Prolapsed Uterus and Tore Cervis

Hi, I am having my surgery on December 14th. I have been going in and complaining of painful sex for over 12 years now. I was 20 when I had my first child and the maturnity ward was very busy. This nurse kept coming in and asking if I was ready to deliver already because they needed the room. I was 9 centimenters dialated and was not fully efaced, there was one spot that would not thin out. She came in again and shoved her fingers inside, what pain. She asked if I was feeling any urges to push and I said no. She said are you sure, well push anyway and I pushed against a not ready cervix for a half an hour and delivered my daughter, but never had an urge to push. (With my next two, I was left alone til I was ready to push and believe me, when the urge is there, there, there is no mistaking it. I just wish I would have known more before I had my first) The doctor said that I did have some tears on my cervix, but they would heal without stitches. I started going in complaining of painful sex and each Dr. I saw said it was in my head. Fast forward 2 more kids and 12 years and no change. I went in to see a OB/GYN to have a tubal and he told me about my tore cervix which was causing it to be runny and that was causing the problems. I had my tubal and then a year later had my cervix froze to slough off the cells causing the muccus discharge. I had about 4 weeks of a watery discharge and that was about it, no good results. I went to see my family Dr. and said, I am 33 and I can not enjoy a great sex life with my husband because of the pain that the friction causes. Sex can last only 2 minutes give or take 30 seconds and can only be 2 to 3 times a month. After, it hurts to urinate because of the friction that causes a chaffing on the labia. Riding horses is out and I haven't been able to ride my horse in 2 years now. Even exercising and walking causes friction. It has resulted in weight gain of 45lbs. I asked my family Dr. if having a hysterectomy was an option. He said that is not an unreasonable request at all being I have already had a tubal and do not intend to have more children. My OB/GYN was not as eager to comply. He said that was a pretty drastic thing to do for the situation, but said that being I have a prolapsed uterus (which he said was noted in his chart from 3 years before, but every dr. I have seen and had a pap test by, including my OB/GYN failed to mention it to me) then he would do the surgery. I told him that the reason I wanted to do it was to have a better sex life and active lifestyle. He never once mentioned any complications that I might have as far as sexual dysfunction or anything else. He just said, "I don't want to have you back in here in a year or so complaining about some complication that arises from this". I am now worried. I know that great sex isn't the main part of a relationship, but it is something that I would like to share with my husband as well as all of the other benefits of being able to be active. I guess my question is, does anyone have any insight into this situation and has anyone had any complications, was it worth it? I am keeping my ovaries, does this mean I will not go through menapause yet?

Larado!

I'm so sorry you have been through so much and are facing surgery. A hysterectomy is a major step, but for many women it means a better quality of life. For some, however, it means more problems.

For me, it was the right decision. I didn't experience pain during sex beforehand, but the intimate times I share with my DH are still the same. You might find Is Sex Really the Same? interesting.

I kept my ovaries and they are functioning just fine. I was very glad to have the opportunity to keep them since I'm not ready for menopause yet. Sometimes ovaries 'go to sleep' after surgery and some women report having menopausal symptoms temporarily afterwards. In some cases, the ovaries don't fully function after surgery. I don't know how common or rare this is, but it was something that my doctor told me about prior to my surgery so that I could be prepared, just in case.

I hope someone will come along and share their experience with you and I wish you the best!

s, Deb

Hi Deb;
Thank you for the reply. It is some comfort to know that there is a chance that things could be better after surgery. I have checked out Is Sex Really The Same as well as the Sexual Dysfunction posts and some of them are scary. I truly wish that it was something that they could tell you in advance what your odds were so you could weigh them out. I know that that is not possible. It just would be more reasuring.
Monica

Hi Monica:

Until you, I never met anyone else who had been "manually dialated" (yikes - and they yelled at me for screaming even though I had no anestesia). We also have in common that through years of prolapses, starting (as I realize now) with a rectocele prolapse in my 20's, no doctor EVER talked to me about the various problems in any terms that would have enabled me to do something about them, short of TVH at age 45.

After I had a name for the problem, I also figured out that my prolapse issues were probably the reason that any sex out of the missionary position varied from uncomfortable to painful. I'm hoping, like you, that a hysterectomy will lead to a better sex life. I never had the severe pain with everyday activities that you do. The final trigger with me was that everything was falling out at the slightest provocation.

Take your time and do all your research and you'll know what to do.

Good luck!

Hi Barbara;
I like you did not have any anestesia. How did your surgery go? I know that it has only been a short time since your surgery, but how are you feeling? I am not sure of how prolapsed my uterus is. My OB/GYN is not very helpful in giving any information. I had lunch today with a friend that had her hysterectomy 10 years ago witht he same OB/GYN as I have. She said the same thing about him as I have been thinking, that he is like, Ok I am doing the surgery, so just trust me and don't ask any questions. I am going to a new family Dr. tomorrow and I am going to ask him some questions, hopefully I can get some answers. Did your Dr. tell you anything about what else could be done for a prolapse?
I thank you for your response.
Monica

Hi Monica:

Sorry for the delay in reply. I lost your thread.

The no anesthesia was of course for the births and that was super because immediately afterward I felt completely normal.

The epidural that I had for this surgery was a good confirmation that I made the right decision NOT to have anesthesia when it wasn't medically needed. I wasn't out of bed until 12 hours after the surgery and my legs still felt wobbly and a little tingly. I was very happy with the epidural, though, because the morpine they gave me with the epidural controled my pain well for 24 hours. The first 24 hours were a cake walk as far as pain.

If your issue is prolapse then if you can consider making an appointment with a uro-gynocologist for an opinion and to work with your gyn. Uro-gyn's specialize in this area. Especially after reading others posts, I feel that I am doing so well as a direct result of being referred to a urogynochologist by my gyn. They both performed the surgery.

I'm doing great. Today I supervised and helped a little while my kids cleaned up their play area. It was the most I've done so far other than walks but I don't feel tired nor do I hurt anywhere. I feel odd in the area of surgery but I'm attributing it to swelling and continue to treat with ice and ibuprofen. I have a laptop so I can and do post or reply frequently during my recovery. If you look for my posts you'll get a fuller picture of my experience. The hostess Rita had very similar surgery to me so I find her replies especially relevant.

Good luck!

Hi Barbara;
It is great news that you are feeling so good. A person that I know had her hysterectomy on Wednesday done by the same Dr. that I am going to and she phoned yesterday and said that she is doing really good. She left the hospital on Saturday morning and managed to do an hour of shopping before coming home. It is so nice to hear that things can go great and one can start to feel "normal" in a short amount of time. I feel sorry for the people that have a hard recovery and sometimes never get the results that they expected. I am feeling a bit more confident about the surgery going well, but there is always that part of you that is scared out of your wits wondering what if.....

With only 2 weeks to go on my surgery, I am not sure if I would be able to get in to see a uro-gyn. I am 3 1/2 hours away from the city where I am getting the surgery done. So I am not going to be able to see my Dr. until the morning of the surgery. I am also worried about the 3 1/2 hour drive home. That is a long way to go. I am thinking of asking for a sleeping aid as if I can sleep for most of the way it would help a lot.
This may sound silly, and it is a bit embarassing, but I am a very private person and I am almost more stressed about the catheder and shaving and stuff, moreso than the actual operation. I am also worried about whether they give you an enema or not? I just do not do well with people poking and proding all over the place.
Well I am glad you are doing so well, I have to run, I am just trying to get Christmas cards addressed so I can get them out in the next couple of days.

Monica

They didn't shave me. I was very surprised about that. I felt constipated before the operation so I asked the nurse if they gave me an enema or anything preop and she said, no, that wasn't generally done because they worry about contamination.

I felt like it SHOULD have bothered me more when I couldn't evacuate my bladder and the doctor came and catheterized me by hand into a dish. But when you are in the hospital and recovering from surgery you don't feel nearly as embarassed about things as you expect!

Your friend is the second post I've read today that someone went shopping on the way home from the hospital. I find this amazing and my judgemental side wants to call it stupid, but, hey, to each her own. I only had an epidural and felt the effects for four days. I was also very tender at the incision site.

I think that one of the reasons that I feel so good is that I had no other issues besides prolapses - my uterus was 100% normal and I was healthy and fit before surgery. Nevertheless, I didn't go farther than I could walk from my house for 13 days after surgery, and then I went to church...LOL how could God punish me for that?!

Best of luck and stay in good spirits. In some ways I'm glad I didn't find this site unti post-op because some of the posts really would have scared me. I feel better every day, and I even went to the gym to do some slow-motion basketball coaching with DD#1 today. But I did NOTHING before this week.

Hi Barbara;

Ya, I guess once a person is in the hospital it is different, but it is still making me cringe thinking about it, LOL!
Yes, some of the information on here scares the wits out of me, LOL! I made an appointment with my Dr. and talked to him about the operation and complications after. He said that I am healthy and like you have no other problems with my uterus, so he said that he feels very confident that everything will go perfectly well for me. I do hope he is right.
I am trying to keep as busy as possible so that I don't dwell on the surgery and drive myself nuts. Infact this thread is the only one I have been reading as it makes me feel more confident about the surgery and I don't want to worry about what all can go wrong with it. LOL!

Well take care and that is great that you are up and about a bit 16 days post op. I pray I will be doing as well.
Monica