Rectocele and pelvic floor

Hi Ginnie. Yes, feelings of incomplete emptying are very common with rectocele. You just have to keep your bowels moving along as freely as you can, and trust that if something didn’t get out this time, it will the next time. Some women “splint” and you can search that term here, but I would like to think that only the most extreme cases of the poo getting stuck would require such measures.

I don’t know anything about biofeedback and that’s another term you can put in the search box to look for discussions.

So if you’ve been lurking around for a few months, you probably know our approach at WW is postural. Have you looked into it? - Surviving

I do not know for sure, but the pelvic nurse with biofeedback could well mean a course of kegels with a monitor telling you what you are doing with regards to the kegel (that is the kegel so often discussed here and really is of no assistance to prolapse although the medical profession likes to think they are). If you are going to do the biofeedback with a pelvic nurse, I hope that you will fill us in on what that is all about. In the mean time, have you sorted out your posture? The healing and the learning to manage any kind of prolapse will most often come from posture, diet, proper exercise, elimination and attitude. All of these things when addressed well will make us healthier no matter what our issues or symptoms are. If you have not taken hold of the posture, this is the time. With the new year, will come a new you. Best wishes to you!

I think Surviving 60 and MsNightingale gave you some good advice. I would suggest that you write down some questions for the biofeedback nurse and the gynecologist. You should feel comfortable asking them them to explain what techniques they are using with you. If you are not comfortable,perhaps you need 2nd opinions.
I certainly would read Christine's article on Kegels. I know doing kegels were in fact detrimental to my condition. Particularly when done lying down.
In addition to the above, I might suggest you get Christine's book and the First Aid for Prolapse DVD.
Learning the posture and understanding the WW approach should be helpful to you. Just practicing the posture and including it in daily activities (DVD shows several ways to do this in the Office Wrap Up),
Adding firebreathing a few minutes each day should also be helpful. Once women start this learning process,they frequently report good results within a few weeks,sometimes sooner.
Good luck. Keep us posted on what you learn from the medical folks. Remember that it is good to feel comfortable about a procedure before you sign on. If it is not life-threatening and prolapse is not, there is no harm in waiting a bit. I did and so did most of the women on this site,and we are grateful that we did.
WWPA

Hello Ginnie and WW members,
First of all, Thank you for taking so much time to talk each other. I have been reading the articles on this site and hope to find some remedy. I am 39yrs old and mother of 2 kids, both delivered by c-section. Since last 5 years I have had difficulty in bowel movements along with hard stools. Like Ginnie Docs confirmed it is IBS and just asked me to take care of my diet. But this didn't help. I got the biofeedback sessions which again didn't make any change. In June 2012 when I visited my home country I took an appt. with a gastroenterologist. He asked for an MRI to check for the movement of bowels and later confirmed that there was a large Rectocele in the anterior.
I came across this site and tried the exercises as in "First Aid Prolapse" video. There was a slight comfort the next day. But still not sure, about why I bleed on the rectum when I eat hot spices and have fissures when my system was tolerant so many years since childhood. That apart, hope atleast someone there could tell me from where I should start? Ginnie , has there been any updates since then?
Thank you

Hi Shybee. i'm glad that you felt some improvement from doing a WW workout - that's not uncommon. The best place for you to start is to get into the posture and try to stay that way all the time. it's harder than many of us thought it would be, after a lifetime of pulling in our stomachs. So get to work and give it a go. Tons of information and help here on the site and forums, and in the book and DVDs. Rectocele is very manageable with this work. I'm here almost three years and I can assure you that time, effort and attitude make all the difference in the world. - Surviving

as to why all this is happening now, maybe for some women 39 is that magical age (beginning of perimenopause) where stresses that were only mild and able to be ignored until now have started to show their wear. Do try the good diet for the IBS again. With IBS it is well to remember that it is not a matter of one diet fits all. There is some individuality here. It is a matter of finding for yourself those things which at this stage in your life it would serve you better to avoid. You have already identified hot spices. Actually, this is a common one that suddenly gets you as you mature. Also you need to protect those fissures and allow them to heal. And at the same time make WWposture your everyday wear. That will keep you very busy indeed, but the benefits go directly to you and your family so definitely worth the effort.

Cheers, Fab

Dear Surviving60 and fab,

Thank you for the suggestions. You are right, all the stresses that we go through as teens and in 20s, takes off on our system now in the later stages. I will start with the WW postures. I am not clear about the sleeping postures that would benefit this problem. Will sleeping on my stomach help? Or on the sides?
I am also going to try doing the breathing exercises.
Thank you

Sleeping position for me is so much determined by which limb is uncomfortable or starting to ache at any particular time. Once you go horizontal, gravity is no longer taking its measure on your prolapse. It is still possible for a prolase to remain outside the body and if this is the case then a full bladder or rectum or sigmoid colon is usually the culprit and it is wisest to see to these things. At the very least, tucking the culprit back inside the vagina is the way to go.

Otherwise, it is ok to sleep in whichever position suits you best.

As to which position is most beneficial is probably a matter of experimentation. If your tummy is upset, often lying on your stomach can help soothe things. I find that stretching my legs straight down and tightening my thigh, calf, ankle and toe muscles while lying on my back induces a relaxation of tension in my pelvic area and settles me. But in any one night I am all over the joint.

Cheers, Fab

Hi shybe,
Christine says the intra abdominal pressures are different when we are lieing down and we don't have to be concerned about being in WW posture when we are lieing down. Having said that, I like to place a small rooled up woollen shawl under my lower lumbar spine when I'm lying on my back, just to ensure a little curvature in place there. Christine also suggests placing a pillow between the knees when we lying on our sides. This may benefit our hip joints as well.
I used to lie on my front a lot and quite liked it and got used to it. However in recent months I began to get quite severe sharp pains in my sleep in my left hip joint. As I was concerned I made a few changes, to see if anything seemed to improve things. One of the things I found was that when I stopped lying down to sleep on my front, my hip joint painful symptoms gradually and significantly reduced. I'm not sure why this would be. Perhaps it made the hips internally rotate a little too much? I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has found if lying on their fronts made any noticeable difference to their health/lives.

Wishing you all the best, xwholewomanuk

Hi. I don't sleep on my front but what I have found is that if I watch TV in bed, if I lie on my front propped up on my elbows, it does seem to help a lot. Maybe coincidence, maybe not, but I'll keep it up if I think it helps at this stage.

This is a good way to watch TV in bed. For prolapse, it sure beats leaning back into soft pillows with a collapsed spine and flattened lumbar curvature. - Surviving

That's quite interesting. Thank you all for sharing your points. I'll try and find out that works best for me.
In the coming weeks I will also try the breathing exercises and keep you posted. Thank you