pessary uti

Hi Tessyellow,
If you put Pessary in the search box you can find past discussions on pessaries. There have been many women who have reported having problems with the use of them, including sores, bleeding, and UTIs, etc. some women can successfully wear them for awhile, but they eventually have to take a break from them, probably simply because they can and do cause problems. Women have also tried sea sponges and even cotton balls, but report back to us that these don't work in the long run.

This kind of quick fix is not going to help you in the long run either, but working on Whole Woman will. This work can help you learn to first accept your prolapse and then learn to live with it without the initial worry that seems to nag at us. I have read some of your older posts. You indicate that you have bought the book, but you don't say that you have really thrown yourself into this work. Sorry to say this, but if you don't at least give it a really good try, you will never know the true benefit and feeling of relief it can provide.
I do wish the very best for you and that you can find a solution that works for you.

Hi Tessyellow,
According to the Saving the WW book, I think it's the ring type of pessary that works for some women, mostly with cystocele or bladder prolapse. However as Aging gracefully says, many women report problems with pessary use.

Personally, I tried the pessary initially but didn't get on very well with it. As with trying to use a contraceptive diaphragms years ago, I found it wedge tight in the vaginal passage & I had a devil of a job to get it out. I'm sure the levering & manoeuvring required to get it out might widen the vaginal passage or potentially damage the tissues & tone of the passage. In any case it was unpleasant & generally uncomfortable in both situations. Consequently, as with my electronic vaginal passage toner - it went into the bin.

The pessary may literally be a helpful stop gap for some women. But in any event, pessaries are not part of improving the pelvic organ support system or recovering from pelvic organ prolapse, so some degree or another. Many of us manage our prolapses, happily and well enough for a happy, healthy, normal life. However I'm aware I have a vulnerability, probably for life. Like many people with other problems such as back problems, I have to take care to do the right things for me and avoid the bad things for me.

Doing the right things include, making the WW posture my default posture, as much as possible. I find it's not possible 100% of the time. But I always go back to it and try to maintain it where possible. This may involve tweaking some things, such as cycling posture, doing some yoga or pilates postures/or not doing some yoga or pilates postures, or how you breathe….
Also I found participating regularly with the WW postures v helpful, especially in the early days of 'my recovery'. I found following a WW session from a dvd 4 x's a week helped me greatly on every level.
The WW approach is without doubt a holistic approach though, & involves all levels; emotional, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, interpersonal, interpersonal, psychological…. Perhaps this is one reason why pelvic organ prolapse often affects women so profoundly! The WW approach includes thinking about diet, stress/happiness levels, sexuality, exercise, how you carry yourself, priorities…

However, one step at a time. We have the rest of our lives to gradually improve our health and our symptoms. We literally have all the time in the (i.e. our) world. The first step is engaging with this work in whichever way works best for you. There are plenty of resources now available, thanks to the consistent commitment & hard work of Christine, Lanny & Nikelle. Choose what suits you best; book, dvd's, online resources, consultations & self help. This is fundamentally a practical approach and life style.

Wishing you all the best.
Bonne courage!
wholewomanukx

Hi Tessyellow.
Sorry you haven't been feeling so good. Like you, I have had several utis with the pessary in place. Since having it removed a week ago, I have been much better and am doing WW posture and breathing work daily. I hope to continue without the pessary and pray that you are able to also. All the best.

Great to hear, Tessyellow!! So glad for you!

Thanks for the update! Remember to take things one day at a time. This work is so healing and so beneficial to all aspects of our health. - Surviving