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scheduling sacrocolpopexy and cystocele repair...more than a little scared
Women's Health | Last Active: Nov 8, 2023 | Replies (76)Comment receiving replies
Hello @veronicat and @lisalucier
I would be curious also to know what symptoms have made you decide to have the surgery @veronicat. Like @lisalucier my experience with the pessary was not a good one at all. For about 3 weeks it was great. And then I began to have bleeding. I am sure I did not notice it at first because I had the pessary in but at some point I realized I was bleeding as it came through the pessary. I could not get it out and had to have the doctor take it out. I waited a while and then tried the pessary again and sure enough began to bleed again. At some point the rubbing caused bleeding even without a pessary. Since I had been through menopause a few years before, I really wasn't interested in dealing with something resembling periods again (except less predictable). If I would do anything at all exerting, I would start to bleed. And then, woke up one morning and the prolapse was protruding so much I could not urinate. When I went to my urogynecologist, he used a catheter to clear my bladder. He looked at me and said something to the effect of "We are here for you but I think you would be so much happier if you would get this fixed." This was Dr. Antonini who I have mentioned before. I love him. No pressure, No judgement. He is just a very kind man and talented surgeon who understands women extremely well. Probably due to the fact that he is married to a gynecologist. Anyway, there are a lot of studies about the fact that pessaries are not a long-term solution for very many women. Something like one year after trying it, only a very small percentage of women are still using one. Someone mentioned the other day on this forum that they were using another device to support their prolapse but I don't believe they said what it was. I would be curious to know. @lisalucier did you have a surgery with mesh? Just curious because I think this is the part that causes a lot of us to delay our surgeries. But it turned out it was not really anything to be afraid of, at least in my case and was really the only option for me unless I wanted to have the surgery again in a few years. Best to you @veronicat. You will be so glad once this is behind you..
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Replies to "Hello @veronicat and @lisalucier I would be curious also to know what symptoms have made you..."
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@baxtersmom - interesting you asked about the mesh. I recall all the news stories about mesh, and know what you are referring to. I can't remember the timing of that with my surgery, however.
I did not have any mesh in my procedure. I also have had my bladder fall down partway again (I've gotten familiar with the feelings, as I'm sure have many of the others in this discussion), and I saw the urogyn's NP, who confirmed that this winter. Evidently the bladder falling again to some degree happens to a certain percentage of women around 7 years out from surgery, which is where I am. I was also told my ethnicity (Northern European) puts me at greater risk for stretchy ligaments (i.e., more likely for the bladder to fall back down).
What you've said really kind of makes me wish I had the mesh for extra "stay up" insurance. I would be very, very slow to have this surgery again, as the recovery was kind of a bear in my case. Worthwhile to have it fixed, but it took a lot of my time to get fully better (as in not having to take a nap daily, which is not normal for me). Supposedly having a revision also has the potential to make things too short, and can be uncomfortable in the intimacy department.