My Anteria and Posteria Repair
Posted , 126 users are following.
Hi Ladies,
Prior to having my Anteria and Posteria Repair, mainly due to problems going for a poo, when to be frank it felt like I was trying to push the poo sideways out of my bottom, resulting in lots of pain and blood - making me very unhappy. After reading this and other forums, which I found very helpful (which is why I'm contributing now in the hopes that this helps others) I decided that although some people had not had a good experience it was worth the risk rather than putting up with the pain for the rest of my life (47 at the time).
On examining me the Dr found that I had significant bladder weakness too and he suggested that he could improve both - he did seem to focus on the bladder a little when I kept telling him it was my bum that was more of an issue - I digress a little as you know how dismissive doctors can be and how hard it is to stick up for yourself, especially in this area which not only affects you physically but psycologically as it impacts your sexuallity and self confidence too.
So I had the op in May 2013 and I recognise a lot of the other post-op entries on this forum but the main instructions were - 3 Golden Rules, number 1 - don't lift more than half a kettle for 6 weeks. Number 2 do pelvic floor exercises or it will all come back and need doing again. Number 3 make sure you stick to rule one and two.
I took 8 weeks off work (I have a desk job and a supportive employer) and followed the rules I, 2 and 3. Yes it was difficult and very frustrating also for the family to remember when you look fit and able but you can't bend to pick stuff up as it would pressure where you shouldn't have it.
It wasn't all plain sailing with pain and concern about stitches not disolving as quick as I hoped but I wanted to let you know that now (9 months on) I feel more confident, sexy and in control of my bodily functions. The Rectocele hasn't made things perfect but things are still improving even after so long so perhaps it will get even better but if not, its much much better than before.
Regarding the sex, thats better too and one thing I wanted to share - I noticed significant dryness for around 6 months, around the scar tissue but I', happy to say that this is also is improving.
Basically well worth having done and I would advise anyone to go for it. Prolaps issues should be taken much more seriously by GPs as it is embarassing to discuss and we deserve to feel 'Right' and everything that entails!!
27 likes, 278 replies
debi53024 HappyLady
Posted
thought I would share that I went to the docs today and six months on from small anterior and bladder repair it would seem that my anterior repair has loosened off. My gp wanted to refer me back to the physio but I took it upon myself to phone the physio who said this was pointless and that it should be a referral for the consultant that I should be getting. I then called the consultants secretary who is sending me out an appointment for around end of Sept. I am absolutely devastated as I would've thought that six months on I would be okay but unfortunately not. I don't know what I could've done differently. Whilst she did say it wasn't a prolapse I am still worried as to how it can be corrected if at all.
debi
moira34394 debi53024
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Please keep us updated. I really hope it won't be as bad as you fear.
debi53024 moira34394
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det51631 moira34394
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lynne59214 det51631
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debi53024 moira34394
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Just updating you. Saw the consultant this week and my bladder prolapse is back unfortunately. I am devastated. I told him that I didn't want anymore surgery. He has agreed that we will leave it for 3 months and see how I find things. He wants me to live life to the full going running, zumba etc but I am reluctant to do so as if I had been given the correct info to begin with I would've known that impact sport is the worst thing for you but I was told to go ahead doing this after 12 weeks. Maybe if I hadn't then this wouldn't have happened but who knows. The leakage has still gone but I have the achy feeling if I do too much. Hope things are good with you.
debi
moira34394 debi53024
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I think I've 'loosened' a bit as well. I can feel something inside the vagina, but at least nothing's protruding as before. Trouble is, it's been so long, how do you know what feels normal? Like you, the tvt is still good, and the constipation of many years has gone. So even if it's not perfect, things are still better than they were.
I do agree with you, and I feel quite strongly about this, that women having this operation are not given enough information beyond the immediate post-op stage. It's all too positive. Maybe there are people out there who sail through and are back to normal busy lives with no aches or anxieties after 12 weeks, but I'm very glad of this forum for the rest of us.
dianepl55 debi53024
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sue76555 det51631
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det51631 HappyLady
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Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the link as it was to a site unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.
http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398316-adding-links-to-posts
http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages
donna68613 HappyLady
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I have been looking for information to help me prepare for my upcoming Rectocele operation and am so glad I have come across this site. I am going in at the end of the month and am a little worried about the op itself and how I will be afterwards. My first consultant said I had a womb prolapse after a 2nd opion I was told it was a rectocele( I just hope this one is right)
I have read through alot of the feed and would just like a little advice from you ladies that have gone through it.
I have been told by my consultant that I will be in hosptal over night and that I should be able to return to work after 4 weeks! After reading some of the comments on here I am now not sure that will be the case. I have a desk job but do drive into work. I also have 2 young children that need to get school.
Please can someone advise me on the following.
Recommended time off work/driving?
How far can I walk and how soon? (sons school is 1.5 miles away)
Did any of you go out like for a meal? I have a 30th party to attend mid Oct do you think I should decline the invite?
Did you all get a follow up appointment? Ive been told my consultant doesnt do them.
Thanks for your help
Donna
lynne59214 donna68613
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Re driving, I have been advised about 2-4 weeks but again you must listen to your body. If its uncomfortable don't do it, it means your body is not repaired enough. I know I am not ready yet!
Re walking, again listen to your body, it is important to walk round house etc to keep muscles going but as for longer walks I would leave it for 3 - 4 weeks.
Depending on how soon the party is after surgery, best to decide that nearer the date, friends will understand. I am hoping to go to a gathering of friends 23 days post op but am not deciding until the day before. Am keeping fingers crossed though as really need to get out of the house. Lol.
Unusual not to have a follow up appointment. I have a follow up 6 weeks post surgery and then Doc will decide whether need more time off work, mainly because I am in manual work. I also had a follow up call from a nurse attached to the surgeons office on day 5 to see how I was doing, and was told any problems not to hesitate to ring her. You could always make an appointment with your own GP if at all concerned.
One thing I didn't get much information about was the bowels after Op. please make sure you have laxatives of some sort in medicines cupboard just in case you need them, doing BM's is very challenging for me. I am still using the laxatives!
I presume you are in the Uk, I am in Perth, Australia and here we are in hospital for 3-4 days, strange how it differs so much.
Hope all of this is of some help to you. This pain is hopefully short lived and I know the outcome for me is going to be great as was in so much discomfort before surgery, I am in manual work in aged care and had to be on restricted duties prior to Op.
Good luck. Let me know how you go and sending best wishes. Lynne
sarah66796 lynne59214
Posted
So far, so great for me save for the fact I hadn't anticipated the swollen factor which is how I've ended up on this forum amongst others.
So I'm at 19 days post op. I still cannot walk/sit without having a basketball width between my legs....I'm still so swollen and this is the only thing no one told me about so hence my googling. I'm due to go back to work full time as of Mon 26th Oct. I'm thinking it might be too much at once. Especially given I'm an education assistant for students with special needs.
So after reading this forum and other sites I've decided to ring the Dr tomorrow and discuss it. I'm thinking maybe 2 days split next week, then 3 days split for two weeks to ease back in. There will still be no physical stuff as several of my colleagues themselves have been where we all are including the bosses
Unlike, most women I only needed the rectocele fixed.
I had been seeing my Physio at KEM for a very minor cystocele as well as getting prepared for the op....which meant checking my pelvic floor. Lucky me at 46yrs I'm actually fine so need keep up the maintenance exercises both pre-op and post-op which I've done. My physio had given me pamphlets and discussed the op with me. I was on our public wait list but had given the go ahead to book me should a cancellation come up. Which it did. I had all the info with me that she'd given me plus I had ensured my diet leading up to the op was optimal, too.
Donna, (and anyone else) if you can see your Physio or if your Dr has all the post op pamphlets....GET THEM. Whilst waiting to be taken to surgery I had highlighted my pamphlets with what I could do, when, how often etc. For me, forewarned is forearmed
I've noticed many women have been given coloxyl for bowel movements (BM).
My advice is actually Movicol which my Drs gave me here. I'm well versed with the 'right' BM as my 8 yr old son has encopresis which is a problem with faecal impaction thus serious constipation.
Movicol is the gentlest and can be taken 8 times a day if required. Also buy a little footstool for your toilet. That way you are ready and prepared so whenever you go to the toilet your feet are on the stool so your body is in the correct BM position to facilitate ease. Do not push/strain and relax your pelvic floor. It should just slide out. However, if you need to encourage the sliding then GENTLE pelvic squeezes around your rectum...you will notice this aids the process actually far more than if you strain. If nothing happens.....then leave it be.
One thing to note is exercise helps.....so time your post op walks with going to the loo if you can. What did we all do with our very young babies to encourage a BM...we 'cycled' their legs :-) Same reasoning :-)
Also dietary fibre....but NOT insoluble fibre. With my experience with my son (and it's written in the literature my physios gave me) it is soluble fibre we need at these times. Insoluble bulks up stools making them harder to pass.
This is the irony given we are constantly told "eat lots of whole grains" ....it is, in fact, the worst thing you can do. A diet higher in soluble fibre mixes with water to form a gel, helping to maintain a good digestive system and prevents straining. Don't avoid insoluble fibers but be mindful of how much you ingest.
Keep your water intake up! (Especially when ingesting insoluble fibres).
But also, bear in mind liquid intake should still be no more than 2 litres/day (8 cups), especially if you've had a cystocele repair as well. So drinking 4 cups of coffee is going to interfere with optimal water intake. Lol...I still had 2 cups of coffee, a glass of pure juice and the rest was water. Also, nothing with artificial sweeteners as apparently they are bladder irritants both physios told me. I don't use them or drink diet drinks/eat diet foods anyway so it didn't affect me.
Walking should occur as soon as your catheta is removed AND your Dr has said so. BUT only gentle walking so doing a lap in your hospital ward is a god start. Report anything to your nurses/dr.
I was in for 2 nights. Op was on the Wed @ 2pm ....catheta, packing, drip all out by 11am the next day. I was walking by 12pm .... I let the nurse know I was and that I was walking up the corridor and back.
By Friday morning I was doing 2 laps (4 mins) of the ward every hour and a half. Anything I noted meant I could tell the Dr and the Physio while I was still in hospital. Note: in my literature the daily walking for the first week is advised at 30 minutes TOTAL. So they recommend 6 x 5 minute (OR 3 x 10 min) gentle walks daily. I timed 2 1/2 minutes up the road from my house ....that way I knew exactly where I had to stop and turn around. 3 days after being home I'd changed it 5 x 6minute. By the end of the first week home I was doing 3 x 10 mins. The second week I added 2 extra 5 minute walks.
im 18 days post op and do 3 x 10 mins, plus 3 x 5 minutes spaced out throughout daylight hours. Listen to your body. DO NOT increase by too much.
In the literature my Physio gave me it states "increase the distance you walk from 30 minutes daily in the first week ( in shirt bursts as I wrote) to 60 minutes daily by week 6. So by week 6 you might aim to be doing 3 x 20 min or 2 x 30 min walks per day. I hope this helps you
It also suggests in the first 3-4wks you avoid walking up/down steep slopes and over uneven/unstable ground to avoid more strain.
Do not lift, push or pull anything heavier than 2kg for the first 6-8wks. This is the equivalent to a 6-cup kettle of water.
Avoid:
-unloading washing machines or carrying loads of washing (you can hang up a bit and take a bit down but get someone yo carry it for you....both physios said no 'standing' for long periods so don't hang out too much.....bottom line you shouldn't be on your feet more than 2hrs per day and includes your walking!)
- vacuuming
- mopping
- sweeping
- scrubbing
- picking up children
- carrying shopping
- bending and squatting
- making beds
.......and thus, avoid anything else remotely similar to the above
For the 6-8 wks after those initial 6-8wks gradually increase with extreme caution to lifting 4 to 5 kg.
I'm lucky in that I've never had catheta issues so my bladder was fine, I needed no painkillers per se as I have my own ideas that if you mask discomfort then you are more likely to do something you shouldn't lol....
But ANY issues say something. I know it can be difficult as this is a very personal thing, but our ability to talk candidly and get help is the key to our recovery. I am one of those fortunate women who suffer no embarrassment even when it was the young spring chicken male Physio who came to talk to me the morning after my op. This makes it much easier I suspect as a) I'll say it like it is and b) ask questions
You will be tired so rest is vital for the first 2-3wks. Early to bed and naps doing the day.....they recommend at least one nap of one hour per day. Though I'm not good at that so I make sure I have my feet up at least. As you shouldn't sit for more than 2hrs at a time either :-/
No driving for the 4 wks. There is good reason for this...I knew someone who didn't do this and a) ruptured her stitches because b) someone rear ended her and c) her insurance didn't pay out because she was driving when she shouldn't have been. The insurance does depend on your provider so if your doctor says it's ok to drive say at 3wks make sure you get a letter stating such AND ring your insurance provider.
Sleeping: pillow or knee cushion between your legs. If you gave abdominal surgery then no sleeping on your tummy either.
Oh,and no....you don't need to shave. The only reason they ask if have recently is because this means your follicles have been 'grazed' which could result in silly things happening that make it more uncomfy for you. They won't shave you unless absolutely necessary because shaving results in itchiness as hair grows back. This is exactly the sort of thing the medical staff want to avoid!
Lol.....as usual I can write like I talk.....a lot.
I hope this helps anyone.
I, sure as heck, have been relieved to find this forum. I know I'm extremely lucky thus far as everything was and seems to be text book perfect....but it still helps when you get a little concerned.
sarah66796 donna68613
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:-) xxx
lynne59214 sarah66796
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Sarah, you are only going to be 4 weeks post Op when you go back to work, that does seem really early, especially considering you are still uncomfortable. I wiould be surprised if Doc allows you to. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Keep me posted with your recovery. Best wishes, Lynne
donna68613 sarah66796
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Thankyou for all the info it will be a great help. I've had lots of advice of the ladies on here.☺ I you sure after 4 weeks you are ready to go back to work, Most people have advised me at least 6 and some have had a few weeks longer.I go in on friday for the op. I'm told its 1 night so hopefully home sat. I'm nervous but only to be expected i guess.
Hope swelling goes down quickly that can't be much fun!
Donna x
lynne59214
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kim9991 lynne59214
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I am 5 days post surgery and I was very constipated, I called my urologist and he told me to take Magnesium Citrate which is OTC...wow what a relief, within an hour of drinking it it was working. Just thought I would let anyone know about this if you were having the same problem as me.
angela96418 lynne59214
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lynne59214 angela96418
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