Jenny
Jenny has been living with a cystocele (prolapse of the bladder into the vagina) and rectocele (prolapse of the rectum into the vagina) for the past three years. She also has had recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). She has tried vaginal pessaries but they have not worked for her. Jenny hopes to avoid surgery to repair her prolapse.
Jenny has been living with prolapse for about three years and recurrent UTIs. Jenny is married and has two adult children. She is a retired teacher and enjoys an active life walking and biking.
Conditions: pelvic organ prolapse, recurrent UTI
More about me...
Jenny started noticing her prolapse symptoms about three years ago. She started to feel “discomfort” in her pelvic region and became aware of a bulge. She noticed it all the time except for when she would lay down. Jenny has two children. Her second birth was difficult and she had to have an episiotomy (a cut in the area between the vagina and anus, called the perineum, during childbirth). She cannot be certain that this contributed to her prolapse but she says, “I have listened to a lot of women with prolapses and a huge number of them, a huge number of them have suffered difficult births, and have ended up with urogynaecological issues”.
Jenny saw her GP about her symptoms and was diagnosed with a cystocele (prolapse of the bladder into the vagina) and a rectocele (prolapse of the rectum into the vagina). She was referred to a physiotherapist to learn about pelvic floor exercises. Jenny did these three times a day but over time her prolapse worsened. Jenny’s GP said that a ring pessary might be a solution and tried fitting two different sizes. Jenny recalls it being “extremely painful” but one of the pessaries did fit. Jenny left the pessary in for five days, but it had become increasingly painful. She went back to the GP and demanded to have it removed.
Jenny talked about her concerns with her husband and they decided to try a private healthcare provider. This private doctor confirmed that Jenny did have a cystocele and a rectocele and recommended she see a specialist pessary nurse. Jenny went to see the pessary nurse who fitted a cube pessary, but it fell out shortly after insertion. Jenny had some bleeding and the pessary nurse recommended waiting to try again. Two months later, Jenny went back but saw a different nurse who was not as kind. Again, the pessary did not stay in and the nurse told Jenny “a pessary isn’t for you”.
Currently, Jenny is living with her prolapse. She has looked into information about modifying her diet to ensure that she is emptying her bowels. Jenny has been left to look for information about alternative treatments and has relied on her Facebook sites to learn about things. She wants to avoid surgery for as long as possible and hopes that she will continue to manage things herself. Jenny has considered trying another size or shape pessary and has that in the back of her mind for future use.
Jenny believes that it’s “up to us women, really, to talk” about urogynaecological conditions. She feels lucky compared to others and knows that her condition could be worse, but she wishes that there were more specialists she could go to. She shared, “You know all the doctors, many doctors who aren’t terribly sympathetic will say, ‘Well it’s not life threatening,’ which it isn’t, not life threatening, but it is life changing for a lot of women”.
Jenny describes how her rectocele prolapse feels like having a “lump there that shouldn’t be there”.
Jenny describes how her rectocele prolapse feels like having a “lump there that shouldn’t be there”.
The physical sensation of the prolapse, particularly the rectocele, which is the one that mainly causes me problems, is very much a, it’s very difficult to describe, an awareness that this, there’s a lump there that shouldn’t be there, you are very much aware of it, all the time - well except for when you’re lying down. Usually that, then it’s fine. But you are aware that there’s something there, that you know that something is not quite right. But I mean it’s not, you know I have to stress that it’s not dangerous, you know all the doctors, many doctors who aren’t terribly sympathetic will say, “Well it’s not life threatening,” which it isn’t, not life threatening, but it is life changing for a lot of women.
After being diagnosed with a rectocele, Jenny had some information from a physiotherapist but mostly has learnt about the condition looking online.
After being diagnosed with a rectocele, Jenny had some information from a physiotherapist but mostly has learnt about the condition looking online.
I had no idea until somebody, the doctor said to me, “You’ve got a rectocele,” and I said, “Oh, what’s that?” ‘Cos, I didn’t have any symptoms. I went to her for something else, and she told me and she said, “I’m going to refer you to the physio,” which she did, very nice physio who then explained to me a bit more and got me to do certain exercises and sent me away to practice them. But at that time I had no symptoms at all, so I don’t think it really went home. And I did do some pelvic floor exercises, probably not enough, but then gradually the symptoms did start and this feeling of something sort of falling down, pulling down, and then I looked into it more, through the internet mainly, and realised just exactly what it involved. And then it was, it was like a big emotional shock, it really was. Not, not that I felt any less a woman or anything like that, it wasn’t that, it’s just, “Oh my god, I’ve got to live with this, it’s not going to go away.”
Jenny worries about hygiene and infection risk, so she prefers to self-manage and clean her pessary regularly.
Jenny worries about hygiene and infection risk, so she prefers to self-manage and clean her pessary regularly.
Well I’m quite a clean person, well I must be but most people are, but, I, it’s something to do with I think with our fibromyalgia again. We, my sister and I both find we have quite a sensitivity to light, noise, smells, and one of the things they tell you when you wear a pessary or have a pessary inside, is that it can cause a vaginal discharge. And I didn’t like the idea of that. And it’s just, I don’t like the idea of this thing, you know, this plastic silicone thing inside me for six months without being checked and you know taken out and cleaned and put back again. I didn’t like the idea of it being taken out and put back in again, but I thought well better that than sort of worrying about could it get infected. Because they can get infected when they’re inside you.