bit disappointed I wasn't offered any exercises or advice outside of that :-(

I think she was holding back in case in raised my anxiety.

Liss'83

January 25, 2017 - 2:35am

So I guess that means I have a uterine prolapse. I don't know how you women stay so brave. I'm a crying mess atm, too scared to stand up and wondering how long before it gets worse. I'm only 33 and scared I will miss out on so much because of this.

Sorry, I don't know where else to go

Surviving60

January 25, 2017 - 4:18am

It really doesn't sound like a uterine prolapse to me, certainly not a significant one. Based on what you've written, I would agree with AG, a cystocele and possibly rectocele as well (they often go hand-in-hand) - this combo actually helps keep the uterus from falling too far out of its natural position. In any event - WW posture and tools for prolapse management are the same. We don't worry too much about where the organs are at any given time or any given exam....because they are always moving about. WW posture gives us a way to control that. So don't despair. Nothing is going to fall out. We aren't big on pelvic floor physio here.....theirs is mainly a kegel-based approach which does more harm than good. Same for pessary - and you don't sound like a good candidate to me. Just relax; your family doesn't need a crying mess for a mom. Lots of instructional stuff available for streaming on-line. Three practitioners in Australia if you are looking for some one-on-one time. Check the tab above - if you can't travel to any of them, you can do Skype. - Surviving

Surviving60

January 25, 2017 - 4:39am

Something worth watching, if you haven't already:

https://wholewoman.com/newpages/video/ww101.html

Liss'83

January 25, 2017 - 5:20am

Thank you! Very informative. :-)