Having problems post Bladder Prolapse Surgery: What helps?

I live in Silver Spring, MD., so Las Vegas is not realistic. At present, I am managing with a pessary. It's a bit messy, but I have become pretty adept at removing it, using estrogen cream overnight, and reinserting it twice a week. There is a discharge with it, and it can be irritating and even cause bleeding at times, especially when I'm physically active. So I need to take a vacation from the pessary occasionally. No bleeding without the pessary, but there is a bulge, which I was recently told was the vaginal wall. (I thought it was the bladder or uterus, which I've been told are both prolapsed.) I've seen several urogynecologists in this area, and there's a special group at Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore headed by a woman whom I might consult. I'm not anxious to have surgery during the pandemic.

My husband and I are giving a talk together at a Zoom meeting this coming week. So I may not be able to participate in this discussion again until that's over. However, I would like to know the name of the surgery you had, if you can supply it. I'm wondering what the overall success rate is and what the side effects might be. It sounds as though you had a good outcome. I am 82, which would be a little more challenging.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience.

My surgeon was Christian Quintero MD, FACOG who specializes in urogynecology. It's been about 5 years so looked up on web to see current information. It appears he is now practicing in Hollywood, Florida. I haven't had the need for follow up and was unaware he had moved.
All contact information is on the web. Yes your age could be an issue. I had made a mistake and had an obstetrician/gynecologist perform a hysterectomy when I was about 65. He should had stuck to delivering babies. I needed this hysterectomy because I had prolapsed making it too complicated for him. One day my vagina dropped into my vaginal opening and hung out about an inch. Turns out I had mild colon prolapse also. This doctor tried to tie up the colon and bladder while he removed the uterus and ovaries. The colon held, but the bladder didn't because the tissue it was tied to failed. All our skin an membranes thin as we age. That's why I needed the mesh. The mesh is placed on the inner supportive tissue between the bladder and your skin will grow into the mesh for support. Also the tube draining the bladder was crooked, thus the sling that held it up to straighten in.
I would recommend contacting his office and setting up a phone consultation. You could have your records sent and he could make a recommendation.

I mentioned that a certain type of surgical mesh has been banned by the FDA. So far, the only type of surgery I've had recommended is the sacrocolpopexy (if I got the spelling right).

Thank you for the information.

It appears we are talking about the same procedure. A mesh procedure. I got the "new mesh" over 5 years ago. I didn't remember the medical term of my procedure. I Googled sacrocolpopexy- a surgical procedure to treat pelvic organ prolapse due to weakening of the normal support by attaching graft material (mesh) between the vagina and sacrum. What you need to do if you are a candidate is get the specific name of your mesh (the bad mesh is no longer sold). Google that specific name for lawsuits and negative side effects and make your decision. Personally I have learned to always double check what ever is going into or on my body as I have severe allergies even if a doctor recommends it. That's why I backed out of knee replacement surgery. I have 5 metal allergies and the surgeon was scheduled to put in a ceramic coated implant and I Googled it and discovered it had a class action lawsuit against it for failure. The surgeon hadn't even warned me of this lawsuit that had been going on for a year. I'd rather live with my limitations than have them cut out my knee, replace it with an implant I slowly reject and live with pain and inflammation even when I am not using it. If it had to be removed I would then be left with no knee and in a wheel chair. You are living with the side effects of the pessary, and my results with mesh were outstanding, but it is a risk and there can be consequences.

Thank you for this information that helps me to better understand the surgery that has been proposed. I am also interested in the Feb. 4, 2016 post from Tanglefoot, who said that she wears a support for her prolapse (not a pessary) that is very comfy and stops her prolapse from coming out. I would like to know more about the support and its availability.

To gardeningjunkie: You mentioned that the skin grows into the mesh. As I recall, this happened with the previous mesh. Women developed infections, and the mesh could not be removed because the tissue had grown into it. Some women suffered a great deal and some even died. Presumably, this could happen with the new mesh as well.

@luftmensh1
With the surgery I had (sacrocolpopexy), the skin does not grow into the mesh. I have not heard this before and my doctor actually reassured me about this because I was concerned about mesh. He told me that this has not occurred with the new mesh. Like I said in my post yesterday, the newer mesh is so very thin and functions more like a sling. It is not at all similar to the older mesh where people had all the problems. My doctor is in Austin, Texas and his name is Tomas Antonini.

It seems that different people have different experiences. I appreciate your information. I wonder how long the new mesh has been used and what the overall rate of success is. Tanglefoot posted the following on Feb. 4, 2016: "I am wearing a support for my prolapse that is very comfy and stops my prolapse from coming out." I would like to know more about this "support." She did not want to have surgery and was unable to use a pessary. I printed out her post but no longer have it online and don't know how to reach her.

My friend had the Whipple Procedure. Part of his intestine and pancreas were removed. Afterward he had to have another op to repair an abdominal hernia. They used the mesh and I made very sure it was not that old stuff. He is fine now. He also has a binder which helps to keep things stable.