Scared of the "H" word!

Hi there, I had exactly the same experience as you - except I'm 52 - the doctors suggested hysterectomy as well, and I think I was probably a stage 2 uterine prolapse although they never graded it. My gynaecologist did say that if I was comfortable with the prolapse then I didn't necessarily have to have the surgery. So I started kegels initially but it didn't make that much difference really, I think the biggest thing was just time - after 12 months I hardly feel the symptoms at all (the bulgy feeling in my vagina). I still do a few kegels but I think the main things that helped was losing weight and walking and making sure I didn't strain on the loo. So my advice is hang in here and give yourself plenty of time. Implement as many of the suggestions that people give you as you can. All the best, Wendy

They seem to like offering the H word - Maybe it makes themmore money.

in my opinion - KEEP your 'underparticles' in tact - Hysterectomy will not help your prolapse in fact it would probably give you more troubles.

My mother was offered H about 12yrs ago and said no - She is very happy she said no now - She stil has prolapses - But - they all meet in the middle and stop any one of them getting 'out the door'

I have 3 prolapses also. The worst of the three being cystocele.

Read up on the posture - It has reallllly helped me :) Now 99% of the time i feel normal again

Hi,
I think you've come to the right place for support. The women on this forum are great and very helpful and will answer any questions you ask.
I think the first thing you should do is learn the posture. You will find it explained on the main page under FAQ. Then if you can afford it buy Christine's new book and the video from the WW store. A link to it is on the main page.
I have uterine and bladder prolapses and I find the posture sitting and standing help stabilize them. I also do a lot of walking.
Read as many of the posts as you can there's a lot of great info in them.
Good Luck.
Flora

hey there:

just want to say hello as well. and, as has been written already, you have come to the right place. amazing how doctors can suggest something so radical for what is ultimately a structural issue!

i am 43 and have a rectocele and a cystocele -- the recotocele tends to bother me most when anything is uncomfortable. and, like you, i have felt extremely alone and overwhelmed at the initial diagnosis. as has already been suggested, though, do read the faq and get familiar with the posture. if you possibly can, i would highly recommend getting the new edition of christine's book -- i can't tell you how much information is in there and very solid direction on how to stabilize things for yourself. this forum, too, has loads of information and women who will really support your desire to find ways to live perfectly well with your prolapse. many of us are doing it.

look forward to hearing more from you!

xxsusan

I would buy the book myself if I had to choose one. I think it has the most information and is fairly recent. This is the second edition. Christine updated it and has added some information that wasn't in the first edition. There are exercises in it and one of them is "fire breathing" that quite a few on the forum find very helpful.
Take care.
Flora

get the book! the new edition, that you can order from this site. It will help you visualize what is going on and that's step number one, imo, in terms of learning to manage prolapse naturally.
of course you feel afraid, we've all been there. its a goshdarn scary thing when you feel like your organs are falling out of you! and hysterectomy is TERRIFYING at least it is to me. I don't think you ever outgrow your need for your uterus, even if you're done having kids.
so you write that you are motivated, and you have a gentle and loving husband. both will serve you well as you learn to live well with prolapse (and hopefully stabilize and maybe even reverse it to some degree!). many of us have gone through the feelings of not being very attractive to our mates, feeling damaged or disfigured. general consensus, however, was that our men don't notice or don't care. it takes time for a woman to come to terms with the changes a prolapse brings, but I think its more of an issue for us than it is for our mates. somewhere on this site is a post or two regarding the emotional process that women tend to go through when finding a prolapse. I wish I had it saved, I found it so reassuring that I was normal, and what I was going through wasn't just my own craziness.
but anyway...

I'm glad you found this site, I know it was a lifesaver for me when I discovered my cystocele. stick around, read up on the faq's and old posts as time allows, and ask any questions you may have. the women here are amazing; strong, supportive and inspiring.