to operate or not to operate...that is the question

thank you!

glad it worked for you, and you so right! gut instinct is the best option!,

i was told in march my walls where sighlty prolapse and to try exercises, i been trying them, even tried the kegel balls and couldnt keep them in (shockinggggg lol)

now seems to gotten worse not improved so im leaning towards surgery now! reallynot loving the ring! lol

thank you! very kind of you!

Hi Lynn, would you mind sending me the link for the pelvic floor video too please, I'm having trouble finding a good one. Thank you

Okay, no problem. I will private message you, where to find the vidio for pelvic floor exercises.

                                              Lynn

Hello Lynn

Just a quick message

to keep in touch

We are now into Spring over here and it is much warmer

Am still wearing yur garment and I need another so will order today

Am adamant not to have surgery and am managing

Will talk again soon

All the best 

Angela

Angela it is always nice to hear from you. Someone recommended my prolapse support garment to a UK web site over there that deals with pelvic floor issues. The lady contacted me and is interested to learn more about my support garment. Isn't that great? I may be able to help a lot more ladies over there that need prolapse support.

I will not be having surgery either Angela. Everyday, I get up, go about my daily life, put on my support garment and I am good to go. I don't know about you but I forget I have a prolapse during the day. Its only at night when I take off my support that I feel my prolapse. Keep up all the good work you are doing Angela and will talk to you soon. Glad you are in your spring now. We are going to have our first snow fall shortly. It is starting to get cold now. Time to warm up to the television and the fireplace for those who have one. Cozy time is good in the winter, makes you reflect on all the things you did all summer.

                                           Blessings to you

                                           Lynn

my baby is now 3 lol so not so baby anymore

never had issues until march this year

doctor did say it wouldnt be any mesh etc just tightening up the muscle! i laughed and said a vajajay lift! as that is what it sounded like!

argh really dont enjoy being female sometimes!

Joan that is brilliant news:-)))You're a lucky lady!  Lovely to hear:-)

thats excellent! hoping the rest of recovery is just as good!

me on otherhand my ring caneout this morning! thought it was loose last night! argh damn things lol docter dis say it might be small , but dont know if i want to go back and get another fitted!

Oh that's a pain.  That never happened to me but my original one was fitted at a specialist gynie place and my GP took over when the clinic closed down and she constantly said she wondered if it was too big but when I asked later at a hospital appointment they said it was the right size.  If it's not uncomfortable without it, then you have a choice, I guess.  I THINK, if I'm offered one again, I'll probably say yes, though.  But I'm worried about having something that has to come out nightly because of damage of it going in and out, unless it's an inflatable jobbie, but I'll see what they offer me.  I'm still waiting for the appointment and getting a bit desperate to know when it will be.  I've been waiting for weeks now, after they were referring me.

Remember there are other options to having a ringer inside. Cleaner and safer options.

                                  Blessings to you 

                                  Lynn

At the moment it's not protruding but feels uncomfortable bending over but the pessaries might sort that.  It's also a worry that anything I do might make it worse!  Having contacted the hospital today and found out it's likely to be months and months before my appointment unless they'll deem it necessary to bring it forward (and I got the impression they won't) I want to do anything and everything to stop it getting worse!

I have sent you a private email Chris. I have heard so much about pessaries that doesn't work, more then I have heard what does work. My feeling is and please ladies do not take this personally. I am saying to you if you are happy with it and it works for you then thats wonderful. When the doctor asked me about a pessary I said if something doesn't belong up there evenutally it is going to cause a problem down the road. Whether it be infection, rawness, discharge, etc etc. I said what my mind felt about having something inserted that I was very uncomfortable with. I have heard it all bad and good. Now that doesn't mean that some ladies don't have success with wearing a pessary. Again, I am just basing my views on what I have read on this forum and other forums regarding a pessary. My mother tried it and it fell out in the toilet after a bowel movement from pushing. Being elderly she didn't want to go back for another trial run. She also said who wants to have a doctor take this out every 3-6 months to clean it. She couldn't understand what to do with it or how to take it out.

So its good to hear the good experiences with a pessary and the bad as well so everyone can make a fair decision with thier own bodies. Whatever that decision is that works then of course go with it.

                       Blessings to all of you

                       Lynn

I have to put the other side of that Lynn.  While the discharge was a nuisance I had mine for quite a few years and would have still had it if they weren't doing they hysterectomy so they could do a repair at the same time.  It did actually sort the problem out, was completely comfortable, no side effects apart from abrasion against the cervix which I put down to the GP leaving the powder on that the instructions said (only found this afterwards) should have been washed off.  And talking of discharge, the vagifem made it worse (it became worse once she started prescribing it) and she just added to the amount at that point so it got worse and worse.  But, having experience of the pessary ring, and experience of the prolapse without it, and experience of the surgery my advice to anyone would be that the surgery was wonderful and if it works for you (as I said, I think my connective tissue problem  affected it) then that's the best bet, but the ring is definitely my second choice IF they can still do it taking everything into account.  It worked for me for so many years and I suspect with a lot of women it's just fitting the right type and the right size.  I was lucky that they did both, from the start.

One more point that I read about was. Did anyone know that pessaries do not absorb vaginal secretions or odors? So I am wondering if this is why some ladies develop infections from pessaries? Again, do your research of all the good things about pessaries and the negative things about pessaries. There is a lot to learn and if we do not educate ourselves on these type of things how do we know we are making the right decisions. Not just with pessaries , but with anything we decide to put in or do to our bodies. Just my thoughts.

                                Lynn

I am very, very happy for you Chris and that it worked for you and thats what I mean about each individual has to decide what works for them and do their research.

It is good to hear from those who have had success and others not so successful with a pessary. Same goes for surgery. How many have been successful, who was the surgeon, what type of prolapse surgery did they have etc etc. One size does not fit all and that goes with anything in our lives doesn;t it?

                         Blessings to all of you whatever relief you find because living with a prolapse is a challenge for all of us on this forum

                                                    Lynn

I'd hae thought if they did absorb vaginal secretions they would be far more likely to cause infections?  Yes, I do agree we need to research everything to find out what our options are:-)

I'm SO relieved now.  My appointment for the gynie was going to be February at the earliest, we found out, but I've got an appointment with the same lady on Tuesday now.  Yes, had to pay to go privately, but it's worth it to me.  What suddenly hit me was realising that my prolapse was the same as it had been when I'd had the prolapse ring that had done so well for me for so many years!  It's not below the entrance to the vagina, but it is uncomfortable when sitting or bending or standing and walking.  When they told me it had to come out for two weeks before the hysterectomy, I hated it!  When they'd asked me at the hospital appointment a few weeks ago if I wanted another pessary I said no but over those weeks have totally changed my mind and now am SO hoping they can fit another one.  I'm hoping that the fact they asked if I wanted one means I might well be suitable still, despite the repair surgery and hysterectomy.  But the doctor is taking various different ones to my appointment so hopefully there will be something there that will sort me out as well as my last one did.  My last one was a total success story for so many years that if I can have another I'll snatch their hand off!

how did your appointmemt go?

been a bit slack on here just caught up on al the messages!

i had a follow ip appointment today with GP as my ring came out, so yhey pit another one in today a biggggger ine and by afternoon it was out again! am not going to bother with trying again,

i decide to go for surgery and have my appointment on 9th november

so see how i go from there

Oh that's so disappointing about your pessary, and I'm sad to say the same thing happened to me!  When I had my milex ring before I had it for years and years (changed every four months or so) with no problem but this one was a bit different to support the vaginal vault as well.  I was SO delighted when it was in, but then it started feeling slightly odd and lower when I got home and then when I went to do a wee at 5 pm it came out!  If I hadn't had one so successfully for so long previously I might well have given up but husband phoned the secretary and the doctor will phone back tomorrow and we'll see if she'll do another one privately or if I'll have to wait to see her at the NHS hospital but it's a bit annoying to have paid hundreds of £'s to see her privately and be in the same situation apart from a bit sore this evening!  But surgery really isn't an option for me because of the connective tissue problems - it just wouldn't work for five minutes, so I'll persevere with this and hope that eventually they'll come up with the right one that will stay put!  In the meantime I don't blame you for going for surgery at all and I hope it goes really well and you have a good speedy recovery.  It's nice that you can plan for that now:-)))))

oh no thats a shame! sure they will see you! i mean yes for the money they should see you!

im a bit anxious as to what will be done. of course being surgery no one likes them lol i just hate them as i had previous dvt and embolism so always get nervous so its injections and stockings and all of that jazzz...

but can start prepping the house as have a 3 year old so its getting dad to do more in house lol

Hi Mosnippy, if we don't hear by lunchtime we'll phone them and see what the plan is. 

Ah yes, I understand you being nervous with surgery, but since you had a previous dvt and embolism would they put you on blood thinners before surgery (or would that make you bleed too much?) or maybe just use something to thin the blood straight away after surgery.  I know I had the stockings and had to do the injections into the tummy for a week after, but the injections which I was dreading (I got my husband to do them LOL!) I never actually felt anything LOL!  In fact, because I bruise easily because of the connective tissue disorder, the worst part was bruises where he'd gripped the skin so tightly LOL!  I must admit the surgery for the anterior repair that was done gave me no problems at all.  It wasn't painful but was pure joy that first walk to the loo the morning after I'd had it done.  I was very careful for much longer than they'd suggested because by then although it wasn't officially diagnosed, they had told me by then that they thought I had this connective tissue thing, so that's probably the biggest issue really.  Someone asked me if I was nervous about the surgery and I said 'no, not at all, because I'm not doing it!  I'll just be there fast asleep':-)  SO if surgery is the way forward for you, then build up to eat eating well, lots of fresh veggies and fruit, be as fit as you can be, and look forward to it working and changing your life!  Be positive:-)))))  Then enjoy the rest, afterwards:-)))