Pessary...My new best friend!!

Submitted by Mae on July 23, 2010 - 4:12pm
Body: 

Hello all!
I am still alive and well (knock wood!) and keeping very busy with that new grandbaby. Well, he's not so new, having just turned a year old in May, but I swear it seems as though he just arrived such a short time ago.

Well, I have been using my pessary for two months now. I saw the doctor who said it was a fine fit even though I now have two prolapses. At the time I was fitted for it I only had one POP (bladder...now my uterus has prolapsed as well...new grandbaby perhaps...maybe, maybe not, but if it is, that's O.K. He's so worth it).

One prolapse was not hard for me to manage and I tucked the pessary away in a drawer after barely giving it a chance. However, two became unmanageable for me, probably because I refused to stop lifting that baby and didn't have time to really get into the WW program like I did before. At any rate, I found myself pushing my organs back into place several times a day. I was not a happy camper.

Well, I gave the pessary another try and, my dear friends, I have to tell you it works like a charm and has changed my life tremendously. I have my life back. I actually go days without even thinking about my POP's. I can lift anything that isn't too heavy for me, I can exercise (and pick up that baby!) without my insides falling out...basically I can do everything I did before my first prolapse five years ago!

Blue, if you are reading this, I think our problem with the sponges (I still chuckle at our little experiment with Louise egging us on!) was that our prolapses were too bad for the sponges..not to mention how they scratched. We should have been experimenting with pessaries!

I think it is a shame that doctors aren't more positive about women using pessaries. They just push for the surgery. I had to insist on being fitted for one when I got the first prolapse. The doctor said she could fit me for a pessary but she said she knew I wouldn't really want that. It's no wonder I threw it in a drawer without really giving it a good try.

According to my doctor, a lot of women can't get the pessaries out so they have to give up sex (if they are still active) and come in and have it removed and cleaned after a few months. A lot of women aren't willing to do that (I wouldn't be either) but I am lucky (or is it determined??) because I get that thing out of there with no problem. I use Christine's Bliss Balm for insertion....it makes it easier to slide right in. Then I go about my day without giving my POP's another thought. I remove it at night, or the next day, clean it and back it goes. Of course I have to remove it for sex, but that's a small inconvenience I can easily live with for all the good things using one brings.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to get back to you all as I said I would and, as usual, I had a lot to say. Hope all is well with all my WW friends here. I don't post often anymore, but I do pop (no pun intended) on here every now and then to see how everyone is doing!

Just love this new website! Glad it's up and running again.

Hugs!
~Mae

elcie

October 11, 2018 - 3:36am

Now that is something new for me. I remember when I first started we were told to leave it for later on - A whole page of instruction on it too. I will have to give that a go tomorrow morning when things are fresh and my mind is clear - Christine says she does it after her walk - walks are a thing of the past for me. I do not walk any more than I have to. I would so like to be able to walk along our beach, barefoot in the sand..... thank you for giving me the boost to carry on - it is so easy to just give up on it all.

Typicalme

October 11, 2018 - 1:38pm

pregnant duck lol - that gave me a chuckle... but no - the posture does not look like a pregnant duck...
i was thinking about you on my walk a few hours ago as I pushed my son in his little car. I was trying to catch sight of myself in reflected windows of houses as i passed...
the posture should look like a regal queen with a delicate crown on her head. the reason the posture is challenging for me is that i hate looking taller than i am - at 5'10" i've spent my life trying to look shorter... hunching, leaning forward, standing with weight on one foot instead of evenly on both feet.
but you want to look tall - no need to stick anything out apart from your chest. i actually experiment as i walk - i try to lift my chest from breastbone up, but i can also lift from my ribs upwards as well. i have read on here that you really can't lift your chest too much so just experiment. and breathe with your diaphragm not your chest. long strides (which i've always done) too.
i saw an uncle i haven't seen since last year - 'have you gotten taller?'
my sister came by to show me her new car - we took it for a spin around the neighborhood and I was driving... my sister asked me "do you always sit up like that when you drive?" yup... i certainly do now!
the posture is slowly becoming second nature.
so yeah - i sit here now typing to you as i work from home - i'm sitting with a wedge cushion on my soft padded dining room chair (they're the upholsterd chairs and the bottoms are soft and not super supportive so i add in my wedge cushion) and i'm sitting cross legged, my knees are hanging off the sides of the chair but that's ok... lumbar curve in place, chest lifted, eyes cast down to the screen here, but crown of head lifted. again - i think of balancing a crown on my head and being tall.
keep working at it elcie - long walks in posture will be when you feel best!

Surviving60

October 12, 2018 - 4:08am

Can't say enough about walking. This is how I taught myself the posture. It required time and conscious effort, and at first I did think I felt worse. But over time I could feel my body improving and my torso settling over my hips and my organs feeling more supported. I came to find that after a long long walk, I could barely even feel my prolapse. - Surviving

elcie

December 8, 2018 - 2:57pm

As I said in my previous posts I had been waiting to see a specialist re my prolapse - It is classed as 3 now - serious prolapse. NZ has had mesh removed as a treatment since 2017 and this time I was offered a different pessary - A Gellhorn type which has to be inserted and removed by the specialist every 6 months. I have an ultrascan of the area next week to make sure all is OK inside there - when it was first put I I did have pain - and aches - but hopefully the worst has passed now. I cannot find much information on this type of pessary and although I still do the pelvic exercises I have not managed ever to find the magical whole woman posture. I am sure the sepia that was mentioned on here did help me to tighten things inside but it had passed the point of no return by the time started that. I got the idea that surgery was not considered for me - and I am trying to find more information on this pessary so I can understand what it is doing and how.

Phylbonics

December 9, 2018 - 10:25pm

Elcie, the info I write here is directly from the internet and very informative. You can learn to manage it yourself, which is what I'd want to do if it were me. This Pessary is made up of soft and pliable medical-grade silicone. It can be used for more advanced pelvic organ prolapse mainly a second to third-degree prolapse, or procidentia. Gellhorn Pessary has drainage holes in the base which allow the passage of fluids. The knob of the Gellhorn Pessary easily folds over for insertion, and once in place, it rests on the posterior vaginal wall. I don't think you need to be so apprehensive about trying it. You post is a little unclear about whether or not you have it inserted presently, or, are waiting to see if your ultrascan is OK.

Key Features Of EvaCare Gellhorn Pessary:
Easy to insert and remove
It allows for self-care
Device is also less likely to be expelled

elcie

December 10, 2018 - 1:30am

and - No I am not having twins. At 76 years old that would be something. It was just like you see them doing for women having babies - of course the operator couldn't say anything but she felt it was not necessary to do an internal, I just have to wait and see. I would not feel happy trying to deal with this thing myself. even the ring pessary was inserted and removed by the Dr or her nurse. I am feeling quite sore and tired today - the tool that she rubbed over my tummy was very firm and she pushed quite hard on it. I will head off to bed and have a good sleep - tomorrow will be another day and I will be more able to deal with things I hope. From what I read the gellhorn pessary has to be released as it is held in by suction. It is staying in place and things are all tucked up inside. Long may it continue.

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