new w/many questions

hello there, c!

glad you found this site. i can say to you don't freak about about the prolapse -- or possible prolapse -- but i know it's easier said than done. though really, don't freak out! it'll be okay!

i do have both a rectocele and a cystocele. the rectocele has been more problematic for me -- i was having extreme constipation issues. there is a long thread in the life style forum that i started in january that you might want to read through. i don't know about mag. citrate as i've never taken it. but i can tell you that i have struggled with chronic constipation and with diet changes, i can tell you honestly that that is now virtually not a problem at all. i have bowel movements several times a day that pass with no effort whatsoever. in turn, the recotcele feels...well, like nothing, actually. in other words, huge huge huge improvement since when i came to this site just one month before that, the sense or fullness -- exactly like a misplaced tampon -- was there all the time. and it was extremely upsetting. so i would say maybe if you have had long struggles with constipation, you might want to look at your diet with a very critical eye and make some changes there. i honestly had thought my diet was really quite good, but i see there were many pieces where i had room for improvement. can't say it was the easiest thing to do but i can tell you my body is operating much more efficiently because of it and is being far far better fed. and no more constipation!

now, i do not think just a cystocele would be blocking stool. i may be wrong, but i would definitely ask about that. do know that i have had that sort of ropey stool in the past. i suspect i've had the recotcele for quite some time before it was actually diagnosed in december -- my daughter is 7 and i did push HARD to get her out and there was lots of tearing. so my ropey stool issue might have been related to the rectocele, or that might have to do with stuff higher up in the colon. really don't know. i can tell you that i did add a probiotic to my diet -- one that is incredibly complex and all organic and was recommended by an amazing member on this site, grandma joy -- and i am quite certain that that has been a huuuuuuge help with getting lots of stuff out. highly highly recommend it.

as to lifing...well, here's the thing. you've got two little kids! it's kind of hard to never lift them up again! i would suggest you look through the site, look at the posture christine emphasizes, find some threads pertaining to lifing (i know there are some -- you can search for them) and take it from there. the thing about this work and the women here is that no one wants to sit on the sidelines of life and just watch, you know? we are all busy -- lots of us with kids, lots of us with work, lots of us with fun things to do! i don't want to be watching everyone else ice skate today and not me (for example.) and so, the key here is to get the postural piece started because then you can start to structurally support your body as it should be and then...i would say do what you feel comfortable with. i am very physically active and one of the things i was really freaked out about when i was first diagnosed was feeling like things would have to be curtailed. with the support and encouragment of the women here, i began to go back to the things i love -- the gym, miles and miles of walking -- and i can tell you i am the better for it. i do think about the posture and work to keep myself aware of it. it is not something that i do automatically for me yet and, yes, sometimes i'm frustrated with it and it just tires me. i've just been dealing with some lower back aches for the last couple of weeks because i'm pretty sure i've been hyperfocusing on the posture -- but you know what? i am also virtually certain i will figure this out and i am also certain that it will become automatic for me. and there is no question that my prolapses have not only stabilized but improved. extremely good motivation for me to keep this up.

not sure at all about the kidney stones being related to the cystocele and rectocele. are you having any symptoms from them or were they an incidental finding? because i suspect many people walk around with some that are completely asymptomatic. the only thing i would say is to make sure the mag. citrate isn't contraindictated with kidney stones as i know there are some things that exacerbate kidney stones and i had it in my head it was either calcium or magnesium. i could be very wrong there, but don't assume anything with your doctor. (my gyn wanted to put me on birth control pills for heavy periods and when i did reading on it, found they are contraindicated for people with history of gall bladder disease - which does run in my family and i told my gyn! -- guess she forgot or whatever. ahem. i passed on the pills. point is, you have to be your own advocate...)

hope i've answered some of your questions. and know the constipation piece can really be a drag, having that feeling of not getting everything out. honestly, things are so much better for me now that isn't an issue. i had a few weeks there when the lower back pressure and feeling of incomplete bowel movement, well, it all just made me cry. it really felt terrible. that was a great first step for me to start and get things under control.

i'm sure others will chime in soon with their own thoughts and experinences. there's a lot of wisdom to be found here.

xxsusan