5 days post prolapse surgery - reassurance needed please

Hi... sorry to hear how anxious you are. I was you 13 weeks ago and I honestly thought I was going to die. I had terrible buttock pain and sciatica from a sacrospinious fixation , which is similar to vault surgery. I also had the two repairs you mentioned. It was a scary time and I didn't think I'd get through it. Passing stool the first 2 weeks was beyond pain. It is vitally important that you take movicol. I took 2 sachets a day , some days 3, and I'm still on one a day. I couldn't sit on the toilet for more than 50 seconds without wanting to pass out. Eventually I got some Naproxen for the pain but my best friend became my hot water bottle, which really relaxed me. I was actually ok lying down , I just couldn't stand up. If you read the posts on here you will see how terrible everyone found this surgery. Nothing prepares you for it. You just have to be a patient patient as things get better. For me it took 4 weeks for terrible pain to go. I got really depressed and wished away the days. You are not alone in how you feel. Definitely take that Movicol... it will flow out of you like water but that's better than the alternative and you mustn't push and strain. 

I hope things soon improve for you. ??

Hi Carolmaria! I'm 8 weeks post op and am on day 3 of no pain. I wasn't told how horrible this was going to be but I think it's because some women are lucky enough to breeze through it. It's super scary, painful, depressing, and I can't tell you how often I have been convinced this has failed or I have ruined it somehow but reading other women's posts it seems this is completely normal. Please rest, when you feel better remember you truly aren't and don't do too much. Seems silly but changing the sheets was "too much" in my case and put me back in bed for 3 days. Let people take care of you and follow the advice you were given earlier, " be a patient patient."

The heating pad is my best friend and kegels really help with the pelvic floor spasms. They seemed to calm them down when they where really bad. You are in the worst of it, it slowly gets better I promise.

Thank you both so much for your replies. It made me cry to think people out there are kind enough to say comforting words to a stranger. I really feel very emotional & tearful at the moment & have wished so many times in the last 5 days that I hadn't had this op done, I should've just put up with the discomfort of the prolapses. This current pain is so much worse. My surgeon really didn't prepare me well - I feel to the professionals it's all in a days work. Plus of course he's a man so can have no idea how we feel or suffer. The hospital gave me the text book version of recovery, this forum is giving me the reality! I'll try & do as you both suggest & be more patient - hard as it is. Thank you again.

You are so right Julib16 - I never thought the main topic of our conversation after 44 years of marriage would be my bowel movements!! Hey-ho-in sickness & in health.....! Thank God the Lactulose is helping so I'm not as bad as some poor ladies on this site who haven't been for weeks. I certainly don't want a repetition of Thursday's episode - it was worse than giving birth!! I'm absolutely terrified of leaving the house. Can you or anyone else tell me please if I should be doing pelvic floor exercises yet? Nothing was said at the hospital or on the discharge literature I was given. I don't want to delay healing but also don't want to make the pain any worse.  Thank you all so much for your advice , support & good wishes, I feel much less alone now. This really is a horrible experience & the comfort of knowing there are others who care & understand is invaluable.xx

This made me cry just thinking about it as it sounded just how I was in December-you are right nothing prepares you for this awful operation. I had been through hysterectomy and adhesions ops before but this one is horrible-but reading this I realised that I must have improved a lot as although I still get exhausted and have a few problems with bowels and bladder most of the time I feel a lot better than I did so keep being patient and let other people do as much as they can for you as it will help in the recovery process. After I had an awful situation with trying to pass that first bowel movement I also gave myself a haemorrhoid (can't spell that!) and the doctor prescribed Laxido to soften the stools which made a vast improvement. If you can get some that would really help. The stuff that the hospital gave me didn't do a thing! Drink loads of water-I found it helped to drink cooled boiled water as this also helps with wind. I feel for you and hope it all settles down. If your bladder starts to play up my doctor gave me some hormone cream to rub down below as he said the skin gets dry and makes you more likely to get infections and this helped too. Good luck 

Thank you so much Angela for your kind reassuring words. It does help so much to know that others understand - the medics certainly don't seem to!! I thought I was going to die trying to open my bowels on Thursday & I'm really worried that I may have done some damage as I couldn't help straining badly in the end. I had taken Lactulose since the op on Sunday, but Thursday in desperation I took Lacido as well. (I already had it in the cupboard but thanks for advice). At least it did the trick so am back to Lactulose twice a day at the moment as I find the Lacido rather harsh. I'm so pleased you are feeling better at long last & sincerely hope it stays that way for you. I'm so glad I found this forum-it really is helping.  Good luck to you too. xxx