Prolapse and terrified...

Hello annegirl and welcome to whole woman. So sorry to hear of your troubles. There is great hope that the post hyst women coming here can get help from the whole woman practices too. Christine is actually going to be coming out with a video just for the post hyst woman soon that should shed some more light on this and ways that you can gently do this work.

In the meantime, you may want to get yourself some raw local honey and apply a small dab vaginally for that soreness you are having. It should help get you some relief of your symptoms.

It would also be good to do some reading around this site to learn more about whole woman posture and how it helps with symptom management. Christine also has several articles on why kegels don't work that you may find very enlightening.

There is a way to feel better and live with prolapse, and you have found the place to learn that. Just take your time, do some reading, and ask us questions. We will do our best to help you through this.
Best wishes to you.

Hi annegirl, I wanted to add my welcome. It is very common to have other organs prolapsing after hyst, and a vault prolapse is the biggest concern. It is likely that a procedure was done (might be referred to as sacrocolpopexy) to tether the top of the vagina to the spine. It might be good to find out if you had this. The WW work can help you, but there are caveats where exercise is concerned, all of which you will learn about when Christine's new work comes out, as Aging Gracefully has referenced.

Your success with the WW postural work will largely be determined by how much vaginal length remains. The posture correction seeks to move the remaining organs forward and to help close and flatten the vaginal space to keep the encroaching organs out.

Do try getting down on hands and knees and breathing deeply in and out of the belly. This may give you a feel for how the posture correction can help. The goal is to recreate that dynamic when upright. But it is a slow and gradual process which is significantly affected by loss of the uterus, which is the "hub of the wheel".

What other issues do you have, why are you mostly lying down or in a wheelchair?

There is lots to learn here, but you do need to take it gently. You'll find many relevant discussion threads in the hysterectomy forum. If you are feeling pressured towards ANY kind of additional surgery, you might even consider a consult with Christine. There is no surgical solution for prolapse, and only in the case of an advanced vault prolapse should it even be considered. That doesn't sound like your problem right now. And everything you have written tells me that more doctoring is not the solution either! Take heart! Help is here. - Surviving

Hi! I just wanted to say hello and let you know that you are not alone through this change.

I, too had a hysterectomy...about 21 years ago. It is a slap in the face to learn that I was lied to .... about how beneficial a hysterectomy would be for me ..... and then while in there, an assessment would be done and he would leave everything in that was not damaged. Well...not so!! I woke to everything being gone (even my appendix).

I had lots of pain (it wore me down!), a left ovarian cyst, some other terms I don't know the meaning of, a long history of anemia and heavy monthly bleeding/clotting, endometriosis, scarred/embedded left ovary, a "3-month old baby-size fibroid" in my uterus (per the surgeon), a mottled small, retroverted uterus (so what?), and some other stuff.

I found Whole Woman in April 2015 and have been here, learning tons. I have just recently started posting. My state of being is OK, then very sad/frustrated, and up and down. But, all of us here have been told to face the fear and turn our mind set to healing ourselves. A very good piece of information! And a great starting place!

I have a Bladder Prolapse .... and so, far nothing else has come tumbling down. It will be a year in April (DX two days before my birthday). Maybe, some is down lower, but I am not going to go get it checked out --- as I've learned here that our organs shift around all the time; plus, I do not trust doctors. I've have always sought out the natural healing/care options (except for that horrible day when I had surgery). ---- so I can so identify with your frustration now -----

So, get your reading glasses on. Start a mantra that you will be OK. Breathe and relax. Us hyster ladies can be grateful for where we are in life! As mentioned, go slowly. I have only got comfortable with the posture so far (breathing is not right yet). And I need much more posture practice! I still need to improve my eating habits (drop that sugar, Lady!!). I am waiting for Christine's new DVD and then I will delve in, with a song and a prayer!

As mentioned, fiddle with some of this --
* check out this site
* go to the Store tab and look at all of Christine's excellent materials
(I may be right in saying that the 1st Wheel Yoga DVD may be OK for us "H" gals; along with the Vulva Health DVD; and the Saving Post-Hysterectomy woman when it is produced)
* search for "kegels" and do some reading up
* do some word searching in the search box -- anything that you're wondering or worrying about)
* peruse the Hysterectomy Forum (not a whole lot of action there .... but do some reading)
* go to youtube and search for Christine Kent and watch the videos there
* find the self-exam pdf on this website
* check out Christine's blog
* read about honey and different oils
* search and read about constipation and correct "toileting"
* search for support garments that you may want to consider
* relax, write yourself up a pep talk to recite each day, breathe

Well, that should keep you busy for a bit of time.

No surgery, again, for me!!! To you: keep your ears closed when you get pressure from others to have surgery (I had the threat of losing my job .... in retrospect, stupid to cave over that! Plus family, husband pressuring me). So --- get yourself some cotton balls for your ears. Have faith that you are guiding yourself to the right things for your healing.

And stay here! I do not plan on going anywhere. It will be nice to share your company and we can travel this new road together.

Hugs!

Sounds like your doctor is grasping at straws, because she doesn't know what else to tell you. Stay away from those estrogen creams, they aren't good for anyone. If you are experiencing vaginal dryness, try a dab of raw local honey inserted vaginally.
Christine's new post hyst video will be out soon, and should help you better understand what you are going through, and things that you can do.
And, kegels are useless at best, so don't waste your time with those either. Christine has several articles about them on this site. Well worth reading.

Hi annegirl,
The problem is that we don't know how much this work is going to help you since you have had a hysterectomy. Our hope is that by doing this work gently, you will also be able to get some relief of your symptoms.
Severe prolapses can be managed very well with this work. I am among one of the many that has been able to do just that.
Just start doing the work gently, and really pay attention to how it makes you feel.

The PT approach is basically one of kegeling, which, as you can read from several blog articles by Christine, does nothing and can actually aggravate prolapse. I kegeled for years. Don't bother!

I don't know that estrogen would make the rectocele feel worse. It's prescribed to thicken the tissues and help mask the bulge. I personally wouldn't touch it, but everyone needs to weigh the risks against whatever relief they think they might be getting. Doctors will push it, because that's what they do - push drugs (among other things.....)

You will get lots of pressure from family/friends/doctors to have more surgery. This will only get worse the more you complain. Really start reading here and looking into Christine's work; form your own educated opinions about what you should be doing, and steer the discussions in that direction, or just don't have the discussions at all. There is a wealth of bad advice out there in the world.

Don't worry too much about sleeping positions. Sleep however you need to for your P.O.T.S. This is really outside the scope of this forum. Only a consult with Christine herself would really enable you to delve into that.

As a member of this forum, you have probably received Christine's February newsletter in which she announces that her post-hyst product may be out by the end of the month. - Surviving

I saw and read Christine's newsletter in my email inbox yesterday. I signed up to be notified when the post-hyst product has been produced.

In Christine's newsletter, once you click the link, she also asks for any comments as to what the PH Women would like to see in the DVD (I think it's going to be a DVD and not a book). Chatty, me I added my thoughts.

Hi All,

I have been following Whole Woman and Christine's very excellent advice for a couple of years but this is my first time posting a question to the forum. I am managing my prolapse to my satisfaction and have not ever considered the surgery, nor will I. My only concern is whether or not there is any danger to the prolapsed organ, which was never intended to see 'light of day', peeking out into what is not a sterile environment. Has there ever been any mention of danger to the prolapsed organ itself, eg, infection, irritation, other? I have not seen this discussed previously but would love to have that worry dispelled.

Thanks in advance and keep up the good work!

Good question, keelaspet,
I haven't heard of any of the ladies getting an infection from their prolapse sticking out, and I certainly haven't had anything like that happen with mine. But, some of the ladies have had some chafing and sore spots on the part that sticks out. If that does happen, a little barrier cream, coconut oil, olive oil, etc. is suggested. Honey also has a lubricating and healing affect to it that is very beneficial.
I haven't had any chafing with mine, because it does stick out right after my periods, but I work diligently to get it to stay inside afterwards with the whole woman work, and that works for me.
I do wonder sometimes if it may also be a matter of vaginal dryness. I still have plenty of natural lubrication in mine, while other ladies, especially the post menopausal may not. All the more reason to keep the vagina itself healthy. The honey really helps create a healthy environment in the vagina. Lots of honey discussion here on the forum!
Hope that sheds some light for you.

Hi again- as I sit down to write, I find myself wanting to say basically the same things I've already said further up. Your family doesn't have the knowledge to help you deal with this in a constructive way, and the more you worry them with your complaints, the more they are going to push you to have more surgery. It is only natural they want to see your misery alleviated, so you need to give them a break, because only you can decide on a course of action and follow it.

Did you try getting down on hands and knees and doing some deep belly breathing? Did this give a feeling of relief from the worst of the discomfort? It should. This will give you a sense of what the WW postural work might do for you.

Hang in there. - Surviving

I had not heard of using honey before I started reading this forum. Thanks for the suggestion. It makes sense!

Cheers!