A post by a friend who recently had prolapse surgery:
I have always prided myself on being one of those ladies who could cough and sneeze without incident.
Well, being proud has nothing to do with reality or the fact that a myriad of other ailments occurred without my permission!!
I started having lower abdominal pain. My first thought was bladder infection.
I went to the doctor and no, it wasn’t.
Did I pick up something heavy and pull a muscle??
No, I thought….weeeell maybe.
I do lift groceries at the food pantry. I do haul furniture around. I go to Costco and fill my truck with big bags of potting soil, dog food and such. My 95 year old friend told me last year: “You know, you work like a man!”…. hmmm.
So, I decided it was a muscle strain but, denial is a funny thing because eventually the truth prevails.
Time for my annual visit arrived.
I complained to my nurse practitioner and listed my symptoms- lower abdominal pain, slow urine flow and frequent constipation.
It took her all of 2 milliseconds to give me the verdict. I had uterine prolapse.
How could my body do this to me??
Yes, I am 58 and so what if I had early menopause (age 39) and so what if I had a long, rough delivery giving birth to our daughter? My grandmother had prolapse and she ignored it. Truthfully though, I was not going to be able to live with it. I was miserable.
What were my options?
I could use a pessary which acts like a diaphragm to hold the uterus in place, have repair surgery, or have a hysterectomy.
Fix it or remove it and forget it or deal with the place holder?
I was sent to an expert and she asked me the same question. I asked her to fix it.
Then the she dropped the bladder bomb.
She told me that a high percentage of women who don’t leak when they cough before hysterectomy, will have this problem later. She proposed to do the bladder sling surgery at the same time.
So be it; a partial hysterectomy, vaginal wall repair and a bladder sling
Well, it’s been 10 days since my operation, and I’m feeling pretty good so far with little pain.
I must succumb to strict restrictions. No picking up anything heavier than 3 pounds for 6 weeks followed by a lifetime of not working like a man.
I guess we all have our limits.
The pups understand that there is no lap time with Mommy for a while. They are so patient with the patient!!
Friend For The Ride 