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[tinytia]

Hello

I wonder if anyone else has had experience of a prolapse & what treatment they had.  I have had a vaginal pessary fitted but it fell down within a hour, I am having a bigger one fitted next week.  I intially had a scan due to suspected hernia but they didnt find one.  I still have a bulge near the groin & the gp doesnt seem to know what this is but the fact I have the prolapse (& having problems with my bladder) seems to me its my bladder causing the bulge?!

I feel I would rather be referred to the hospital to a specialist so think I will see how the next pessary goes & if no help will ask for this.  I am getting rather tired of having to get up to loo 3 times a night!

 

[Taz2]

tinytia - welcome to the forum.

It does sound like you have a prolapse. If the bladder prolapses then the front wall of the vagina bulges and if it's the bowel then the back wall bulges into the vagina. If the womb prolapses then this can also cause discomfort and a bulge which is visible within the vagina. The best way to check is standing up and over a mirror. If you cough or strain then you should be able to see the bulge. This can be a bit of a shock when you first look.

I am amazed that you are being treated with a ring pessary without a referral to a gynae or, at the very least, a pelvic floor clinic. If it is bad enough to merit a pessary then surgery is probably a better way forward. I have had a prolapse repair (plus vaginal hysterectomy) last summer and things are much better now. Here is info about prolapse http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Prolapse-of-the-uterus/Pages/Treatment.aspx  I'm not sure how old you are?

Taz x 

[Rhubarb]

I've had prolapse (womb and bladder) for a few years now and have used a ring pessary all that time. Unfortunately the best fitting pessary still doesn't stay up for me, it just doesn't work with my anatomy. But I am still happy with my pessary, I don't feel it (even though I can see a bit of it when I look) and it gives me the confidence that my insides won't fall out as long as it's in there. I may need surgery someday in the future, but for now I'm satisfied using the pessary. There are lots of other kinds of pessaries, and my doctor did offer to have me try some but I have stuck with the ring type.

The bladder prolapse was the first one I discovered, then my doctor told me I also had the uterine prolapse. The bladder bulge seemed to come and go, and seems to be gone permanently now. I have a dvd of pelvic floor exercises that I try to do regularly, to keep things from getting worse. And I never lift over 20 pounds anymore, my kids and husband are used to me making them move and lift things for me all the time, but not without making some comment about my pelvic floor

[Taz2]

Rhubarb - I felt the same as you re the bladder prolapse disappearing. It hasn't disappeared but the womb prolapse has pushed it back up probably which is what happened to me. I was really pleased that my mild stress incontinence had gone since the womb prolapsed but the gynae pointed out that the womb was holding the bladder prolapse back. 

I'm glad that you are getting on well with the pessary and didn't want to make it seem as if everyone had to go down the surgical route but this condition should always be properly assessed by a gynae consultant before a decision is made. I am sixty now and put the op off for around three years. Things gradually got worse and I could see a time when the womb would fall out altogether as can happen and obviously the older I got the more likely it would be that I would be less healthy to undergo major surgery. Of course the surgery puts you more at risk of other prolapses - especially vaginal vault. HRT is also important to give vaginal tissues as much strength as possible as are pelvic floor exercises of course.

Your family sound very supportive.

Taz x

[tinytia]

Hi all

Thanks for your comments.  Its interesting to hear others experience.  I would have found it really difficult to work having to get up so often in the night but even so it affects the quality of my day naturally!.  I guess I need to be more forceful with the GP. I certainly dont fancy surgery, who would I but even so a qualified consultant is preferable.   

Taz2, I did try HRT, 2 different ones but couldnt cope with the moods it gave me

Rhubarb & Sparkle thanks for your comments also, I will keep you all updated!

[Winterose]

Does anyone know if there are any pessaries you can pop in and out yourself?

[Taz2]

For prolapse winterose?

Taz x

[Rhubarb]

Taz2, now that you mentioned it, I think my doctor also said something about the womb prolapse making the bladder go back in place, so I'm sure that's what happened to me. And also my pessary sitting so low probably pushes it in too. I'm 48 and hoping I can wait at least 10 more years for surgery, but I will pursue that if things get any worse. I'm seeing my gynecologist about the prolapse now, but will go to a urogynecologist when I need to think about surgery.  I'm glad to hear your surgery made things better for you! You didn't get any other prolapses after the surgery then?

Sparkle, when you say vaginal prolapse what do you mean? I just know them as bladder, uterine or rectal. And the vaginal vault that Taz2 mentioned.

Winterose, I take my pessary out and put it in myself. Mine happens to be really easy to get out because it's so low but you should be able to take them out yourself even if they sit higher up. Some women just don't like to do it themselves but I don't mind. When I first got it I took it out every night. Now I just do once a month.

[Taz2]

I have got a small rectocele now - but that's being left for the time being.

Winterose - info about pessaries here (American site) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2876320/

Taz x

[Winterose]

Thank you 

[Rhubarb]

Sorry Rhubarb, I've probably confused the terminology!  She actually referred to my prolapse as a 'cystocele' where the bladder bulges into the vagina so it feels as though they're dropping.  Hope that makes more sense. 

Thanks, that's what I thought you meant, sparkle, I just wasn't sure. Cystocele is what I have too, plus the uterine.

[Sazduggs]

hi,

I had an anterior prolapse (bladder collapse) whilst having a coughing fit!! I had a Trans Vaginal Tape fitted (TVT) best thing ever, I can run, jump everything without peeing!!

[tinytia]

Hi Sazduggs

Thanks for the info, glad to hear the TVT has been good for you.  I am currently on my 2nd lot of antibiotics due to infection.  I think this is in my kidneys has have back pain, feeling yukky.  I have made an appointment with  different doctor as want to be referred to hospital, really not happy with whats going on