1 year post op for A&P surgery.
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all well and continuing to recover! I am now one year post op and despite set back at work with scar tissue repairs are holding strong. I can walk for up to 3 hours although still need a half hour break in middle, buy no lower back pelvic floor pain or dragging down feeling anymore.
Discovered that it's not so much how far or his long I walk but the speed of the pace I walk. If I walk to quickly I must be overstretching tissue at repair site; I don't usually realize at the time, it's when I sit down then get back up I get really agonising pain. I assume it's damaged ligaments that are stiffening up. Sometimes get tingling with slight pain along front line of pelvis (around upper hair line). If I persevere with moving around it slackens of again. So feel like I am finally getting there.
Swelling all gone and everything in place, really appreciate having it done again. Saw my GP yesterday she is referring me to physio for my neck and shoulder which is giving me problems due to repetitive strain at work so will no have to ask them to split my Monday shift between self scan and checkouts. Feel like a nuisance again but will have to rest my right arm. Also a bit apprehensive about it as I don't want to be left too long on my feet.
Doctor said to mention that consultant suggested I had back problems unrelated to pelvic floor repair to physio once I have appointment and mention about scar tissue too.
So consultant hadn't actually forwarded letter to my GP suggesting I had back problem and needed physio referal, so that bist was a complete waste of time, that's twice that consultant bust has been unsatisfactory. She missed the posterior prolapse at initial hospital referal and never informed my GP of her findings in second post ol visit.
Anyway now looking forward to physio, hopefully they will be able to help initially with my shoulder but also help shade some light on consultants diagnosis of back problem which I still don't agree with and don't think my GP thinks that either.
Looking back I am definitely getting much better, have felt a difference in just the past month. Getting normal feeling around outer lip area and feeling very comfortable.
Please take care and look after yourself, do not overdo things you have you whole life ahead of you and recovery is only really a short time in comparison. Get to know your own limitation's and stick within them as you don't want to have to go through this surgery unnecessarily.
For those still waiting on surgery I Hooe you get your date soon.
Phyl x?💕
5 likes, 26 replies
Imnotadoctor phyl_40063
Posted
It's been great hearing your progress through all of this.
It just goes to show that it's not (usually) a quick fix surgery. It can take a long time to feel back to normal again, in fact sometimes things do change & we have to deal with these changes but that's life.
I'm sure your thoughts & observations on this have helped a lot of us on here & I wish you well for the future. Xx
phyl_40063 Imnotadoctor
Posted
Thank you so much I'm not a doctor. I felt I needed to record my progress as sometimes that is the only way to compare one week or month to another and it's not till you look back that you can see the difference.
I also very much appreciated when other ladies posted their experience as it did help when I was worried about anything and often put my mind at rest.
I felt really strong about lack of info during my first repair and felt the need to warn everyone about the need to be aware that it is major surgery and you can't hurry the healing process no matter what kind of repairs; stitches and tissues still take time the same time to heal allowing for - younger ladies may be quicker than older ladies in healing and recovering.
I have been really lucky in that I have managed both repairs without any infections/uti''s, and when I had heavy bleed it was before I was discharged from hospital. I do think sometimes that I may have been too protective of this second repair and wonder if that has lead to tighter scat tissue, bug not really sure about that.
Hopefully in time the research they are doing on this site will lead to better info on discharge from hospital and hopefully a proper ' Urogynocology leaflet' just for those who have had any kind of pelvic floor repairs.
I do think it confuses employers and even occupational health workers who are suppose to be informed on our condition, when they get gynecology leaflets and look up official sites that say 6-8 weeks recovery and does not reflect the experience of many women. It is our long term health that us so important and when repairs fail it just means more time of work, more sick pay being paid out and more important they say second repairs are less likely to be successful.
I think first repairs would have much higher success rate if we were better informed on discharge.
Anyway hope I have helped some of the ladies and prevented them from overdoing things in early days maybe leading to more successful recoveries.
Hope you are doing OK yourself !
Phyl x?
Jan999 phyl_40063
Posted
Imnotadoctor phyl_40063
Posted
I so agree with you Phyl. I went into my AR completely blind, I was given very basic info & I didn't feel the need to question anything. I even had a totally unnecessary hysterectomy (that's another story!). I'm still not planning to have my rectoenterocele repaired as I'm managing better with it at the moment but I am much more informed after reading all the posts on here in fact I might change my name to "I'm nearly a doctor" as I've learned so much!
When I do have the op (which will happen at some point) I will have a much better idea of how things will be & I will take more time off to recover etc as what's more important than your health?
Better fact sheets need to be supplied to ladies having surgery not just the general pelvic floor info that I was given, let's hope that happens.
Hope we will still see you on the site Phyl. X
phyl_40063 Jan999
Posted
Looking forward to having a read at that, will take note for future reference but hopefully won't need it personally myself for at least ten years! ? providing I take care.
X
Jan999 phyl_40063
Posted
Well it definitely won't say recovery will only take 6 weeks!
phyl_40063 Imnotadoctor
Posted
Still 😅😅😅 at "I'm nearly a doctor".
Hope you get things all sorted when your ready; as Matron Would say ' who knows what wonderful things they will be able to do in the future.
I do intend to try and keep up to date with any changes as these repairs don't last forever and no doubt after another 10 years of work with be about ready for the knackers yard so will need done again.
Maybe they will be able to regenerate new human tissue from our own to line our walls by then. My hubby keeps asking me to ask for a new womb, that's the bit I don't really miss at all.
Phyl x
phyl_40063 Jan999
Posted
Occupational health told me 3-4 weeks and 6-8 if you have complications and insisted it was on gynecology site.
Don't know how they are getting away with that, my GP shrugged her shoulders and said this is what they do.
X
Jan999 phyl_40063
Posted
Occupational health are shocking in my opinion. They don't always have the employee's interests at heart.
Jan999 phyl_40063
Posted
I love reading your updates phyl. It's good of you to spend so much time writing them when you are so busy. I'm sure physiotherapy will really help your neck and shoulder, then it's just a case of remembering to do the exercises they give you. That's one thing I'm not good at. You mention you are feeling much better which is interesting because I have heard ladies say it's a year at least before they start to feel like they did before that awful lump appeared. Looking back I would agree with that. I'm disappointed the consultant was a very poor communicator, that shouldn't happen these days when all they have to do is speak into a dictaphone following each consultation, it can make such a difference to a patients care. Keep looking after yourself phyl, keep us up to date and please keep responding to the posts. You now have so much knowledge and I know everyone appreciates you 😘😘
phyl_40063 Jan999
Posted
Hi matron,
Thank you for your comment. I think that on the second visit it was me too to blame I think I did say lower back pain when I should have clearly said pain in lower back of pelvic floor. They were running really late and she kept cutting me of and I did try to explain better but she latched on to the lower back pain and so I was dismissed. She was exactly the same at pre-op visit and dismissed the posterior prolapse saying it was only anterior that had prolapsed and didnt need posterior done, tried explaining what was going on but she was quite abrupt. Anyway different lady did my surgery and she did listen to me when I spoke to her on way down to theatre.
Forgot to ask GP if it's OK to still use topical antiimflamatory ibruprophen gel along with Co-Codimole tablets. Can you tell me if that's OK?
Often feel now that many of the ladies are much younger and having TVT fitted and don't have that experience and therefor can't help. Often wonder too at how you don't get confused, so many ladies with variable experiences how do you keep up!
Hope you are well, take care
Phyl x?
Jan999 phyl_40063
Posted
Hello phyl. It is ok to use ibuprofen gel with Co codamol tablets. I laughed at your comments about me keeping up because my memory these days is terrible! 😘
phyl_40063 Jan999
Posted
Thank you for getting back good to know I can use both together.
It must help being a trained professional, I would have to have a file-o-fax and have idividual files so I could reference people - ' whose that again and what did they get done' , it is easier to remember those who have similar surgery and those who have surgery at the same time.
Phyl x
Kegel8Stephanie phyl_40063
Posted
Best of luck with your continuing good health and strong body!
S
phyl_40063 Kegel8Stephanie
Posted
Thank you Stephanie, think this is now the time to rest less and be more mobile. Think the broken chairs in work hasn't helped with posture.
Initially thought I had frozen shoulder, but was wrong; been doing exercises I found on the net for that condition along with hot water bottle, think that helped to loosen of and keep my joint mobile.
Been walking about with book on my head, not very good at it but helps if I wear a soft hair bad, not sure if that's cheating?
With regards to pelvic floor, I recovery very quickly now the odd time I do overdo things. Keeping up with pelvic floor exercises, and started some very light low impact exercise too.
Phyl x