Seeking advice for defecating without increasing rectocele.

Submitted by IsThereHope on May 31, 2012 - 7:21am
Body: 

Hi, I posted on the Whole Woman Forum several months ago, when I was newly diagnosed, and my prolapse was progressing rapidly. I had already ruled out surgery to "fix" my vagina, but since the main cause of my prolapse was chronic constipation (I am only 28, and don't have kids) I wanted to make sure that I did not have some undiagnosed intestinal problems that people on here might not know about. I posted a few times, very stresed out, and some people responded in a helpful manner, but I was too freaked out to really listen. At that time I was waiting for an appointment with a gastroenterologist, and I said I would report back afterward, but I did not, until now. Following a bunch of testing, and several sessions of biofeedback, which did not make it any easier to defecate, I was told by my doctor that I had an intussusception, which means that my colon prolapses into itself, and that the only way she could help me was to remove my rectum, and staple the rest of my colon to my anus. I actually considered doing this for a moment, until I did some research online and discovered that this surgery is rarely successful, and that a large percentage of people who have this surgery go on to have a colostomy. I knew from past experiance with unnecessary self-destructive surgeries that this was not a road I wanted to travel. However, because the damage done to my chest through botched elective "cosmetic" surgery in my early 20s removed a large section of fascia (along with my breasts) permanently throwing my body out of balance (another contributing factor to my prolapse) I also knew that I would not be able to practice the Whole Woman posture and exercises that have benefited so many of the women on these forums, so I decided there was no point in coming on here just to whine, and I went to bed for the rest of the winter, trying to come to terms with the fact that my life was basically ruined. This March I was drawn back to life by the desire to photograph spring wildflowers, and have gradually built my strength back up after learning how to relax and be more aware of my body, and discovering a diet that I ca eat which makes it easier to defecate (it's nothing like my old "healthy well balanced diet" it is really specialized, mostly chia seeds, aloe, kombucha, and fruits and veggies, with a tiny bit of meat and sweet stuff) I really want to live, I have recommited myself to my recovery, and I am trying to practice the Whole Woman posture to the extent that I can, so I feel like it is appopriate for me to come here again and ask for advice. Here is my question, does anyone know a way that I can defecate without making my rectocele worse? I can never defecate without inserting my finger into my anus, otherwise the fecal matter simply fills up the rectocele and sits there. I understand that this practice is known on here as "splinting" and is considered acceptable, unfortunately, I am pretty sure that this (along with straining, which I am better about now) was a contributing cause to my prolapse, and it seems like I am continuing to stretch out the rectocele and pull it further into my vaginal wall and out my vaginal opening with my finger when I do this, and I really don't want to make my prolapse worse, because I am still hoping that I can have a life worth living, and not be completely disabled, even if I am not able to have a relationship or children of my own. I am feeling so much better now than when I was first diagnosed with this prolapse, but that is mostly based on hope, which is based on acceptance of things the way they are now. My prolapse is not getting any better, I just want to stop making it get worse. Does anyone have any advice?

Forum:

takecare

May 31, 2012 - 7:54am

Well done on coming around and taking a new approach - it's a grieving process, involves shock, anger, sadness, fear, etc., and finally we come to acceptance and moving forward.
And so wonderful you have something you love to get you out there and focussed on the outer world ...
I am the same, I cannot defecate with splinting ... but that's okay - it actually helps prevent further damage I believe.
I don't know how you would be stretching it more by splinting - if you are just inserting the thumb a little way in as a 'wall' to prevent further prolapse of the rectal wall itself - the wall has herniated and the faeces heads down the wrong path - towards the vagina entry, placing the thumb there just keeps it on target,
you are not pushing back, just giving a support.

Please also consider walking every day - not sure if you do so - but walk every day - up hills, stairs, downhill, straight, etc - the body has a natural way of helping everything sit where it should be and if you are in posture as you walk - it just helps so much more to keep everything out of harm's way.

Drink water, eat lots of leafy greens - oranges and apples work for me as well.

From my perspective too much fibre, grains, etc - can be a problem - producing too much bulk which for those of us with rectoceles is a disaster.

It's a fine balance.

Do no strain - ever. It will happen when it's meant to, and yes I know it's uncomfortable sitting when things aren't moving well.

Once again - splinting is not to stretch the wall in any way, just to give a barricade so that it heads out the correct exit.
I had horrific episiotomy and damage so I also support the perineum and only discovered this well into the rectocele issue - but a lot of my problem is around the perineum also, might be worth giving support there.

Mostly - find the things you love to do - happiness takes you out of yourself and then your body gives you natural signals rather than you trying to control it.

Best wishes

Surviving60

May 31, 2012 - 7:58am

Good advice from Takecare - we know you have many issues you are dealing with.

Just to add something about splinting - IsThereHope, you are splinting through the anus. I've always understood that the best splinting for rectocele was actually through the vagina. You are supporting the vaginal wall where the bulge is, so that things don't get stuck. Is this correct, anyone?

takecare

May 31, 2012 - 8:04am

So sorry I missed the line about splinting through the anus - I would not call that splinting then ...

I would not do that at all.

Next time your rectum is full put your thumb gently inside the vagina facing the rectal wall and just hold it there as the motion progresses.

If I don't do that the faeces pushes the rectocele further into the vagina and towards vaginal opening. Just gently supporting with the thumb against the rectal wall is very effective for keeping things directed where they should be.

I think the poor rectum is stretched enough without anything more there ... please try the vaginal splinting, it is tricky and weird but in time is incredibly efficient.

I just tell myself it's the way everyone does it :)

ikam

May 31, 2012 - 8:54am

This is very interesting, I have more symptoms when I don't walk. If I only can I walk, and walk, and walk...
My PT also suggested walking...
I wonder what else could be as helpful as walking but done at home?
Ivonush

ikam

May 31, 2012 - 9:02am

I cannot eliminate stool with no vaginal splinting. I don't like it, but at present cannot get it in any different way.
I was only thinking that maybe I make things worse?

But, since my improvement, I have stopped a type of "compulsive splinting"- when I used to splint in any smallest feeling of stool in my rectum...
I think I have something called "visceral sensitivity" and I sense very little stool, as if it was a lot; sometimes it is painful...I waited couple of times with it before going to see my PT. She does an internal trigger point therapy. And she gave me a feedback that actually there was almost nothing...
So, I decided to wait for the urge to defecate...
Oh, so I have learnt so much recently...but I am still in pain/discomfort in times...

I still cannot figure it out why some days my rectocele seems bigger, and sometimes there is almost nothing?

Ivonush

takecare

May 31, 2012 - 9:11am

It's the same for me too Ivonush and I would imagine for others with rectocele - some days not much (meaning there really is no need to eliminate) and other days bigger (the rectum is full but still waiting for peristalsis to get things going .... it's walking that helps this urge become stronger and more effective.

The less you move the more the rectocele fills and waits ... and waits.

At home ... well - walking!!
Hire a treadmill, walk briskly in posture.

And really anything else that moves the body - dancing, stretching, WW videos, movement!

Move your body, move your bowels .. lol sorry but have to be lighthearted at times.

Don't get paranoid about splinting - think about those who can't walk without a crutch - you wouldn't take it away from them because it's more 'normal' to do so.

Only splint when the rectum feels full and ready - sometimes if everything is working well and you can feel a strong urge, you don't get time to do it but that's rare for me.

Yep - still pain and discomfort for me too Ivonush ... but 'at times' is better than all the time ... things could be worse.

Good luck!

Surviving60

May 31, 2012 - 9:21am

Totally recommend the treadmill. It's just not always practical to walk outside. Caution, some treadmills are too small to get that good long stride needed for best WW work.

ikam

May 31, 2012 - 9:42am

Ok, I am going for walking then :) Have spent all day at work...and this is when discomfort starts...
I do Yoga first wheel on daily basis...I may think about increasing then...

I have all these GOOD, normal TIMES more and more often...

I know what you mean that "rectocele just waits and waits..."...it feels as if there was nor peristaltic movement, but I do know I am "full"...I used to splint, make it moving...but now, I am more able to wait...and walking just makes things moving! GOOD :)
Ivonush

Surviving60

May 31, 2012 - 9:48am

Ivonush, really glad to hear things are going better for you. Is this job any easier on you than the last one?

MudPieGrandma

May 31, 2012 - 10:39am

Hello ladies, I am a 64 year old grandmother of 27 and have 8 children of my own. I have experienced constipation since my early 20's. I have just been diagnosed with uterine prolapse and in all of my researching I found the answer to not straining for a bowel movement and I am excited and grateful. I will put this link on here for Michele Kenway's demonstration on how to do this. It has worked for me the past three days. I also have incorporated psysillium into my diet each day, but no more strain and worry here. Good luck ladies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqdNEx81d2Q

MudPieGrandma

May 31, 2012 - 10:43am

Hello ladies again

not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I ordered the bundle here of the book Saving the Whole Woman , baton and dvd First Aid for Prolpase for my uterine prolapse and find I can not do the exercises, because of my knees, if anyone is interested in buying these from me, please contact me at rads47@gmail , for a reduced price, hopefully this will help someone out there.

Surviving60

May 31, 2012 - 11:46am

MudPieGrandma - Not to make light of your physical condition, but plenty of women with major issues are doing this work. Anything that you do in WW posture will help you. This isn't just an exercise program, it is a different way to hold your body, and if you have musculo-skeletal issues now, I think you need this work as much as anyone, if not moreso. I don't think you've figured out what WW is all about yet. It's your body.....but I'd advise you do more reading on this site and also that you keep the book and DVD and study them extensively before you decide this is not for you. Then.....you make your choice.

Aussie Soul Sister

May 31, 2012 - 6:46pm

Dear Isthere hope,
Hi I have been a ''strainer" for as long as I can remember so am retraining myself. I can often tell if the bowel movement is sitting in the rectocele @ vagina entrance, by the lack of sensation in the anus & if I'm not sure I check by feeling the vaginal opening. I find it really difficult to pass BM if it is already in the rectocele, so what I do is push the rectocele with the BM back up my bowel using my thumb about thumb length or a bit more & most often the bowel will work again in about half an hour, sometimes I have to do this more often & sometimes it doesn't come until next day. ( I honestly don't know if that is safe to do, however for me I have found that if I leave the bowel - movement in the rectocele at the vaginal entrance the thing gets bigger & splinting for me is my last resort) have had to try lubrication externally at times as I have fallen for "bulking" the stool.
This has been a long journey & since finding this forum & using the posture while sitting here my BMs are coming down normally mostly.
I vary what I do, however as part of my diet, I often
eat up to 8 prunes daily ( 4 am & 4 pm)
I try to have 1heaped teaspoon of pure organic coconut oil dissolved in a small amount of water just off the boil ( in winter - summer it is softer) & once dissolved add cooler water so as not to burn mouth & drink. ( 2xday) I have found that this helps.
Some people can take it straight off the spoon.
I have found it to be beneficial for my skin, by taking it & using it on my face.
I also have been reading about the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar as a daily tonic to help.
2-3 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1cup (8oz) water daily.
That is next for me to try as it seems to have all sorts of benefits...
This is my experience & I hope that helps you find your solutions - Using the posture, straining less, & being less constipated - has really helped me - (finding Whole Woman has given me hope)
Hugs & best wishes from Soul Sister

ikam

June 1, 2012 - 6:11am

Yes, my job circumstances have changed/very positive at present :) Working from home and less hours...
I just need my health back...
There a days I feel back to "normal", but there are set backs and they feel like defeat...so, of course, my mood oscillates...(not too well today, unfortunately; will go for a long walk later on...)...

jaylove

June 1, 2012 - 8:30am

HI Ivonush, I can relate to you. I need my health back also. I'v had a set-back too. I was feeling great and then here I am again. I'v been feeling discouraged but I know it's temporary and I keep telling myself that their will be set-backs and that it is normal. I keep trying to figure it out thinking I did something to cause it. I have had some upsets and worries here very recently. Maybe that did it. I don't know. Maybe I'm trying too hard, etc, etc. Please know that we will be feeling good again soon and this is part of the journey as I've been told. I wished I could figure out why it happens but I'm trying and we are all trying our best. So from my heart to yours I'm hoping this will pick up your spirits... Just know that it is temporary and you'll be feeling great again. It just takes time, time time. I hope this helps you. Hugs to you,

Jaylove

ikam

June 1, 2012 - 9:18am

Jaylove, thank you. I am better already. My set backs are not so long as they used to be, but yet every time I get discouraged and upset when I have them...

With me, it often relates to worrying/stress as my muscles get tighter; when I get relaxed my discomfort goes away almost completely...

I still get impatient, but no as bad as I used to...I am more able to stay with the symptom, to observe it...
But still I do get upset when discomfort is back...

And so on, so on...

I am going for a long walking today, very soon...so far this is my main strategy + meditations each evening and some exercises during the day...

With warm wishes,
Ivonush

IsThereHope

June 2, 2012 - 10:01am

It seems like my problem is a little different (and possibly more complicated) than that of most of the women on here, because of my intussusception, which I learned this winter I have had since long before I developed the rectocele. Because of this, even if I eat almost nothing but fruits and veggies and nuts, stay hydrated, and walk for a few hours during the day, I have consistantly found myself unable to defecate, and regularly restorted to manually disinpacking myself through my anus (which I guess is a more accurate description of the practice which I believe is a major cause of my rectocele, rather than "splinting", now that I have a better idea of what you guys mean when you say that) Allthough I generally avoid sticking things in my vagina (I am a survivor of sexual abuse) I really want to live, and that means I need to stop doing things that I now realize are harming my precious body. This morning I took the suggestion that some of you made and tried splinting through my vagina, while relaxing instead of bearing down (like I learned in Biofeedback, which was perhaps not totally a waste of time) and it worked! I actually managed to defecate without too much trouble. This made me very happy, however, I went on a six hour hike yesterday and ate a huge ammount of spicy spinach at an Indian restaurant (for some reason both bulk and spicyness seems to really help me go, even though I see that a lot of women on here suggest avoiding these things) and it seems like these are the ideal conditions for me, which are unfortunately not something I can replicate on a daily basis. Still, it was encouraging. I am going to try my best to avoid having to manually disimpact, because it seems that this is really harmful. However, I am not sure what else to do at times when I know that if I don't I will end up with a huge brick inside, requiring even more intrusive and potentially damaging work to remove if I wait for several days. It is a scary situation to be in with my body, one that I am not sure a lot of women on here can relate to. Am I the only one on here who developed a prolapse at a young age primarily from chronic constipation as a result of intestinal problems, rather than a poor diet? It seems like there must be others like me. Anyway, I will try not to feel to much like a freak, or get jealous of all the mothers on here (it breaks my heart that I'll never have a baby) because I think that despite the differences, I have a lot in common with the women on here, and a lot to learn from those who are successfully addressing their prolapse issues without resorting to surgery (which I know would be a disaster for me, and I am determined to avoid) Thanks for the splinting advice, and I will keep comming back.

alemama

June 2, 2012 - 6:57pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intussusception_(medical_disorder)
is this what you have? Seems serious. You really can refuse medical treatment and be ok?

and also, just curious, why no baby? I mean, there are all kinds of ways to have a baby these days, if you want one- that's the best way!

I'm glad you had success.

CurlyWhirlyAmy

June 4, 2012 - 8:26am

MPG- If you are having a problem with your product, the forum isn't the right place to advertise. Email me at [email protected] and we can work something out. Please include what you cannot do and we will work on some modifications.

IsThereHope

June 5, 2012 - 9:39am

Yes, that wikipedia page describes the problem I have, but in a way that is confusing. I have experianced the acute pain of my intestine telescoping (prolapsing into itself) and creating an obstruction countless times, especially in childhood, when my diet was terrible. However, I learned at an early age that I could usually make the pain stop within an hour or so by doing headstands and breathing and massaging my abdomen. I never knew what was happening, and the pain never lasted long enough for me to go to an emergency room. When I was diagnosed this winter it was after undergoing a number of tests including an colonoscopy, anorectal manometry and a defogram, to figure out why I was having so much trouble defecating, even though my stool was soft, and I had learned to relax during biofeedback. Allthough I was not presenting with any acute symptoms that would indicate an intestinal obstruction, and which, if unresolved, could pose a threat to my life, they tried to convince me that my condition was dangerous. The reality is that the degree of intussusception that I am living with on a daily basis is not an immediate threat to my life, it is just an additional challange in addressing the chronic constipation that has contributed to my developing a rectocele and vaginal prolapse. If I ever notice that my bowel is obstructed, and I can't get it to slide back into place within a few hours, I now know that this is a serious problem, and I will get it dealt with medically, even if that means having my intestine removed, because I don't want to die yet, however, I also do not want to remove my intestine out of fear of something that may never happen, because I know that would make my body harder to live in than it is already. If no one on here is dealing with these kinds of issues, I hope I haven't totally grossed you out. I am actually kind of suprised that no one is, because it seems like for me this preexisting intestinal problem is very much related to my developing the vaginal prolapse that brought me on here. I don't expect (or want) advice from people about something that they have no personal experiance with. However, I think I have a lot to learn from women on here about the things we do have in common, and I don't think there is any reason why my other health issues would prevent the Whole Woman Posture, etc. from helping me, or at least I am willing to try. So I will keep comming back. As far as the having a baby thing goes. I definately dont pass judgement in others for the choices that they make, but according to my personal beliefs, if I can not have a child naturally (or cant do so without risking serious personal harm) then I believe that I am not meant to carry on my ancestors line, and this is something I will come to accept, because this is how nature works to maintain the health of future generations. If I am able to immprove and stabilize my health to the point where I would be capable of caring for a child properly (which might be possible) then I will look into adopting older children, or becoming a foster parent. Right now my priority is just taking care of my health for today, and trying to be grateful for the life that I have. Blessings everyone. Thanks.

Christine

June 5, 2012 - 10:01am

Hi IsThereHope,

Welcome to the forums and you are certainly not the only member here with this condition or something similar. There is intestinal intussusception and there is intussusception of the lower bowel, which is not a rare disorder amongst women. Here is one thread where we discussed it thoroughly. I agree with you, the WW work might be just the thing!

Wishing you well,

Christine

ikam

June 5, 2012 - 10:28am

I am unsure what is better? To wait for the urge to defecate or to splint? There is this time when the stool can be felt, but there is no urge...
Sometimes, when I wait nothing happens until next day (my normal elimination time), but there are times when the trapped stool becomes hard and difficult to eliminate, it is also associated with some pain...

Mishek

June 5, 2012 - 11:46pm

Hi Ivonush, this is what i do. Every few days i don't pass fully and the temptation is there to push the rest out but i won't risk it for fear of having a setback, so up with the knickers and on with my day. The stool then goes back up and is not uncomfortable like it used to be in earlier times. It gets better and better as time goes on as long as we do our WW work.
Sometimes the urge will return the same day and if not it will happen the next day. i don't worry at all as the next time it's a full complete movement. Let it happen naturally.Your body will know what to do when it's ready. Trust your body.

With me, this issue is correcting itself with the ongoing steady improvement of my prolaps. I have never splinted but that is just my choice. If there is no urge, go walking, drink water, don't think about it, visit a friend, eat an apple, get busy, go shopping, think happy thoughts and when your body is ready it will happen , but you must take your mind of it.
If the stool becomes hard have a little prune juice not to much otherwise you'll get runny, so just enough to soften the stool or apply a small amount of oil, any oil or even soap on the outside of the anus and it should then slip right on out.
So i always wait for the urge - i do nothing until it comes. Hope this helps - Mishek.

ikam

June 6, 2012 - 3:18am

Mishek, THANK YOU :)
I have done some experiments myself. Always when I don't make myself going I feel much better, apart from times when it gets too hard/I mean the stool becomes hard...then I get impatient...
But you, others and my PT say: Trust your body...
And I have been trying, I have succeeded on many occasions...I have been much better...
I feel so good when I manage to splint just a bit, hopefully i will stop doing this...

There are other times, it is usually in the morning- I go usually twice...I tried to wait with the second time and it ended on few occasions with soiling myself (I felt so out of control!)...

There was time (I used to use suppositories) when I did not have urge at all...Now I have regained this; I have an urge in the morning. I still don't have it towards afternoon, evening...

So much to learn...
Thank you again,
Ivonush

takecare

June 6, 2012 - 5:35am

Ivonush when I refer to splinting with a rectocele - I always wait for the urge to go before actually heading for the loo.
It may be even be a faint urge but when using a small amount of resistance with the thumb inside the vagina - it seems to increase the sensations within the rectum - probably because things are in position and responding more normally with sensations.
You asked "to splint or to wait" - perhaps I misunderstand.
I thought splinting was used to assist when the rectum was full and you already had the urge to go - however the rectocele bulging into the vagina was making complete elimination more difficult.
The splinting only acted as a support for the rectal/vaginal wall.
I don't see any point in splinting the vaginal/rectal wall without the peristalsis and sensation of elimination ...
otherwise you are pushing or straining and manipulating things rather than waiting for the body to do so and assisting if needed by giving it some directional assistance.
So to splint or wait -
always wait and splint if necessary to assist.

ikam

June 6, 2012 - 9:11am

Takecare,
Hmmm...you very right: I am pushing and manipulating things rather than waiting for the body to do so...I am trying to be in control of my body...especially when I have other stresses going at the same time, I have this need (I called it obsession some time ago) to eliminate at once! And, yes, I make it happening...

I am a bit worried, if I will have the urge? I seem to be getting it first in the morning...then I don't have an urge. I know the faeces are there...and I use splinting...

I need to get it to my head: "always wait...and splint if necessary to assist..."...

I hope I will not have an accidents any more (I had one recently)...

At least I have a morning urge back...I did not have it for some time...I hope I have not messed up my body completely...

louiseds

June 7, 2012 - 8:23am

Hi Istherehope

Why would be grossed out? This is a group of women who talk every day about the difficulty of pooing. Intususception is kind of like another form of prolapse, and one we would like to see if we can help you to live better with. At least I know how to spell it now.

Pelvic organ prolapses happen when there is a lot of intraabdominal pressure acting in a way that causes a tissue to go where it is not meant to go. The bowel is designed to distend and contract, to accommodate the passage and storage of food matter, and to move back and forth. It is not that different from rectocele, though is it undoubtedly more risky to life, particularly if the person doesn't maintain vigilance for signs of danger.

It really doesn't matter how it happened. You just need to learn how to manage it. Here is a simple webpage about it, http://www.allinahealth.org/mdex/ND7094G.HTM I saw quite a few, and they all indicate that it is most common in young children, and that it is relatively rare to get an adult diagnosis. No doubt you have done heaps of research. Perhaps your childhood constipation was a result of childhood intussusception, rather than the other way around??? when I see 'idiopathic' as a diagnosis it really indicates how little they understand it.

Regardless, you have survived thus far, and seem to be going pretty well. My hat goes off to you. doctors are not always completely right.

I think a lot of doctors consciously or unconsciously play the fear game, partly to watch their own a****s in case they are accused of not giving people enough warning about the worst case scenario, and somebody sues them for not warning them when it all goes pear-shaped. Then the person is scared out of the wits with the risks they run living with a condition.

The doctor rides up on his big white charger wielding a scalpel and promises to save us from certain death by doing a surgical procedure which is not without considerable risk itself and has little guarantee of success. The doctor does an operation. The patient contracts an infection because of the location of the surgery. The patient nearly dies and is on intravenous antibiotics for three weeks. The patient lives. The doctor is branded a hero, and rides off into the distance, having pulled off yet another masterful piece of self-marketing.

I am being cynical, but I can see you have already been through the process of taking responsibility for your own wellbeing, and indeed for spotting signs that all is not well. You have been down into the dark waters and returned to the surface with new resolve to live well. I find it helps to laugh in the face of people who simplistically exaggerate because it is a way of spreading risk away from them, rather than giving a less dramatic opinion that is more realistic.

Istherehope, firebreathing and nauli might give you a couple of tools for moving un-telescoping your colon. Normally we use these techniques to suck the abdominal organs back off the pelvic organs, and suck the pelvic organs deeper into the body. Nauli in particular may help the un-telescoping by gently moving your intestines around, inside your abdomen, using your breath to create a vacuum in your abdominal cavity, and using isolation of different parts of the abdomen to massage your intestines into different positions.

I suspect intussusception has a great deal of pain associated with it. I don't know how long an incident takes to develop. Doing nauli on a regular basis when you don't have pain *may* prevent it or lessen it, or both, by regularly 'stirring the pot' to rearrange your intestines into more 'comfortable' positions, a bit like teasing a knot out of a fishing line or a tub full of wet clothes. I will leave it entirely up to you to work out how to do nauli.There are lots of YouTube clips. I wouldn't do it too much until you are aware of what it is doing. I am not very competent at it. We all seem to have to learn to do it in our own way. You could choose to do nauli clockwise or anticlockwise, depending on which way works better. It might not work at all, but if you haven't tried it, it might be worth it.

Wholewoman posture, with a relaxed belly and a lifted chest will gently cradle your intestines. Your lumbar curve will become larger and draw your lumbar spine forwards. In coming forwards it creates a bend at the bottom of the abdominal cavity and protects the pelvic organs, which move relatively towards the back of the body, protected from intraabdominal forces the same way as a ship is protected from the ocean swell when inside a harbour.

Do you know about diaphragmatic breathing? Breathing by mainly using your diaphragm, to the point where your belly comes out during the inhale, then goes back in during the exhale phase, is another way of giving your intestines and your pelvic organs a massage every time you draw a breath. The bladder, uterus and intestines are pushed forwards and down with every breath we take. Reducing rectocele seems to be about pulling the rectum and the sigmoid colon out longer, so they don't get squashed down into the back of the pelvic cavity under the weight of your intestines. If your rectum is longer, it cannot become wider. It will stay narrower. That's what I think happens, anyway.

I hope this makes sense. It is late. I need a sleep. Going away for a couple of days. Will be back Saturday night.

Louise

ikam

June 7, 2012 - 9:20am

My PT always suggests this one :) and my therapist :) I see effects already!

Surviving60

June 7, 2012 - 11:08am

I think it's hard to breathe any OTHER way, in Whole Woman posture.

Lady C

June 7, 2012 - 11:16pm

I am a 67 year old woman and have known I have a rectal prolapse for about a year. It has gotten worse over the last year. I have talked to a surgeon twice about the surgery using mesh and have decided not to do this risky surgery. I have been all over the internet reading everything I can about this condition. Last week was terrible and I just did not know what to do. I do use my finger to push the rectaceal back and help empty my bowels when I need to. I had also been using suppositories when I felt I had to. I was beside myself...not knowing what to do to ease the discomfort and pain. I decided last Monday to change my diet a bit and have been eating lots more greens, NO cheese (I love it) and drinking 64 ounces of water each day. I also am using a natural psyllium that I found at Trader Joe's. Drinking the water is not easy, I really don't like to drink that much water each day, but since I have been more attentive to what I eat and drink, I have felt much better. I am not constipated and am having bowl movements that seem much more normal. I still have feces that gets trapped in the "pocket" and sometimes need to give it some help but at least for the last three days I feel like there is a way for me to manage this and get my life back on track. I do still have the urge to "go" at times when I just can not seem to do it....but I am trying to relax about that, try not to force things and know if I wait until morning I will be able to go. I have also found it helps if I give myself a break during the day and lie down for a bit or just sit down.....it helps my lower back pain that I think is a result of this condition. I have googled to see what foods are high in fiber because I think the laxatives I was using was making things worse and not better....screwing my system up. I am not sure about any of this, I am experimenting with what I can do to make the most out of this depressing situation. Another part of my plan is to drop 15 pounds. I am 67 years old and am carrying about 15 more pounds than I need. My idea is that the extra belly weight is just more downward pressure on an area that does not need anything pressing down on it. So that weight is coming off. It also seems to me that ....food IN equals food OUT ....and that any overeating is a very bad idea with this situation. So my plan includes eating the best vitamin rich food I can....cut out the sweets and empty calories and see if I can manage this. I feel terrible for all the women out there that have this problem....it truly is a life changer and we have to find the best ways we can to get out lives back. Lady C

ikam

June 8, 2012 - 4:23am

Lady C.,
I can relate to your post. For a long time I felt I did not know what to do.
And, as you, I have been experimenting a lot since having a better understanding of my problem(s)...
I have changed my diet. I am using some supplements. I have regular PT sessions and do exercises on daily basis. I try to remember about my body posture. I walk a lot and recently got back on bike! I added evening meditation...

Unfortunately, I realised only recently (just last few days), when reading the answers to my post "to wait or to splint" that I have messed up my body a lot.
Same as you, I used to use suppositories, I did it twice a day...I managed to stop this habit and I am really pleased of this.
You said: "I think the laxatives I was using was making things worse and not better....screwing my system up"...Unfortunately, I think I messed my system up through splinting...And only when I read few answers I realised that splinting is only to assist BM, but not to provoke it...I was using it wrongly!

Since yesterday I have been trying to change it...it is hard, as this was my habitual/obsessional ritual. It is difficult for me to trust that my body will eliminate the waste, that I will get the proper urge, etc. I feel a lot of discomfort, but I know this is the only way to heal. I need to stop controlling my body...

So far, I have managed to stop using suppositories (and it was hard), I also changed my personal hygiene habits (I used to over-wash, which created lots of problems)...So I hope I will manage with this one...

I keep my fingers crossed for you, as I can see you have also been implementing many changes. I know it is possible, but takes time...