Gradual or sudden?

Submitted by Beejay on June 27, 2007 - 4:30am
Body: 

Hi, I'm new to this site, and I'm glad I've found it as I've been glued to the Internet searching for answers. I'm 43, had an episiotomy/forceps birth 13 yrs ago, and 9 yrs ago had C-section, H.E.L.L.P. Syndrome, plus postnatal depression - which meant I was in no mood for performing kegels! Saw gyn 6 yrs ago as I suspected prolapse - he said 'no more prolapse than would be expected.' 'EXPECTED???' I didn't know any of it was expected!

6 mths ago I helped my mother move so was lifting heavy stuff. Then to try to get fit I did a lot of walking over fields, but although it was good for the thighs, I found it made me uncomfortable in the pelvic region. I then heard that walking can cause prolapse, so stopped. Then I got a Kegelmaster - big mistake! It's made things much worse - the bulge (possibly urethrocele) is bigger, and now I've got constant pain/dragging, which I suppose is the bladder. Will see Dr next week for confirmation, but really don't want surgery. Will order Christine's book as well. I wonder if my problem has been building gradually since the difficult births, or did the heavy lifting/long walks/kegelmaster make things worse suddenly?

Beejay

MeMyselfAndI

June 27, 2007 - 6:12am

I do not think walking or anything caused the prolapse - But it might have made it more apparent for you. Kegels can make things much worse as they tire out the muscle if you overdo them (I did this - was horrible feeling - Very draggy)

If you read up on posture - You will find that in just a few weeks you feel less raggy and things return to normal :)

I never thought it would ever work - But it DID.

Heavy lifting can cause the draggy feeling to feel worse, the Births and the no worse than expected is because many many women have a prolapse after birth (Especially us who had forceps) This does not mean that all will end up here - It just depends on many many things, luck maybe... Who knows.

Welcome to the site - I think you will find it very informative about non surgical help for prolapse :)

Sue

Look into the eyes - They hold the key!
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/img/maddy544x150Banner.jpg

louiseds

June 28, 2007 - 4:54am

Hi Beejay

Welcome from me too. I agree with Sue re gradual or sudden. I have a theory that prolapse goes along with squishy belly, crying babies, pain in labour, the scream of a boybaby being circumcised, and a whole heap of stuff that our Mums didn't tell us about re having babies, instead just nodding wisely and smiling knowingly at each other when the pregnancy is announced, and tut-tutting to each other about how "she will find out for herself now". How can women be so cruel to each other? On the other hand, who needs all that fear to spoil a perfectly good sex life??

I think it worsens bit by bit with each time a damaging thing happens to our pelvic area, eg heavy lifting the wrong way, caesarian scars, episiotomy, forceps, constipation etc. I can only think we need to be grateful for alive babies and mothers, even if the procedures we undergo often seem in hindsight to be overkill, and leave us with bodies that don't work as well as they did before.

It only becomes prolapse when a doctor says, "Oh, you have a prolapse!" Once that happens we at least know what is happening and can take some positive actions to stop it getting worse and minimise the symptoms. This is where Wholewoman comes in. Nearly all women can get some benefit from these techniques; most women get a lot of benefit, especially if they still have a uterus. Some women, like me can just get on with life, with little need to pay any more attention to looking after prolapses, once the Wholewoman posture is mastered, you have improved your diet to ensure no constipation, you have changed any clothing that puts pressure on the abdomen, fine-tuned your exercise regime, and worked out how to do the childbirth thing better next time (if there will be a next time).

I find the idea of having surgery simply laughable nearly three years down the track, having not deteriorated at all since I started Wholewoman. You have nothing to lose. Give it a go.

I do admit that I have a few bad days every now and then (mostly near my period), but it all settles down again quite quickly.

I have another theory on the Kegelmaster and other means of building pelvic floor muscles of steel. Christine tells us that pelvic floor muscle is a type which is not really designed for supporting loads. When you carry yourself properly the pelvic floor is more on the 'vertical side of diagonal', rather than horizontal, so it is not actually holding anything up, just acting as a stabiliser of the pelvic contents. If you build too much muscle tone, I wonder if these muscles kind of squeeze the pelvic contents and keep them in a lower position than normal, rather than letting the organs slide back up again? Just a theory, but lots of women have found that too many Kegals are not benficial at all!

cheers

Louise

Beejay

June 28, 2007 - 6:07am

Thanks,Sue and Louise, for your comments. It's good to know I'm not alone, as it's quite a scary thing to happen.

I didn't know kegels can do more harm than good, as on the maternity ward they always say, "it's very important to do your kegels." I do not have much faith in the medical profession anyway after my last birth - and no, there will not be any more births!

I think pregnancy books should spell it out, just what is likely to happen after childbirth, especially as you get near the menopause, like me, and stuff changes in your body.

From reading some of the forum comments, it's good to hear that the posture thing seems to be helping. But what I want to know is: does it (can it) reverse the process enough to get rid of the bulges etc.? Or does it just stop things getting worse? I've ordered the book (from Amazon, as the postage charge worked out cheaper as I live in the UK) so I'm looking forward to reading all about it.

I had a go at the posture (from the website)but as soon as I took a step forward I lost it. So it's going to take some getting used to!

Beejay

MeMyselfAndI

June 28, 2007 - 8:18am

Posture can and did for me reduce the bulges - t stopped it from peeking when i walked - Now i dont get that any more.

It cannto totally fix prolapse but it makes it not so much 'taking over your life' It takes the emphasis off of 'I am broken' to 'I am fine - I forgot about it this week' - If I didnt come to this site i would prolly only notice it in that week just before my period - That would be the only time I would think about it - In that week I just fee 'heavier' inside - No bulging out or peeking...

But - It will always be there so it is a lifestyle change for life - :)

Hope that helps some

Sue

Look into the eyes - They hold the key!
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/img/maddy544x150Banner.jpg

Beejay

July 3, 2007 - 7:54am

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. My doc has now confirmed I have a prolapsed bladder/urethra and gave me a page of kegel instructions! She also confirmed it was the forceps delivery 13 yrs ago which set me up for this problem. Still, they had to get the baby out quickly - what could I do?

She said a huge number of women have this problem. If teenage girls were shown pics of prolapses and told what childbirth can do, I reckon it would cut the teenage pregnancy rates! I know it would have put me off for life!

I've read some of the stories on the forums where some of you have had pregnancies AFTER having prolapses. That's something I could not do, so there are some pretty brave mamas out there - you deserve a medal!

I'm feeling pretty depressed about all this, and some of the time feel angry, but I've now got Christine's book, so hopefully the posture etc. will help.

Beejay

babs

July 3, 2007 - 9:05am

i can honestly say pregnancy after prolapse was fine for me. i think i was more wound up because of what i thought would happen, but the real deal required no bravery at all!

MeMyselfAndI

July 3, 2007 - 10:38am

Mine started with a forceps delivery also - Oh the things we do for our babes....

Look into the eyes - They hold the key!
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/img/maddy544x150Banner.jpg

granolamom

July 3, 2007 - 11:59am

pg after prolapse didn't feel like it required any bravery in my case. I had reached a point where I had accepted the prolapse as part of my body, and I felt like I could manage it, and live well with it.
so for me it was no different than deciding to have another child even though, for example, my fibromyalgia tends to flare up with hormonal shifts and lack of sleep. Its just part of life.