walking

Hello Daphne, I cannot advise you at all but my gut reaction is....do you live near to any of the Whole Woman Teachers? Is there any way for you to arrange a meeting with one of them, or if not, how about a phone consultation with Christine? I don't know if you have done that yet but I think that would definitely be the way to go. I am sure that you will get advice here from Surviving and Louise, but since your life is so greatly impacted by this right now, why not go to the source (Christine or a teacher) and get the real guidance that can hopefully put you on track. My very best wishes to you!

Hi Daphne, I recall that your prolapse is pretty severe and that you have had surgeries. Christine and others have given you some suggestions in the past, you might want to review some older threads. Or for the benefit of newer members, provide a bit more background of your situation - Surviving

Hi Daphne, I pretty much have the same problem you have as far as my Prolaspe is concerned, and I only now am able to afford Christine's book and videos's so I am hoping that by doing all of the excercises I will one day be able to stop using pads and adult diapers.
But for now and in the past I use pads and adult diapers I use a Fem Brace over it and it holds everything in and it's very comfortable, the reason I use the pads and the adult diaper is because I have incontinence, and before I started using the pads I wore only the adult diaper and one day while I was out I couldn't get to bathroom soon enough I had an accident and it was terribly hard to take off all of my close to change my diaper, so now I use a pad it is so much easier to change the pad and replace it.
And because my uterus hangs out like yours and If I go outside the house when I get back to help everything go back in place I lean forward and roll back and that helps to get it back inside, then I put on the fembrace I wear the fem brace with a pad all day instead of a pessary I find it to be more comfortable.
I hope this will help you.
Aloha and Mahalo
Heavenlyflower

Dear Daphne

I think it was Dickydolly on here who talked about taking incremental steps in regards to depression. The same advice can be applied to uterine prolapse. The incremental steps in this case mean slowly raising the uterus so that it is not next to your inner thigh but that it comes up inside peeking from the vagina, another number of steps to bring it inside and then a further set of steps to raise it up and forward over the pelvic bone. This really does involve the full WW technique, and although you cite physical limitations in pursuing WW exercise it is your best bet. So working ways around those limitations would prove worth your time and effort. It's not much fun at the moment.

To answer your main question: a technique for returning the uterus inside depends how far the uterus has fallen as you will have already discovered for yourself. If it is next to your inner thigh, you will have to push it inside with your hand. The uterus is too large and puffed with air for it to go back through the top of your vagina as easily as it fell down.

However, if it is peeking or is inside your vagina then fire breathing, jiggling, bending over at the waist, getting down on all fours and stretching in the cat position will all help to retrieve your lost item, as also peddling a stationary bike when seated.

In these latter cases, it is also possible to sit down gingerly on the edge of a chair, your low uterus not being sat on but resting and you can gently rock from side to side and the uterus will recede.

The trick is that once you have the uterus inside, that’s when you do some exercise that you feel capable of doing. Start five minutes,then ten and so on. Concentrate on those that you can do to begin with. The original purpose is to build your strength. I am sure Christine would recommend you did some rather than none. Then what about a walk in posture to the front fence and back. You get the idea.

With uterine prolapse, you do not have the benefit of nature’s pessary. In fact, the opposite appears to be the case. Everytime you pee or pooh the uterus comes down. And that is why diet and its elimination becomes important also.

Hope this helps
Cheers Fab

Dear Daphne

I hope you are getting some useful ideas from HeavenlyFlower and Fab. Necessity is certainly the mother of invention. Remember that the aim of the exercises is to strengthen your body and help you to get some more flexibility from your body. Baby steps.

It is not like a Jane Fonda workout, which is simply about building up stamina and muscle strength, ie pay your money, do your suffering and hard work and win redemption.

No way! It is about being as good as we can be, and not compare ourselves to others. Prolapse sucks. Keep breathing. :-)

Heavenly, you seem to have your head around your challenges and are using that good brain of yours to work out what works best. It is so easy to say, "pity-me", but ultimately we have to find the best solutions for our own body, even if they don't get us right back to where we were at age 16. We only have one body, and we only have one life. Getting a little better result often means so much.

Louise

Hi Louiseds, thank you for your kind words I truly love to read your comments it really is common sense and like you said what ever works until you find something better like Christine's videos, and excercises than that's what you have to do.
Mahalo, and much aloha,
Heavenlyflower

Hi Daphne, The fem brace I use is very good it is constructed with elastic from the waist band down to the brace that goes under your vagina it hooks up to the waist band where you can adjust it to your tightness and comfort it holds everything in where it is comfortable to walk around with out it feeling like everything is going to fall out.
I bought the fem brace before I found Christine's WW webpage, after reading about other women using the sponges or the tampons I wanted to try using the sponges and tampons like you it wouldn't stay in I came to one conclusion that what it had to hold in was too heavy for the sponges and tampon to hold in, nothing worked because I think our prolaspes are too far gone for those to help I sincerely believe the only thing that will help our condition is the WW excercies and using the fem brace for now to be comfortable.
I would like to sew my own fem brace but I can't find the elastic and the materials to make it I've looked on the internet and I've also gone to the Fabrics stores here in Hawaii, they don't carry it, if there is anyone out there who knows where I can find 2 and a half inch or three inch elastic please let me know, the fem braces are pretty costly, mine are getting to the point where it's losing it's elasticity around the waist I still use it because like I said it can be adjusted to make it tight under the vagina where it needs it.
If I may ask how old are you? I am 72 years old and if I'm not mistaken I've had this condition for more than 15 years, and only now I've been able to get some help from Christine and all of these wonderful women on this Forum. Get Christine's book and video's it will truly help.
I hope I've been of some help to you.
Mahalo and much Aloha
Heavenlyflower

Try this online store, http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/Wholesale-Flat-Knitted-Corset-Elastic/

Aloha from Hawaii Daphne, Mahalo means thank you in Hawaiian and Aloha has many meanings it means love, hello, and goodbye, just to name a few . Mahalo for all your kind words. I sent you a reply to your question on what is an athletic supporter.
The Fem Brace is very expensive at the time I bought mine my daughter had a very good paying job and she bought it for me, so I was fortunate for her, unfortunately she was laid off when our economy took a dive and was out of work for a year, it was really tough going there for a while but we came out of it and are surviving, but we have to watch our dimes and pennies very carefully. As I live on a very small fixed income.
I will try to describe to you what a fem brace looks like it is constructed with all elastic the waist is made with 21/2 to 3 inch wide elastic to which 4 metal objects are sewed for the straps to be tighten under the vagina, the straps are 1 inch wide for mine it's 33inches long at the ends of the straps it is cut in a triangle shape where velcor is sewed on to it, the straps are made from velcro elastic material so that the velcro can attach to it, so that it doesn't slip off, it also has a panty it is sold separate, it is made to hold the straps it has a separate piece of material the same type as the panty it is made from to form a pocket to hold the straps in place under the vagina.
You have the right idea but you need to make it with elastic straps the material will not tighten under your vagina where you need the support, and it needs to be made so you can adjust it from the waist.
Oh my goodness you and I have the same problem where we have bleeding from the cervex and I believe it is because our uterus hangs so far down that when we wipe our selves the paper rubs on it and causes it to bleed, and my other theory is because it hangs down more then it stays on the inside it gets dry, there are times after I get up from sitting down and I go to the bathroom it sometimes sticks to my underwear or my pad, and I'm not aware of it and I pull my pad and the underwear away from my body I feel a tug and a bit of a sting and when I wipe myself I am bleeding, the first couple of times that happened my daughter rushed me to the emergency room and after the doctor acted like why are you here I decided it wasn't a life or death situation (smile) it doesn't scare me too much any more, how do you handle the bleeding and how do you stop it? the other thing I do when I wipe my rectum I try to push my uterus up away from my rectum then I wipe if I don't it bleeds.
I bought the whole bundle but Amy the lady who sells the books and DVD's gave me a terrific deal you should contact her at the WW office I can't remember her e mail address.
Yes I did get the First Aid For Prolaspe DVD that is the one I use.
I to feel like we have a lot in common and we certainly have a special friendship going here, please keep in touch with me I would like that very much. Where do you live?
Mahalo and much Aloha,
Heavenlyflower

I also looked into toilet paper, Heavenlyflower. I agree it’s not good. It’s meant to clean and dry and that’s what it does, but maybe that is not what we actually need. Probably like you, I have tried them all from the thin sheet right through the different plies to the quilted, from the unbleached to the scented. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to use the printed. The worst were the thin sheets, for when you are dry, they leave small wads behind in unreachable places!

My suggestion is not to wipe your vagina at all. Yeah, I know tacky. But it works. Maybe, we are meant to have a bit of urine sticking around. I didn’t just wipe I also pushed the uterus back up with the paper all in the one movement. Now, I push it up with my naked hand. Sometimes I need to wash my hands before as well as after toilet. And that’s the thing of course you have to have wash facilities available, and that depends upon where you are.

I wear a panty liner and any urine drips that haven’t reached the bowl are absorbed by the panty liner.

What about the smell? Well, funnily enough the smell has lessened since not wiping with toilet paper.

Best wishes Fab

Not a lot goes undiscussed around this forum! No longer are we held as prisoners of untalked about taboo topics. Bare it all girls. So here goes.

Ladies, my fondest wishes to you all.

Toilet paper- now there should be a rating on it all that lists the "pillage factor" ie how much it balls up and leaves little bits in unmentionable places,disgusting stuff. The cheaper the paper the worse it is- usually. I bought cheap paper for years. Now I spoil myself and use a better one to pat dry.

I use a "fanny washer" - a water squirty type bottle I fill with water- preferably warm to give myself a version of a bidet. When you do not have a bidet. Now you can add a drop of some type of essential oil if you are able to tolerate that but otherwise water. Now some ladies have had a lot of success with honey for a few problems. Maybe a few drops of honey might be good in the water. The squirty bottle is great for when you have periods as it can help to keep you cleaner and fresher. I do not have that need any more.
So if you have a prolapsed uterus, that is a toughy. I could imagine that wiping with any sort of toilet paper could be irritating. If you rinse with water, that helps to clear away any urine. You can squirt onto the anal area too. I use my hand as I squirt, to wash around the anal area as squirting water alone does not always remove residual faeces. You could dry with hairdryer but use very gentle heat- more air than heat of course.
So if your private bits are exposed to the air, they are going to stick and also dry out. So again Christine provides us with some clues. Her wonderful balm has many uses. i make it in a variety of forms and my girlfriends love it.

Basically, you need about 1/3 beeswax and 2/3 oil. I have used various combinations of coconut oil, macadamia oil, olive oil to mention a few, depending on my mood and what I have available. The beeswax makes it stick around for longer and makes it so that it is not an oily mess. So it is critical. It probably has a bit of honey in it which is good. Check out the forum. There has been heaps on the balm over the years. The beeswax dictates a lot about the character of the balm and room temperature will impact on its viscosity. So if it is being applied to warm body parts, it will spread with more ease. I imagine it would be necessary to use some type of cloth to prevent staining and also to keep the area lubricated.
Now I do not have a uterine prolapse so this suggestion is just that. Everyone has a different situation so "experiments" need to be done cautiously.
Sounds like the Fem brace has a use but is expensive. Elastic is not always easily found. How about Lycra- perhaps a cotton one. Would it have stretch and support? What about swimmers, would they work at all, or could they be adapted?
If you need any info on the balm and have trouble finding it on the forum, I can elaborate on my version.
Good luck and warm wishes
Di

LOL, Really gave me a belly laugh. And great ideas too.

Fab

Like Fab, I find that wearing a liner can eliminate the need for overzealous wiping throughout the day (I do it, but I don't overdo it). If the liner starts to get damp, it's better for me to change it than not, otherwise I find it becomes an irritant. My frequent bathroom visits are more about number 2 than number 1, but let's face it, you're going to pee whenever you sit down on the toilet. Wiping either end over and over throughout the day is tough on the parts! I like Gardengirl's fanny washer idea, at least for home use. - Surviving

Thank you Fab for your thoughts and suggestions about not wiping after using the toilet but that never entered my mind for the simple reason that not wiping will cause a rash from urine sticking around, I don't know about you but I have enough problems with itching and burning by itself without adding to it.
What I try to do is find soaps that are kind to my body so far I've changed from using Dial Gold and Dove Sensitive Skin to Dove with Green Tea and Cucumber been using this soap going on more than six months and haven't had one episode of itching at all while showering I push my uterus inside then I quickly soap and get all of the paper that is left from me wiping out before my uterus pops out again.
Before I started using the new dove soap I had a very irritating rash that I thought was caused from a yeast infection but when I went to the doctor he ran all sorts of test and all of it came back negative he prescribed an ointment that did good for two days then the rash came back with a vengeance and that is when I changed soaps and haven't had any more problems.
I do wear Poise Pads I use the longest and maximum absorption just in case I can't get to the bathroom soon enough I am not all wet, and through out the day I change it as I see fit, and as I said before in one of my earlier post's after I went out with just my adult diaper on and couldn't get to the bathroom soon enough and had to remove all my clothes from the waist down to change I wear the pads over my adult diaper it is so much easier to handle.
Mahalo and much Aloha,
Heavenlyflower

Thanks Louiseds for the info on the elastic.
Mahalo and much Aloha

Yes, first priority is trying to make your poor uterus more comfortable. I guess you have tried Christine’s suggestion of using raw honey. Then garden girl wrote above about the bliss balm. Even if you smeared just coconut oil on at night and put a towel etc under you while you slept, it may bring some relief. I wonder too, if you have tried to just sit in the sun in some secluded spot, just the vitamin D could help. I know when I had an episioctomy and really tight stitching, I sat out on the back steps with it exposed to the sunlight. It seemed to help.

I know in one thread Christine suggested for an angry/itching vulva bathing in a diluted apple cider, but if even a few drops of urine stings you then this is not perhaps the way for you.

I’m with you on the soap. I'm glad dove is working for you. It is a mild soap. I used dove too, then I switched to a soap free bar on someone else’s recommendation, it was alright, but still drying, but now I just use an old fashioned soap bar that we used as a kid, and I used with my own. It does the lot laundry, kitchen personal. It calls itself a pure soap. I find it gentle.

I agree with Surviving, the frequent elimination means unusually frequent wiping and frequent washing, which in turn means drying out and the normal moist cave is no longer the old familiar home. The poor old girl needs a break.

When things get to the stage where she is sticking to clothing and bleeding, maybe you now have to think of ways of shielding her from your shields or freeing her once in a while.

Best wishes, Fab

Hey, it just occurred to me that there are some women who apply soap to genital areas. I just don't do that. I only use a little soap around my anus, under my arms and the dirty bits of arms legs, hands and feet, then make sure that I rinse very thoroughly. Some soaps are very alkaline which only adds to the pH problems of the menopausal vulva. Some are pH neutral. Go for the neutral ones if you can.

During perimenopause I used to get quite a bit of itching, soreness. Diluted vinegar was quite useful for this, straight away.

Then I just splash some water around my vulva and use my fingers gently to get into the folds and get the smegma out. It just seems to dissolve. No rubbing at all. After a pee I just half stand up so that my labia come together again, half squat again to get the last bit of urine out of my bladder, then dab a couple of times on top of my pubic hair. I think some of the dampening of knickers is actually that last bit of urine in the urethra coming out if we don't empty properly.

Some time ago I had problem with vaginal irritation and my urethra was also inflamed. I went to my GP, and she said: "no washing using soap"...I realised that I was actually adding to my problem! Since changing my habits, I have been much better.