Prolapse or Severe Dryness

Submitted by mcintosh99 on February 8, 2017 - 3:03pm
Body: 

Hi,
I am new hear and have searched relentlessly for clarity on this and I am still very confused. I apologize if this has been discussed somewhere (i can't find it) and hope it is ok to post it here. Here is my story:

I am recently post menopausal, never had children but 5 years ago I had partial hysterectomy keeping ovaries and cervix. This was due to andemyosis of uterus (looked 4 dos prego) and a very large fibroid. These two things was causing continuous bleeding. Basically I bled nonstop for 2 months and was just felt out tired of it. Nothing seemed to be working....hence partial hysterectomy.

About a year ago I started having issues, UTI like symptoms, constipation and the good ole VJJ just did not feel right. Went to Urologist about UTI, al tests there revealed nothing by an irritated badder. Did all his suggestions and those symptoms disappeared. Went to GI for constipation he diagnosed IBS. Took all his advice about more fiber, supplements, water, etc. Nadda....nothing helped the issue. Was led to a CRS after I had pain and bleeding after BM. After very embarrassing exams...diagnosis, pelvic floor dysfunction with very small rectocele which was also very low and anal fissure which caused me spasms.. But he thought the PFD was more my issue causing the constipation and not rectocele. This is now being managed with Natual Calm and don't have many issues.

Then after all this I started having vaginal issues. Pain with sex and just a weird uncomfortable feeling down there. Don't know if it is a bulgy feeling per se or what. It is very had to describe. Some days worse than others. So of course reading every thing on internet has me thinking maybe bladder prolapse. I still have no incontinence, leaking, no dribbling and no problems stoping and starting urine. Just this weird uncomfortable feeling. So I decided to have a look se down there. What I see is vaginal rugae (rectocele)I think and it is just above the opening but looks like it blocks the entrance. It does not look like a "balloon" or a "golfball" just like tissue sitting there. I also have to really part my vulva to see this. When I bear down I get movement but not a lot and when I kegel it all goes up inside. Does this sound like some sort of POP to you? Also when I looked the area looked very very angry red. Also when I get this feeling and see that tissue I can put vaginal lubrication up inside and around vulva and the feeling all goes away.

Sorry for the long post and seems like I am rambling but I guess I am trying to differentiate dryness and POP. If there is a difference. If I have POP, would using a lubrication make the weird feeling go away? I am sure I have some laxity in my walls because post menopause and never using HRT, but isn't this normal or is it really my POP?

So does any of this sound like I have a bidder prolapse along with rectocele or is this maybe just a very bad case of vaginal dryness? Oh and I have done the self exam and I just notice a lot of squishy tissue everywhere in there and not a lot of movement. I can't even tell where the rectocele is.

Forum:

Aging gracefully

February 8, 2017 - 3:52pm

Hi mcintosh99 and welcome,
It does actually sound like you have a bit of both. Christine suggests honey for vaginal dryness; just insert some raw local honey high up inside the vagina twice a day. To read more about honey, type it in the search box, there has been much discussion on the subject.
We like to caution our ladies that have had hysterectomies or other surgeries to take the whole woman work slowly and carefully, but it doesn't hurt to relax the belly and pull up in the chest up. The whole woman posture is the key to prolapse management, so please have a good look around on this site.

mcintosh99

February 8, 2017 - 3:59pm

Aging Gracefully - Thanks for the reply. So you do get dryness with a mild prolapse....does it actually cause dryness? Or is my dryness separate from the prolapse and I have TWO issues going on at the same time? I also can not find my cervix even though I know for sure it was left because I have annual paps. Does this also change during menopause?

I will look at into the honey as well....but am leary about putting stuff up there coz I am very very sensitive.

Aging gracefully

February 8, 2017 - 4:11pm

Yes, some women get dryness after menopause and after having a baby.
For post menopausal dryness, Christine has found that the honey helps rejuvenate the vagina, feeding the natural lactobaccilli that live there.

All women generally end up with some kind of prolapse in their lives, and surgery can be one of the culprits that brings it on sooner, sorry to say. But, the main reason we get prolapse is because we have lost our natural posture, the one we had as children.
It is very possible you do have the start of a rectocele, as well as vaginal dryness. They don't always happen at the same time.

Aging gracefully

February 8, 2017 - 4:13pm

Good honey thread:

https://www.wholewoman.com/forum/node/5917

mcintosh99

February 8, 2017 - 4:20pm

So it is two separate issues?

This is all so new to me and trying to figure out if what I am feeling is true prolapse or just dryness. Like I said it does not really feel or look like a bulge it feels irritated and maybe swollen...I just happened to be the lucky one that they both occurred at the same time (NOT!). It stresses me out so and that prolly does not help any of this.

Thanks for the thread on honey!

Aging gracefully

February 8, 2017 - 4:42pm

Yes, it can be two separate issues but can and does happen at the same time in some women.
Doing some more reading on this site can help to get your head around all this. Getting a good understanding of what is happening can help you to figure out what to do next. Christine has really done all the research and has brought it to us to study and better understand the nature of prolapse, as well many other issues that we can have.

mcintosh99

February 8, 2017 - 4:42pm

Thank you so very much. I definitely will do a lot more reading but am finding it difficult to find the thins I need clarification on even with searching...lol.

About my cervix, I know when still menstruating it moves around, high low, etc. But what about after menopause? Does it still move? Sometimes I can feel it easily and other I can seem to find the darn thing...lol.

All Drs tell me is that this is all common during menopause. Well it might be common but it sure as heck is not normal to me!

Aging gracefully

February 8, 2017 - 5:07pm

Our pelvic organs are on the move all the time, so it really is normal to find things feeling different from day to day, or even within hours. I always have a lower cervix during my period, and you will continue to find movement even after menopause. Our pelvic organs are not meant to stay static or stationary, but we do like them to be moving into the lower belly as much as possible, that's why whole woman posture is so important.
p.s. your surgery can also play a factor in this, depending how the stitched you up in there, so movement may be different for you.

mcintosh99

February 8, 2017 - 6:03pm

That helps a bit.....so posture will help with the cervix as well? Or is this one organ more mobile that the rest...hehe.

Nothing feels normal anymore. Wish I would have paid more attention or poked and prodded more when I was younger to know how things have changed. I just can't seem to get past how disturbing it all is that this can happen no matter what you do to protect it. I knew things went south as you aged but I never really thought about the rectum, bladder and cervix to go south as well.

No one prepares you for this and I have found Drs are not that helpful even when you ask point blank. It is like they don't want to tell you what really happens. I guess the best thing is none of them have suggested surgery, except for hysterectomy. So i guess my prolapses is not that bad or just starting. I have been told that most all women have rectocele and most don't even know it.

This is also hard for me coz I have no one else going thru this to talk with.

Aging gracefully

February 8, 2017 - 6:14pm

Actually, the uterus is the hub of the wheel, so to speak. It is a powerful organ and pulling it forward into the lower belly pulls everything else with it. Now, since you don't have a uterus, this may be a bit different for you, but Christine has expressed that even women that have had hysterectomies can be helped with this work, done gently and slowly.
She did come out with a hysterectomy series, but you would have to call Lanny to see if that is available.

mcintosh99

February 8, 2017 - 6:27pm

I really appreciate all you insight!

I think I have clarification on it prolly being more of a dryness issue than a prolapse since when I lubricate I don't feel uncomfortable down there. The only time I really feel my recto is when I have firmer poo right before I have BM. I figured that you can't really feel recto budge unless it is actually full of poo and bulging out.

The issue with the cervix is more puzzling and maybe someone that has had a partial hysterectomy can chime in and maybe shed some light.

Christine

February 10, 2017 - 11:00am

Hi Tanglefoot,

Yes, I think you should see a doctor.

Good luck!

Christine

mcintosh99

February 14, 2017 - 4:23pm

Hi again,
well after reading many forums and especially the self exam I am beginning to wonder is I have a prolapse at all even though I was diagnosed with mild rectocele. Would I not be able to feel the "bulge" of a mile rectocele? I can see something at opening but I have to really part (sorry for the TMI) the lips in order to see this. I have done the Christine self exam and I don't feel any bulges at all. Would they feel like a balloon inflating? if so I do not feel that at all, all i feel is a little movement of the walls. Is movement normal? I have also looked at the opening and eared down with minimal movement but no bulge at all. Unless I am really overthinking this. UGG I hate this! I have even taken a mirror when I sit on the loo and don't see a bulge of tissue. Seems like I only see it when U manually open the lips of the vulva. Also when I get the tampon falling out feeling I go look and see nothing, I will put some lube up and around there and all goes away. With this I am still wondering if what I am feeling is more dryness due to atrophy than an actual prolapse. Could the DR have been wrong in the rectocele diagnosis. I mean when she examined me I had to really bear down before she said Yep I see stage 2 rectocele. I would think just a tiny bear down and you would see it not almost make your face red. Maybe my anxiety is getting the best of me as well. As i just kind of sit and walk around "waiting" for the uncomfortable feeling to happen so I can have a look see.

Surviving60

February 14, 2017 - 5:21pm

I agree you are overthinking this. I can't really say what exactly is going on, because I have no knowledge of what the dynamics are when the uterus has been removed but the cervix left behind. I would recommend following Aging Gracefully's suggestion.....use the honey faithfully. This is a must for post-menopausal tissues to stay healthy and comfortable. I'd suggest you lose the mirror - no reason to keep checking yourself out. Menopause causes changes and hysterectomy causes changes; and not everything happens all at once. If you expect everything to feel the same down there, you are sure to drive yourself crazy. - Surviving

mcintosh99

February 14, 2017 - 6:20pm

I surely do not expect everything to feel the same down there because of my post menopause and my partial hysterectomy. I also understand that some laxity at my age is expected and wonder if this is what I am seeing and not a true rectocele. I also understand that eventually most if not all women will get some sort of prolapse at some point due to the gravity of things as we age. I just don't understand WHY I don't feel any bulges with self exam or only see tissue when I really spread out, for lack of better words sorry. Also why did I have to strain so hard for her to see rectocele?

I just got unlucky I think and I have everything happening at one time and it is very hard to determine what is what. Wondering if I need to see a different Dr other than my gyno. My PT can do an exam but she says she CANT diagnose because that is not what she does.

Very depressed and not feeling like sitting, walking, coughing, even passing gass for fear everything is just gonna fall out. Even though I know it won't.

All I know is that my uterus is gone and that area is filled with my intestines. The cervix I believe is still attached by ligaments because the uterus is cut off and the cervix is left therefore I don't have a vaginal cuff or so called short vagina.

Surviving60

February 14, 2017 - 6:44pm

The ramifications of a partial hysterectomy are somewhat beyond the scope of knowledge and expertise you will find in this Forum community. I do know that the ovaries will often cease to function eventually because of the severing of blood supply. The pelvic dynamics that exist when you have a cervix only, are something probably only Christine could explain well, and speculate as to what is going on there. Sorry you aren't making much progress but I don't think the doctors have anything else in their arsenals to help you. Consider scheduling a consult with Christine for some real help. - Surviving

Aging gracefully

February 14, 2017 - 6:51pm

I would stop bearing down if I were you. That is not good for anyone, whether they can feel their prolapse or not.
And, seriously, if you can't feel any bulge at this point, count yourself lucky.
I actually came here with my cervix sticking out, and found that I have a severe prolapse. I understand that you are feeling something; it could just be vaginal dryness or the beginnings of a prolapse, but you would know it if you really felt the bulge of a prolapsed organ. That feeling is something some of us live with every day. We have learned to accept it and use it as a guide of what we should and shouldn't be doing on a daily basis, as some activities can bring on symptoms more readily. We continue our whole woman work and are always mindful of posture and the adjustments we need to make.
I guess what I am saying is don't borrow trouble, but work on what you can. Use the honey and work on the posture as gently as you can, learn whole woman techniques and tricks, so you don't have to feel prolapse as we do.

p.s. Yes, a consult, as surviving suggests may really be the next best thing for you.

mcintosh99

February 14, 2017 - 7:06pm

Thank you very much for your replies.

I do hate that I have hysterectomy but it had to be done to make my quality of life better. Bleeding constantly day in and day out for over 3 months wears on you and is very frustrating.

I feel that if it is a prolapse I can deal with it I just wish I knew for sure but I guess I will never know...I just read that the tampon falling out feeling is what is felt with prolapse. Mine is not constant it comes and goes and I don't think laying down really affects the feeling so much. All I know is that feeling goes away when I put some lube up there and around the vulva. Maybe mainly dryness because I would think if it was a prolapse that tampon feeling would not go away with the use of lube I would not think. Correct?

I do wish there were more ladies here with hysterectomy history. It would be most helpful.

I am in process of getting dvds so I can work on posture, next paycheck, we work off a budget...lol.