Catherine's  Story (Part 1)

My name is Catherine. I'm 36, & have 2 kids; a son, 14 & a daughter, 6-1/2. I'm married and live in Scottsdale, AZ. Typical of other stories I've read, I believe I suffered from prolapse LONG before I was officially diagnosed. Again, like so many others, I attributed all of my discomfort to ... well ... having kids, getting older, etc. Now, of course, I've discovered that I am 4th generation (that I'm aware of) on my mother's side that has suffered prolapse. My hope is that other women out there who know that they
may have a genetic tendency towards weak pelvic support will be informed and possible avoid activities that either cause or aggravate the condition.  You can bet my own daughter will grow up armed with knowledge.

Unfortunately, I got the "triple whammy" where prolapse is concerned -- genetic weakness, large babies AND heavy lifting. When I became pregnant with my first child, I can remember being so afraid that I would have a big baby due to my husband's size -- he's 6'7" & 270 lbs., with a brother whose6'11".   I talked to my doc about this -- he "poo-poo'd" that notion and assured me I had nothing to worry about. I was only 22, and had COMPLETE
trust in my doctor. When my due date arrived and I still had made no progress, I was sent to the hospital to have a non-stress test. I was given a gown and instructed to lay on the table. A nurse came to attach the monitor belt, pulled up my gown, and GASPED when she saw the size of my belly.  She asked me, "Has the doctor told you how big your baby's gonna be?" I told her that he'd assured me no larger than 8 pounds. She shook her head and said, "I
think he's wrong." It actually pissed me off that anyone would DARE to speak against my doctor -- I thought to myself, "Hmph! What does SHE know?? She's only a nurse!!!" I again questioned my doc about the baby's size and WHY my belly was so HUGE? He again assured me that I had nothing to worry about, and
told me that my size was due to an unusually large amount of amniotic fluid -- it just made me LOOK big.   My due date came and went ... I never even "dropped." Finally, he agreed to induce my labor at 6 a.m. on the 18th day past my due date. I remember he came in to check on me at the hospital at lunch time that day -- I still wasn't making any progress. He told me that he would be back at about 5:00 when the office closed and that if I still hadn't progressed, HE WOULD SEND ME HOME. By this point, of
course, I was beginning to realize my folly at thinking this man was some sort of god ... I told him in no uncertain terms that I would NOT be leaving that hospital until my baby was OUTside of my body!  What followed was a nightmare -- won't go into the details of "one more labor story" -- but my son was finally born at 1:16 a.m., 19 days past due. Pushing was 1 hour and 47 minutes; midline episiotomy, AND forceps.   I do vividly remember  how I felt as he was "coming down the chute"-- literally as if I were being ripped apart, and I distinctly recall thinking  I will never, ever be the same ... my 8 pound baby turned out to be 10 lbs., 3
oz.   My doc came in to visit me the next morning and joked as he walked in, "Wellllllllllllll ... I never said I was PERFECT!" I saw him only once more -- for my postpartum check-up. I bid him a fond farewell, vowed that I would never see another male doctor, and promptly found a wonderful female ob/gyn.

I seemed to recover well after birth, other than MAJOR swelling which I was told was because I was "doing too much too soon." I was put to bed with ice packs. The 60 lbs. I'd gained just fell off, and I was back in my skinny jeans by my 4-wk. check. I did have terrible hemmorhoids that NEVER left, awful stretch marks, bulgy veins, and an odd feeling of something having caved in." I mentioned this to my new gyn, who basically blew it off saying, "oh, that's normal after a birth such as you had."  I ignored it and went on with life ... but you can BET I wasn't anxious to have another child anytime soon. My son was not only BORN big, but continued to grow at an incredible rate -- truly "his father's son." He was 20 lbs. by 4 mos., 35 lbs. by one yr., and 50 lbs. at 2. Of course, I'm lifting and carrying my big babe, thinking nothing of it.  Mom's just DO that, don't they??

I did, however, eventually want another one. By this time, we'd moved from Texas to Arizona, and once I'd gotten pregnant, I found another female ob/gyn in Scottsdale. She assured me that she would NEVER let a patient of hers go beyond her due date. Man, was I ever relieved to hear that! Pregnancy was uneventful. I went into labor on my own, but again, didn't make much progress. I was "gelled" ... then had my membranes ruptured ... then eventually pitocin. Another long labor, but when it came time to push, I gave 1/2-of-a-push, and my baby girl quite literally popped right out!!  No episiotomy this time, no forceps, quick and easy. 9 lbs., 2 oz.

BOY, did things change after that birth. I was nursing, but it didn't take long for my periods to start again. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, EVER, I had horrible menstrual cramps. I'd always thought women who moaned and groaned their way through their periods were such wimps -- did I ever learn my lesson! Tampons were out of the question -- had the hardest time trying to insert one, they'd always end up sideways, and I'd bleed around them, so
what's the point? Don't ask me why I never QUESTIONED any of this, but just so easily accepted it as the way it goes.  After I finished nursing, I started back on the pill, and the cramping was at least tolerable.  Again, I went on with life as usual.

Finally, in Sept. of '99, I was drying off after a shower, and felt this
"bulge" in my vaginal area. Immediately, of course, I started to panic and was absolutely certain that I had a tumor. I called my doc right away, and they were able to work me in to see one of the nurse practioners at the office. While waiting for my appt., I did finally calm down after remembering a dear friend who had a vaginal bulge about a year earlier -- she'd had a hysterectomy 14 years prior, and her bulge was diagnosed as an enterocele --
where the intestines bulge into the vagina. She had surgery and was fixed right up. Sure enough, I saw the nurse practitioner and she pulled out the ol' hand mirror and showed me my problem -- a cystocele and a rectocele. She talked to me about surgery, but said that would be a "last resort." She instructed me to Kegel myself near 'bout to death, gave me some literature, and suggested that I might want to find a urologist for something called, "urodynamics." I was so relieved that I wasn't dying of a tumor that I basically just blew the whole thing off.

Well, the bulge didn't go away. I could push it back up ... and it'd pop right back out. Kegels didn't seem to help any. I noticed that the bulge was always worse about one week before my period started. I tried to avoid squatting, getting constipated, lifting too much.  I went back for my annual exam in November and saw the same nurse practioner. She inserted the speculum and said, "Whoa ... your uterus is enlarged ... your cervix has dropped very low ... you need to get yourself to that urologist."  I again put this off, waiting because I'd been told that a new female urologist would be joining a large practice in Scottsdale. During the wait, my discomfort has steadily increased -- incredible heaviness and pressure.


Finally, I did go see the urologist just a few weeks ago. She had me urinate, & then inserted a catheter to see how much was left in my bladder.  She was pleased to see that I only retained about an ounce. However, there was blood in my urine. She ordered an IVP and a cystoscopy -- both came back okay.  She then set me up for urodynamics & fluoroscopy.  Had those done one week ago, although they were unable to perform urodynamics adequately due to the severity of the cystocele.  I saw her yesterday for a follow-up, where she recommended surgery for cystocele repair
-- a "sling" procedure, done vaginally. I have an appt. with my gynecologist on Oct. 2, 2000, to discuss the uterine and rectocele repairs. The uro & gyn will be working jointly in surgery. I am considering a 3rd opinion, if needed, from a urogynecologist. I am determined to become as knowledgeable as I can prior to surgery -- I only want this done once!! I am also thinking about epidural vs. general anesthesia ... many, many choices to be made. I hope and pray that I make the right ones!