UK ladies watch channel 4 at 9pm tonight (Weds 30th)

Submitted by zoeUK on April 30, 2008 - 7:06am
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Hello ladies,

There is a show on tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm called 'embarrasing bodies' or similar. It features a lady with vaginal prolapse tonight (cystocele and rectocele) it follows her story and surgery.

I think it will be a 'quick surgical fix' slant on the story unfortunately and the interview I saw with the lady on 'This morning' (another UK show) certainly seemed to give the impression it was common (they quoted half of all births leading to some degree of prolapse) and easily fixed.

Of course there was no talk of long term implications (that wouldnt make good television would it now.) or even surgery details, but I expect the surgical detail may be in the programme this evening.

It is good that Vaginal prolapse is making it onto terrestrial TV, but not sure if it will show the whole story. The woman was very happy on 'This morning' but she is only 7 weeks post surgery.

I think people outside the UK may be able to watch channel 4 via the web?

Catcha soon,
Zoe x

MeMyselfAndI

April 30, 2008 - 7:55am

I have a feeling this programme has bits of the last series - Where they talk to a woman post surgery and she says she is fine - But... It didn't really tell me anything bar the fact they only show the 'good' bits - Very much adapted and made to make good TV...

I will be watching, but I am somewhat skeptical about anything they say after watching the boob job last night (reduction) and they show a tiny bit of surgery and looking at her afterwards no matter how happy she was at that time, her boobs looked (to me) like kinda weird shaped...

I wish they would hold more than one single offer of help - Surgery or surgery - No other anything and it's always a LITTLE operation. Which it clearly is not - They never tell about possible long term implications of anything, nor any downsides to anything...

Guess the truth don't make good Tv eh...

*EDIT*

Prepare for many women (hopefully) - Needing help and support - I got through a message on their website - So anyone who reads it and comes here will obviously be looking for info etc :-)

To be honest I really thought the Tv mods wouldnt let it through - But they did - Yay... Hoping this give UK women who watched the program and came to the programmes web site and found that page - Will come here for further info, and support etc

Sometimes you are holding someone else's heart whithin your hands. You can drop that heart & bruise it. You can squash that heart & hurt it. Or you can stomp on it & totally annihalate it. You stomp on that heart or bruise it. It can forever be changed.

MeMyselfAndI

April 30, 2008 - 4:01pm

For those in other countries who missed it...

I wrote it as fast as I could while the show was playing - Credits rolling as I type this...

Well I am watching it...

Talked about Thrush...

Then...
Woman after large baby (her 3rd), says her vagina is loose, no sensation, pain with sex, Dr looks... its a rectocele says weakness of front and back and her bladder and rectum are pushing through you can see them, Dr says will write to Gynae...

Then it goes to adverts (grr) But we all know what their answer is any ways...

Talks about checking Vagina for moles breast lumps and asks about Vulvas - One woman asks what is a vulva...

Did a how to Vulva check...

Talks about period pains and stuff

Talks about Endometriosis

Woman embarassed by long inner lips... She is 45... Dr says skin is very healthy, looks at her standing up etc, says she is normal, talks about cosmetic surgeon for 'minor' procedude to remove this excess skin...

Goes to diff subject - Menopause...

Talks about HRT...

And Oestrogen pessaries for dryness...

Goes back to woman with excess skin - Send her to Harley st surgeon, gives her Labiaplasty...

Talks about Pelvic Floor Exercises...

Goes back to woman with Rectocele and Cystocele
She is sent off to surgery...
Episiotomy...
Stitches walls of vagina to front and rear...
He says if she didnt have surgery as time went on it would get worse...
Guess 20 seconds of a surgery makes it look fantastic and like nothing...
Did nothing to uterus...

Adverts...

Talks about smear tests and cervical cancer...

Labiaplasty woman again... Says she had an inch and a half taken off - 4 weeks after Op...

Weirdly goes off to woman with facial hair - She has Polycystic ovaries, she is told laser will sort it out...

Goes to woman - 48 - She has incontinence issues - No warning that she wants to go... Told she has urge incontinence... Told she can have Botox for it... Sent off to surgeon for tests (Prolly urodynamics) Told she is in the worst 10%... She is put out and they do the Botox injection straight into the bladder...

Goes to woman housebound - she cannot go and is splinting by the sounds of it... Sends her to see a surgeon, tells her she has a rectocele... He looks and says her bowels have collapsed in on themselves, they are cutting off the prolapsed sections of her bowel while she is awake with a new technique... Puts gun type thing up her bottom and it sucks the POP in and then cuts it off or something - In both orifices by the sounds of it though I dont get that

Woman who had the surgery came back she can just about fit a tampon inside herself - Talks about sex - (How with it so small) - She seems ok but they spoke for like 40 second on the film...

She says (The Dr) There will be literally thousands of women in the UK with this problem - And tells them to all go to see their GP... Makes it sound like nothing at all.

Back to woman who had Botox - She is happy

Back to woman who had Laser for hair growth - She is happy

Back to woman with bowel prolapse who had the 'gun type thing' done - She says she is happy

So thats the end of the show...

Tomorrow its Men and their peoblems...

Sometimes you are holding someone else's heart whithin your hands. You can drop that heart & bruise it. You can squash that heart & hurt it. Or you can stomp on it & totally annihalate it. You stomp on that heart or bruise it. It can forever be changed.

Christine

April 30, 2008 - 5:57pm

Thank you, Zoe, for bringing to our attention...and Sue, thanks so much for the blow-by-blow. I say we collectively wring the producers' necks!

louiseds

April 30, 2008 - 7:59pm

I think you have to be a bit careful with TV. These programmes are not about women's health, but about selling TV advertising and keeping the shareholders happy. You have to be careful about watching them and careful about how you respond to TV stations about them. I think it is worthwhile contacting the station and giving your opinion, possibly even contacting one of those MediaWatch programmes (BBC?) where they air people's opinions about programmes.

Unfortunately expressing outrage will probably not affect programming though, as I suspect this programme would probably fit the 'freak voyeur' genre, which has its own demographic that is not particularly interested in anybody except themselves. I don't include WW Members' interest in this demographic.

Good luck. I hope you can make a difference. Sue's description of this limited and misleading programme made me feel quite sick.

Louise

zoeUK

May 1, 2008 - 6:39am

I would say I was disapointed by the coverage of POP...but I wasn't disapointed because I expected it to be pretty much as it was.

I did feel slightly sick at the way the surgery was described as though it were as simple as going for a filling with the dentist!

I pity the woman who had the surgery...she seemed so happy with the result but for goodness sakes 4 weeks after surgery??? What kind of follow up is that supposed to be? I would like to hear how she is in 2 years/5 years/10 years time. In fact 5'd like to hear how any lady who's had this op is as I can't seem to find testimonies this far on anywhere online.

I was reminded of my own GP and consultant appointments as I watched...Their 'Oh we can fix that! no problem' attitude with no hint of a warning that it may all go pear shaped again down the line.

Hopefully the programme will do some good in that women who are scared and not seeking any help may try to find some answers and maybe hopefully end up here? I'm sure an unfortunate few will end up under the knife because it made it all look so easy. If only it were!!! Oh my goodness if only it were!

drmayogini

May 1, 2008 - 1:17pm

Maybe if enough women wrote or called the station asking for an
expose of the "long term results" of these surgeries the news
agencies might comply. It would be good if women whom have had
bad results from these surgeries got together as a group and
shared their information and suffering...the news agencies need
to see that the women's problems/suffering are not "isolated" events
before they will act...

"united we stand...divided we fall"