Don't want to re-live this

Submitted by MommyTo2under2 on November 5, 2007 - 7:19am
Body: 

I'm 21 and a mommy of 2. My daughter is almost 2 now, and my son is coming up on 8 months.... after my daughter was born I began experiencing major constipation ( the first sign something was wrong) I was going weeks without a BM... I visited my Dr. but instead of looking into things he gave me stool softners and sent me home.... another week passed and I was experiencing so much back and pelvic pain and I was so uncomfortable... AF hit and I couldn't keep a tampon in.... so I got nosey with a mirror, had my hubby confirm things looked "out of place" and began looking into things online... I visited my Dr. roughly 2 wks after my first visit and he sent me to see a gyn and then it began... I saw 4 gyn's before anyone would do a pelvic.... (I was constantly told at 19 yo, with 1 mildly large(9lbs1oz) baby it was NOT possible)... when I was FINALLY given the time of day the Dr confirmed I had a mild uterine prolapse, as well as a cycstocele & rectocele and sent me to PT.

After 1 month of PT I found out I was pregnant with my son.... as my pregnancy progressed I became so incredibly ill... which I attribute to my uterus crushing my rectum. I still feel like I would not have been as ill as I was had I been able to pass a BM. By 20 wks I had NO fundal height and had dropped 30 lbs from "morning sickness", I began bleeding and could see my cervix protruding at 27 weeks... and I kept asking if it could be from my prolapse and the Dr's reverted back to thier previous answer of at the age of 20 it would not be possible to have a prolapse.... but they would not do a pelvic exam bc it would be a risk to my baby...at 32 weeks my fundus only measured 14wks and my water broke, my son was born(4lbs1oz) and my uterus was then "pushed" back in.... the Dr. came into my room about an hour later to appologize and tell me I would need a hysterectomy to correct the issue which I refused and sought a second opinion

I saw my last gyn who agreed he could repair the prolapse with mesh and all would be fine.... when he went in to perform the surgery he decided that he really only needed to repair my bladder and rectum and the uterus would be fine on it's own... a month after the repairs my uterus had slid back down and here I am 5 months later with the cycstocele and rectocele again...

I have been told I can not avoid the hyster. this time as I have already had 1 repair and have damaged it... and I would avoid doing anything if I wasn't experiencing so many problems such as:

constipation to the point of vomiting
cervical irratation to the point of bleeding
sex is IMPOSSIBLE bc my husband can't get more than his head in
severe back pain if sitting for more than 3 hrs or standing for more than 2
feeling like someone is ripping the tissue when I move to suddenly when laying down...

Please ladies someone tell me that there is something that can be done.... My Dr keeps stressing the importance of making a quick decision before the vomiting destroys my esophogus and right now that's the only "quick fix"

ATS

November 5, 2007 - 8:35am

Oh my goodness I am so sorry you are suffering so at the moment. I am afraid I am very new to all this myself so am not the best to give you advice but there are lots of lovely ladies here who have lots of advice from their own experiences with this. The consitipation sounds terrible and you really need to get on top of it. Has your doctor been able to give you any advice to help you with this? Again the ladies on here have lots of remedies to suggest. I've just been out and bought some Flax Seed Oil capsules to help with mine.

I am sure Christine will be around at some point and may be able to help you more. In the meantime you need to consider all your options before submitting yourself to surgery again.

I am thinking of you and please let me know how you get on.

A

AnneH

November 5, 2007 - 8:52am

Wow, what country (state) are you in? The medical care there sounds incredibly horrible. You saw four gynes before one would give you a pelvic exam???? Absolutely unbelievable! I wish I had advice for you but I am going to wait til Christine answers. In the meantime the usual stool softening habits, such as lots of fruits and veggies and drink lots of water is the best I can tell you.

granolamom

November 5, 2007 - 10:48am

you've been through some pretty awful stuff.
has everything else been ruled out? I ask only because I was under the impression that during a normal pg, the uterus would rise up out of the pelvic cavity, even a formally prolapsed uterus. obviously, I am no expert, I haven't done all that much reading up on it, but that was my thought.

unfortunately, your experience post surgery is not unique. once the shape of the vagina is altered surgically (ie fixing a cystocele and or rectocele with or without mesh) the stage is set for a uterine prolapse. so it is not at all surprising that your uterus slid down after your repairs.

so what to do now? honestly, I don't know. you can't continue to drop weight from chronic vomiting and constipation. but if your dr doesn't think this is a life threatening condition, I'd see if there were other health professionals (naturopath? maybe?) who could gently guide you back to health.
in any case, the advice here regarding constipation is invaluable, and I don't think trying out the posture could hurt any either.

now that I reread your post, I am wondering maybe the fact that you are back with the cystocele and rectocele is a hidden blessing. all three can't easily fit through the door, the 'all 3 prolapse' has been referred here as 'nature's pessary' meaning that usually, a prolapsed bladder and rectum will prevent the uterus from going too far and should keep your cervix inside you. at least that's how it should work before messing with things surgically, not sure what happens after a failed surgery.

Christine

November 5, 2007 - 12:51pm

Dear Mommyto2under2,

Your story will go down in history.

It’s probably one of the more tragic ones we’ve heard, but certainly not uncommon except for your very young age. My heart broke and my blood pressure rose when I read your words.

I cannot tell you what to do because I am not in a qualified position to do so and could not diagnose from here if I were. I can, however, speak in generalities. I am assuming the surgeon did not place any mesh, but did a standard A&P repair.

The practice of obgyn is a dark and gothic system. Although brilliant people have come along every few decades to try to point out the truth of human female anatomy, the practice of obstetrics and gynecology is not interested in the truth. Even though the medical literature abounds with clear and overwhelming evidence of the futility of these surgeries, the practice of obstetrics and gynecology is not interested in the truth. The same populations of women who are posting BY THE TENS OF THOUSANDS across the Internet with horrific problems are the same women who have confided the reality of these surgeries to surgeons for over a hundred years. The practice of obstetrics and gynecology is not interested in the truth.

You should have received help for your severe constipation as well as your prolapse. I will save my furor for another time.

You definitely have some decisions to make, but I believe it would be very helpful for you to understand the workings of your anatomy first. If you will send your name and mailing address to [email protected] we will send you a complimentary copy of Saving the Whole Woman.

To say it is in your best interest to save your uterus is an understatement and a topic greater than space or time allow just now. Your instincts regarding this were spot on, and I am so sorry you were ultimately let down by an utterly absurd surgery. There is not a pelvic surgeon around who does not know the risk of creating a tube out of the vagina for the uterus to slide straight down.

However, Mommy, your uterus cannot be hanging out of your body and subject to chronic irritation. We have no idea how fused the vaginal walls are with the bladder and rectum, so cannot predict how much success you might have reversing the severe pelvic heaviness and back pain that result from the organs having lost the ability to move independently. If it were only the vagina that had been dissected and narrowed, I would think there would be great hope of stretching it back toward its original shape. The problems arise when the vaginal walls are adhered to their respective organs. The natural shape of the pelvic interior is really all we have to stabilize and reverse prolapse and the vagina plays the biggest role in that effort. Surgeons conceive of narrowing the vagina in a vain attempt to form a plug of sorts, when in fact we need as much vagina as possible so that it can form a sharp angle and flatten against intraabdominal pressure.

In order to begin this work it is critical to make certain basic lifestyle changes such as no more straining on the toilet and a very healthful diet...whatever it takes to keep your bowels moving. The postural work is key and you can begin by simply sitting on the floor to nurse and play with your children. Study the standing posture and learn how to pull yourself into the shape that positions your pelvic organs naturally. It is all in the book. None of the army of medical professionals – PT, etc. – understands our true anatomy, but hopefully you will find someone willing to learn.

Granolamom raises a very good point...the severity of your symptoms is alarming and should be overseen by a doctor.

I can only wish you well, Mommy2two.

Christine

Zelda

November 5, 2007 - 2:37pm

I think there is a wealth of relief for many health crisis with Homeopathy. But it sounds to me like you are in a crisis that may not have the time to pursue this at this point.

Most practitioners are very willing and able to help by phone. I study and have a large kit which has helped avoid many doctor visits for my family and pets - and friends ( Ignatia and Arnica) ! I am backed up by a very skilled practitioner who frequently travels to teach. Contact me if your interested in contacting her. Good luck.
Zelda

Christine

November 5, 2007 - 3:20pm

Although energy work can be some of our best medicine, there is no conclusive evidence that homeopathy is effective and in fact has been proven otherwise in scientific studies. Mommyto2 is dealing with severe structural problems and it is my instinct not to send her off in directions that may be of little or no value. Sorry to all proponents of homeopathy!

MommyTo2under2

November 6, 2007 - 7:50am

AnneH, all of that fun-ness occurred in Florida. My husband is in the Navy so it was mainly Military care…except the delivery of my son because I was transferred to a High-Risk Hospital while I was pregnant due to the rapid weight loss I experienced… I’m now in Italy… I have not actually gone to see my new Dr. for this yet… I had a phone consult to try to get a Gyn referral based on my medical history and he told me that I could not avoid the hyster. based on my medical records… I go in for my visit on Tuesday… and should be referred to a Gyn on base after that…. :-/

GranolaMom, in Aug. of ’06 they sent me for a series of blood work, an ultrasound and (my fav) a barium enema because they didn’t want to do a pelvic exam bc like I said before they insisted at my age it would be impossible to have a prolapse of any sort with only one 9lb baby…. After all of that all I was told is my uterus was retroflexed and sitting low in my pelvis. I was told that my uterus would rise up out of my pelvis from day one, but the “dead line” as I called it kept changing, I was first told by the end of my first trimester, then 16 weeks, then 20 weeks…. It was to the point that if I inserted my finger into my rectum to “splint” for a BM I could feel my son’s movement (kinda creepy)… however I am stuck with the Dr’s I have until I move back to the states in 2010

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Navy Wife & Mommy to 2 wonderful lil brats!!!

Sierra 1/13/06 9lbs 1oz
Gaetyn 3/9/07 4lbs 1oz (8 wks premature)

AnneH

November 6, 2007 - 8:39am

Quote: "My Dr keeps stressing the importance of making a quick decision before the vomiting destroys my esophogus and right now that's the only "quick fix" "

I would ask the doctor to explain to you exactly how removing your uterus is going to fix your constipation. I would also like to know more about why constipation causes you to vomit. Perhaps you can be prescribed anti-nausea meds to give you time to sort out what you want to do. It seems atrocious to me that the doctor is using this threat to push you into surgery again. On the other hand, he is correct that chronic vomiting can cause you severe esophagus problems. I think the vomiting needs to be addressed and controlled NOW, without expecting surgery to be the "quick fix". Because there is no guarantee the surgery IS going to fix it.

kiki

November 6, 2007 - 4:07pm

I am so sorry to read your story!!! You are an amazing women!

I just wanted to say that I would keep pushing until you get answers. Having a prolapse does not give you answers for such severe constipation or vomiting. I have a bowel prolapse and yes, I am now prone to constipation, and have to eat pretty imaculately. But what you are dealing with is an extreme that seems to me beyond what a prolapse could cause. Also, there must be a reason why your uterus doesn't rise. From my understanding even with a severe prolapse when you lie down everything goes back into place, making sex possible, and relieving the pressure.

I can't imagine dealing with this away from home, dealing with different doctors. But please don't let them push you into anything you don't believe is right, at least not till you have all the answers to make a truly informed choice.

re constipation / vomiting--i have heard of this before, to do with impacted feces. and apparently impacted feces can affect the gut being able to do its' job, and almost needs to relearn to work. I'd think you need a good gastro to deal with that, and sort that out to know where your body is at. but are you / they sure the vomiting is constipation related? What have you done to deal with the constipation in the past? does anything work??? did the exams before show anything? did they do a colonoscopy / endoscopy to be sure there is nothing else going on???

I really would just push and push for answers...hard when you are dealing with so much and in a foreign country, but you don't want to be making a decision without the whole story...

Christine

November 7, 2007 - 12:29am

Hi Everyone,

This topic has fascinated me since Mommyto2's first posting. Although many women have a retroverted uterus upon becoming pregnant, only 1 in 3000 develop what is termed an incarcerated uterus, when the growing uterus becomes stuck up under the sacrum. Mommy doesn't mention this condition by name, but certainly describes its symptoms.

The condition usually spontaneously corrects by 12 weeks, but in 1-2% of cases the uterus remains impacted in the pelvic cavity. Astonishingly, a third of the fetuses do not survive and women are placed at great risk as well. An observant prenatal attendant would try to replace the uterus anteriorly and keep it pushed forward with a pessary.

What is instructive here is that Mommy had a normally positioned fundus immediately after her first delivery and only seven or so months later her uterus was so retroflexed that it grew straight into the hollow of her sacrum with her second pregnancy.

Going weeks without a bowel movement is drastic and indicative of such conditions as megacolon, where the gut becomes so dilated that it ceases to function. With severe impaction it’s easy to envision the uterus tipping up and then becoming bent over backward and squashed against the back of the pelvis. She describes her uterus as crushing her rectum, but both become crushed by the same process.

The burning question is:

Are such situations preventable?

I believe the answer is yes. The postpartum pelvic interior is quite unstable and takes months to completely pull into its proper configuration. If we rarely place the outer framework (spine and pelvis) in its rightful shape, the organs that are suspended from it have less a chance of returning to their original positions. Diet and lifestyle habits that keep our bowels in shape (even if it means supporting a slight rectocele by splinting - which many women only have to do temporarily or sporatically) are equally important. Finally, educating women that the postpartum period is not only important for returning the mother to health, but for creating viable conditions for a subsequent pregnancy.

Christine

MommyTo2under2

November 7, 2007 - 3:40am

Anne,
The Dr’s reasoning is a “Catch 22”…. Because I have insisted that the prolapsing of my pelvic floor existed based on the symptoms I was experiencing and they just kept throwing stool softeners at me, they have now turned on me to say that if I feel like my uterus is exerting that much pressure onto my rectum to where I can not have a BM they would rather remove it. With the vomiting, both the Dr’s and I agree on this, my body can only hold so much, if I am not capable of passing a BM, my body rejects the food in other ways…. The constipation is to where IF I try to have a BM and have to strain at all, I get indigestion and the occasional stomach spasams and my food begins to travel upward…. Now, I have been taking Metamucil and when I go for too long without I have to venture for laxatives…. My stool is not hard… regardless of what I take (even laxatives) I have to insert my fingers into my rectum and exert upward pressure onto my uterus in order for the stool (or gas) to make its way down (which is no fun, YUCK) and I’m also scared of doing this as my Dr insisted after performing my A&P in May that it was pertinent that I not get preg. for a minimum of 3 yrs to allow my scar tissue to create a stronger bond, so I got an IUD placed which I didn’t mind then but I’m worried that by placing upward pressure on my uterus I might cause the IUD to puncture the uterine wall

Kiki,
I thought the same about things sliding back into position when I lay down, but when we attempt to have sex he gets caught up on my bladder so quickly and it becomes too painful to let him continue… on those rare occurances when he gets in completely I can feel him hitting my uterus and that brings on a whole other type of pain… its like he’s playing racquet ball with my uterus and my uterus is trying to exit out my abdomen….

Christine,
I am so glad you used the term incarcerated, because when pregnant at every appointment I was worried about that being the problem and my Dr’s kept insuring me that wasn’t the issue and kept changing the time frame in which my I should begin to have a fundal height. However at 12 weeks I was given a donut pessary, but was admitted to the hospital at 14 ½ weeks because of my weight loss, I believe at that point I was between -20 and -25… and the pessary was taken from me because I began spotting so they feared by me keeping the pessary it could potentially stimulate my cervix too much and put me into pre-term labor…. This in turn happened because there was so much pressure on my uterus I slowly dilated and my water began to bulge out, leak at 27 weeks then rupture at 32. Every time I approached a Dr in my clinic with the fear of leaking fluids, I was written off… I was told that the chances of it being fluid was low considering I had a cystocele, chances were it was just urine. I am no dummy, I went as far as wearing a pad then peeing in a cup and pouring the urine on another pad to compare color & odor…. And there was a huge difference, but my Dr’s didn’t want to “risk” checking because of they feared they would cause preterm labor, so they would check my fluid levels on u/s instead, and since my levels where where they needed to be they did nothing… I did however receive an apology when my water fully ruptured because the bacteria levels were so high they felt it indicated that my water had been broken for some time, my son in turn had to have a spinal tap at 13 hours old… and luckily the bacteria that was in his blood had not made it's way into his spinal fluid, I am truly blessed that despite all of the complications I incurred during my pregnancy that he is one healthy little guy

I truly felt that every Dr. I saw had the same mindset, “it’s not common so it’s not happening to one of our patients….”

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Navy Wife & Mommy to 2 wonderful lil brats!!!

Sierra 1/13/06 9lbs 1oz
Gaetyn 3/9/07 4lbs 1oz (8 wks premature)

granolamom

November 7, 2007 - 6:41am

that you and your son came through ok is nothing short of a miracle in my mind.

and the fact that your OB has a valid license to practice medicine is mind boggling as well.

keeping you in my thoughts and prayers...

AnneH

November 7, 2007 - 10:40am

Good lord... I would say you have enough grounds for a major lawsuit. It is unconscionable for them to have insisted the fluid was urine. Cystocele schmystocele. Just because you MIGHT leak urine doesn't mean you can't ALSO be leaking amniotic fluid DUH! Someone who knows what they are doing can tell by the smell... but then that would require they give you a pelvic exam, or at least take a peek down there. That they refused to do this is beyond malpractice, if I am getting the right picture from what you say. Yes, doctors often dismiss you as not having the "rare" problem; it happens all the time. You are a 30 year old female and your chest hurts? Not a heart attack, for sure, here, take some antacids. We can't be running expensive tests on you. If they can't tell amniotic fluid by the smell there is a simple dipstick test for it. Unbelievable they didn't do that on you the very first you told them you suspected you were leaking amniotic fluid. Lawsuit I say. All costs of preterm baby, infection, testing on him, pain and suffering, etc. I generally detest people who sue doctors because often it is frivolous but in your case, I'd get an attorney and go for the jugular.

MommyTo2under2

November 7, 2007 - 5:32pm

I would love to sue the pants off of them but by this time the Navy had transfered me to a civilian hospital.... a university hospital.... a teaching school! So at the begining of every appt. and even when you went to the labor deck you had to sign a waiver, and you loose your rights to sue, unless someone dies and in that case you can sue for no more than $10,000...(I believe, at least that's what the legal office on our base told us) I never took it much further than asking the simple question as the wonderful care I recieved and the refusal to check occured at 2 military facility's, 2 hospitals out in town there, one in south florida when my husband, toddler and I all got food poisoning and spent the day at the hospital, and one in SC when I started bleeding waiting for my mother to go back into surgery... it's like they heard prolapse and despite them telling me it's not possible at my age, I'd recieve an U/S to avoid "possibly" stimulating my cervix... WHICH ACCORDING TO EVERYTHING THEY WERE SAYING should have been high up inside the vagina.... HELLO??? If you're gonna argue with me than let your actions suit your words! Considering I paid nothing for the horrible care I recieved, the military footed those bills, and I received the same responses from everyone I actually started to wonder if maybe I was wrong, maybe it was all in my head.. maybe it was procedure... then of course my son was born 8wks early, had to have a spinal tap,was anemic from a tear in his placenta and I was threatened with a hysterectomy... so I basically decided Dr's suck, but I dont have much of a choice especially being a mil. dependant out of the country... to move here I had so many things I had to do (i.e the repair or the hysterectomy were required to accompany my husband on his orders) and to move back it will be the same...

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Navy Wife & Mommy to 2 wonderful lil brats!!!

Sierra 1/13/06 9lbs 1oz
Gaetyn 3/9/07 4lbs 1oz (8 wks premature)

MommyTo2under2

November 7, 2007 - 5:39pm

My amniotic fluid at first was normal color and odor when I was mearly leaking a little... as the leak got heavier the color changed to a neon green and the odor went from sweet/ non-existant odor to metallic... still rather distinguishable from urine... but because it didn't suit what the normal infection free amniotic fluid when I described it they said it COULDN'T be... heh, gotta love men... I wish these male Dr's could get pregnant, & have babies... or better yet like I said to my mother earlier... the next time a Dr tells me that the symptoms I'm describing couldnt be associated with a prolapsed uterus because it's not possible I'm gonna ask them how many times thier uterus has slid down into thier vagina? Am I wrong, they speak as if they know from experience... when they only know what they've seen or read... but until they have thier own I feel as if they need to be open to the fact that it's not always gonna fit thier little check list of factors to be present...

sorry I got off on a rampage.. :-/

~~~~~~~~~~~

Navy Wife & Mommy to 2 wonderful lil brats!!!

Sierra 1/13/06 9lbs 1oz
Gaetyn 3/9/07 4lbs 1oz (8 wks premature)

kiki

November 8, 2007 - 2:10pm

Hi mommy,
no need to apologize for ranting!!! you have more to scream about that i can imagine! you are amazing to come out the other side of you, and i just hope you can find the support to find the right answers for where you are at now.

when you say that a repair or hysterectomy was required to move and will be again, what do you mean--that the army requires it? i can't imagine that is legal!!! it's your body!!! it's your family!!! hoping i interpreted that wrong...

anyway, please keep releasing here--all you need

kiki

MommyTo2under2

November 8, 2007 - 2:24pm

to move outside the country the military requires a "medical screening".... any health issues are required to be "resolved" before they will clear you to move... they require this because medical services are limited over here.... I was told that on the off chance my husband and I decide to have another baby while we are over here we would be separated and I would be moved back to the states where they can handle a highrisk pregnancy.. I was told that they had JUST delivered the first set of twins over here about a month ago... they don't have the facilities to handle anything here.... some times if the see it to be more cost effective they'll relocate you to Germany just for the sheer fact that Germany has a "stronger" medical staff... If we choose not to return to the states I'll have to undergo another medical screening and if I'm not in tip-top shape I'll have to return to the states with the kids and my husband will be off to his next duty station :-/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Navy Wife & Mommy to 2 wonderful lil brats!!!

Sierra 1/13/06 9lbs 1oz
Gaetyn 3/9/07 4lbs 1oz (8 wks premature)

AnneH

November 9, 2007 - 8:33am

Dear god in heaven.... green is meconium staining. Pregnant lady at any stage saying she is discharging anything any shade of "green" needs to be told to get to the hospital ASAP. Do these doctors know ANYTHING about obstetrics? Forget suing them. Tar and feather them and horsewhip them out of town. Then drag them back and put them in front of a firing squad. No excuse, just no excuse - none whatsoever.