Dealing With Rectocele

Hi- I'm sorry you feel so sad, but I empathise, I really do, i remember well being in that place myself.
I actually haven't been on this site for a long time, and I'm sure you'll get many other replies from other, more regular members.
The reason I haven't been here for a while (and believe you me, when i first discovered I had prolapse I was on this site 24/7 trying to come to terms with it all) is because I've been so busy looking after my, now 9 month old baby. Yes, the baby I had after I found out I have uterine and rectocele prolapse. The baby I wear in a sling, lift, carry, dance and play with- not to mention doing all of the above with my three year old daughter too!
It took me a long time to come to terms with prolapse, it does for everyone, but I just wanted you to know you can, and will, do all the things you dream of. You will even learn to love your body again. Take all the reassurance and love from your husband that you need, and don't give up on the idea of more babies.
Yes, other things may slip eventually, but that happens to most women, whether they admit or not, and you will find new ways of doing things that support your prolapse- but my prolapse no longer bothers me AT ALL. No one ever died from prolapse is my bottom line. Sure, I occasionally do thing s that make it feel worse for a little while, but you're not going to send your organs shooting down your leg lifting up a little itsy bitsy baby.
I cried for a long time about my prolapse, then I drank too much, then i started to look after it and myself, and then i had a baby. It's all good.
I hope you get other, probably more helpful advice! Hang in there, it gets better!

Hi EI,

Yes, you are at the bottom of the pit we all fall into upon discovering prolapse. Go ahead and rest for a while as you get your bowels in good shape and your endocrine system pumping out “happy and healthy” molecules of emotion, instead of stress hormones.

There is probably good anatomic reason for the sudden appearance of your rectocele (besides all the lifestyle factors - most especially straining against the toilet seat). You have two large pads of fat on either side of your rectum, which cushion it from the forces of internal pressures. Those fat pads deflate during rapid weight loss, a fact long-observed by gynecologists. In time, your body will adjust.

After you feel you’ve had a good rest, then begin this postural work! It is the only program on the planet designed to move your organs into their proper, anatomic positions. Over time your rectum and back vaginal wall will be pulled up and taut again. You must baby the rectocele bulge in the meantime (splinting if necessary, not letting yourself get constipated, rocking forward onto your feet with all increases in pressure when moving your bowels.) When your belly is pulled in, your uterus cannot pull all the way forward, pulling your vaginal walls up in the process. Learn WW posture!

I would suggest the WWYoga - first wheel video, as it has the most recent exercises designed for maximum forward organ movement.

Wishing you well,

Christine

Hi Empty Inside

Just a few words of encouragement.

I cried loads after discovering my grade 3 rectocele in January; the smallest thing set me off, and like you, all I could imagine for the future was a world of 'can't do this any more'.

Give yourself time, take a step at a time. Well done for losing weight. I strongly advise you to get the Wholewoman DVD workout, and the Saving the Whole Woman Book too. With the latter, it is for reading, dipping into and re-reading - a lot to absorb. But the workouts can be built up straight away. (I haven't purchased the yoga DVD yet, but plan to).

I have had unhelpful consultation with a specialist, and know deep down her suggestion of surgery would be a mistake.

So like the other women on the forum, little by little we adjust our lives so that we can get to a point that it is as fulfilling as ever.

I worried about carrying on working - but have just started a new school term as a teacher and all went fine.

I worried about not exercising - but I have comfortably cycled 30 miles a day and regularly swim. I'm not walking so much, but am working on the best way to approach that.

I have just spent a few happy days holding a new grandson and pushing the buggy in the park.

I have recently started using a sea sponge pessary - sometimes it works well, sometimes I don't get it rightly inserted. Still a work in progress, but that is fine.

I have learnt a lot about self-help and most importantly I have learnt of the love and sharing amongst these forum members, and especially Christine and Louise.

And good luck with baby plans - having a prolapse does not have to prevent you from having more children.

I'm glad you have found this site.

marigold

Your comments to EI about rapid weight loss causing the fatty pillars to disappear with rapid weight loss just got me thinking.

You know how postpartum prolapse often doesn't appear until a few weeks after the birth? Guess what! This first few weeks postpartum is a time of quite rapid weight loss for many women.

Could this offer an explanation why PP POP doesn't appear immediately after birth?

Louise

Yes, Marigold, Cararosesmum and Christine are so right. It will get better, and you have very good tools in Christine's work, for taking control of this yourself and driving your own recovery.

It is almost 7 years to the day since I found these Forums, and I cannot believe how different I am now, compared to then. Just today I realised that yet another positive change has happened in my body, at least I think it is a positive change! I have had no stress incontinence since starting WW work, but I have had some urge incontinence for the last few years. I figured it was a trade off for not having stress incontinence.

I have just realised that in the last few weeks I have not had the pressing need to get to the loo as soon as I get home and get out of the car. Now, instead of turning the car off and leaving the keys in the ignition and waddling inside quickly for a pee, I can now take the keys out, reach over for my bag, get out, open the back door and get my other things out of the back seat, take my gear inside and put it on the table, then go find the toilet.

This is a major improvement for me. I hardly have any POP symptoms at all these days, a big change from when I started on this site, with a lot of bowel emptying problems, constipation, constant cystocele, urinary tract infections, thrush, the works!

This will be you in a few years, except I hope you will have a toddler as well!

Learn all you can. Knowledge is power.

Louise

Hi and welcome EI. You couldn't be in a better place than you are right now, for getting the help advice and guidance that you need to get your self back on track. I am here to tell you from personal experience that this WW work really does wonders as it has for me. I too have rectocele and have not been on this site for very long but i have experienced much improvement in this short time to which i am eternally greatful to Christine. My biggest issue is an inability to fully empty my bowel. Having said that, i do have a complete BM every second day and that is because i have a magnezium drink the night before, but i don't like to take it every night, so on the alternate days i try to help myself along with Slippery elm powder or warm Prune and prune juice and eat chia seeds and 1 tbsp of all bran everyday. Including lots of fruit and veg. Need to drink lots of water to get this added fibre through the bowels. I will drop the all bran as i get better.

I never ever slouch i don't even get tempted. For the first couple of months i stayed home and avoided people, i would even turn down invitations as i felt so depressed and broken. i took care of myself and did everything to help my condition. I am still doing it as it is still early days and have a way to go yet but my discomfort has very much improved. There were times when i found it so uncomfortable to walk, Now i don't feel the bulge from a half full rectum in my vagina anymore. Also on the days when i don't fully empty, what's left in my rectum is getting less. I pull up alot and notice a big difference. You are much younger than me so if i have found this much improvement you can as well. All you have to do is read as much as you can on this site and you will learn how to manage your rectocele and be the master of your own body. Determination is also what is driving me. Good luck and keep posting to let us know of your acheivements. keep a record of how you feel on a daily basis and you will be able to see the difference when you go back on your records of how you feel now compared to before. I did inversion and found that it helped to keep me more comfortable Whilst i do the work.
Wishing you all the best.

Good to hear of your improvement Louise. You must be relieved. I agree...it can take awhile to realise that we don't have that certain problem anymore. The sudden realisation can be quite exciting. Happy for you:)

Mishek

Hi EI

You sound almost euphoric about this. There is nothing quite like hope to drag us out of the deepest misery.

Improving your POPs will happen in fits and starts, and periods of almost imperceptible improvement that adds up quietly to significant improvement over, say three to six months. Just remember though, that you will also have setbacks, when you will think you are back where you started, and that all your hopes were false. These setbacks are temporary, and can be for a couple of days, but sometimes they go on for weeks. We persist with what was working before, and maybe tweak it, or take another look at what we are doing, and what that silent voice in our heads is saying. Then there is a breakthrough again. Sometimes we don't know what caused it, and we catch up to where we were, and the improvement goes ahead again quietly. It is the slow progress which is good, because you haven't flown high, so there is no crashing down again. Rapid improvement can come undone again, and give us a false sense of security.

Even after seven years my POPs can creep up behind me and give me a nasty surprise. They remind me every now and again that they are still there, then go silent again. It is sort of like a reminder not to get complacent.

This afternoon I dragged a big branch of grapevine about 30 metres, out of the back yard, to the wood pile, to dry out for next year. It was about 150mm across at the wide end, and about the same at the narrow end, with some big lumpy bits on the side. It was a bit hollow in the middle but mostly solid. It was about 2 metres long. A very solid bit of wood, as it turned out. I did it by fastening a stout rope around one end, and around my hips, and stuck my butt out and bent my legs and leaned backwards, and straightened my legs, then shuffled backwards a bit and did it again. Eventually I got it to where it needed to be, very slowly, bit by bit, with no jerking. I was so proud of myself! No strain at all, just tired thigh muscles, which will rest up overnight. POPs are good. Hope they are OK tomorrow. This is the sort of thing you will be able to use your brains for, from now on, and develop your brain, to enable you to think of different and creative ways of using your body to get your tasks done.

The fear really does decrease, once you learn why your body does what it does, and listen to it, and use it sensibly.

Louise

hi empty inside
glad that you are feeling a bit more hopeful now. you have plenty of reason to feel hopeful!
only have a few min, but in a nutshell....I found my bladder prolapse at age 32 or 33, dont remember anymore. shortly thereafter my biggest fear came to pass...I developed a small rectocele and my uterus dropped a bit too.
fast forward a few years...prolapses are much less noticeable and COMPLETELY ASYMPTOMATIC. I have had more babies (yes, more babies!!) and I do every single thing I ever dreamed of doing and the prolapse doesnt get any worse.
sure, I cried plenty in the early days. didnt want to get out of bed, felt like a burden on my family, thought I'd have to give up the things that brought me joy, etc etc.
but it didnt quite turn out that way. prolapse is no bigger a deal for me than the lines developing 'round my eyes or my boobs losing their perkiness. its just a 'man, wish I still looked 19' thought that passes through sometimes, but really, I am living my life fully and well, regardless of the prolapse, the lines, the gray hairs, yeah whatever. its life! and its good : )

first know that really, I'm not a dr and even if I was, there is no way anyone could give you a diagnosis online. so if anything is worrisome, I will always say "go see a dr or other medical professional"
that said, lets try to figure it out.
what do you mean by 'roof of the inside of vagina'? depending on your perspective the roof can also be the floor or the wall.
do you mean as far back in as you can reach, towards the cervix? if so, then maybe that spot is a small injury to the cervix from the pap.
do you mean the back wall (can feel like the top) towards your rectum? maybe a new spot of rectocele.
or do you mean the front wall, which when you insert a finger and have a feel, can seem like the roof even though its underneath? if thats what you mean, then I'd suspect a small area of vaginal wall weakness allowing you to press against bladder. cystocele can sometimes feel bumpy/rough due to the presence of rugae (ridges in the skin).
or do you mean something else entirely?

I cried the whole visit too back when I went for the first time. I was 28 (7 years ago!) with my newborn in the baby carrier, and I couldn't stop crying either. My dr just acted like the prolapse wasn't a big deal. Crying is completely acceptable and normal in my opinion. Btw, I'm 35 and I started with a slight cystocele and retroverted uterus and then eventually got the rectocele. But I have had it for 7 years now, and as long as I watch my diet and include enough raw vegetables, probiotics, herbs, etc. (also have ibs) I'm okay! When I watch my food, I feel like I'm taking good care of myself. You're not alone!!!

Hi EI

Not being flippant here. It is not your G-spot, is it? What happens when you rub it? NO, don't answer that question! ;-)

But seriously, maybe you are now feeling what is really there. My vagina changes quite a bit. I don't think I had even felt in my vagina until I was about 40.

hey, E.I, I think I know what you are talking about- that would be rugae which is what makes up your anterior wall. It is a bit lax and could indicate a cystocele. But you have the knowledge and power to stop it from developing now!

This is a subject of which there is lots and lots of commentary here on the forum. Use the search function and read away! But here are some answers in a nutshell:
Sex will not cause any damage.
Men can't tell a difference.
A penis is very good at pushing everything into place.
Most women report feeling more lifted for a while after sex.
There is usually no physical impediment, but you may find your head gets in the way a bit.
Experiment with positioning to find what is good for you.
Lubricate! Foreplay!
Yes, it is still very pleasurable.

Don't be scared! Just go for it! You will probably find it therapeutic in more ways than one.

I totally agree with BadMirror. I would add that a woman's abdomen and pelvis are both designed to distend greatly for pregnancy. Don't worry. Your pelvic organs will get out of the way. Prolapses are partly caused by the mobility of these organs!

If you learn to Firebreathe you will discover just how far your bladder, uterus and rectum can be sucked in to your body.

His Majesty will have no trouble at all.

It is your posture that will affect the amount of crowding in your pelvic area. Keep your belly relaxed and your lumbar curve in place, so your pelvic organs have somewhere to go, and your body will be no different to how it was.

You on top might work better for a start because you are more in control of what your body is doing, so you may feel less nervous about it. Just experiment, and don't forget to tell your partner about your concerns. I am sure he wouldn't want to hurt you, and that is something he might be worried about. Yes, sex can be just as enjoyable with prolapse as it was before, but nothing will be enjoyable while you are in a state of worry. Chill. It will be fine.

Louise

And it is NOT the train. I felt shock, horror, disbelief and amazement when I first found the pop.
Now, I feel amazement pop remains so unspoken about , that Christine's work has not earnt her a noble prize and that we have responsibility to raise awareness in the world.
I would hesitate at saying I am glad about having pop but I know that my life has benefited in a lot of ways as a consequence.
Some days, the pop reminds me that I am not taking care of myself but I no longer feel as I did in those dark days. Pop reminds me that I have to take care of myself for far more reasons than it! Pop has been a wake up call.
I have a photo of myself with my granddaughters and I am hunched over in classic pop position. I look old and it is not a photo I like of me. Now I stand tall in WW pose and it looks so much nicer. And I am grateful that I can tell my daughter and granddaughters what they must do. Hopefully they will listen.
Hugs, EI you will be OK
Di

I am so glad I found this site. I was about to go through surgery for pelvic prolapse and while searching for info on the surgery I found the awesome site. ...

This post moved to a new Topic in the Emotional Issues Forum.

Hi MarieM

I am a Moderator. I think your post deserves a Topic of its own. I am going to paste it into a new Topic in the Emotional Issues Forum, and respond to it there.

Louise