Pelvic pain and prolapse

Thank you so much for replying! I had a colonoscopy 2 years ago and all was fine (my younger Sister had just died from bowel cancer so I wanted to make sure I was ok!) I do sometimes suffer with slight IBS but it goes away quickly and I am ok. I have had a lot of stress in the last 2 years, losing my sister, then a best friend, and a year ago I got shingles badly in my eye, on forehead and my head, I still have an itching eye every day from that! ( I know that was due to stress) I too have pain all around the underneath area, and if I do a long car journey it caused terrible aches in that area! I wonder if it just all the nerves around there, and I even get pain down my legs sometimes too. . I will let you know when I get my scan result! I sometimes take ibuprofen buit it doesn't always help much . Lying down is best but i do like to be active, and now I can't even dig the garden!

You poor thing I do sympathise.  It is so debilitating to have ongoing pain and not know what causes it.  If it had a label we could deal with it much better I think.  I hope it gets sorted out for you. X

Hi Jane. I had a hysterectomy when I was 40. Now 74 and have a 'vaginal vault' prolapse and 'rectocele'. The 'V V' prolapse is often caused by the the vagina/vault sliding down as there is no cervix to hold things up after a hysterectomy. The rectocele is caused by weak pelvic floor muscles and often comes after hysterectomy too. Our muscles/tissues weaken as we age hence the above problems. You can find out more if you go to top of page and click on womens problems and search for pelvic floor prolapse or just type it into the search box, (Search Patient) top right of this page. I'm going in next week for surgery to repair V V and rectocele after waiting to see if it would improve without an op for some time. It didn't in my case and I can't cope with the low back/cocyxx pain any longer. I can't do any of the things I enjoy same as you, I like to be active and not possible now due above. They won't guarantee anything due to my age but I feel I have to try and get my mobility at least improved as I also have Arthritis in my spine and most other joints to add to problems. I also had shingles a couple of years ago and feel this contributes to me feeling so depressed and anxious now, it never seems to leave the body and can recurr when I get stressed at all. I hope you can get a diagnosis soon, ask to be referred to a urogynaecologist to be checked for these problems. Take care and keep in touch on here as others have similar problems and it's good to talk things through. Pollyanna UK x

Thank you!!

I have seen my gynaecologist, he did the hysterectomy and has seen me a couple of times in the last few years for prolapse symptoms. mine is Cystocele, (Badder) The vault is good apparently,  I have no other problems apart from the pain, no leakage etc, After reading your reply and the part abouty pain in the cocyxx, I realise that this can be normal? I feel as though i have no help apart from on this site, as Drs just don't seem to realise how painful this is! I asked the secretary if there would be a follow up if nothing is found to be wrong after my scan, and she said "no" For goodness sake!!! I do want to know  the cause, and what my options are apart from surgery. I am very grateful for the replieson here as I don't feel so alone with it! I suppose only a woman would understand just how much it hurts!

Please let me know how you get on after the surgery and good luck!

Hi Susie,

How are you now and do you still get the pains? I was more worried that the pain goes right underneath  to the back,  especially when driving a long way!! I Just by hearing from others that have experienced this i realise that maybe I shouldn't worry so much. I just want my scan result now, and advice on medications I can take to ease the pain , it's easy to think the worst when waiting...... although the lady who did the scan didn't see anything wrong, but it needs to be seen by the gynaecologist,

Hi Jane. None of the surgeons I've seen have mentioned whether the pain is normal, I just assume it happens to other women from what I've read on these forums. A clinic nurse said it's not in their comfort zone to know about the pain, they just do the surgery to try and fix what they see! I'm not sure a scan will help them see prolapse problems but should show up other things internally which can't be seen externally by the doctor. In my case I believe the pain I have in pelvis, coccyx and lumber spine are because of pressure on these areas from the prolapse pressing on them. Gynaecologists don't seem to know about this as they specialise in pelvic floor and womb problems. If nothing shows you could ask for an appointment or a scan on your lumbar spine I suppose. I get the impression that women have to expect these things as we get older and learn to live with them! Wear and tear of life but that doesn't mean we have to put up with the pain if anything can be done to relieve it. I take pain meds for Arthritis but it's not doing much for this prolapse pain now. Are you in the UK? Surgery's and hospitals are working to tight budgets these days here so I think this accounts for the lack of treatments if we don't keep persisting. I agree, only a woman who has the pain can understand how we feel, not men who will never experience it at all but some are more empathetic than others. Keep in touch, Poll x

Yes i agree with all of that! I know i have had a prolapse for a few years but it has only just started causing me pain, and I am assuming that the pressure of it is maybe causing my problems, I just would like it confirmed by someone who knows, My gynecologist did say that he couldn't guarentee that surgery would stop the pains, so there doesn't seem much point in going thgrough all that then , especially as there are risks to consider. I have read that the medication Amitriptyline can help, It used to be used for depression but I was given it when I had shingles, as it calms the nerves and I had the neuralgia, it certainly helped me to sleep, so I might ask about that , Speak soon , Jane

 

I was prescribed amitriptyline for post shingles and recently stopped using it as it did not help with this pain and was sleepy all day. My consultant also said he couldn't guarentee the op would stop the pain, probably worse during my recovery due to the Sacrospinous Fixation  he will do to repair the V V prolapse. I don't think anyone can confirm what is causing your pain at this stage. It could be a combination of problems as my own, ie; arthritis and prolapse. You need to ask for more scans or xrays to see if anything else shows up. It could be that your prolapse has worsened so causing more pelvic, spinal pressure. It could also be related to shingles showing it's nasty head again as it circulates the system and sometimes comes out of hibernation in the dorsal nerves in the spine. Hope you get to the botton of it, (so to speak)! Good luck. xxx

Thanks for your help and advice x

Hi again,

I had the result today from the scan on my ovaries and it was all clear , I am so relieved as i have had pelvic pain (and lower pain) for 5 months on and off, The gynecologist doesn't think that the prolapse is causing this, but is happy to fit a pessary  if i choose to have that and avoid surgery. I am leaving things as they are for now and will decide what to do  after my holiday in June, He can't guarentee that the pains would go away , and doesn;t have any idea wehat is causing it, only that there is nothing wrong with my ovaries. Maybe it's best to see my own Dr about the aches and pains and the "pressure" feeling  that comes and goes. I had a colonoscopy 2 years ago and that showed nothing wrong  either.

It depends what type of prolapse you have I think. A pessary may help if they can find one which suits you. Didn't help me as I had a vaginal vault prolapse and a posterior wall prolapse too, Just had the repairs done 8 days ago so still very sore at the rear end and right buttock due to the sacrospinous fixation. The prolapses caused no end of pain and problems in bowel and bladder depts plus coccyx and pelvic pain, (I also have spinal arthritis). The surgeon said they were both really low and needed doing badly by the time my admission date came through. Can't sleep tonight as I slept during the day so came on here to try and get sleepy again. Good luck and enjoy your hols. Poll   

I'm glad you have had that done and hope you don't have too much pain!! My gynecologist didn't seem to think my pains were connected to the prolapse,( mine is the bladder), I find it hard to believe though as I have had the prolapse for 9 years so surely it would affect other areas eventually.I suppose all i can do is ask my own dr for advice. I am not doing anything until after the holiday though! Good luck with your recovery and please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing,