Anyone had colpocleisis surgery? I want to learn more

The first was in Oklahoma City where I lived a the time. Dr. Dean Carpenter who has retired now. A darn good thing because my friend went for the same and he accidentally cut her bowel causing a medical emergency and months of dealing with a colostomy. Horrible. My 2nd surgery was in NYC by Jerry Blaivas, MD who didn't take my insurance and charged $18,000. He was highly recommended but don't use him if you can get better help. He ran a lot of tests in his office and beforehand that ran my expense up farther. By the way, no other doctor did so many tests that I knew weren't likely necessary. It took him nearly 8 hours to find the defect. Horrible again. The 3rd time was a Alan Garely, MD also in NYC who assured me he had never had a failure. That surgery lasted 3 months. Very disheartening. Thankfully, I have managed my bowel function so as not to become constipated at all which causes more discomfort. Some days the prolapse doesn't bother me - other times it does. I am mostly worried it will worsen. That friend who ended up with a perforated bowel still lives with hers that she says is very bad. Her colostomy was reversed and her bowel was repaired thankfully.

Where did you have the failed surgeries?

I've never heard of colpocleisis. I've had prolapse surgery 3 times with the bladder sling surgery only with the first. Sadly, the prolapse surgeries all failed within a year, the last one failed in 3 mo. It is disheartening. Obviously I have a different urogynecologist now who watches me annually. I don't know if there will ever be a permanent solution.

I was reassured by my visit with the surgeon. However, due to lack of medical personnel, my surgery will be 6-8 weeks away.

@sharnie, how did the appointment with the surgeon go? Have you been scheduled for surgery?

Yes it has. I will see the surgeon next week and will get more information on the surgery. Having a prolapse bladder is more painful than anything I could imagine, plus the bladder and bowel problems. I am so ready to have surgery and get relief!

Thanks for the information

I had colpocleisis surgery on August 16, 2021, along with removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, all done vaginally. So I don't have a prolapse anymore. I came home from the hospital the same day. The instructions say to start using stool softeners and laxatives the same day, and even to be aggressive about it. They don't want any straining during the initial healing process. I was probably too aggressive, because it took me a couple of weeks to normalize bowel function. Basically, what they did was to shorten the vagina and bring the walls closer together.

The urodynamics test I had before the surgery was to determine whether I tend to leak urine when coughing or pressing down while the bladder is very full. If you do, they might plan to insert a bladder sling at the time they do the surgery. My former neighbor had the urodynamics test and had the bladder sling inserted at the time of her surgery, which was also a total colpocleisis. Initially, she was very pleased and was able to travel to visit her daughter without always having to keep an eye out for a bathroom. The last time I saw her, however, just a few weeks ago, she mentioned that she was trying a medication to help with her urinary issues.

I passed the urodynamics test and did not have a bladder sling inserted. Initially, I lost urine sometimes when coughing, sneezing, bending over, etc., but that has improved over time. I have some very slight leakage and wear a very light pad to absorb it. It is barely perceptible most of the time, and I don't need to wear anything at night. I have experienced some bowel issues, but I had irritable bowel syndrome before the surgery. I don't know whether the surgery may have exacerbated it. I got a full, step-by-step report on the surgery, and it indicates that they place something to protect the bowel. I am scheduled for a colonoscopy in August.

I don't think much of the urodynamics test. I don't think that artificial coughing has the same impact as real coughing and sneezing, so it can be misleading. I am happy not to have a prolapse anymore. I might enjoy it more if some of my other health issues would be resolved. I am completing physical therapy for curvature and osteoarthritis of the spine. I've lost more than three inches of height, and it is harder for me to maintain an upright posture, especially while walking. I have stasis dermatitis, which sounds relatively benign. My skin is more deeply pigmented between my left ankle and shin. The valves in the veins are not doing a good job of returning blood to the heart, so the blood pools under the skin, causing a deeper pigmentation and there is some swelling of the tissue. These and other health issues and the pandemic in the background prevent me from fully appreciating being prolapse-free. Looking after my disabled husband takes some energy and time, but I have maintained other interests as well. I facilitate a monthly poetry group, participate in a book club, and though I resigned as editor, I remain on our condo newsletter committee.

One of the reasons I had the total hysterectomy was that it would be harder to monitor uterine bleeding or to check the ovaries after colpocleisis.

I hope this information is helpful to some. I haven't had my 1-year checkup with the urogynecologist who did the surgery with the help of a fellow (the doc runs a fellowship program that trains surgeons). When there is more info to share, I will do so.

Welcome @sharnie. You'll notice that I moved your question about colpocleisis to this existing discussion in the Women's Health group:

- Anyone had colpocleisis surgery? I want to learn more https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prolapse-surgery/

I did this so you can connect with members like @luftmensh1 @lindygal @AlwaysHopeful who have had the procedure or are considering it.

Has this surgery been suggested for you, Sharnie?

Hello, Welcome to Mayo Connect. I was unfamiliar with your question, so I went searching a little & found some discussions of the topic here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prolapse-surgery/?pg=1#comment-614109
If you click the link, you can find more information.
Sue