Possible prolapse after surgery... Really worried..

I was suppose to have TVH with A&P repairs on 6/29. Came out of surgery with only the TVH and the posterior repair. Apparently my bladder popped back up into place after my uterus came out. So no anterior repair was done. They thought it was my prolapsed uterus pushing my bladder down (which I'm not quite sure how it could do that, but okay). So no anterior repair was done.

So here I am almost 7 weeks out and have attempted intercourse 3 separate times in the last week, but it's a no go. It feels too small and it HURTS, but it doesn't hurt in the back where the posterior repair was done, it hurts on the anterior surface inside when we are trying. So bad that I can't continue. We get "maybe" half way and that's all I can take. I was cleared at on exam at 3 weeks to go ahead at 6 weeks and resume intercourse. My healing was beautiful even at 3 weeks, no problems. And I do feel very well healed.

So tonight after a failed attempt, I explored a bit with my finger and I feel like I'm feeling my bladder bulging down into the vagina. Of course it bulged before, along with the rectocele, and I was able to have intercourse. But that was before I was made smaller by the repairs. If I actually do have a cystocele that was never repaired, and it's prolapsed again, I wonder if that's enough of a space occupier now after surgery to prevent me from achieving intercourse? I am going to call the doctor on Monday and go in and have it all checked out, but I am going to be REALLY upset if what I suspect has actually happened.

I respect the doctor's decision not to do the cystocele repair when it appeared to be unnecessary, I just hope it's not necessary now. Ugh

wordwizard - I truly hope you're wrong and it's just that there's still some healing that needs to happen. It can't be easy to have come this far only to find out that everything is okay as long as you don't want to have sex again. I can't imagine what my husband would say to that but it wouldn't be pretty. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers that there's a good (as in no further surgery needed) explanation for this.

I had the same thing happen during surgery and the doctor said my bladder went into place so they didn't repair it. I of course was happy at first, but now reading your post makes me wonder too. I'm not in a sexual relationship so I can't give you and update about my sex life and how it's effected it, but I'm hoping you are wrong too, and indeed all you need is additional healing time. So sorry your having this much trouble. My thoughs are with you...trust me. Hugs

Hi Wordwizard.
Sincerely hope you that the solution is simpler than more surgery. Let us know what you find out.
Jx

Thanks all... I too hope it's not what I'm thinking and that more time will be all that is needed. It has kinda bugged me from the start because in the back of my mind I have wondered if I really do have a cystocele and it just popped back because the uterus had just come out and because I was of course laying on my back during surgery. Before surgery it was a pretty bad grade 2 cystocele, so it's hard to believe it wasn't real and was just my uterus pushing down on my bladder. My uterus didn't appear to be prolapsed at all before surgery, we just took it out to help make the repairs easier to do well, and as it turned out I had adenomyosis and fibroids. Not sorry I had the hysterectomy, but if I do have a true cystocele I sure wish it had been repaired at the time. I can live with a cystocele I suppose, but I can't tolerate not being able to have sex. I guess I will just have to wait until I can get in there and see what's going on. And I was feeling like this whole thing was finally behind me, back to work, feeling great, moving on.

I felt the same way when my doctor said "it popped back into place" I did have a prolapsed uterus and suffered from it for over a year though, so I did believe her when she said the badder "popped" back into place. Thats what caught my eye about your post, the same wording. I guess it can happen. Lets just hope its just a matter of adjusting your skin or perhaps some lubrication may help. fingers crossed for you.

Wordwizard,
I am so sorry to hear about your problems. I had my tvh on the same day as you so I've been very interested in following your progress. I did have both a&p repair but I haven't been cleared for sex yet so I haven't been able to go for a test drive. I do know that at my six week internal exam it was verrrrry uncomfortable with just my docs two fingers and I couldn't imagine being ready I was still so sore. I also had a bladder sling and a vag suspension , which may be contributing to a longer heal time for my cuff, but as I recall everyplace he pressed on hurt. Even the areas that were "healed" and showed no sign of stitches or blood. I came home and took a pain pill and a nap and curled up in a little ball. So I'm hoping you just need to give it some time maybe? Please let us know how it goes after you see the doc. I'm wishing you nothing but positive thoughts and hopes for a fulfilling sex life! (have you tried having an orgasm without penetration? We did that just to see if things were working)

Yea, the big "O" is working fine, so is my libido. DH has lost over 100 lbs since January and his new physique is driving me wild, but I can't do much about it. Grrrrr. I can't stand the thought of further surgery, and I don't have enough bladder complaints to even think of surgery, but if I can't have sex, what choice do I have? I am only about 7 weeks out so I hope it's just more healing that is needed, but it just feels like there's something hanging down and getting in the way of penetration what with my new smaller version of a vagina. Before I had no real problem with that, just annoying pressure and aching from the prolapses. But this is worse than any of it. I will be calling Monday and maybe waiting a couple weeks to go in and see if some more time fixes the problem, then I can cancel the appointment. We shall see.

Was looking for another post when I came across this.

Wordwizard, how are things now? I too had a TVH for prolapsed uterus, was told I'd need an anterior repair since it pulled my bladder down, and a possible posterior repair as well.

However when they removed the uterus my bladder "popped back up". And yet when I looked in a mirror roughly a week after surgery it looked the same <minus the cervix sitting an inch or two above the opening. Don't know if that's part of my bladder that fell back down or just swelling. I haven't taken another look but I should.

I'm not sure how they can say you'll need bladder repair before surgery, then say after surgery you don't need it, when you're laying on your back. Things would move back where they are supposed to be, what happens when gravity takes over when you stand up? Seems like it would fall back down.

I wish they'd just done the repair while they were there, even if it did "pop back up", now I could be faced with having to go through it yet again. And I did it *now* because later will affect my career, now I run the risk of the very thing I wanted to avoid.

Let us know what ends up happening. Sorry for your disappointment. I know how post op concerns can really bring you down.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by wordwizard I was suppose to have TVH with A&P repairs on 6/29. Came out of surgery with only the TVH and the posterior repair. Apparently my bladder popped back up into place after my uterus came out. So no anterior repair was done. They thought it was my prolapsed uterus pushing my bladder down (which I'm not quite sure how it could do that, but okay). So no anterior repair was done. So here I am almost 7 weeks out and have attempted intercourse 3 separate times in the last week, but it's a no go. It feels too small and it HURTS, but it doesn't hurt in the back where the posterior repair was done, it hurts on the anterior surface inside when we are trying. So bad that I can't continue. We get "maybe" half way and that's all I can take. I was cleared at on exam at 3 weeks to go ahead at 6 weeks and resume intercourse. My healing was beautiful even at 3 weeks, no problems. And I do feel very well healed. So tonight after a failed attempt, I explored a bit with my finger and I feel like I'm feeling my bladder bulging down into the vagina. Of course it bulged before, along with the rectocele, and I was able to have intercourse. But that was before I was made smaller by the repairs. If I actually do have a cystocele that was never repaired, and it's prolapsed again, I wonder if that's enough of a space occupier now after surgery to prevent me from achieving intercourse? I am going to call the doctor on Monday and go in and have it all checked out, but I am going to be REALLY upset if what I suspect has actually happened. I respect the doctor's decision not to do the cystocele repair when it appeared to be unnecessary, I just hope it's not necessary now. Ugh