pessary or posture with procidentia for my mom at 78 and frail and forgetting?

Submitted by chickenfeet on March 13, 2014 - 3:34am
Body: 

When we took out the pessary in Nov, I thought my Mom would learn the whole woman pose and be able to get the cystocele or prolapsed bladder back up. At that time It was out of the vagina like 1/2 a ping pong ball...but she was feeling it go back inside after doing the posture. I just live out of state and thought the caregivers could do the posture with her. But it has been hard to implement that. The book got lost, as well as the CD's after I left.
But almost 4 months later it is now out like an orange. Time goes by interviewing caregivers and my moms bladder keeps dropping and dropping and now it is all out. So I am thinking....perhaps it is best that my Mom has the pessary during this time that we haven't got all the caregivers lined up yet?

Which is easier, to have the pessary and require inserting the lubricant inproperly or to have the bladder all the way out and having it exposed and adding topical trimosan every 4 days and coconut oil in between.
ALSO; with a pessary, every 4th day when my Mom lays down before sleep, that is when she would have to insert the ointment and that is a big struggle for he.

An alternative I think would be to insert it when she takes a nap during the day. It will all drip out when she wakes up, but would that suffice instead of doing this at night? I know that the lubricant would be more effective to be inserted when her body is horizontal for at least 8 hours as opposed to just 1 or 2 hours during the day.
Is it sufficient to insert the lubricant during the day when she is home with a caregiver and can remain laying down for a nap instead of inserting it at night.

This way the care giver nearby perhaps can coach my Mom if she forgets what to do or is nervous. I would have to find the right caregiver tho.
. My Mom is beginning to forget how to insert the lubricant that is why we removed the pessary for a while.

Forum:

Surviving60

March 13, 2014 - 5:44am

I think that only you and your mom can figure out which of these routines gives her the best combination and comfort and ease of maintenance. Both sound difficult to me, but I have no direct experience of the pessary routine. If the pessary holds the prolapse in a better position, then perhaps she will have the incentive to learn to manage the lubrication process herself. And even if a caregiver has to be involved, that might be preferable to requiring the caregiver to deal directly with the huge bulge. Tough to say....perhaps only trial and error will answer this question. And what works today might not work tomorrow. Good luck to you. - Surviving

Peace Lily

March 13, 2014 - 11:54am

When I first became aware of my prolapse and was researching what to do I came across Arvigo Maya abdominal therapy. I have had two sessions with a practitioner and have learned the self help massage. Does anyone have experience of this therapy which is aimed at encouraging the pelvic organs back into position improving the flow of blood lymph and nerve impulses. It is best known for treating prolapses in women. I am committed to the Whole Woman system and do not want to do anything that may conflict with that. I was hoping that the massage would help also with problems in my digestive system. Any comments or ideas?

Aging gracefully

March 13, 2014 - 12:36pm

Christine has actually addressed the Mayan massage in a previous thread. I think that she did say that it can't hurt you, and probably feels good. But it takes the physical act of holding our bodies in whole woman posture to actually affect our prolapses. We need to be up and moving around, holding posture and getting the intrabdominal pressure to pin our organs into our lower bellies.
So go ahead and do it it it feels good, but I wouldn't rely on that to really help prolapse.

fab

March 13, 2014 - 7:09pm

about pessaries you may have come to the wrong place Chickenfeet. However, I do recall reading in these posts ladies describing how they had a pessary inserted for three months by a doctor and then removed and being examined and then having the pessary reapplied. This sounds to me like a better situation for your mum and yourself and her carer all round. That way you know that she is in safe hands and having her present needs met. At the age of 78 I don't think I would be caring about rehabilitating my mum's (rest her soul) prolapse. (And I am in a couple of weeks 68.) Especially as you say your mum is not as much on the ball as she was and I wonder if many of us will be at that age. Anxiety is so bad that no matter what age we are, we do not tend to think right until we get it under control and with the prolapse now a constant and worsening worry, I think a relief from that would also be good all round.

chickenfeet

March 14, 2014 - 1:17am

"and with the prolapse now a constant and worsening worry, I think a relief from that would also be good all round".

Thank you for replying about this.....I think you mean that having a pessary inserted would allow her to divert her attention away from the prolapse and the inconveniences that she might be dealing with during this learning curve? Or process?

Can you also clarify this sentence?:

"At the age of 78 I don't think I would be caring about rehabilitating my mum's (rest her soul) prolapse"

When you say rehabilitating, what are you referring to? The pelvic floor exercises and posture work or positioning a pessary or manipulation of organs via Maya abdominal massage or eventually doing a colpocleisis or some other orthodox mainstream gyn invasive procedure?

fab

March 14, 2014 - 1:28am

that is what I am saying. That to have one of these long term pessaries inserted by a doctor at this stage would I think be a great relief to her, and incidentally those around her. And by rehabilitation I am meaning all those things you mentioned. I would just if possible get the long term pessary placed. Then if she is comfortable leave things at that.

Surviving60

March 14, 2014 - 4:56am

Chickenfeet, I seem to recall that the pessary was originally removed because it was causing problems and had to have lubrication inserted regularly, and your mom was no longer able to handle that task. I have aides of the non-medical kind caring for my mom during the work day, and I can't imagine them performing (or even being allowed to perform) somthing like that. Wouldn't you need a nurse to come in?

I believe it is not your mom's age, but her dementia that is limiting her options for self-management of prolapse. You have mentioned several times her inability to "hold the pose" as if it were that simple......there is much more to it, both physically and mentally. A good reminder for all of us as to why we work so hard at prolapse management now.....if my brain starts to fail me in a decade or so, hopefully my body will remember what to do. - Surviving

cleo

April 20, 2014 - 1:55am

Hi Everyone, I'm writing to wish you all a great Easter. I have eaten now and didn't eat too much so I feel a lot better. I just hope I don't eat too much chocolate. It's my one sweet I really like. I do eat dairy free chocolate sometimes, and sometimes I feel better for it. Well I'll write more later.

cleo

April 20, 2014 - 1:56am

I made a mistake, have a Great Easter everyone.

Surviving60

April 20, 2014 - 5:59am

Hello dear Cleo - you have a nice Easter too. I can easily avoid all the Easter sweets at home, having no little ones around. But I know tomorrow my office will be invaded by everyone's leftover candy. Not what I need right now, I'm trying to be so good..... - Surviving