Bladder prolapse?

HELP! I had a little problem at work today. I got up from my chair and I noticed that my pants were soaked! I am 8 months post-op and haven't had any problems til now. Could my bladder be prolapsing? By the way, I had a TAH/BSO.
I hope someone can help me soon.

Thanks,
Donna

Hi Donna! Oh my what a surprise that must have been! I'm sorry you had to experience that at work. It is possible, of course, for a bladder to prolapse after a hysterectomy and for that to cause incontinence, but usually it doesn't happen all at once like that.

Another possibility is urethral atrophy, which is a weakening of the tissues of the urethra. This can occur if you don't have enough estrogen in the tissues in the vagina and urethra. Are you on any kind of HRT? Have you experienced vaginal dryness recently? That can go hand in hand with urethral atrophy. This is a very common cause of urinary incontinence. Here's a link to a thread where we talked about different solutions for treating this problem:

vaginal dryness

Still, usually the incontinence resulting from urethral atrophy comes on a little at a time, not all at once. In your case I would definitely give your DR a call and have things checked out. It could very well be just a lack of estrogen in the area, but you really ought to have it looked at to be sure.

s,
-Linda

Linda, your reply was very helpful as far as the HRT issue. I went off HRT some months ago and have been thinking about starting it again as I read that estrogen is very important if the uterus is removed as in my case. I will definitely get back with my Dr and start HRT again. Will this reverse atrophy if that is the case with me?

Thanks,
Donna

Donna yes, if atrophy is what is causing the incontinence, for most women the vaginal estrogens are very successful. Kegels help too; here's a link to a site that explains how to do them in case you haven't been "practicing" before

kegels

Good luck, I hope you are dry again soon!

-Linda

I do know kegels even though I don't particularly like doing them. I will have to start now that I know I can regain any muscle I may have lost. Also I got my patches today, so I am starting my HRT again. Thanks so much for your advice and your help.

Donna

Hi Donna,

I really think you should call your doc right away about this. If you didn't cough or sneeze before your episode or have a feeling of needing to go to the bathroom, there could well be something else going on. Sometimes people develop fistulas, and their bladders can drain through the vagina. I don't want to be alarmist by any means, but if you were really caught unawares by this episode, there could be something else happening with you.

please get checked out and let us know!

Well, it hasn't happened any more since that day, so now I am really wondering what it could have been. I wore a pad all day yesterday and I don't think it had been used. So far today, I am not wearing a pad and I am dry. I will keep my eye on it to see if it keeps happening.
Thanks to everyone for their concern. I love this place!

Donna