# Rectal prolapse repair - now failing!



## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

Hello I am new to the site and maybe there is a thread for this already. In 2003 I had a delormes procedure which removed the bits of the mucosal wall that was falling down and keeping the anal sphincter open. I was much better after this, the surgeons said 80% improvement and I reckon that was about right.However 18 months ago after awful diahorrea I felt the bulge beginning to descend again. I went back to the surgeon who was cautious about another operation. I went through all the wondeful tests !!! and they decided I had some nerve damage on one side on the sphincter and so it was only half firing. I had bio feed back and that has made a terrific difference. Horray! BUT now I can feel the bulge once more. It doesn't hurt, BUt I am very nervous if I have diahorrea that I will leak or have an accident, it's only happened ONCE and I was near a loo so not too bad but ONCE was enough. I keep my diet as bland as I can if I know we have an early start to go some where and always have loo paper etc tucked in bags!!NOw the question is.... I can have the operation again - this time with a Starr procedure ( this is new since 2003) but I am worried that it may leave me worse off than I am now. I have my own pelvic tone machine and do the exercises regularly and this defintiely helps. I find the feeling of the bulge REALLY IRRITATING! The surgeon said 18 months ago I could have it if I got fed up with the current state but I got the feeling he was not keen on the idea. He talked about bulking up the anal sphincter - with a type of callogen implant. This only lasts a year or so. Does anyone else have this problem or any thing like it?thanks in advance


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

I have a rectal mucosal lining prolapse, the surgeon said it was the lining that was telescoping down on itself, he did not want to do a operation because it is not always successfull and I could end up with more problems. I have Ibs-D, I always have like a fullness/pressure feeling in the rectum which is most uncomfortable, it gives the feeling like I have a hard golf ball in my rectum. I have been told not to strain and to do pelvic floor exercises and have had biofeedback. I cant help but strain at times as have difficulty going to the toilet even though my stools are loose/soft, my muscles are not strong. I dont find the pelvic floor exercises helping very much. The co rectal surgeon said it may get worse and it may not. The discomfort is very hard to cope with on a daily basis.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

cherrypie09 said:


> I have a rectal mucosal lining prolapse, the surgeon said it was the lining that was telescoping down on itself, he did not want to do a operation because it is not always successfull and I could end up with more problems. I have Ibs-D, I always have like a fullness/pressure feeling in the rectum which is most uncomfortable, it gives the feeling like I have a hard golf ball in my rectum. I have been told not to strain and to do pelvic floor exercises and have had biofeedback. I cant help but strain at times as have difficulty going to the toilet even though my stools are loose/soft, my muscles are not strong. I dont find the pelvic floor exercises helping very much. The co rectal surgeon said it may get worse and it may not. The discomfort is very hard to cope with on a daily basis.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

Yes I know what you mean about the feeling of a swelling, but mine isn't as bad as a hard golf ball, more like a grape - wonderful isn't it?!!I have found the bio feed back exrcises helpful, but I have been doing them for nearly 18 months now. I have my own pelvic toner machine with a probe, both anal and vaginal. The feeling of the prolapse dropping a little bit more ( yes I know what you mean by telescoping) came back when the machine broke down and I had to wait while it was fixed. since I have restarted it does feel a bit better again, but I always have the problem of feeling the bulge and worrying that if I get too loose I won;t be able to make my muscles work enough to control everything.why did the surgeon feel a procedure wasn't appropriate?


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

The surgeon said in his opinion it was not a good idea to operate as it could cause more problems and even cause incontinence. I have been doing pelvic floor exercises for one year now, I do them myself, the machines with the probes that do the exercises for you are very good I am told, but hey are too expensive for me, I do not work due to the severe Ibs-d and I suffer with anxiety and depression. How bad was your rectal prolapse, ? was it a full rectal prolapse or just the lining telescoping on itself like mine. ?


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

cherrypie09 said:


> The surgeon said in his opinion it was not a good idea to operate as it could cause more problems and even cause incontinence. I have been doing pelvic floor exercises for one year now, I do them myself, the machines with the probes that do the exercises for you are very good I am told, but hey are too expensive for me, I do not work due to the severe Ibs-d and I suffer with anxiety and depression. How bad was your rectal prolapse, ? was it a full rectal prolapse or just the lining telescoping on itself like mine. ?


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

It was telescoping like yours but was quite large. Yes I understand the danger of incontinence, that's what I am so afraid of. When I had the operation two surgeons said I would be 80% better and indeed I was until recently. I live in the south of England and they have a pelvic floor disfunction clinic under the Primary Care Trust. The nurse practitioner does an NHS clinic for the probes and you get them for 6 weeks under NHS. Perhaps it's worth asking your GP if such a thing exists in your area? They say you need to use the probes for at least 12 weeks but if you've been doing the exercises on your own perhaps six weeks of a pelvic toner would give you a boost? It's worth asking...My machine cost me £150, I bought it in the end as I felt it was helping me. A lot of money but it has kept me away from a surgeon for 18months coming up 2 years now. I shall go on using it until I really can't stand the discomfort any more and see what the surgeons can offer. I think there is no end of research on this but I don't want to be a guinea pig!


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Yes my surgeon said that the operation they do for the lining prolapse are not very successfull and usually need doing again, they dont last long. Did your lining actually come down and out of the rectum. ? How did you know when it got really bad. ? Mine hasnt come out of the rectum, but I am worried it will and how would you know, as I have terrible heamerhoidds(piles) as well which are very uncomfortable. ? I have Ibs-D, I suffer with it every day, no let up and live on imodium daily.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

cherrypie09 said:


> Yes my surgeon said that the operation they do for the lining prolapse are not very successfull and usually need doing again, they dont last long. Did your lining actually come down and out of the rectum. ? How did you know when it got really bad. ? Mine hasnt come out of the rectum, but I am worried it will and how would you know, as I have terrible heamerhoidds(piles) as well which are very uncomfortable. ? I have Ibs-D, I suffer with it every day, no let up and live on imodium daily.


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

RuffieYou did not post a reply only my post has come out.How are you.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

Don't know what happened to the reply! If you look with a mirror you can see the protrusion coming down through the anus. Bit of a contortion, lying on a bed with a mirror between your legs! This could also be haemorroids so maybe your Gp or surgeon. You may also leak if the prolapse has fallen. It doesn't hurt, just feels like a swelling or bulge above the anus.good luck


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

saw GP today and showed her the hemerhoidds, she gave me cream to put on them and said she would refer me to a surgeon to get them looked at if I wanted to, she did not say if anything else was protruding, if there was I assume she could have seen it and would have said. with piles you can get a fullness feeling/swelling, so I dont know if its from the piles or what.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

cherrypie09 said:


> saw GP today and showed her the hemerhoidds, she gave me cream to put on them and said she would refer me to a surgeon to get them looked at if I wanted to, she did not say if anything else was protruding, if there was I assume she could have seen it and would have said. with piles you can get a fullness feeling/swelling, so I dont know if its from the piles or what.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

don't know what happens to my replies sometimes , that's another one gone walkabout.Well done for seeing your Gp. A surgeon will definitely tell you if you have a prolapse, and if not he/she will deal with the haemorriods. I think that's a simple op. and then you will feel more comfortable and stop worrying about it. GP's don't always recognise things for what they are, see a surgeon and get it checked out properly. If you use the cream it can take up to a month for the haemorroid to shrin k back in place so don't expect immediate results. Good Luck!


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

ruffieThanks for the advice. I will give the ointment a go and see how it goes, she said to go back if they were not getting any better or if I wanted a referal, I have just changed doctors practice and they are waiting for my notes to come through, so might have to wait till then.


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## idkwia (Feb 26, 2009)

Ruffie - may I suggest that you see Mr A Dixon. He is a colorectal surgeon specialising in your problem. He does both STARR and other procedures to correct prolapses. He is based in Bristol. His website is here http://www.bristolsurgery.com/Good luck.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

idkwia said:


> Ruffie - may I suggest that you see Mr A Dixon. He is a colorectal surgeon specialising in your problem. He does both STARR and other procedures to correct prolapses. He is based in Bristol. His website is here http://www.bristolsurgery.com/Good luck.


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## ruffie (Jul 22, 2010)

Thank you for the name and web site. I will look it up straightaway.


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