Georgina

Age at interview: 69

Brief Outline:

Georgina had surgery to repair a rectocele (prolapse of the rectum into the vagina) at 29 and has had continuing bladder and bowel problems as she’s aged. For the past two years, she has taken medication to manage her symptoms but the Covid-19 pandemic has kept her from seeing a specialist.

Background:

Georgina is a retired executive officer of a charity. She lives with her husband. Georgina has two sons. Her ethnicity is White British.

Conditions: pelvic organ prolapse, bladder and bowel problems

More about me...

Georgina has had urogynaecological concerns for most of her life. She remembers being 13 years old and passing out from severe menstrual pain. In her 20’s, Georgina’s doctor dismissed her concerns and hurtfully told her that “I was rejecting being a woman, and it was all in my head”. Georgina felt that things were not quite right, but she did not get help until after the birth of her first child. A difficult delivery meant that Georgina had difficulty walking and caring for her son. She was referred to a gynaecologist who listened to her problems and recommended a surgical repair for her rectocele. This is a type of prolapse where the tissues between the rectum and vagina weaken, causing the rectum to bulge into the vagina.

Georgina had a second child when she was 31. She continued to have severe menstrual pain for several weeks out of every month. Eventually, she was diagnosed with endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes) and, because she did not want any more children, Georgina had a hysterectomy.

Over the years, Georgina has continued to have difficulties emptying her bladder and bowel. She has wanted to avoid having additional surgery, but the problems have become worse over the past two years. She has had pelvic pain and feels like there is a sack in her bowel. Recently, she has thought about buying maternity trousers because her stomach bloating is so severe. Georgina takes multiple medications to help but finds her days dictated by the sheer number of tablets she needs to take. She’s been waiting many months to see a urogynaecologist but has not had an appointment yet because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Georgina hopes that when she does get to see a urogynaecologist that she will get a proper diagnosis as to what is troubling her now. Georgina thinks that good healthcare providers listen to patients’ problems and treat them like equals. She wants to hear both the pros and cons of different treatment options so she can make an informed decision about her care.

Georgina gets lost in a book or TV programme to distract herself from pain.

So, one of the things I’ve found most useful for pain is what I call distraction. I have actually studied this because I was a hospital play specialist, and when children were having painful procedures done, so like burns dressings, or anything like that, I would use distraction techniques to help that child cope with that procedure. So I’ve kind of you know taken that lesson on board, and for me personally, reading, totally kind of you know, especially when it’s night-time, with a Kindle, where you’ve got no distractions, just getting lost in a book or getting lost in a, a TV programme, make sure you’re comfortable and warm, the pain will lessen, particularly if it’s spasm because if you tense up and you’re in spasm you’re just going to make it worse. So yeah, I guess you know I have learnt how to do that.

 

Georgina was frustrated by the amount of medications she needed to take and that there was no foreseeable end to taking them.

So, all that’s been done is really offered drugs to try and reduce some of the symptoms, and my drug regime now is as restrictive as anything. Because I take, these are not all for the prolapse and bladder and bowel problems, but on waking I take three lots of tablets, and then I will mention the drugs that are related to the prolapse, and then just before breakfast I take Laxido, which is a laxative tablet, it’s a powder actually you have to drink. And then I take I do things like evening primrose oil, cranberry juice as well, and food supplements as well. I still have to take Senna around mid-afternoon, it takes at least 18 hours to work for me, so that’s why I take it not in the evening. I was put on Laxido as an evening dose as well, but I found that was had really undesirable effects, taking two doses of it in so much as I was so explosive, I actually developed thrush as well, to add to the misery.

 

Georgina is waiting on an updated diagnosis. She hopes that this will happen quickly and that her doctor will listen to her. [Spoken by an actor]

First of all, I’d like I would like a, a proper diagnosis. Whether I have to have any investigations to have that done, I would prefer to have investigations, I know many of them aren’t very pleasant, but I’d rather really try and know what’s going on. Whether that will happen or not I don’t know. I hope someone will listen to me and really listen to my concerns about my previous experiences, and treat me as someone who is, if you like, what they call an ex, someone who’s experienced in these conditions, and, and knows their body. I hope I get someone who’s sympathetic like that, and I do hope I can get a proper diagnosis, and it’s from, until I get that I won’t know what I need done, or if anything can be done. And I hope that would happen speedily, well I think that won’t happen speedily. So, I mean I would consider going private maybe but for some of the diagnostic tests.