Surgery #2 Rectocele

Submitted by Lynn Waters on April 5, 2007 - 4:32pm
Body: 

I just turned "50 on December 7, 2007. I was just informed by my doctor that my first rectocele has collapsed and I need another surgery to correct. I am going to see a Urogynecologist, which I did not know there was such a doctor. My doctor told me the only way to correct this successfully, was to go through the abdomen. I knew something was really wrong when every time I had a bowel movement I would have to push it out with my fingers. There are no guarantees that this surgery will be successful. I cannot believe this is happening! I would like some feed back on anyone who has had this happen because I don't know if I am going to have surgery #2 and if I would benefit from this. My husband and I are not very intimate any more because of this problem. I am in very good health. I weigh 113lbs and am 5'3. I thought this only happens to over weight people.

Desperate,
Lynn Waters

howdidthishappen

April 5, 2007 - 5:25pm

oh, lynn:

i'm so sorry that you're going through this. that sounds really upsetting. though it does also remind many of us here the issue with having the surgery frequently isn't any sort of answer to the prolapse problem.

are you uncomfortable at all or is it mainly the issue with having to splint when you have a bowel movement. i had to do that at first as well, though diet changes has made that an ex-treme-ly rare occurance for me. there is a lot of information on the site about diet especially in connection with rectoceles.

also just curious as to why this has affected your sex life? i certainly don't mean to pry, but i will tell you that it hasn't affected mine. is it painful to have sex or do you just feel uncomfortable about it.

i think other people will chime in here -- i would also suggest you look at the faq section and look at the postural information. also getting the new edition of christine's book would probably be really helpful and informative for you -- i highly recommend it.

again, i don't know the extent of your proplapse, how uncomfortable you are...i do suspect, though, that there is a lot of improvement that can happen via christine's work and, as a gynocologist i saw yesterday said to me:" just go out and live you life." honestly, she couldn't have said anything better to me -- just reminding me that plenty of women just live with this, and, if you're on this site, there's a great chance that you will get things stabilized so that you really can just go on and live your life.

stay around here. there's a lot to learn and i think much you read here you will find very helpful for you.

xxsusan

Lynn Waters

April 5, 2007 - 6:39pm

Thank you for your reply. I guess I didn't go into detail of the severity of my problem. When my husband and have intercourse I usually have a bowel movement and I have no control of it. I am so embarrassed when this happens! It is painful at times but I hide it from him. We have only been married 5 years and this is my second marriage. He has never been married before and no children. I have 2 grown children and 2 grand children. He doesn't quit understand the female anatomy as to what happens to a women during childbirth. I had a partial hysterectomy when I was only 32 years old due to tumors in my uterus. I have never had lower back pain until the last 6 months. I used to teach aerobics and exercise religiously, now I can't without having this feeling of pressure in my rectum. It takes me all day to have a bowel movement, I see a gastroenterologist on a regular basis. I take fiber and drink lots of water and eat very healthy but this does not help. I did not know anything about this problem until I talked to my gastroenterologist. He suggested to consult with my gynecologist and possible rectocele surgery. I took his advise and had the surgery 3 years ago. After the surgery my doctor told me he wasn't sure it would take. He did not use mesh during the surgery. Now he tells me that I need it again. I am going for a consultation with a urogynecologist in a couple of weeks. I will decide on his advise.
Thank You For Listening,
Lynn

wenz

April 6, 2007 - 2:01am

Hi Lynn, am so sorry to hear of your situation, it sounds like a nightmare and you must be so worried. I don't think I can really offer any help beyond offering some support which is very little I know. I am not sure but in your situation I think you are probably doing the right things seeking your urogynaecologist's advice. I think I'd do the same thing in your position, it is one of the more severe conditions I have read about in this forum, and may be best dealt with by the medical profession. Although I wonder whether surgery was the cause of your ongoing problem anyway, in which case you must be reluctant to go back for more. If there is a non-surgical way out you could try it - perhaps others on this list can help here. Anyway, good luck, and best wishes, Wendy

Therese

April 6, 2007 - 8:00am

Also, I am sorry you are experiencing this right now...
I was wondering...did you have the same problems --BM's during sex before surgery? I have a rectocele and I simply can't imagine that happening during sex..it would seem physically impossible to me--so I am curious if this is the result of surgery and the surgery failing or if you had this problem all along.

granolamom

April 6, 2007 - 8:40am

your situation sounds extremely difficult. I honestly do not know how to advise you. the wholewoman philosophy is based on intact anatomy. not that we arent here to help those who've had surgery, its just that the theoretical premise of the posture and exercises relies upon the uterus holding everything else in place.

although....christine herself had a surgical repair of cystocele which is what led her to develop this work, I believe. so I won't tell you anything is impossible.

I feel for you, I really do. I hope your doctors have some good ideas and that you find some people who've btdt and can advise you. It can't hurt to try some of the ideas here. the wholesome diet can only help anyone, that's for sure. as for the posture, you may have to be a bit more creative to figure out if and how it will work for you. If nothing else, we're here to listen.

Lynn Waters

April 6, 2007 - 4:17pm

Dear Therese,
Thank you for your support! The answer to your question is yes, I would have bowel movements during intercourse before my surgery. Today has been really hard for me. I went shopping and had to go to the bathroom four times to try and get all the bowel out. My bottom is raw. I came home and soaked in the tub to try and relieve the pain. Just a bit of history, my mother died at age 35 of a ruptured colon, before that she had cancerous polyps removed. I have a colonoscopy every 2 years because I also have polyps, 7 this time. My daughter is 30 years old and also has the same problem. She had 3 removed this past month. I don't know if this bowel problem is a result of heredity or prolapse. Please don't feel sorry for me because I am so blessed!! I have a wonderful husband , children and grandchildren and my life is good other than this problem. There are so many people much worse off than me. So I pray that God will guide me in the right direction. I feel so comfortable being able to express myself to all you wonderful people. Thank you so much for caring!! May God Bless You!!

Sincerely,
Lynn

Lynn Waters

April 6, 2007 - 4:24pm

Dear Wenz,
Thank you for your reply. I am going to take the advise of my doctors. This is such a wonderful group and I feel so comfortable being able to express my feelings and concerns. I have an appointment on April 19, 2007 with the urogynocologist and I will keep you informed of his advise. May God Bless You!!

Sincerely,
Lynn

Lynn Waters

April 6, 2007 - 4:32pm

Dear Granolamon,
Thank you so much for your response. I am going to try all my resources before deciding to opt to surgery again. To be real truthful, the surgery was not as bad as some people said it was going to be. I had no pain at all. I was only restricted on my activities. I am going to continue reading all of the input on this website and I thank God it is available to me. What a great blessing this is to have people you have never met care so much to write a total stranger and advise her.

Very Sincerely,
Lynn

Therese

April 6, 2007 - 8:35pm

Wow...sounds like you and your family have had to be vigilant in this area so to speak. You couldn't have been that old when you lost your mom. Must have been difficult. Sounds to me like you have a really good head on your shoulders when it comes to this. So many of us have been told to have surgery for rather benign situations--certainly NOT the case in your situation.
I hope that the new specialist that you are seeing will help you get some relief. I know how you feel when you cannot feel "free" of your own BM. I have sat in the bathroom feeling very much like a hostage. Definately sickening. I have resorted to just eating very little in the day time...I cannot tolerate or work well when I feel so full..so I keep it very light myself.
I hope the very best for you Lynn and your family sounds wonderful--so important!!

howdidthishappen

April 7, 2007 - 4:53am

hey lynn:

i just wanted to say that you sound like you are, indeed, one tough cookie. when i first responded to you, i obviously didn't have a lot of the facts about your situation. i hope i didn't sound dismissive to you at all or somehow judgemental in the fact that you have already had surgery. i do aplogize. you, in fact, have so much going on that i hope you are able to find relief.

perhaps this work will help you some? and it does sound like you need to confer with a good doctor that you trust. just also wondering if you have any sothing salves that you could put on a sore bottom. (i had a similar thing last week and put some comfry salve on my tush -- i was better in a day. just a thought.)

sending you love, lynn, and do keep us in the loop of how things are going.

xxsusan

Lynn Waters

April 21, 2007 - 7:18pm

Hey xxsusan,
Just an update on my doctors appointment this past Thursday. I am scheduled for surgery April 30, he wanted to do it this Monday but I needed to give a little notice at work. The doctor said I have a very severe problem and needed to correct it as soon as possible. He will be doing a enterocele, rectocele and also reattaching the ligament to my pelvis that connects to my small intestine. He will be going through my abdomen and also my vagina. He said it would take him about 1 hour and 45 minutes to do the procedure. I am not looking forward to this but I have a positive outlook. I thank you for your concern.

Lynn

Lynn Waters

April 21, 2007 - 7:27pm

Hey Therese,
I went to see the urogynecologist on Thursday and am scheduled for surgery on April 30. He will be doing a enterocele, rectocele and reattaching a ligament to my abdomen that holds my small intestine in place. He will be going through my abdomen and also my vagina to make the corrections. He said no sex for 3 months!! What a long time I am sure it will be worth it in the long run. I will keep you posted as to the outcome.

Thanks For Your Concern,
Lynn

Lynn Waters

April 21, 2007 - 7:33pm

Dear Wenz,
I went to see the urogynecologist on Thursday. He was very reassuring that he could correct my problems. He will be doing a enterocele, rectocele and reattaching a ligament that holds my small intestine in place. I am scheduled for surgery on April 30. He said I would be in the hospital one to three days depending on how I feel. I will keep you posted on the results.

Thank You!!
Lynn

Lynn Waters

April 21, 2007 - 7:41pm

granolamom,

Just an update on my doctors appointment, I am scheduled for surgery on April 30. He will be doing an enterocele, rectocele and repairing a ligament that hold my small intestine in place. I can't believe this is happening again!! He showed me the mesh he will be putting inside me. He is the top surgeon here and it takes along time to even get an appointment with him. He wanted to do my surgery this Monday but I told him I needed to give a little notice at work. I will be off work for four to eight weeks and no sex for three months!! I will keep you posted on the outcome.

Sincerely,
Lynn

Lynn Waters

April 21, 2007 - 7:52pm

Just an update on my recent doctors appointment with a urogynecologist. He said I need to have surgery to correct an enterocele, rectocele and reattach a ligament that holds the small intestine in place. I am scheduled for surgery on April 30. Wow, I can't believe this is happening again!! He is supposed to be the top doctor in this area and comes highly recommended. He said if I don't do the surgery things will only get worse. I am not looking forward to this. I will be off work four to eight weeks depending on how fast I heal. I will let you know the outcome after the surgery.

Sincerely,
Lynn

wenz

April 21, 2007 - 9:06pm

Hi Lynn, I wish you good luck for your surgery, I hope you have a good outcome and I'd like to hear how it went when you have recovered. No sex for 3 months - well, that's not a huge price to pay if you get better. All the best, Wendy

Therese

April 22, 2007 - 5:44am

Lynn,
I hope things go very well for you and that you are able to heal ASAP! Do you have a lot of help while you are healing? You should make sure you you have lots of different restful "projects" to do so you don't get bored! Time to read all the books you have been meaning to and watch all the movies you want to and start that journal and put those family photo's together...ha--obviously my list! I really hope it all goes perfectly well and please let us know how you are!
Therese