Rectocele ..... spoke to soon!

Body: 

Hi Everyone,

I posted my first topic just recently & felt very positive for an outcome in maintaining my rectocele as I await my parcel delivery. HOWEVER, something has happened just in the past 4 days with my condition. Maybe I didn't "touch wood" when I comfortably wrote that my bowel movements were ok as now this is whats changed and I'm finding this hard to cope with for a few reasons. Firstly I have just opened my little retail business & the loo (1) is shared with other shops so not only do I barely have time to leave my shop unattended for a wee (let alone a poo!) it's embarrassing taking too long due to the shared situation.

Last week my water intake had dropped off due to an extreme change in weather conditions eg. cold & also my lunch involved left over pasta as I normally consume a healthy detox drink which is very filling. Anyway the end result has left me not completely emptying my bowel and with little or no real urgency to go. I can feel that dreaded bulge getting worse. I have resorted to inserting my thumb into my vagina to push the bulge back in hopes of straightening out my rectum to no avail. The whole thing is really becoming quite depressing as I feel Im just going to back up. I purchased some suppositories today hoping one inserted would help move things along or "out" but nothing happened. I get the odd very slight inclination to go but but the time I get there the feelings gone. Just the fact of the whole toilet sitting position has me thinking that can't be good posture either. I understand this stress isn't good but I can't believe I've gone from coping with this to now an added problem on not being able to poo properly.

Any tips from you lovely ladies would be great in the meantime. My water intake is back on track along with higher doses of fibre and I had read magnesium citrate is also good for keeping stools soft which of
course Im also taking.

regards,

WS

Hi - sorry to hear of your concerns.

One thing your comment has reinforced for me was decades of working with little access to decent toilets and lack of opportunity to answer the call of nature at the time it occurred. Even tonight my daughter mentioned there are only two toilets for forty staff and they are close to workers so there is an element of embarrassment.

I remember having difficulties since primary school when children teased others about their toileting habits and then to go on to the work force - having to use less than adequate facilities - and working in conditions where it wasn't possible to respond to the urge. I am sure this all has a lot to do with the problems society has in terms of bowel and intestinal health and in particular for women with prolapse.

Anyway - moving on - in your situation - if it was me ...

I would make sure I added many leafy greens - a spinach salad, lots of veggies etc with a good oil drizzled over it with lunch. These make an enormous difference to regularity.
Also - an apple seems to help, and oranges. If you could include those I think they are easy to have with you and will benefit greatly.
Another great thing which will make you go is making pots of vegetable soup - put every veggie you have in it and keep it on the go ... seriously it works. Take a thermos to work and have that with a spinach salad.

Most importantly - walking. Every day if possible. That made a huge difference for me. It would be nice if you felt that urge on waking soom after breakfast. I found a great cereal that is perfect for me (after trying many) so now I am finally, after decades, developing a good bowel routine of sorts - albeit changes here and there.

I think we can get very bogged down with supplements, water, fibre, splinting, what works, what doesn't.
But it does take some time for habits to have really good consequences ...

There is that panic of what will work, what if it gets stuck, etc - and I have had it many times. I still do - now and then. But I am making sure that I include the things that over time do work. I can't have too much fibre - for me, that was when things got really bad. You want that intestinal passage to do some really good work and assist you with evacuating waste - it shouldn't be this hard but we all suffer. I also wonder about trying too many different things at once, can be confusing to know which works - but the food options definitely work for me and can only do good for your health.

But holding back when you get the urge starts to confuse the signals and body responses. If only we could all work from home and respond immediately.

Best of luck.

Hi Wintersun, lots of good suggestions from Takecare. There are many circumstances throughout our lives that make it difficult to go when we have the urge. I think this is why lots of moms (including mine) try to train their kids to move their bowels before they leave for school.....not because they believe that toileting should be all that regimented, but because they know what the world out there is like! I agree that this situation is to blame for lots of the world's ills. Hope that you can find a workable routine! - surviving