Just diagnosed rectocele: help with exercise, hope

I am also 38 and found my prolapses a year ago :-)

Do NOT overdo these Kegel things as you can stress out the muscle and make things worse! (I do maybe ten a day tops and I also implimented the posture and I have 3 prolapses and all are now OK and I can LIVE WELL WITH PROLAPSE lolol)

I know the fear is the biggest thing that is comsuming your every waking moment at this time...

If you go to the FAQ page it shows you pics of the posture...

The book can be bought from the home page of this site...

Basically - I think you will find as your prolapses are not severe the posture will serve you well :) If you happen to lift something wrong - your prolapse will tell you about it as it will feel different - If you impliment posture - you will prolly not feel the prolapse any more as it is so mild.

Surgery - smlurgery - Your Dr does not know everything... Only time will tell if your prolapse would get worse - My originally arrived in 1988 with my first birth - I didnt even feel it there till 2002 after my third birth. I did have pee problems tho - Not i do not - all cos of the posture :)

So... You came to the right place for women who also have this to help..

((HUGS))
Sue

hey denny:

i was just recently diagnosed with a rectocele as well. though i'm a bit older than you (just turned 43) i have felt exactly the same way you do -- old and for me, very unsexy and, frankly, damaged. my gyn also was not very helpful, though i can tell you, surgery for me is NOT an option. though i suspect my rectocele started when i had my daughter 7 years ago, it wasn't until a recent d&c/polypectomy that was the last straw which led to the actual bulge i could feel.

although these last few days have been rough for me, i have to say that once i found this site and started working with posture and diet, things felt better much much more quickly. the posture piece really is helpful. i, too, am trying to figure out the exercise thing -- i have always been very active and just feel so much bette when i exercise. i've been doing the bike at the gym very vigorously and i think i will do a walk on the treadmill today, maybe elliptical machine.

it's funny you ask about picking up your child. my daughter just this very morning asked if i will ever be able to pick her up again. i said absolutely. she's 7, but very much a mama's girl -- so i would love to hear how people tell you to handle that piece. i am sure it is doable.

i really understand you fear of making things worse. i have moments of that, too, though as virtually EVERYONE has said, you do have to go on and live your life. you will get there. i will too.

i also know i have to find another way to view all this in my head. because the whole notion of prolapse seems to old and unsexy to me, i am finding that it is making me feel that way as well. that is the piece i need to most work on. my husband doesn't view me that way. sex is unchanged, though i noticed yesterday after we had sex, the rectocele felt unnoticable and it had been noticable for me these last few days with my period.

i had started a thread just yesterday because i was feeling down. christine contacted a woman who has been living with a rectocele for wa while and is feeling wonderful. maybe you should go read it. it really shifted things in my head for me.

oh, and by the way, MY gyn said this was really quite common in women our age. so please don't think you that alone or unusual with this. even in the short time since my own diagnosis, i realize this is far more prevalent than i ever knew.

we all understand where you are. the book and dvd are incredibly helpful. i got the book through amazon and the dvd through this site. check them out. everything will be okay. it will.

susan

He said if he looked at virtually every woman who had given birth - He would find some small prolapse... So maybe it is just something that happens when we carry our babies (being that we are now upright etc)
I guess some of us have harder births or bodies that just enjoy prolapsing on us?

I know my mothers rectocele is soooooo much helped by a pessary ring, and has had it for about 8mths and says the dragging feeling is not a problem now cos of the pessary...

I wish that women would be sent to this website when they hit puberty - Then maybe if we started posture then - Prolapse would not be such an issue for women..

Hi Denise:

I too just wanted to add that you are not alone. I am 40 years old and have never had any children. I suffer from IBS with constipation. I felt very isolated after my diagnosis. Afterall, prolapse happens to much older ladies, or so I thought. Truthfully, I never thought about organs dropping before my diagnosis.

As for exercising, you can pretty much do anything except crunches or movements that mimic that kind of flexion. I received this info. from my gyno, gastro, and personal trainer who checked this information with my gym's occupational therapist. I additionally try to listen to my body. If I feel any strain with anything that I am doing I move on to something else. My workouts are very strenuous. Also, core work will tone your abs. I guess I will never have abs of steel.

We are here for you!

- Lilly Anne

Your doctor's comment was interesting. That was probably what my friend was trying to tell me one afternoon. She has a baby and was pointing out to me that she or anyone that has had a baby could have some level of prolapse because things change there.

- Lilly Anne

our new baby is three months old- beautiful - and nursing right now. I do hope if you like to breastfeed you won't stop. I know the whole story about estrogen- I got the same story. I have plenty of time in my life to heal- after all this is a chronic condition:) but my baby is growing up so fast and this time is so precious I wouldn't trade it for a playboy vagina(lol).
so here is my history- I am 27- have 3 children - and a rectocle. The midwife found the rectocele at 6 weeks post partum. The only symptoms I felt were a draging and heavyness in my parineum and vagina. I freaked out- worried about lifting exercising sex food you name it. but guess what - I started the posture - did a huge slow down in cleaning - outings - super mom mentality - and (cross you fingers) I don't feel that tired draging feeling as much anymore. and you know what else - I decided I love my rounded tummy- I don't want iron abs- I am a fertility goddess:) that said I want you to know I still exercise at the gym for about an hour 4 days a week and stay active the other 3 days so I am not a slob- I just shifted my idea of what is sexy and stickin my booty out all day long and lifting my breasts has helped me think about my body differently.
Lets see what else? oh I know- you are so very early post partum- give it time- I think your body will heal alot in the next year-maybe "granolamom" will give you some information about that-
Now lets see- some practical tips- My 2 year old is now (didn't take long either) really happy to come climb in my lap for cuddles- and he climbs into his carseat by himself too. and on the occasion that I must lift him I just do it with a proper lifting technique and kegal while lifting. I think they learn to walk around 1 for a reason. us mama's just need to slow down to a 2 year olds pace and let them walk and climb as they are able. Cleaning toys was a challenge for me until I read granolamom's advice about hands and knees- so that is what I do now- crawl around and put the toys up on the couch then stand and put them away from there-
I have seen in a post that bending over is good to stretch your hamstrings but I swoop in and clean the toys quickly and don't use good posture so the hands and knees work for me.
I am not a huge fan of the sling- but my baby is so.....we use it sometimes but I don't have nearly as much need for it since I don't try to hold him and cook or hold him and clean or hold him and shop- mostly I wear him if I go to the park with the kids or out to a resturant - for all the other times I use a pack- called ergo- I can use the posture if I cary him on my back-
sitting: it is really hard to get used to sitting but I can honestly say that it is getting better- I sit criss cross apple sauce on the floor most of the time- or on my hands and knees which my kids love-(added bounus of this position is that I can do so butt exercises at the same time ( my 2 and 3 year old join my sometimes and sometimes they just climb all over me ughhh.)
The grocery store is still a challenge- it is hard to be on my feet for an hour and then have to unload it all and put it all away-
I have been trying to do it on saturday so I can have some help(that dirty word:))
I hope this answers some of your questions and that you didn't get tired of reading such a long post- I am not an expert at this stuff- just a newbie- so hopefully you will hear from more women who know more.
I have taken this condition as a message from my body to slow down- and I am feeling pretty good about listening. B

Hey Denny

I've been active on here again after a bit of a break and felt I had to share something with you. I have rectocele, cystocele and womb prolapse. I think it's my rectocele that gives me my worst symptoms. But I'm pretty new to this too and so I'm still finding my way. I'm 32 and was told the same as you. I have one boy, 17 months old. It all happened after his birth. My gyn also told me the same as Sue's in that if he drags 100 women off the street who'd given birth, 96 of them would have a prolapse of some kind and the majority wouldn't know about it. I've had a really rough few days where I haven't been able to stand or do anything but I'm feeling better today. I had a massager machine on me yesterday around my bottom and tailbone and it seems to have really helped. Today I'm going to get to grips with the firebreathing. I'm lucky as my mum is a physical therapist and she's wonderful. When I have treatment from her, I improve big time and we're both learning lots about what techniques can help. Perhaps it's worth a try for you? I really can't fight it when it's bad and have to go with it. I have to accept that I have limitations now and can't be Superwoman! Believe me, you're not alone xx