questions about perinoplasty

Submitted by fix it on January 20, 2013 - 7:41pm
Body: 

Hello-this is my first post. I have been reading for the past week and have learned so much from you wonderful women. I had never heard of POP until recently discovering my rectocele after a virus involving violent coughing. I went to a gynecologist who said that it appeared that I had a stage 4 laceration (episiotomy) which was properly repaired but the tissue had deteriorated (that was 8 years ago and 4 babies ago). I also have an inclusion cyst. My doctor said we could do a perinoplasty when we removed the cyst or just remove the cyst in the office. I was very happy that my issue could be fixed easily as I saw a perinoplasty as correcting an incision and not a scary POP surgery with complications. I just received my surgical information in the mail and it states the procedures to be done are a perinoplasty and posterior colporrhaphy. Now I feel a bit broken and totally consumed about deciding what to do. When talking to a few friends and family they say, “just fix it you will feel better.” Does anyone believe that a perinoplasty in itself a beneficial surgery? I thought that it would maybe help my rectocele. I have read about the potential effects of the posterior colporrhaphy in Christine’s book. Is anyone aware of any evidence that a rectocele may get worse if the perineum remains damaged or is it the opposite? I would love to hear any advice or experience anyone has regarding perinoplasty.

Forum:

louiseds

January 21, 2013 - 1:35am

Re "just remove the cyst in the office". Sounds simple, doesn't it? I wonder if it is? The alternative is quite major surgery, with all its risks. I would be asking exactly what the surgeon wants to do during the cyst removal, ie is it simply drainage, or will tissue be cut and sutured? You also need to do some research on the other two procedures. You can find out all about it in Saving the Whole Woman, pp50-51. Check out this link to a conversation about the results of perinoplasty, http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/showthread.php?t=354646 . Results are not consistent. You may have pain with sex for life, or for a long time. Many gyn clinic sites state that the main risks of perineoplasty are heavy bleeding and infection, and gloss over the future sexual difficulties. I think they are talking about insurance risks for them, not risks to the client's wellbeing. 'Risk' has a medical meaning which is not the same as 'risk' from the point of view of the patient. Hystersisters is a site for women, rather than a promotion site for gynaecologists. Beware the spin on Gyn clinic sites.

Louise

alemama

January 22, 2013 - 7:00am

Perinoplasty that is, until I learned more about it. Ease your mind and don't do the surgery :)
We've talked here a great deal about old episotomy fixes and how the tissue eventually thins, just as yours has done over the years. There is no guarantee that it will not do that again with this new procedure.
In my experience, leaving the unstitched tear alone has not made my rectocele worse in the past 6 years. If anything, it's much better than it was since taking up the wholewoman work.
Also, I had a cyst as well that went away! Same kind. It was to the right of the opening- along the tear site. It was painful with penetration- but I think frequent sex made it go away....
Depending on how big your cyst is, and if you can live with it, and if it does not get any bigger, you can avoid surgery for it for a while- and see if it goes away on it's own. Now if it's the size of an orange, well, removal is probably the only thing for it.

fix it

January 22, 2013 - 11:46am

Thank you for posting the reference, explaining, and easing my mind. My cyst is small and causes me no pain at all. I am trying, and obsessing a bit, over the whole woman posture. I am becoming much more aware of anxiety I carry in my abdomen and trying to release and relax. Thank you!

wholewomanUK

January 23, 2013 - 6:25am

Hi fix it,
Thanks for your post and welcome to this site.

Amazing isn't it. You've got a some common non-problematic symptoms; a cyst and 'deteriorated' perineum (in what way - and bear in mind episiotomies and natural aging will have a lasting effects) and a doctor suggests a couple of surgeries that could cause you some serious issues for life and has caused you considerable stress!

However on the plus side of things as a result, you've found this site and the WW work, which will undoubetedly enhance and improve your health and your prolapse over a period of time. Relax and enjoy! You've got the rest of your life to find experience and find out more about this work and way of life.

It's great you've got the book. It's packed out with information and it takes most of us repeating and revisiting things to gradually gain more understanding of the theory. I recommend you invest in 1/more of the WW dvd's as the exercises help you to develop the muscles and body in order to access and maintain the WW posture. The 1st Aid for Prolapse dvd is more dance based and the others are yoga based.

The posture is at the core of the WW approach but there are many other factors which also affect pop. Diet, not straining on the loo, avoiding constipation, life-style, relaxing... Pelvic organ support becomes a whole way of life! I can honestly say that I feel happier and healthier 1 1/2 years after engaging with the WW approach than I did pre-pop.

At the very least - give the WW approach a 6 months - a year, and see how you go. Surgery is an option with no turning back. WW leaves your options open - and opens up a whole new way of looking at things!

Love and best wishes, xwholewomanuk