Tearing/Episiotomy vs. Stretching...different healing potentials?

Submitted by mzimm on July 30, 2009 - 3:24pm
Body: 

Hello again, back with another question for all you experienced ladies!

A brief refresher, I am almost 11 weeks pp with a mild uterine prolapse and even milder cystocele (according to the last doctor I saw). I am 27, only had one baby (a little sweetheart!), but had a ridiculously long (30 hours), tough labor. We're talking several hours of pushing, vacuum delivery, episiotomy, tearing, etc.

So far, it feels like things are getting better. I discovered my cystocele when I was just "checking things out" to see how everything was healing. At that time (4 weeks pp I think), I got it checked and that doctor said it was a moderate cystocele/rectocele. Several weeks later I was checked by two other doctors who declared it mild uterine/bladder prolapse. I felt that this confirmed my feeling that things were markedly better--at first I could feel the bulge all the time, but now I think that if I hadn't looked, I wouldn't know there was anything wrong right now.

Ok, so that wasn't very brief!! Sorry! My question is this:

-Due to the fact that I had tearing/stitching vs. overstretching, does that mean I don't have as much healing potential as a woman who had no tearing?

This question has really been nagging at me and keeping me from feeling completely positive. Does anyone have any ideas/thoughts/experience with this? I am sure I am not the first to consider this with all you thoughtful ladies out there!

granolamom

July 30, 2009 - 5:14pm

I think the answer is, we just don't know.

in theory, I'd say someone with no tearing is in a better position that someone with extensive tearing. but the human body is amazing and frustrating at the same time. it doesn't always behave as we think it should.

I had pretty bad tearing that was never stitched and never healed properly. and while my prolapse isn't completely gone, it was way worse than yours when I found it and its alot better than it was.

so don't let these worries interfere with your healing. you've got as much healing potential as anyone else.

mzimm

July 30, 2009 - 7:34pm

You always have words of encouragement!

amaleigh

July 30, 2009 - 7:47pm

I had 3 hr pushing with vacuum delivery with my son. Fortunately I didn't have any tearing that required stitches. Unfortunately, I ended up with acystocele and rectocele. Sometimes I wonder if I had had an episiotomy if that would have saved me from overstretching. I feel like all the pressure from the delivery just got absorbed into the surrounding tissue, and it's never firmed back up. Kinda funny that we both question if the other way would have been better. In the end, I think the ww posture and exercises give us all good potential for strengthening and healing.

louiseds

July 30, 2009 - 9:51pm

Yeah, there is always a bit of "What if?" hanging around about lots of things in life. I think it is just a part of assimilating things about our lives that we are still uncomfortable about, part of the grief recovery thing. We humans think a lot about the past, perhaps so we can do it better in the future. Who was it said, "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."?

I guess all we can do is take our body the way it is and do what we can with it. I only live in my own body, so comparing it with others is somewhat pointless, as I have not walked their shoes.

Robin, one day when you are feeling inquisitive, you will probably be able to get information from the record of your confinement from the hospital and find out how bad it really was. Now you are further away from it, it might not be so scary. I had a little, "What if" myself a few weeks ago and rang the hospital where I had my first confinement, to find out how to go about getting a copy of those records, to find out exactly what did happen. I was busy labouring at the time, so I didn't take much notice. I haven't written the letter yet ...

Cheers

Louise