Rectocele repair surgery this Thursday and I'm getting nervous!

hello dawn.

i assume a gynae doing the op?

i am 58 and had mine done 24th sept this year. i stayed in overnight as i had a catheter fitted and my surgery was at lunchtime. but i was told day surgery.

i didnt have pain really just uncomfortable for a few days. then your really get scared to have your first poo. take your laxido or movicol as they directed it is so important and keep taking it and drink loads of water. the bowel hates to be manhandled so it will gripe abit as its not happy. i also had to use suppositories as your not meant to push or strain.

get plenty of rest. watch loads of tv but also walk around alot too. i have a small dog and i walked him the next day and did ever since. didnt go far but it got me out.

i had 4 weeks off work the hospital insisted on it. i could of gone back after two but i did what they say.

i am 11 weeks post op. i feel fine and below feels fine. no sex yet but christmas is coming so maybe then ha ha.

i go for follow up on wednesday so i shall let you know the outcome. i wasnt as good as alot on here as im abit of an active person. couldnt sit around for long. but bowels have improved not 100% but better. but it takes months apparently.

i will speak to you after wednesday

debbie

Hi Dawn

I am 2 weeks in to recovery Wednesday and would not be able to return to work. I am still uncomfortable in the same position for more than 15-20 minutes. I find laying flat with pillows under the backs of my knees a relief from the pressure of being upright. i am managing walking around and light chores but it seems to knock the energy out of me. My consultant gave me similar dismissive advice to recovery which made me feel like a bit of a drama queen when i got home and how i was coping. Just take your time and see how it goes for you. I am an inclusion manager in a school so lucky that school closes this week anyway but i would not be returning if it didn't .

For advice i found the codrydomol that they gave me made me feel too sick so replaced with strong ibuprofen . The painkilling pessaries were great, had them for 5 days along with the half of the recommended dose of lactolose. Im not great at taking medicines so managing now on just Ibuprofen when needed.

Hope all goes well

Lynn

Hello Dawn!

My doctor acted like I'd be all good after a couple weeks. I had to do some forms for my work, so I told him I know I heal slowly and I wanted six weeks off and he gave it. I would highly recommend to have at least four weeks off. I had several repairs, but regardless of that, a part of your body is being cut open, moved around, and sewed up, then extra bits removed. I actually watched videos of the surgery on YouTube before mine...it will not make you feel less nervous, but might fuel you fighting for time off.

Your bowels will hate you for a bit, which is not conducive to productive work. I'm almost to my two week mark and there's no way I have the stamina to be at work, and I'm not even moving around there. I also can't sit comfortably long-term, so driving is going to be something I ease into. I am thinking of dropping the 6th week if I feel up to it, but I'm not going to worry about it until I'm at week 5 off work. I'm taking care of a 9 month old most of the time while I heal, and his wiggling, kicking and escape antics are slowing things down, I'm sure. Just like you trying to get in and out of a vehicle, carrying something, walking, mental concentration for driving and working with clients. Mental and emotional stress wreaks havoc on healing, and healing from these procedures takes many weeks for initial healing, months for extended healing. If your doc won't give you proper healing time, I'd be leery of letting him cut on you!

As far as comfort, I personally have been most comfortable on my side, but also lie on my back some. Standing and walking get exhausting pretty quickly, but I'm up and down quite a bit to try to keep my blood moving. I find myself stretching quite a lot when I lie down, but I'm not sure which part of the after-effects that can be attributed to. I can sit easier lately, but still not comfortable for long periods.

Again, your doc needs to take your concerns seriously. Don't ask, tell. You can't just go to your work and say "Doc said to take it easy." At least here, you can't. Surgery exhausts people. It's hard on your body and to try to recover, your body needs rest. If you have trouble being assertive, maybe there is someone you can take with you to help?

I figure, if my body isn't healed enough for sex, it doesn't need to be doing things that are less fun. Not that I remember what fun sex feels like at this point, but it's the principle that matters! LoL

so here I am almost to hospital- hubby is driving. they pushed the time for surgery back. adds to my anxiety this morning along with being hungry and missing my morning coffee! I did get talk to talk to my doctor yesterday to let him know my concerns. He said he didn't want me to be pessimistic but definitely would approve 6-8 weeks if I need it! said I was young and otherwise healthy and wanted to encourage me/keep me positive as I was so worried about missing work. I guess I should have been more open about my concerns with the surgery not work! he modified my papers for work and I will go for followups and I can decide when I'm ready. A big thank you to everyone for helping me be more assertive with my own health. I will post again in a few days. prayers for everyone with their own postoperative recovery!

HI DAWN!

Good luck! I had anterior and posterior repair last THURSDAY and came out Friday. So far, good, though walking the dog made the bleeding heavier. Just walk round the house was the advice when I dropped off my used needles this morning eek.

AND! Keep moving around, change position to avoid other problems. I've got various activities to do in various locations at home!