Why is this happening to me

HI Nicola,
Welcome to WW--sorry you have had to find us, but so glad you did. you will find so much support / info here!
I can't answer the why's, but i can tell you that through implementing simple changes in your life so much can change!
I came here 8 months ago with a severe bladder & bowel prolapse and minor uterine. i'm reaching the stage where i barely notice them, and as long as i look after myself and my posture, life just goes on.
with the bowel prolapse, the main thing for me is diet. i really had to play around with it, and have found that cutting out chocolate (ahhh!) and cheese are crucial, and eating ideally 7+ servivings of fruit / veg a day really helps. drinking hot liquids also helps my system.

with that, all goes along well. i do still pee more than i wish, but it's dealable. 8 months ago i didn't know how i'd live my "normal" life. now i'm probably healthier than i was! i go to accupuncture regularly, walk tons, and take things slower--all really helping all of me!

have a read through posts, have a look at the FAQ's, and you will find a lot of wisdom. your doctor can probably only confirm what you already know, so the best thing to do is to get on helping your body to heal. i don't know if you've ordered the new edition of the book (your post has just disapeared from my screen!) but it's a wealth of info.

and keep asking away...the support is here!!!

Kiki

You are right in fearing that this emotional trauma could trigger a recurrence of your eating disorder. I urge you to be proactive about that and go ahead and make an appointment with your counselor or support group, if you have one. Body image is a BIG DEAL to people with eating disorders and this pelvic area problem, while local, as you know is affecting your esteem in a broad way.

This will change! Most of us find that we adjust to the problem and find a new, stabilized existence. You are wise to be wary of surgery. Don't let your doctor pressure you into making a fast decision about that. Be as conservative as possible in your approach. Once they cut, you cannot go back. You have many many years ahead of you and you can always decide to have surgery later.

For now, be sure to avoid any straining. If you cannot move your bowels, use any oral or mechanical means to assist yourself, carefully, and ask someone for tips if you need it. You probably know to eat lots of fiber and drink lots of water to keep your stools soft. But sometimes they harden anyway. Certain medications or travel can do it. Focus on managing this aspect first so that you don't ever feel like you need to strain excessively. This is the first step to preventing the problem from getting worse.

If you haven't already done so, buy Christine's book. It is a wonderful comprehensive education on the issue and will give you lots of tips on how to manage it.

Remember, you are not alone; this is a very common problem. Nobody can see it on the outside, and many women you see walking around also have it.

Welcome Nicola

Kiki and AnneH have given you sound advice. You can start learning about your body and how to deal with this prolapse thing by going to www.wholewoman.com and click on FAQ's. Here you will find the basic information to get you started. Once you understand a little more about what is happening to your body you might find, as most of us have found, that it is not quite scary. You can also make a start on ensuring that your posture, sitting and standing, is the best it can be for retaining your pelvic organs *inside* you, where they belong. And ensure that your clothing is not compressing your abdomen and pushing your pelvic organs south. That's as well as the diet advice!

Do you really mean small intestine (which is the really long one with the small diameter) or do you mean the rectum (which is the last bit of the large intestine, the shorter, fatter one), where the stool is stockpiled ready for elimination?

Many of us have gone for several years now, knowing we have quite significant prolapses, and managing them ourselves. For me the prospect of surgery is no longer even on the horizon. As with many conditions, I have good prolapse days and bad prolapse days but on the whole I feel OK about myself, don't limit my activities too much, have a good sex life and feel I have enough control over these wandering organs of mine to not worry about it all getting worse.

Life is good. Call back when you have done a bit of reading. You can get a much fuller explanation of it all in Christine Kent's book, Saving the Whole Woman, which is available from the online shop at the main site.

You will probably find that some of the younger women will chime in on your topic. There are also a couple who have had eating disorders. Bit by by bit you will make friends with your body as you learn about what has happened and what you can do about it, all by yourself and with the support and encouragement you will receive here.

The scariest bit is often finding out that you have prolapse and putting that information together with all the nightmare stories you may have heard about hysterectomies, worsening prolapses, loss of control, loss of attractiveness, loss of femininity etc. As if you need any of that!!! They are just nightmares, shadows on the wall.

There are very few women on this site who have agreed to hysterectomy. My prolapses have not worsened in the three years since I was offered surgery. I have better bladder control now than pre-diagnosis. I am more aware of the wonder of my own body and better friends with it than I have ever been. It is an OK body after 54 years and three babies. And I feel more feminine than I ever have before.

There's no magic, but quite a bit of learning to do.

Cheers

Louise

Hi Nicola:

I am 41 years old, never had a baby and have had aneroxia in the past as well. While I am a few years older in my mind and heart I still feel 25.

I was diagnosed with a prolapsed bladder last November. This past year has been very tough on my psychologically coming to terms with the diagnosis. I find the more I think about it, the more I feel symptomatic.

As you probably have learned in your counseling/recovery, aneroxia is a lot about striving for perfection/control. I think that is why we may have more trouble coping with this then many average women. I still struggle to cope. I am in counseling and do find it quite helpful.

As far as exercise goes, DON'T QUIT! I slowed down quite a lot when I was first diagnosed. I had been in the best shape of my life and I was afraid to exercise fearing that the bottom would fall out! I have really ramped up my exercise routine these past few months and am probably almost where I was before. There is a lot of info. on this site as to what is good and safe for us. Talk to your doctor as well.

I wish you well and I offer my support to you!

- Lilly Anne

Have you tried changing posture? (Pages are here explaining it)

Also if you have problems going No2 then try twisting to your RIGHT and lifting feet to tip toes on the loo - I have no idea why this works but i do know that when Drs are doing keyhole surgery they go in on the left - because my Dr told me there is less there in their way so - I think there is more bowel to the right so twisting like this kinda squeezes it and helps (In my opinion - works for me anyways)

If you get into posture in a few weeks or so this should very well get under control again.

Sue

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

Hi Nicola,

I can relate to everything you are going through, and I am just so sorry! I'm 28 and have multiple prolapses. I also have (had, really) an eating disorder (bulimia/anorexia) for about 10 years, and am only now in recovery. When I first found out about the prolapse, I was extremely triggered, and desperately wanted to use my eating disorder to escape. Having a prolapse is like an assault on your body image, at least at first, and is especially hard for women like us who have struggled with body image so severely. I had to just work through it. It is my belief that my bulimia in fact caused my prolapse (weakening of the stomach/pelvic muscles). As crazy as this sounds, my prolapse has actually helped me recover from the bulimia - purging is not an option anymore! Plus, I try to eat to stay strong and maintain my body.

I know how hard it is to slip back into an eating disorder. For me too, exercise is really important to keep me from relapsing, so I understand your fear of being unable to exercise. I have still been able to exercise although not as frequently - my only advice would be to take it slow and see how you feel.

I don't know what else to say other than I can really relate to what you are going through, and I wish you the best of luck.

nicole