getting together all women who have succumbed to surgery for rectocele/ and or enterocele surgery. I need as many women as poss

You have great courage and I applaud you! I have never had surgery so I cannot help you in that respect. However, I am supporting you whole-heartedly in your efforts now. You will make a difference. I also wanted to say that although I cannot speak from experience here, it is my great belief that yes, you can get better too. How much better will be told by time. Take this posture and make it yours and keep posting all your questions. One baby-step at a time. I am sure you will hear back from many women soon who can more directly answer your questions. Best wishes to you!

Just wanted to say i would love to have your courage, i cannot help as i am only 28 and they have given me the 'Kegal' solution until i have finished having kids!! When seeing physio i was so upset with how little they know and how un interested they are..she told me your pelvic floor is good so it must be connecting tissue and there is nothing you can do for this!!!! really wishing you all the success with raising awareness its what we all need woman like you to do. I also think your body can get better after positive results from the help on this site.. get doing the posture and exercise, mentally you will also feel better then. Best wishes x

I am very excited about the direction this is going!! I am avoiding surgery like the plague! I will manage this as best I can, for as long as I can.
Good luck to you and your efforts!!

We will be here for you!

pro12

Blissed, I know you've been working on this project for awhile now, and I'm so glad you are forging ahead with it. I hope you are getting some good stories together. We know there are a million stories out there; finding them is the hard part. You are a brave and inspiring lady. You are going up against a lot of money and power in this fight! Don't give up, keep telling the world. - Surviving

Blissed, you have scored a win with your hospital, that is huge! Keep up the pressure. One of the real failings in the system is the lack of followup.....doctors just conclude that everything is fine. Now we need to turn up the heat for one-year, two-year followups, and more. Otherwise, surgeries that fail later on won't continue to go down in the record books as successes. - Yay for you! - Surviving

This post-hysterectomy woman is surely symptomatic, but working to avoid a closed evisceration (aka “vaginal vault prolapse”) by learning to carry her bladder and abdominal organs forward with WW posture is surely preferable to highly destructive mesh surgeries.

This video on rectocele repair (click here) is horribly misleading. They have disabled comments, so unfortunately I couldn’t speak my mind. If anyone feels like starting a letter-writing campaign to the doctor, hospital and show producer (we've complained about this terrible show before), that would be great.

Keep up the good work, Blissedout!

Hi blissedout. Your quest for helping women is not vain. I have enterocele and have the exact same symptoms you have. My poop if it comes out is so thin, My cat's poop is actually bigger then that. Thank you for sharing your experience, the operation option is absolutely out of the question.

Hi blissedout, Sorry if I make spelling errors, forgive me, I'm french. I'm learning to get better with time. What is very important here is to help each other and you helped me a lot for sure.
Best to all of us,
Crybabyann

You're doing just fine, Crybabyann. We have quite a few women here for whom English is a second language. My French is not crash hot!

You are right. It is important only that we help each other.

:-)

I did not know pencil thin poop was a symptom of 'celes. I've had that, off and on, for a few years now. I'm learning quickly that I have actually lived with prolapse for much longer than the 8 weeks I've been painfully symptomatic!

Ahh! (swoon)

;-)

Hi blissed out,
I was of the forum for a while due to personal circumstances, but having belatedly read this I just wanted to say thanks for following up your surgical op and disatisfaction with it with some positive action. That was great to hear about - and inspirational for us all.

I'm also in the UK. It's good to know the numbers of us knowing about the WW work is growing.

Many thanks and best wishes, xwholewomanuk

Thank you for your courage and dedication to helping others avoid the suffering you experienced. I am so glad to have found this site as I may have considered surgery for the rectocele had I not. I know for sure now that this is not an option for my hysterectomy induced rectocele. I know I have a challenge ahead of me, but also feel that this program offers real help. I feel so grateful. So grateful.

Hi As Rhoda recently said"we are all one" however spiritual one is or is not - we are united in our separateness. In 2003, I had uterine prolapse (like a 6 inch penis hangingout) with some rectocele and cystocele. I was told by many health care ppl to get it surgically done. I resisted this - found this site read a lot- my internet connection failed. I tiredlessly worked in manufacturing, living in rural oNt. In 2006 developed an inflamation in prolapse. We are short of doctors here and I saw who I could find. I did a 180 and agreed to surgery. 6 weeks later it was done with mesh which I know nothing of putting my trust , like a little puppy in my caregivers hands. It was not a big thnk you i felt for the pain was horrible in recovery. For next 2 yrs I just slave away in the factory. and then mucous and blood from i think 2008 thru 2011 when in TO i had most of mesh removed. i quit my job- enough to do at home
I agree totally with Blissedout The system needs to present such surgery if it works at all for anyone with the facts failure put you in worse shape- then theres the princess and pea story- they have irritated my lower back which I will forever feel.

There it is from Sammy in a nutshell. "Failure puts you in worse shape".

NOW, if only we could get doctors to start tracking the real failure rate. They close you up and send you home and that's a success in their book. - Surviving

Oh my Sammy, your story has really hit home with me. I wish mesh was never discovered. I remember a nurse friend of mine who was going for mesh surgery for urinary incontinenece; I tried to tell her about all the law suits and failure of using mesh, but she was determined and did it anyway. I also found out recently that my sister had the mesh surgery.
I certainly understand how uncomfortable and embarrassing incontinence can be; don't know if that was your issue, not trying to presume anything here. I was incontinent years ago, we are talking the 90s. Christine Kent's philosophy was not even around then. And mesh was not thought of yet either. I had a surgery where they tacked my urethra to my bladder wall, different than anything I have read about so far. I don't know for sure if this surgery along with all the hard labor contributed to my prolapse. I guess all I can think now is that I can't have a do over, but what I have experience is nothing compared to what I am hearing about mesh!! So sorry you have had to experience this.
As I said your story has just pulled on my heart strings.
I wish you well.....

Blissed, I wish you continuing success with this fight. Do we dare to hope that the word is getting out yet? How many surgeries were performed before women had anyone telling them all the reasons not to? And now that there is information readily available, to alert women to the risks and encourage them to do more research, why do women continue to have these surgeries? Keep talking, everyone! - Surviving

I just recently came to Whole Woman. I had surgery in May of this last year 2013 for cystocele, rectocele, entreocele ( intestines) and my uterus and cervix were coming out. They did the hysterectomy and tied up my bladder with my own tissue. My Fallopian tubes and uterus were diseased full of cysts and swollen with inflammation and pre-cancerous. I feel better since they have been removed. My last exam they said my anterior vaginal wall was still weak and I had another "bulge". Well, over the last few days it has completely prolapsed again. Pretty sure its my bladder that is coming down. I am trying not to freak out. I am still recovering from a "nervous breakdown" which was caused by the prolapse. I spent 4 days in a stress center prior to my surgery. I am incredibly disappointed. My husband wants me to head back to the surgeon, but I am not so sure i want to go that road again. I am doing the first yoga wheel and working on my posture. I need some advice and lots of encouragement. HELP! I sure would appreciate any comments.

Hi jettybetty and welcome! The repairs that you had done have a pretty high failure rate. With repeat procedures, there is less and less tissue to work with each time. I would suggest that you hold off on any further surgery, as I doubt you will be happy with the results. There really is no surgical cure for prolapse.

WW posture can be a bit more challenging after hysterectomy and repairs, because the pelvic dynamics are so completely altered. Yet it is really the only way to go for any woman, whether she has all her organs or not. So keep at it. You need to try and keep the organs as far forward in the lower belly as you can. And you want to protect your hip joints, which are now more at risk than before. Keep doing this work, being gentle on yourself in the process. Make sure you are completely clear on the elements of WW posture and try to stay in that posture as you go throughout your day. Pay attention whenever specific breathing instructions are spelled out on the dvd.

Further surgery cannot be undone once it's done....and doing the WW work is much more successful when you commit to it, rather than telling yourself that you will try this for awhile and then have the surgery later. All of us are living with the bulge. There is no cure, there is only maintenance, and attitude plays a huge part. Good luck and press on! - Surviving

Thank-you so much for your encouragement! I have been researching this site. I realize now that a prolapse is not the end of the world. I would love to hear about and from more women who have had a hysterectomy and are working the program. Thanks again and I am pressing on!

"Another chapter" is one of our currently active members who is doing the WW work post-hyst. Maybe she will come on and say hi, in the meantime you can look for her posts when you are logged in. - Surviving

Hi All,
Blissed Out is collating testimonials from women who've had surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. If you'r win this category, please write in - the more testimonials she has the stronger her case.
Love, wholewomanuk

Hello dear ladies,

I have done a whole lot of soul searching and praying since my last post here. I made the decision I would not react to the suspicion that I have prolapsed again. I decided to do my video, work on my posture and completely forget about even calling the Dr. I go back to urogyn in May, so I will know then for sure whether its my bladder or something else. But whatever it is, I have resolved in my heart and mind--no more surgery---I just turned 60 and I figure that I can learn to live with this. As I have learned, surgery is no guarantee things will be right. The posture and the yoga DVD does make a difference. It was new information to me that things move around "down there". I notice that doing the posture and fire breathing really do help. I also have an inversion table and when things feel like they are coming down, I use it and it temporarily will relieve some of the bulge. But the most benefit comes from the posture. I can't say I regret having had the surgery yet because of the problems with being unable to urinate, which pretty much led to the nervous breakdown, but had I known some of the other techniques that deal with difficult urination I could have been spared alot of misery. For me, catherizing was a nightmare I do not care to ever re-live again! The plumbing is working okay now front and back. The whole woman posture and exercises are a lifesaver for me. I am brand new at this and I have a long, long way to go. So that is all I really have to say for now. I am ordering Christine's book and another yoga dvd. Things can only get better from here on out!!! Sex with my hubby of 41 years is getting back to being awesome, like it was prior to the prolapse and I feel pretty good. I am a work in progress!

You're doing great, and we are all here for you. This is the work of a lifetime for all of us. There will always be good days and bad, and we just press on because what else can we do? By understanding our symptoms and reacting accordingly, we lose the fear that once dogged us all day long. Just keep going!

Remember that urogyns are surgeons, surgery is what they do. Not necessarily the best place to go if more surgery is something you want to avoid. The more you learn between now and then, the better off you'll be.

I have to admit I don't understand how an inversion table would be that much help for prolapse. We are trying to get the organs forward into the lower belly. Basically the organs have fallen BACK from their normal positions. Wouldn't you be better off down on hands and knees? On the other hand - post hyst and post repairs, your dynamics are a little different, so who am I to say. Did you originally get this for back issues? - Surviving

Surviving60--- A friend of mine loaned me the table to use before I had the surgery. She had done some reading about it and told me that a table would maybe help with the horrible pressure I had at that time, and it did. I have just continued to use it post-surgery. I do have back problems and the table helps with that. I don't really think its doing anything to "correct" the bulge, but I can get the table at different angles and do lower belly breathing and relaxing. That does make me feel better. Yes, down on my hands and knees makes my prolapse feel better and especially staying in proper posture. This is alot of work, but I am worth it---right? All of us ladies are worth the extra work!

It is the work of a lifetime, for sure! But it does get easier. In the beginning you think that you will be spending the rest of your life telling yourself to stay in posture. For me it was about a year before it really kicked in. Maybe more. It could have happened faster if I had applied myself more in the early days. Events in my life interrupted the process for a time. Eventually, persistence paid off. - Surviving

hello crybabyann,

You don't sound like a crybaby to me. I'm kinda new here and just decided today to cancel my fourth consultation about what to do about my enterocele.

Some of my history: I had my bladder put into a sling in 1990 for severe stress incontinence. I also had 4 laporoscopies for "lysis of adhesions" from endometroisis over a ten year period of time, and an ectopic pregnancy in 1984….then at age 50 in 2002, I had a total hysterectomy. That was a BAD decision. The pelvic and back pain never stopped. On top of all of that I ended up having two surgeries on my upper spine and neck for ruptured disks in 2006 and 2008. Then two months ago after a terrible upper respiratory infection (I think it was MERS) AND some constipation while traveling in Spain my small intestine prolapsed into my vagina. I had been splinting for years because of a small rectocele and did not mind. Then this big loop appeared and I freaked out. Since returning to the country I have seen 4 different MDs, 2 of them surgeons for this and had an appointment today with a urogynecologist for one more opinion after a colorectal surgeon told me I had to have pelvic floor repair with an abdominal incision and probably a mesh. Well, guess what? I just canceled!

I saw my new gynecologist yesterday who gave me a pessary a month ago when got back to the states. We had a long long talk yesterday (I am a retired midwife :>) ) ….and he actually talked me out of having surgery. He said that I was an extremely complicated and high risk candidate for surgery and admitted that he felt that the failure rate and pain and suffering was not worth it for me to try. WOW! I told him about this website and he was impressed. Today I just got my first two DVDs in the mail and am so encouraged that I can do this. I am experimenting with the pessary and liked it when I heard Christine suggest taking it out at night. I think moving my bowls in the AM and then putting the pessary back in (or not) might help me empty better. I have intuitively been rocking on my hands and knees in the AMs even before seeing the DVDs and learning the WW posture. It all makes so much sense. I just saw the First Aid for Prolapse this AM and now want to be a WW ballerina!

So I just wanted to say here, THANKS and there are a few practitioners out there that aren't so caviler about surgery for prolapse. We women can reeducate ourselves and our practitioners by our examples. Wish me luck and I hope you continue in your quest.
H

Thanks Holley for a great post - you have made a decision that will never give you cause for regret! Just take it day by day, and don't let the off-days get you down. Hoping you find a nice middle ground where things are manageable and life gets better!! Keep us posted. - Surviving