Rectocele surgery

hi there.,

I had rectocele and cystocele surgery on 1 May last year. Yes its totally normal to be super tired while u heal. I think we underestimate the magnitude of this surgery cos from the outside there's nothing to see. take it easy and rest as much as u can, especially lying down to take the weight off ur surgery site. listen 2 ur body and rest rest rest.

Yes, its normal, I had rectocele surgery, and felt totally wiped out for weeks afterwards. Let someone else do everything if you can for a while until you feel better. Its classed as a major operation, and takes months to get back to normal. Drink a lot, and don't get constipated whatever you do. I was told to take lactulose which was useless, as my rectal muscles had stopped working. Laxido, also called macrogel, and movicol are better, they are not stimulant laxatives, but draw fluid into the bowel, and help a lot. No lifting heavier than half a kettle, no squatting or bending. You need to get over this without straining of any kind, you don't

want it to fail. Just do what you've been doing, rest, have a nap, watch tv read, Get the next few weeks over with.

I had the same surgery 4 weeks ago. I did sleep a lot at night and rested a lot during the day, which I've heard is normal. Please be sure to also be walking daily and to be working your way back into normal activities. Exclusive bed rest is not recommended and will result in a loss of muscle tone, which places too much pressure on the pelvic floor. Too little exercise can also make you feel tired.

thanks for your replies it means alot to know other peoples experiences ,i have been up daily and out twice so i guess i am doing ok ,it just makes you feel a bit useless but my husband has been amazing ,i think because most if it is internal you forget what has been done ,it would be good to know week by week what i should expect as they dont tell you enough thanks everyone

agreed I dont think we r told enough at all about what 2 expect during the recovery period

i feel i have a very over active bladder at the moment ,i need to go every 10 mins ,i did have a uti after op ,i winder if its still that or is it normal as i now feel alot of pressure and discomfort in my bum and lady bits ,any ideas

hi Emma

it's very early days for you if I'm honest.. it takes up to 12 wks to feel more yourself after these ops.

I'd suggest going back to your gp to check for UTI again. keep your bowels soft and no straining.

yiu will feel very sore when yiur stitches are for many weeks yet so dont worry too much. keep resting and see your consultant if yiu have concerns.

this is is far more painful than anterior repair and can take longer.

good

totally agree Welshgirl

I had my first rectocele cystocele repair when I was 24 after having forceps delivery with my first. my doctor said any subsequent babies would need 2 be cesarean which was fine by me. never a mention of pelvic floor exercises .... then 2 yrs later delivered twins by cesarean and still no mention of pelvic floor. fast forward to 50yrs old and I'm having the surgery again. pelvic floor physio says if I'd had my first born these days I would've been referred 2 a physio asap but nothing like that back then. my point being is we've come so far but little info seems to filter down to us about post OP etc. it's almost like it's an expected surgery for us poor child bearing women!