newbie to forum with prolapse uterus and rectocele

Hi. So sorry to hear about the prolapse, but thank goodness you found this group as you will find tremendous support, comfort, advice and information here. We are indeed hearing/seeing women come here who have never had children, some who have just one, and women of all ages are here too.

I have to say that among the many "no no's" I was doing right before my uterus fell significanty more was that I was coughing and sneezing A LOT. I have allergies and if anything I was going into the sneeze and cough A LOT if you know what I mean.

Now I barely let myself cough at all! I have learned it's not as involuntary as one thinks! lol I have learned when I get the urge to cough, I can actually just swallow instead and feel the urge to cough leave. Doesn't always work, but often does.

Anyway, point is, welcome to the group. I've been here three to four weeks and have learned a lot already and certainly feel very grateful for how much better I feel after taking the advice of the women here and my gosh how much calmer i am than that firs week or two!!

Regarding kegels, I skip them. I see general advice here seems to be maybe do A COUPLE and skip the rest. I think a lot of kegels either don't help or make it worse. It's buiding muscle where I think you don't need it, kind-a making you bottom heavy rather than helping, if I understand it correctly. And as for pilates, personally I would not do that, I would do Christine's workout instead. (The RN who started this site and who wrote the book and made the CDs). The advice here WORKS, so I'd def go by what the experienced women here advise you!!!

If you go to the search bar here and put in "pessary" or "sponge" you will come in with a lot of information! Definitely read back on those posts! There's great info here going back for years!!

I see some people love the sponge, a few find it a bit scratchy, bu there's a bliss balm you can make. You can put that in the search bar too. I'd tell you but those are not the topics I'm most up on. I am about to get a pessary tomorrow so will be posting how it went afterward! : ) You will find a wealth of information here on this site, in the articles, in the videos here under "entertainment" and on You Tube in videos that Christine Kent made (you can goodgle her name and you tube) and will be feeling much more comfortable and more in control soon.

Hang in there!!
csf

Hi Passionflower,

I've been learning about the whole woman approach to prolapse from Christine Kent's groundbreaking book and this site for eight months now. At first I couldn't understand why some women were so conscientious and good to me, and came back again and again in response to my many panicked questions, encouraging me and helping me with their know-how.
After eight months and a much improved urethrocele which my doctor had told me was bound to get worse, I've become one of those women. I'm so convinced that conventional medical advice on this condition is completely misguided and often makes our symptoms much worse, and so convinced, form my own happy experience, that the Whole Woman approach works, that I have a compulsion to log on every lunch break and evening to see if I can offer any encouragement to a distressed newbie.
We're not doctors, and so can't give you medical advice, just our opinion based on Christine's work, our experience and the experience of many, many other women who have contributed to these forums.

Just a quick reference to my story so far which I hope will encourage you, then I'll see if I can be any help with your questions. Last August, aged forty-six, I discovered a bulge that often peeked say one and a half centimetres from the entrance to my vagina. I'd had two large headed babies and symptoms of what I thought might be prolapse during my second pregnancy, eight years before, and about eighteen months afterwards. Each time I'd been dismissed by doctors and told to do round the clock kegels. I panicked, wept, felt like I was falling apart, terrified myself with conventional gynaecological sites on the net and went to my doctor who told me, before she'd even examined me, that I'd need surgery. Then I discovered Christine's work, started reading, cancelled my second doctor's appointment and have not looked back. For the first say four months I didn't notice much improvement but I learned how to manage my symptoms and reassured myself that with what I knew now they weren't going to get worse. Then, quite suddenly, they started to improve noticeably and this month has been the best ever with my lump smaller and permanently inside. TO be honest, I barely notice it these days - and it was long standing and I'm in my forties.

I feel for you when you say you feel like your body has betrayed you, but honestly, it's just our modern lifestyle that has given you the beginnings of symptoms that you can control and probably really improve. Your body will amaze you, over time, if you can make a commitment to change.

It can't feel fair that you haven't had children and have developed POP. I felt betrayed that my mother had six children and never did ( or never noticed if she did). I felt too young at 46 and then discovered that there are women half my age with it here, with and without children, and we're mostly living pretty good lives with it.

It's good that your doctor was honest about the risks of surgery, as so many seem to have their head in the sands on that. Mine could only tell me that it might work, and it was my best hope. Thank goodness I didn't follow her advice.

Pessaries? Mine wouldn't give me one - said I was too young and fit and surgery would be better. However, there are women here who have had a lot of success with them. You could try putting pessary in the search box. To begin with, I used a sea sponge tampon instead. ( Again - lots of details on stockists, use and care if you search the site.) If you have a cystocele you might well find them great ( I gather women with a prolapsed uterus or rectocele don't always do so well with them.) If you are post menopause you'll probably need lubrication. Thew great thing is that they allow the vagina to close nearly completely when you are in ww posture, so they don't interfere with the long term healing that is possible with the postural work. To be honest, after a few months I stopped using them as I was feeling nervous and unsupported when I took them out- like a big breasted woman going bra-less. Then I realised that I wasn't sagging without them, and then I started to improve anyway. They can provide physical and psychological help for some women, however, as can thick tampons when you know you're going to be on your feet all day.

Kegels and pilates. Personally, I wouldn't ever do pilates, or any exercise that was based on the idea of core abdominal strength, again. My dramatic symptoms came on suddenly after joining a pilates class and using a kegel master in an effort to feel younger and fitter. I don't think it was a coincidence. Kegels, I tried to re-introduce them, when I was starting to make progress with WW techniques, and had a dramatic set back so I don't do them now. I think about it like squeezing a toothpase tube. If there's a lump at the bottom, where's it going to go when you squeeze? Some people here do a few, or Christine's adapted version.

I'm afraid I don't know anything on bactrim or vessicare, but there are plenty of nurses etc on these forums who might be able to guide you. Have you tried the urination position from the book? Some women empty their bladders on all fours in the shower.I found the incomplete emptying went away almost instantly when I started living in the posture.

I know it all feels yuk and like the end of the world, but it's not, really. I felt like a little old lady when I was diagnosed, but now I feel empowered that I know how to look after my body better and everybody says I look younger. ( I think that's the posture.)

Please keep asking all you need to and women will come back to you where they feel they might be able to help.

Hugs

Doubtful

This is my first comment, so just to say all comments I can relate to, at the moment doing all pelvic floor exercises , and seems to be keeping it in control (I have been diagnosed with a small rectocele)
The only problem is I play golf and I am sure at the moment it is not good for the problem. I have a appointment for Gyni in January , but I am totally against the surgery so I am hopeing for a alternative way to help? Anyone play golf with any suggestion. I have had no help with GP and had several procedures at the hospital, told I have a small Rectocele goodbye . finally back to the GP
Well what do you want a operation , no just someone to talk to and advise, that is why I have joined your
forum I have found it to be so helpful to me, I am beginning to feel happy again, I was so depressed.

Hi Annee and welcome to Whole Woman. As you learn about the posture, you will realize that you can do most anything with prolapse, if you do it in a prolapse-friendly way.

A small rectocele is extremely manageable with WW posture and tools. If you see a doctor, he or she will probably point you in a number of possible directions (all of them wrong, I'm sorry to say). So start studying up on the concepts and be ready in the event you decide to keep that appointment. I would suggest you start by watching this:

https://wholewoman.com/newpages/video/ww101.html

I played some golf in my day, but have not done so for going on 30 years. So I don't have any practical suggestions for how you might have to tweak your stance and swing to stay in posture, but I'm sure it can be done. With prolapse it's not what you do, but how. - Surviving