update on GI issues

Hugs Kayla.  Don't know anything about this.  But, I'm sure you are top of this... 

 Kayla.....I hope this is the answer to your problems.  It all makes a lot of sense.   I had wondered if doing Kegal exercises would help you, and did some googling - I did come across this response on a forum - not sure if this will help you at all.  I think the "splinting" technique, referred to is most interesting, and might be helpful to you in the short run.

Hi Tanya:  First, sincere apologies for the delay in response.  I have been swamped the past few days Sorry to hear of your situation, but try not to panic too much just yet.  You're still VERY recently postpartum and, as with your previous experience, time can be a great healer.  Probably not what you wanted to hear, huh?  Some degree of pelvic floor relaxation is considered "normal" following delivery and can improve much over the next few months.  If you're nursing, many women find that they see dramatic improvement after weaning (NOT that I'd encourage someone to stop breastfeeding before they're ready, mind you). My best advice?  Avoid anything that increases intraabdominal pressure, such as heavy lifting (general recommendation is nothing over 20 lbs.), coughing/sneezing (if you have allergies or frequent URI's, treat these seriously!), and MOST IMPORTANTLY, straining to facilitate a bowel movement.  Constipation, if it's a problem with you, should be treated diligently by whatever method works best for your own body.  Sometimes just adding stool softeners, 2xday, to your daily regimen can be enough; other women find they need a bit more help. Kegels will NOT "cure" a prolapse, despite the many claims out there.  They're good for overall strengthening of the pelvic floor musculature and can sometimes be helpful for cases of mild stress incontinence but cannot repair fascial defects.  It's good to DO them, as we all can benefit from stronger muscles in that area, but most women do them incorrectly.  Physical therapists who specialize in the pelvic floor typically recommend that these be done in sets of no more than 10 -- more specifically, hold for 10 seconds, relax for 10 seconds, repeat 10 times.  These "10 sets" can be repeated several times throughout the day, but doing hundreds (or thousands) at a time is a waste as the muscles become "exhausted" fairly quickly.  Also, one should be careful to ensure that they're being done properly -- takes a bit of practice and concentration to get the knack of isolating just those muscles and not contracting the butt and abs.  If you're not confident that they're being done correctly, a visit to a PT may be a good idea.  A few sessions of biofeedback is generally all it takes to get one on the right track, or there is a "self" biofeedback device called, "Myself." There is an excellent urogynecologist at UC-Irvine; I cannot recall her first name at the moment  (Karen, maybe??  Sorry, it's early ... ), but last name is Noblett.  She seems conservative in her approach and not one that automatically signs a patient up for the OR.  She's also doing some VERY interesting research studies. You did not indicate if the rectocele is inhibiting completion of a bowel movement in your case.  If it is and you haven't yet figured this out on your own (many women don't), inserting a finger (some say the thumb works best for them) vaginally and pressing on the bulging posterior wall can help "dislodge" stool trapped in the bulge and relieve discomfort.  This manuever is called, "splinting." Hope this has been helpful to you -- please let me know if you have any further questions that I might assist you with.  And CONGRATS on the new baby -- enjoy!!

Aw, thanks so much for doing some research for me Julie!

Sounds so simple to just "find a physical therapist that specializes in pelvic floor"  LOL...I've looked, it's hard without calling around!

I have tried splinting because I've heard it helps others, but I actually have more problems juuust beyond that.  For instance, I was constipated when I did the defecogram, and they inserted the KY jelly into my rectum, I pushed it out, and no poop came with it, but I still felt that really strong urge to "go."

It's like I have a dam right beyond my reach and I am having trouble breaking through it.  Whether it's the pelvic floor causing it or not, I dunno.

I'm pretty sure I'm still going to be constipated after this because of the lazy colon I've already had diagnosed, but this surely doesn't help any.

Kayla, I have nothing helpful to say except that I'm sorry you have to go through this bull**** at your age.  You're too young to have to deal with such serious issues.