Welcome to my channel! If you’re looking for more information about recovering from pelvic organ prolapse repair surgery or vaginal hysterectomy, you’ve come to the right place! I offer a candid review of my experience with a complete pelvic reconstruction for prolapse repair at the age of 37 using a VLOG format. I had the following done:
Vaginal vault repair Reconstruction of my perineum Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repairs (Cystocele, rectocele, and enterocele) TVT (mid-urethral) sling placement Sacrospinous colpopexy Vaginal hysterectomy
I’m passionate about sharing my prolapse story with other women in hopes that it will provide you with some of the answers and information I sought before my surgery.
Please email me at PERSONALPROLAPSESTORY@GMAIL.COM with questions, and SUBSCRIBE, like, and comment to boost how often I show up in searches. This helps other women find my content easier. ♥️
Check out my suggested product links in the video descriptions as well.
I just done mine rectum pain when I even have soft poo 😢😢 day 3 tomorrow will be day 4 when I drink cup of tea I feel like I need to toilet 😢 paray for me , doing nothing so boaring on the sofa
Dang it! The surgery I’m scheduled for in late October is a urogynecologist using robotic. In Colorado. Glad I found your channel. Operating Room Nurses (for separate issue-hysteroscopy) said he was great and the one I want. This is so hard. I’m 68.
I have prolapse issues. Waiting for my first appointment to see what that entails. I too am freshly postpartum. My hubby got snipped and then i noticed the buldge. Ive said from the start i didnt want a hysterectomy. Anyways while going through this did you breastfeed? I do an wondering what thet have looked like if you did. Were you able to still feed? Had to oump and dump? Was it hard to hold your baby afterwards while in recovery. I know lifting is a no no but holding your baby? Im struggling because i need this fixed but worry recovery is going to be hard with a chunky 5 month old needing his momma.
Thankfully I saw THIS video you made. Now I have subscribed and intend to watch your story from the beginning. I’m 68. My surgery is scheduled for late October. Robotic hysterectomy, sacrocolpopexy, retropubic sling and cystoscopy. Uterus stage 1. Cystocele stage 2. Rectocele stage 3. The Rectocele is concerning if it has to be cut to make smaller.
Hello!, I had a hysterectomy, rectocele repair and also he tied the ligaments of the top of my vagina to the spine 4 months ago, but I’m now feeling the bulge (rectocele) inside my vagina is back again, How have you been about the repair prolapses you had? I have an upcoming appointment the end of this month, I hope I’m wrong but I feel my prolapse repair surgery failed, Thank you.
Hi. I felt like this for months bc of swelling and things just feeling different. My doc always said it was fine and to stop worrying. If your surgery was done well, you should be fine!! It finally took a second option from a different vaginal surgeon (didn’t do my surgery)for me to put my fears to rest. I’m still fine at 3+ years post surgery. Best of luck and keep me posted!
@@personalprolapsestoryThank you for your response, it took me 4 months to be ok from the surgery, it was physically and mentally hard, the vaginal repair surgery was the toughest one. I’ll keep you in touch.
I’m needing the same surgery you had and I’m worried about pain and recovery. I have 3 prolapses (cystocele grade 3, rectocele grade 2, cervical grade 1). Hoping this is the right choice but it’s really affecting my day to day life 😢
I’m needing the same surgery you had and I’m worried about pain and recovery. I have 3 prolapses (cystocele grade 3, rectocele grade 2, cervical grade 1). Hoping this is the right choice but it’s really affecting my day to day life 😢
I’m needing the same surgery you had and I’m worried about pain and recovery. I have 3 prolapses (cystocele grade 3, rectocele grade 2, cervical grade 1). Hoping this is the right choice but it’s really affecting my day to day life 😢
Thank u!! I have all three organ prolapses and cestocele and rectocele and will be having what you did, on top of bowel resection and endometriosis removal. Im running into the same problem not able to find much from the patients perspective on recovery. Thank u!!
Im interested to know more about the shot in ur stomach. Im imagining a long scary thing that goes into the actual stomach like one of those rabies shots? Omg please tell me its not one of those that sounds terrifying
It wasn’t bad, or a long needle. Normal size needle. It was to promote blood clotting and prevent hemorrhage. I’m not sure that everyone has to have it, as I’m not sure if it was for the hysterectomy or the vaginal/pelvic repair work. It was the LEAST of my concerns at that point. Haha
@personalprolapsestory what a relief. I am having hysterectomy, prolapse repair, cyctocele and rectocele repair and bowel resection all at once. I'm scared outta my mind
What a lifesaver your videos are! At 74 years old, I decided to have a vaginal hysterectomy and bladder and rectal repositioning due to prolapse I've dealt with since my daughter was born over 40 years ago. I appreciate your honesty and warmth. As you stated, we are not properly prepared for all that is involved in recovery. Today is Day 8 after surgery and things have gotten better. I came home with a catheter with minimal instructions, but my partner and I figured it out. It is now removed and I'm having regular visits to the bathroom and sleeping through the night most of the time. thank you for being real. Best wishes as you continue on your journey. In peace, Rose
Comments like this make me so happy. I am so happy that you have found this channel helpful. I am so proud of you for making the choice to get help for yourself, and not suffer anymore. I hope that this is an absolute life changer for you! Thank you for reaching out, and best of luck in the future!
I’m sure you just had a mesh sling placed. That is not painful. We did not have the same surgery. Whatever “it” was you had done was not the same as all I had done.
Thank you so much for this, so sorry you are having so much pain, I am 80 yrs old and in good health and was going to go for this option instead of using a pessary but no I cannot think of going thru this surgery. I did not realize post op could be this bad. I know you will heal but wow you are really going thru it. Hoping tomorrow will be better.
Hello. My surgery was very involved. Most women would not experience such pain. Especially at your age. I am not sounding rude, but at your age, you do not have nearly as many nerve endings in that area to cause pain. I also had my surgery done completely by hand stitching. At your age, I would just recommend a doctor using modern style mesh to hold up your bladder, or minimal stitches. Most of my pain was caused by my perennial repair. I can confidently say that I do not think your surgery or recovery would be as painful as mine.but, regardless, at three years surgery I have no pain at all, and that was worth it.
This is very helpful to me. Had all three as you, dealing w urine out put. It had. It been flowing normal. Had to go back today and reinsert catheter. Dr drained a liter of urine. Per Dr go back this week Friday to remove. And of course if it does not work again, goes back in. But think this is so bad. He mentioned another procedure that would help this. Any information you have to help me is appreciated.
I had a hysterectomy two years ago but kept my ovaries. I have the same pain on my neck and shoulders like you have. I'm not sleeping much at night. Im sure that's due to the lack of hormones. Thanks for sharing your journey and wishing you great health.
I have the same neck and shoulder pain, I am dealing with perimenopause for about 2 years now, and now I am 7 days post op after total Hysterectomy, due to adenomyosis and fibroids, i kept my ovaries, I just turn 50. We do need estrogen to function.
Thank you, for the informative videos. I am 2 months post urethral sling surgery, am having the same dull nerve/ sit bone/gluteal pain, also radiates down my left leg, foot feels tingly and burns at times. At my 6 week check up the surgeon said that it sounds like sciatic pain and told me to see a biokineticist...had no back problems prior to surgery and am an avid mountain biker. I do all our financials and have been really busy and sit in front of the computer most of the day. Please tell me what your outcome with the pelvic floor therapist was. Did it resolve the problem? Has anybody reading this response, resolved this issue successfully? Thanks
Hello. This is almost certainly pelvic floor nerve pain (specifically your Pudenal nerve, which runs down your leg, into your hips, and into your low back). It is interesting, however, that you would have that pain after only having a urethral sling placed. My pain was caused by all of the cutting and stitching into my pelvic floor, and the resulting scar tissue and spastic muscles. It is totally possible, however, depending on how he did his procedure. I absolutely found relief from pelvic floor physical therapy. I ended up having to have my husband, and even myself, do most of it for several months. Going to physical therapy was just too time-consuming, especially when I knew we could do it at home. I still get some pain at this point, but I don’t actually do internal physical therapy anymore. I get in a warm bath, and use my fingers to push on those muscles from the outside/on the skin. You’d be surprised how much relief you might get trying this. Basically palpate and apply firm pressure to all of the muscles around the vagina and perineum, but from the outside. Like you’re massaging that area. But… consulting a qualified pelvic floor PT is likely also a good idea, they can take a feel up in there and see what is going on. It is so frustrating to me that so many doctors are either untrained and unaware of the nerve pattern of the pelvic floor, or deny women the suggestion of getting help through physical therapy down there. My doctor told me that I did not need it either, but he was totally wrong. He actually was not even educated on the subject enough to know that it was possible to need pelvic floor muscles released, rather than tightened. I have a video specifically about my pelvic floor, physical therapy journey. I believe it is my 18 month recovery one, and my two year recovery ones that discuss it.
Some studies show that the nerve pain and buttox pain isa result of the ligament that they attached your vaginal cuff to. Was physical therapy helpful?
Im so sorry that you were not informed that these are all expected issues as a result of the type of surgery that you had. There are many studies that indicate these same complaints. Not all prolapse repair surgeries are the same. If you had known this would have been the result of your procedure, would you have gone through the same surgery? Perhaps you need a different doctor who can communicate better on how to help you.
Hello,You mentioned in one of your video that your ovaries shut down after your hysterectomy. Did you had a specific test or a blood draw to figure that out? Or you were saying that from the symptoms you were having? Do you mind sharing what that test was if in fact was a blood draw?
Hormone diagnoses should definitely be mostly symptoms based, as bloodwork isn’t that reliable for diagnosis (varying hormone levels through the month, ranges are not specific for ages, and “normal” may not be optimal. I would encourage you to watch all of my hormone videos, as well as my most recent one about considerations for hysterectomy. I talk a lot about it in there.
Ya' know what question I asked my surgeon? Now, we talk about all kinds of things not about medicine which is good. I think it is anyway. I joke with him and he knows I'm kinda crazy anyway. For example, I told him doctors do not deliver babies. Mom and baby do all the work and the doctor just witnesses; hahahahahaha, and gets paid; hahahaha. Anyway, this is a question I recently asked him. I said, "Dr. [ ], if you had a complete life do over from childhood, with what you know now, would you wish to be female?" He took a second, looked at me with complete honesty and answered, "no". I replied with a resounding '"thank you!". He is a great surgeon but now I respect him even more as a person because he knows - as much as he can - that it is not easy for us with problems specific to us. I just had cystocoele repair, July 1st., and my GI is still asleep. I've always had constipation issues but this is just another challenge. My post op is next week and hope that all that is supposed to be "tied up" is just that. I had the little mesh thing put in. We'll see.
Thank you for providing me a little laugh, and a lot of validation. My surgeon, who I also have a lot of respect for, told me that he instructed all of his daughters to have elective C-sections when delivering their children. He explained that any “damage” you could cause from a C-section is nothing compared to what you can potentially face after vaginal deliveries gone wrong. Women really do have a rough road, and we are always having to advocate for ourselves, because we are often not taken seriously. Thank you for sharing! I hope that everything goes well with your recovery. I’m sure you are doing everything you can to get your bowels moving, so I don’t have much advice on that. it is concerning though, as constipation is one of the number one causes of cystic and pelvic organ prolapse in the first place. 🫣
@@personalprolapsestory Wow. Advising his daughters for c-sections. Whew. As far as my gut is concerned, I guess magnesium citrate is my life from now on. We eat a carnivore diet which keeps stools on the softer side so that is good. Just hope my surgeries last for the next twenty years. I'll be in my eighties then. Maybe I better aim for thirty more years; just in case. Hahahahaha.
Thank you so much for being so open and helpful to those of us who are dealing with prolapse. Would you please share your doctor's name with me? Thank you.
I was told by a friend who had the same surgery and she told me that you have to retrain your bladder. she used one of those groggy thing for handicapped people to pick things up from the floor and a kindergarten chair as well.
Thank you this help me a lot I just got my surgery yesterday july16 2024 and I have to take the packing in 24 I’m so much pain like you say every day is a new pain omg thank you when you said it hurts I cried cause how I’m going to take it out omg 😢😅
Not sure what exactly you are looking for, but I have made almost 25 videos, documenting my entire surgery and recovery process for the last 3 years. Is there something specific you are looking for?
@@personalprolapsestory I wanted to know have you healed completely, I have unfortunately all three pelvic organ prolapses, bladder and rectal stage 2 and uterine stage 3. The doctor is suggesting a hysterectomy. I wanted to know, have you been able to completely recover. I have small kids too with not much help from family/ friends, I am at the moment on my own, I don’t know if I can handle the operation and the after effects on my own. Have you healed completely?
@@MrsGiddydiddy I suggest that you spend some time checking out more of my videos. Specifically, I suggest that you check out my most recent one about considerations before having a hysterectomy. What I had done was a major surgery. Yours likely will be too. It would have been impossible without my husband/family support during my recovery. You should also check out my how to choose a surgeon before you decide on surgery/a surgeon video. Yes. I am completely healed now. But, it’s been 3 years.
@@personalprolapsestory I saw your last video now, i don’t know how will I go through this without help and all the treatment post op seems to be expensive. I don’t know what I am going to do. At the moment my head is just spinning and I am feeling absolutely down and out. My diagnosis is very recent.
Hi just wanted to ask how you are doing? Hope you are ok. Your videos have been a great help to me, I have prolapse & am due to have vaginal hysterectomy in October but I don't think I will go ahead with it ...too nervous to be honest
Hello. I am doing well now, but it’s been a journey for sure. I recommend you watch my “considerations for a hysterectomy” video. I’m not sure how old you are, but if you’re not near menopause, I hesitate to recommend a hysterectomy. There are other, more conservative, ways to fix prolapses. I’ve suffered ovarian failure since mine and the roller coaster of hormone related issues has been hard to manage. Just my thoughts… check out my video, and email with any questions. Personalprolapsestory@gmail.com
@@personalprolapsestory Aw I am glad you are doing well now, I really just wanted you to know how much your videos have helped me( I am 49 & have decided that for now I am not going to have the vaginal hysterectomy) I wish you continued good health & happiness from Ireland 🙏
I’m so sorry. Take some miralax to get things flowing and help reset your bowels from the anesthesia. Then increase your fiber and take stool softeners for several months.
