22 years old with a Rectocele

Hi Gleef

I am so glad you have found us at a time when you feel very alone and unable to see a good future for your life. Realisation that you have rectocele is not pleasant, or easy to deal with. It is lifestyle threatening, but it is not life-threatening. It is quite understandable that you don't want to be like this. You won't be like this forever, if you stick with what you can learn here.

I think you have hit the nail on the head with constipation being the main aggravating factor, and have discovered for yourself the technique called splinting, which many of us have used, do use or will use as one of our arsenal of constipation and rectocele helpers. It is nothing to be ashamed of. It is just something that we would rather not have to resort to. I had a lot of constipation in my childhood and earlier adulthood, I used to splint with every bowel movement eight years ago, but have only had to do it a couple of times in the last year. My rectocele is now non-existent, despite three babies and one enormous episiotomy with the first. I also have cystocele which is bladder prolapse and have had uterine prolapse as well, with my cervix peeping out of my vulva at one stage. My cervix is now buried deep and my bladder only appears in my vulva when I have stood under the shower rinsing shampoo off my hair. A couple of firebreaths makes it disappear again. I am now post-menopause, so I have had the perfect storm. and Life is good once again! You can read my story in the Experienced Members' Success Stories Forum.

Gleef, I suggest that you look at improving your posture, do some more dietary changes, and perhaps amend your clothing style to allow your belly some more room.

Have a look at the Resources Tab, for some videos, and the FAQ's Tab for some general information. WW Store also has a range of exercise and information DVD's and Christine Kent's book, Saving the Whole Woman, which is the bible of non-surgical prolapse management, with all the theory of why her techniques work. There is also a very good chapter on all the surgical procedures and their risks. There is also a ballet workout designed to strengthen your body for better pelvic support, and music CD in the back, which any woman can do without additional equipment, and an article about how to examine your own vagina and work out what is where and what prolapse you have.

Call back with more questions. You are not the first very young, childless, single woman to come here with prolapse, and you won't be the last. It must be very distressing to think you are the only one, and that prolapse is an old woman's condition. It is not. You will probably receive other responses from women under 30. I would say that about half of the women on here have babies and young children.

Hope to hear from you again.

Louise

Hi gleef,
Welcome to the WW community. I'm so glad you found us. You'll find a wealth of information, resources and support here.

I think many many of us can identify with the thoughts and feelings you describe, when we initially experienced pelvic organ prolapse. Just to also say, you are far from alone. Pelvic organ prolapse is an extremely common issue for women of all ages in the Western world. However pop is one of those things people don't know much about or talk about talk about generally. So it's easy to feel alone, embarrassed, frightened and not know what to do.

However, I do think things are changing - and the WW community is part of that change. You will find help here. Basically there are things that can make prolapse worse - and things that can make prolapse better. Once you know what helps and what doesn't - then you are on the road to recovery!

Constipation is one of those things that doesn't help. Fortunately constipation is not life threatening and is one of those things can be treated and improved or eliminated. There are lots of posts on the forum about constipation etc on this site. Plug in key words into the forum site - and you may be surprised how many posts there are on this!

You're in the right place a the right time. I'm so glad you found us! Put the WW theory into practice and you're well on the way to improving those prolapse symptoms!
Love and best wishes, wholewomanuk

Resources Tab > Correct Pelvic Orientation video. ;-) Also, check out Christine's Bike video on the right side of the page.

It is quite a steep learning curve, Gleef. You might get some results almost straight away with the posture, but the improvement goes on for years. Don't be disappointed if you don't get it straightaway. As constipation has been your constant companion, your diet will be the next thing to address.

There is posture, diet, clothing, exercise, and how we use our bodies every day. One factor alone will only get you so far. The strength of this work is in optimising *all* the different factors for the rest of your life. Your whole body will thank you. It is a real lifestyle change.

L

Hi Gleef & welcome-I have rectocele & I endorse everything said above & you are definitely not alone - I got a lot of info from just reading everything on this WWwebsite & forum. The support here is wonderful, so hang in there.
I have found that relying on a lot of dry fibre is too bulking, & liquid intake has to be very high, and it was frustrating for me as it didn't resolve constipation enough, though I still need some, however the best fibre rich foods have a lot of water in them naturally like citrus, stewed prunes, figs dates, pineapple, mangoes, pears & apples & veg, etc. I also take some coconut oil every day, and have used it when necessary for lubrication before going - I think the oil has a wonderful way of lubricating the whole body from the inside out, because my skin feels soft within a day of eating some. Caffeine & sugary foods are dehydrating & stress is a contributing factor, so planning & allowing time for nature to work before I go out in the morning helps me & now if I skip a day like I did the other day, I didn't worry & went the next day OK. It did take time for constipation to mostly resolve, but when it did it was like my body got the "hang" of it, surprising me - & such a relief, though I still need to be vigilant diet wise & not heaps of water but enough. What did help was walking & sitting in the Whole Woman Posture as organs are in their best position to work more smoothly.
Part of your journey now is to absorb as much info as you can, listen to your own body & work out what is best for you diet wise & take some deep breaths, and hopefully you will feel supported on your way with any questions you may have.
(((BIG HUGS)))
& best wishes
Aussie Soul Sis

Dear Gleef,

Don't be embarrassed, as I am also in my 20's and recently encountered these pelvic region issues. People don't talk about it in everyday conversations around the water cooler, but the more I read about pelvic region issues online, I find that many people have these conditions!

I can't offer you advice on your rectocele, but as for constipation I can chime in a little bit. About a year or so ago I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (constipation being the main culprit, with bouts of diarrhea here and there). Just like Aussie Soul Sister, I started eating a lot better - salads, drinking 10 cups of water a day, having fruits and vegetables when I can. I started reading food labels, and stayed away from gluten and other ingredients that may aggravate my intestines.

A couple weeks ago I had thrombosed external hemorrhoids and they were scary and one of the most painful things ever. I added a couple things to my diet and if I thought I ate well before, now I'm eating even better because my constipation has gone down significantly. I haven't felt constipated after making changes to my diet by adding a 7-9g fiber breakfast cereal, prune juice, bananas, psyllium husk, and dried prunes. Just by eating these items, in one day I have consumed about 20g of fiber (avg women need 25g a day) and it's really helped with my bowel movements.

I would recommend keeping a food journal, and logging your meal and bowel movement (BM) patterns. It's going to come in handy because your body will start to naturally go into a rhythm and you'll know when you'll have BMs. After 2 weeks, I found that I expect my BM to occur after large meals. I do admit, I don't eat a big lunch because I'm at work and I can't use the restroom.

Hang in there Gleef!

Mollymoo, you mentioned painful haemorrhoids. How did you deal with them? I am in a lot of pain at the moment. Mine are internal...I don't have any constipation, never had...but I used to strain before, I am managing with no straining at present...
I have a small rectocele and I have been doing pretty well.My splinting habits have also changed and i don't do it as often and as deep as I used to do it. I have not used suppositories for months! And I have a normal defecation urge in the morning (I did not have for some time).
I have been in a bit of pain since few days because of haemorrhoid flare up...
Thanks,
Ikam

Hi Ikam

Sorry if I have given FindmeHappier and/or Gleef the wrong impression. I interpreted your dry hard stools as constipation, whereas I think you see them as part of IBS. I don't think it really matters what you call it. Dry hard stools alternating with exactly the opposite are indeed a sign that your gut is not processing your food in a regular way, and that is the thing which you seem to have made a lot of progress with. I am so relieved to see this progress, as you must be as well. Once you see some longer term progress it is somehow easier to accept a setback, which you can recover from again.

Louise :-)

Louise

Hi Louise, I have had quite long time with almost no symptoms! :)
Yes, I used to have this alteration in BMs, I almost forgot! I don't have it any more :). I think today that my constipation was caused by doctors! I was prescribed once some strong pancreatic enzymes, as one of the doctors stated I had pancreatic failure. I believed her that time...
I am much, much happier with the way my body works at present. There are times I do forget about it! as you possibly remember, I was so preoccupied and scared...

So far, so good :)

My PT says that last 20% of progress are usually the longest...it seems I have reached some plateau, there is not much change, but also no major set backs...

:-) :-) :-)

Dear Ikam,

I apologize I haven't been online to respond to your question! I have recently moved back home so I haven't been online for the past couple of weeks.

I do have painful hemorrhoids, and I have not been able to really resolve the pain when I have a BM. When I sit on a chair, I lean towards one side of my leg more than the other so that I'm actually sitting on my side than on my center. That has helped quite a bit, and I put less pressure on my bottom. This allows me to not feel the hemorrhoid so much when I'm at work or when I'm traveling. If your seat is very soft, consider rolling up a towel (or a jacket in my case) and sit on top of it so that you have that "lift" to allow you to sit on one side of your leg.

I find the internal hemorrhoids mislead me in having BMs, because I'll feel like I have one when I don't, or that I'll feel that I haven't emptied my bowels when I do have one. To help eliminate this problem, I have been drinking psyllium husks and eating a lot of vegetables to help bulk up my stools and allow for easy passing. I also drink a cup of prune juice daily and that's been very helpful in having BMs.

I also use witch hazel wipes to help soothe the prickliness of the hemorrhoid. You can use witch hazel solution and cotton, but I prefer the wipes because it's convenient. I usually use the wipes for BMs, but lately I have used them before traveling and it's helped with soothing my hemorrhoid. Also, the doctor prescribed me Anusol cream and it consists of hydrocortisone so I use that for a couple days when I have a flare up.

Hi Mollymoo - I am wondering if the bulking up of the stool is not a contributing factor with your hemorrhoids, sort of a vicious cycle that you have started and can't get out of. There are different schools of thought on this subject and lots of posts on this forum, if you search. Logically it doesn't seem like a larger bulkier stool would be the solution to hemorrhoids.

And is there any other way you can get relief when sitting, besides leaning to one side or the other? How does this work in conjunction with Whole Woman sitting posture?? If you maintain good WW posture with a good lumbar curve, there shouldn't be any weight in the hemorrhoid site. - Surviving