successful use of sea sponge for rectocele

Body: 

I found the wholewoman site several years ago when looking for alternatives to pelvic surgery and am extremely grateful for all I learned from the site and from this forum. Thank you all for your helpful advice!! And here is my success story using a sea sponge for a rectocele:
My rectocele is not severe but causes a flap of vaginal tissue to prolapse. Sometimes the prolapse puts pressure on my bladder and makes me feel like I need to urinate when I don't. I read on this site that pessaries are not helpful for rectoceles but thought I'd try one anyway, made out of a sea sponge. I cut the sponge in half and fashioned it into a long oval shape. I took a guess as to how long and wide to make it, put a small bit of lubricating jelly on it, rolled it like a tampon, put it in and maneuvered it into being tucked behind and under my cervix. But instead of leaving it in the classic tampon position, I maneuvered it so the long ends sit left to right. If you think of the vagina as the stem of a T, I positioned the sponge to be the top cross of the T.
The first sponges I fashioned were a bit too big. They stayed in well, even when I had a bowel movement, but they pressed up too much against my internal bones and caused my pelvis to ache when I wore them all day or wore them for several days in a row. So I keep a larger sponge for any time I do intense activity and want a lot of pelvic support. Then I take it out and replace it with a smaller sponge. These smaller sponges are just smaller enough that they don't cause my pelvis to ache but are large enough that they stay in place well. I do find that I have to re-position them occasionally during the day, or after sneezing or coughing forcefully.
I find that the best time to put in the sponge is in the morning, before the prolapse gets "going". I usually wait to have a bowel movement and then put it in. If I try to put it in later in the day, it is harder to keep it in and keep it in place. But I can get it to work even then- I just usually have to reposition the sponge and push it back up a few times in the first 15 minutes, to get it to stay.
Bowel movements: the larger sponges stay in place during bowel movements. With smaller sponges, I often pull out the sponge first, have the bowel movement, and then put the sponge back in.
I find that with new sponges, I need a little lubrication but sponges that have been broken in just a little are easy to put back in even without lubrication. And if they stick a little, that helps keep them in better. Lots of lubrication just makes it easier for the sponges to come out.
I don't use a sponge every day, but I will use one 2-4 days in a row before taking a break. And I find that my rectocele does not come back very quickly after I have worn the sponge for a few days in a row. I feel about the sponge the way I feel about wearing a bra- they are both supports against gravity that help keep parts of our body in proper alignment as we age. I am 67.

Hi wvmdwfe1,
It certainly sounds like you have found a successful way to use a seasponge, but if you threw in some whole woman posture as well, you may find even longer time periods without symptoms. Maybe even getting to the point of not needing the sea sponge at all!

I thought my post was long enough as it was so I did not mention that I have Christine Kent's book and in addition to her postures, I stay active through yoga and other exercise. I do frequent pelvic lifting exercises throughout the day. Everything helps.

That's ok, wvmdwfe1. We just have to make sure everyone coming here is made aware of and understands the fundamentals of posture, of course, what this site is all about!
And I agree, everything we do in addition to posture can help us along in positive ways as long as these activities are prolapse friendly. We certainly don't want to go backwards.
Thanks for your post and best wishes to you with your journey with whole woman!

I did reclassify your post; I moved it out of the "longstanding members success stories" category because what you wrote didn't appear to have any relation to the WW work (that's the success we're talking about here...this is the Whole Woman forum). We're happy that the sponge is alleviating your symptoms, but that is not the only concern. For the benefit of other readers, I want to point out that the sponge positioning you describe sounds like it really holds the vagina open, which encourages further prolapse and it's exactly the opposite of what we recommend here. WW posture helps keep the vagina closed and flat so the organs can't prolapse into that space so easily. - Surviving