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[jellybaby]

Hi everyone, quite new here
I'm 57,  due to have Anterior/Posterior Prolapse surgery and a vaginal  hysterectomy in a couple of weeks at Kings College Hospital London and have scared myself silly with reading about other's ( mostly negative) experiences. I've been on the Hysterectomy association website but a lot of the info there seems come from other countries and may not compare in any way with the experience at King's which seemed to me to have a good reputation in this field.
I changed my mind once about the op but the prolapses persisted and were uncomfortable and the pessary ring was also uncomfortable an dgave me thrush ( I think) So decided to go for it and I had a 40 minute consultation with a doc and asked as many questions as I could and i have the hospital booklet  but still don't feel very confident. I'm anxious about how sex will be afterwards, and how incapacitated I'll be re lifting things. I've been using vagifem/ oestriol cream, also use oestrogen gel daily and testosterone HRT three times a week( that is brilliant btw) and do Pilates, swimming, cycling and a fair bit of gym with weights. Despite the prolapses etc I don't want to trade an improvement there for zero physical activity as  exercise really helps my mood and is very important. If anyone had this procedure recently, esp if at King's, would love to hear your experiences. Thank you

[CLKD]

Don't go into surgical intervention worried!  If necessary postpone the operation.

Do you have a Nurse you can telephone with further queries.  Or you could ring the Ward where the op. will take place and see if you are able to speak with the Sister, Registrar or Senior House Officer.  Or ask your GP there may be other patients in your area who you could talk with.  Obviously your Doctor won't be able to tell you his patients but he could ask if they would be prepared to contact you.

Keep away from web-sites  except this one which is medic-led.

[Taz2]

Hi Jellybaby - I had a vaginal hysterectomy and anterior repair just over a year ago for uterine prolapse and cystocele. I had put the op off for as long as possible but it was beginning to affect my daily life - so uncomfy - and as I got older (I'm 61 now) I was becoming worried about having a total prolapse and emergency surgery.

The actual operation itself was far better than I feared. I had it on the Monday lunchtime and left hospital Wednesday evening. I did have to have a catheter for the first week though as my bladder was bruised and went into shock so wouldn't empty on it's own. That too is nowhere near as bad as it sounds.

Is it the English Hysterectomy site you've been on? They have a section called prolapse princesses which you can find if you put it in the search box on the site. I found it useful. I had a total of twelve weeks off work but I must admit that it is only really in the last couple of months that my energy levels have returned to almost normal. My anterior repair has not been too successful due to weak tissue type but it is better than it was and I am under the care of an excellent pelvic floor specialist who I see every six weeks to check on my progress re strengthening the pelvic floor. I have to be careful not to lift anything too heavy as this can cause further prolapses - the worst one being vaginal vault. I'm not sure that lifting with weights would be advisable to be honest.

I think that you have to weigh up how much the condition is affecting your life. I know that following prolapse surgery some exercises are definitely not thought to be a good idea because, once you have had a hysterectomy, the pelvic floor can become weakened.

I have had some bowel problems too following the op which is quite common. The bowel tends to sort of drop down into the space left by the uterus which in some women can cause difficulty in emptying the bowel or, as for me, emptying too often!!

As for the sex question. The vagina will be shorter after the op but should still function ok. If you love the deep orgasms then you will find it strange at first that these don't happen. Much of the deep sensations are from the uterus contracting which obviously doesn't happen after a hysterectomy. You will still get the other sensations from vagina and clitoris obviously but lots of women don't realise that the deeper sensations wont be there.

All I can say is this situation wont go away and definitely wont get better and overall I am much more comfortable but it can take quite a while to get back to normal. This is the recovery guide from the hysterectomy UK website - it's worth sticking to. You only get one chance to heal! http://gallery.mailchimp.com/a5692c6457e86f0e2182630fa/files/sbs_recovery.pdf?utm_source=Free+Hysterectomy+Booklet&utm_campaign=30c61c525a-Booklet-14&utm_medium=email

Taz x

[CLKD]

   Taz

[scriv]

I had surgery 11 years ago now, so whereas my experience can't be described as recent and it wasn't at King's, I thought I might just add a few words of encouragement. I think we might have 'spoken' before on this site.

I would fully endorse Taz's comments and advice above. It did take quite a while to get back to 'normal' after the surgery and admittedly, 'normal' does change a bit in its definition. I was not allowed to lift anything remotely heavy for a specified time (go by your surgeon's advice on this one) after the op and it really is most important that you follow the post op instructions - or you will be back!

For me, the surgery was very worthwhile and I am still very comfortable these days, but yes, a bit different. Nothing is quite the same - I am banned from heavy lifting for life as my pelvic floor was pretty weak, so I agree with Taz, continuing with your weights is not really a good idea. However, I do Pilates regularly and I am very active and do a lot of walking and leave an otherwise very normal life.

My quality of life before the surgery was pretty grim, so for me there was a huge improvement.

Take care, hope all goes well but please do allow yourself time to recover from the surgery and don't force yourself into too much too soon. It will help you in the long run.

[jellybaby]

Thank you very much for the replies and the link to the recovery guide- really helpful . I'm feeling less anxious now and have a long list of questions for the pre op assessment. I hope I'll have enough time for them. Things aren't going to get any better if I don't do anything. I can't quite believe there won't be any significant lifting again in the future but am trying to see the bright side and think what I can now legitimately be let off; wheelbarrowing logs around perhaps, humping the hoover up and down. We may even have to buy a new one....there's a thought It's sad though because I've always been a fairly strong, physical sort of person. Hadn't factored in vag vault collapse which sounds very architectural as well as serious. Thanks again, ladies for your support 

[Suzi Q]

Don't go into surgical intervention worried!  If necessary postpone the operation.

Do you have a Nurse you can telephone with further queries.  Or you could ring the Ward where the op. will take place and see if you are able to speak with the Sister, Registrar or Senior House Officer.  Or ask your GP there may be other patients in your area who you could talk with.  Obviously your Doctor won't be able to tell you his patients but he could ask if they would be prepared to contact you.

Keep away from web-sites  except this one which is medic-led.

I agree with CLKD xxx

[Taz2]

It's a case of being very patient afterwards for quite some time. One of the problems with vaginal hysterectomy is that you can't see anything that's been done so it's easy to forget quite how much surgery has taken place. There is no external reminder. Although the consultants will tell you that all healing will have taken place by the six month mark I have found that the year mark was much more significant especially with a return to my normal energy levels.

One thing I have found is that you do have to work on your upper body especially your arms - not that I've been very successful at that - because with not lifting quite so much you can quickly lose the muscle power in your top half. I must look into this myself!

You can look up your surgeon on the internet which will give you a rough idea of how well recommended he/she is.

Taz x

[doolou]

Hello ladies.  Is anyone still reading this stream?  I'm a week post op for small anterior repair,  larger posterior repair,   lap removal of a couple of endo spots and adhesions. X

[Annie0710]

I had a hysterectomy 18 years ago age 32 for complete prolapse but I'd heard you kind of only get one shot at repair so opted out.  Losing the womb helped massively with the prolapse and it's only recently I'm noticing the bowel prolapse but still not enough to consider surgery x

[Binbon2]

I have a uterine prolapse which I manage with a ring pessary. My physio told me that I shouldn't lift anything heavier than 1 kg, and that the advice would remain the same if I had a hysterectomy.

Hope the op goes OK jellybaby, and that you feel more at ease with going ahead.