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Pelvic Organ Prolapse (MUST READ)
Ladies/Gentlemen I don't have a question so much as it is a statement. If you don't have a copy of Sherrie J. Palms book, "Pelvic Organ Prolapse, The Silent Epidemic," please get it. I ordered mine from Amazon.com. You will be amazed at the knowledge she has compiled and the "hands on" advice she gives is superb for the "before and after" surgery questions/care because she has lived through it. Reading her book was like having one of Oprah's "AHA MOMENTS." I've marked, highlighted, and made comments in the margins of most of the pages as it related to me. It was like I was walking in her footsteps.
I am 60 and had a stage III Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). I had my surgery (cystocele, rectocele and mid-urethral sling) on Jan 21, 2011. I'd been diagnosed back in June 2010 by my gynecologist and referred to a urogynecologist at the Washington Hospital Center. After a few visits and some urology tests, I was diagnosed with Stage III POP in July 2010. Never heard of it! Come to find out it was almost as common and "apple pie." Women just did not want to talk about it because it was so embarrassing. WELL I WANT TO SHOUT ABOUT IT! I am 10 a year breast cancer survivor and I feel I'm a POP survivor too!
I was "flapping in the wind" trying to find as much information as I could about POP. I was all over the internet trying to find information about it. It was sheer luck that I stumbled upon Sherrie's first internet video. She was asking the same questions I needed answers to regarding POP. Some questions, I didn't even know I should be asking. She was starting a grassroots advocacy for women suffering with pelvic floor health issues. I followed every search engine leading to anything she had posted on the web. I found a web page www.sherriepalm.com and found her book.
Although I was extremely anxious to get the surgery done, I held off until because I had a pre-paid planned trip in late August 2010. And I wanted to wait until after the holidays once I knew it was "life altering" and not a "life threatening" condition and the recovery period would be 6-8 weeks. Although it sure felt like it was "life threatening" when I first heard the diagnosis. I wrote to Dr Oz and asked if he would do a segment on POP in late November 2010. I gave him my surgery date in hopes that something would be aired before them. The second week of Jan 2011 he did a segment on POP and it was titled "women suffering in silence." I almost cried. That's it in a nutshell so to speak. I'm in my 5th week of recovery after surgery and doing fine thanks to my urogynecologist and Sherrie J. Palm's book (or should I say POP Bible).
I am 60 and had a stage III Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). I had my surgery (cystocele, rectocele and mid-urethral sling) on Jan 21, 2011. I'd been diagnosed back in June 2010 by my gynecologist and referred to a urogynecologist at the Washington Hospital Center. After a few visits and some urology tests, I was diagnosed with Stage III POP in July 2010. Never heard of it! Come to find out it was almost as common and "apple pie." Women just did not want to talk about it because it was so embarrassing. WELL I WANT TO SHOUT ABOUT IT! I am 10 a year breast cancer survivor and I feel I'm a POP survivor too!
I was "flapping in the wind" trying to find as much information as I could about POP. I was all over the internet trying to find information about it. It was sheer luck that I stumbled upon Sherrie's first internet video. She was asking the same questions I needed answers to regarding POP. Some questions, I didn't even know I should be asking. She was starting a grassroots advocacy for women suffering with pelvic floor health issues. I followed every search engine leading to anything she had posted on the web. I found a web page www.sherriepalm.com and found her book.
Although I was extremely anxious to get the surgery done, I held off until because I had a pre-paid planned trip in late August 2010. And I wanted to wait until after the holidays once I knew it was "life altering" and not a "life threatening" condition and the recovery period would be 6-8 weeks. Although it sure felt like it was "life threatening" when I first heard the diagnosis. I wrote to Dr Oz and asked if he would do a segment on POP in late November 2010. I gave him my surgery date in hopes that something would be aired before them. The second week of Jan 2011 he did a segment on POP and it was titled "women suffering in silence." I almost cried. That's it in a nutshell so to speak. I'm in my 5th week of recovery after surgery and doing fine thanks to my urogynecologist and Sherrie J. Palm's book (or should I say POP Bible).
Best Answer
Yes, in general women do not share info with their husbands beyond that they have pain, there is so much stigma attached to symptoms POP. The more we spread the word, the more comfortable everyone will be with talking about it, even the "yikes" stuff.
2 Comments
i told my husband soon after i discovered the name of my condition. really no one had ever told me this can happen! i really freaked out and now he seems to feel sorry for me, encouraging treatment. it is now definitely at stage 4 and causing problems. btw i'm only 47! this was first noticed in december last year! my underwear/jeans do not fit right, i can't clean properly, my very unpredictable periods are more of a mess, and of course i have constant pain. currently i am trying to find help without having a hysterectomy or the mesh. i read about laparoscopic suture hysteropexy, but can't seem to find out if anyone in florida will perform it, even better using the robotic method. also no one can tell me if this can be outpatient surgery. so far all i can do is call to see who can work fairly with my very low (almost nothing) income! this is embarrassing and depressing!
Zomblien - It seems prolapse surgery is risky as far as how effective it is and how long the effects last. And it is major surgery. Many robotic surgeries are done by surgeons with very little robotic training and not everyone is a candidate for it due to surgical risks such as nerve damage. Unfortunately too, many women diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse are told they need a hysterectomy and their bladder tied up. Hysterectomy makes you even more prone to prolapse without the uterus there to anchor the bladder and bowel. And hysterectomy has many other adverse effects as well.
Are you aware that a pessary can be used to suspend your organs? They have to be custom fitted and there are a number of different types. They don't need to be removed and re-inserted very often. There may also be some exercises you can do too. The Whole Woman website may be helpful. Best of luck to you!
Are you aware that a pessary can be used to suspend your organs? They have to be custom fitted and there are a number of different types. They don't need to be removed and re-inserted very often. There may also be some exercises you can do too. The Whole Woman website may be helpful. Best of luck to you!
What a horrific situation, I looked up Dr. Feloney's ratings on some watchdog sites and it sure doesn't look very good. It also gives me pause when POP procedures are done by a physician affiliated with a teaching hospital; I wonder about women being guinea pigs for students. At the right location it is ok because the student drs are well supervised but with this Dr's rating I'm guessing that may have been the case.
Step one is get a copy of the hospital records from your procedure so you can read what occurred to cause such a long procedure (if they give you a hard time DEMAND them, it's your right as a patient). It's a bit scary that your family was not told anything during this time frame, a huge flag about the quality of care at the hospital so this is not just physician flaw, it is hospital administration as well.
I don't know much about lawsuits with mesh manufacturers other than it's a huge controversy right now, in my eyes the problem is not the mesh, it's how the mesh is put in-I feel only board fellowship certified urogyns and urologists should be allowed to use mesh for POP procedures.
Dr. Mccrery has an excellent rating, I feel you have made a good choice with her. Ask her she feels the mesh needs to be removed to eliminate the symptoms you are having and if so can she get it all out. It may be possible for her to adjust the mesh to make it work properly (the problem with no mesh is the symptoms you had prior to surgery will come back and you may need repeat surgery for same symptoms). Having a stitch trimmed is something that occurs once in a while but it is good you did not have it done by the 1st dr, as insensitive as he is to patients needs, he would have caused pain for sure.
I'm sure with the rating this 2nd dr has she will guide you through the right treatment to correct what the 1st dr did. It is hard to trust when you've been burned as badly as you have but I feel this other dr will get things leveled off for you. Please keep me in the loop with how things go Cindy.
Sher
Step one is get a copy of the hospital records from your procedure so you can read what occurred to cause such a long procedure (if they give you a hard time DEMAND them, it's your right as a patient). It's a bit scary that your family was not told anything during this time frame, a huge flag about the quality of care at the hospital so this is not just physician flaw, it is hospital administration as well.
I don't know much about lawsuits with mesh manufacturers other than it's a huge controversy right now, in my eyes the problem is not the mesh, it's how the mesh is put in-I feel only board fellowship certified urogyns and urologists should be allowed to use mesh for POP procedures.
Dr. Mccrery has an excellent rating, I feel you have made a good choice with her. Ask her she feels the mesh needs to be removed to eliminate the symptoms you are having and if so can she get it all out. It may be possible for her to adjust the mesh to make it work properly (the problem with no mesh is the symptoms you had prior to surgery will come back and you may need repeat surgery for same symptoms). Having a stitch trimmed is something that occurs once in a while but it is good you did not have it done by the 1st dr, as insensitive as he is to patients needs, he would have caused pain for sure.
I'm sure with the rating this 2nd dr has she will guide you through the right treatment to correct what the 1st dr did. It is hard to trust when you've been burned as badly as you have but I feel this other dr will get things leveled off for you. Please keep me in the loop with how things go Cindy.
Sher
Went to doctor for second opinion yesterday. She says my mesh is coming through my vaginal wall. She is going to do a few test and wants to look in my bladder to make sure it is not coming through my bladder also. Before she schedules surgery. She said that the surgery as it looks now will be to remove part of the mesh and sew my vaginal wall back up. Part of test will also be to see if she needs to repair the sling on my urethea. Since I am going to phx for christmas we have scheduled the test for the first of feb. So I can only hope this fixes my issues. I told her what the other doctor had said and she didn't give much of a response only that she would look her self to determine if it was a stitch. i think my original doctor was just trying to cover his ***. I wil let you know if I find out anything else.
So glad you got confirmation on issues, what she is proposing sounds spot on. Drs seldom say anything negative about each other so no shock that she didn't react much but I agree with you totally. Inside the cirle they do talk though and often are already aware of physicians in their area that do poor work.
Yes please keep me in the loop. I'm so happy you now have some reasonable information and a path for improvement.
Sher
Yes please keep me in the loop. I'm so happy you now have some reasonable information and a path for improvement.
Sher
well test are done have surgery scheduled for march 29th.she is going to remove part of mesh and try to fix the stitches which are going through my bladder. So hope it all goes well. I have contacted an attorneys office which has offered to take my case. I think what these mesh companies our doing is wrong. It seemed like they could fix all my problems but now there is a chance my incontience could be worse after surgery then it was before. Also there is a chance when trying to remove the stuff coming through my bladder they could put a whole in it. Also there is a chance I will have to have a second surgery!!
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