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vaginal hysterectomy and bladder sling surgery
I am scheduled to have a vaginal hysterectomy and bladder sling surgery in the near future. I have two questions that are of concern to me. First, is it absolutely necessary to have a catheter after the bladder surgery? Any other options? I have heard nightmares about it and don't want to go through the agony if there is an option. Second, my doctor is planning to use pigskin to hold back the bladder. I am reading about problems using a mesh to do this so is the pigskin the same as the mesh they are talking about and recommending avoiding or is it something else? Are there any other options to this? Thanks for helping in advance.
Nancy
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
Most likely you will go home with a cathetor, there is too much swelling post surgery to be able to pee properly. You really won't feel the cath if it is inserted properly and when it is removed about a week after surgery it comes out very quickly-it's really not bad at all so I really wouldn't worry too much about it. If you have anxiety be sure to tell the dr that prior to it being removed so they are aware.
Pigskin and mesh are 2 different things, pig skin is actual pig tissue. I have mesh in me and have had no problems at all, I'm very happy with it and it holds up the best-any kind of tissue stitched in has potential to become weak with time so make sure to ask your dr about chances of POP coming back. Many drs do not like to use mesh, your best bet is to see a urogyn-the specialist for this disorder-they can treat any of the 5 types of pelvic organ prolapse.It is important to ask any and all questions of your dr prior to surgery so you know what he/she plans on doing and what the success rate is. Options will depend on your age, type/degree of POP, and success will depend on many things-physician success rate (how good he/she is, that's why I recommend a urogynecologist because they are the specialist trained the best), behaving yourself post surgery (no heavy lifting or vacuuming), doing maintenance post surgery to maintain repair (Kegels for life).
Good luck with your surgery, send any other questions you have this way! I"m going to have this post transferred over to the POP forum hon.
Sher
Most likely you will go home with a cathetor, there is too much swelling post surgery to be able to pee properly. You really won't feel the cath if it is inserted properly and when it is removed about a week after surgery it comes out very quickly-it's really not bad at all so I really wouldn't worry too much about it. If you have anxiety be sure to tell the dr that prior to it being removed so they are aware.
Pigskin and mesh are 2 different things, pig skin is actual pig tissue. I have mesh in me and have had no problems at all, I'm very happy with it and it holds up the best-any kind of tissue stitched in has potential to become weak with time so make sure to ask your dr about chances of POP coming back. Many drs do not like to use mesh, your best bet is to see a urogyn-the specialist for this disorder-they can treat any of the 5 types of pelvic organ prolapse.It is important to ask any and all questions of your dr prior to surgery so you know what he/she plans on doing and what the success rate is. Options will depend on your age, type/degree of POP, and success will depend on many things-physician success rate (how good he/she is, that's why I recommend a urogynecologist because they are the specialist trained the best), behaving yourself post surgery (no heavy lifting or vacuuming), doing maintenance post surgery to maintain repair (Kegels for life).
Good luck with your surgery, send any other questions you have this way! I"m going to have this post transferred over to the POP forum hon.
Sher
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi,
In addition to Sherrie's excellent comments. you need to make sure of the following - you do have a bulging of the vaginal tissues, that you can actually see or feel. You have symptoms like pressure in the pelvic area, low back pain, worse at the end of the day, urinary frequency/urgency, difficulty starting/stopping urination, or needing to use your fingers to help you empty your bowels. If you actually have enough of these symptoms, and they are bothersome to you, then you need to locate a trained urogynecologist, who can determine if you actually have prolapse, and help you select an appropriate surgery to treat all aspects of the prolapse. You will probably also need to undergo bladder testing (urodynamics) to determine if you have the kind of urinary incontinence that can be treated successfully with surgery. You should ask about the stage of your prolapse ( It is staged from 0 - 4, with stages 3 & 4 being the ones usually treated with surgery ; stage 2, if symptomatic , can also be treated surgically). Surgery can involve using sutures (stitches) to correct the prolapse, or it can involve placing a surgical hernia mesh (synthetic, animal product, or cadaveric specimen) through the vagina (transvaginal), or abdomen (laparoscopically, robotically, or via a bikini incision). If performed by a well trained, qualified surgeon, prolapse surgery can be very successful. However, there are risks of complications that you should be aware of. Surgery is not an emergency, so be sure to find a trained specialist to evaluate your prolapse and determine the best way to treat it.
In addition to Sherrie's excellent comments. you need to make sure of the following - you do have a bulging of the vaginal tissues, that you can actually see or feel. You have symptoms like pressure in the pelvic area, low back pain, worse at the end of the day, urinary frequency/urgency, difficulty starting/stopping urination, or needing to use your fingers to help you empty your bowels. If you actually have enough of these symptoms, and they are bothersome to you, then you need to locate a trained urogynecologist, who can determine if you actually have prolapse, and help you select an appropriate surgery to treat all aspects of the prolapse. You will probably also need to undergo bladder testing (urodynamics) to determine if you have the kind of urinary incontinence that can be treated successfully with surgery. You should ask about the stage of your prolapse ( It is staged from 0 - 4, with stages 3 & 4 being the ones usually treated with surgery ; stage 2, if symptomatic , can also be treated surgically). Surgery can involve using sutures (stitches) to correct the prolapse, or it can involve placing a surgical hernia mesh (synthetic, animal product, or cadaveric specimen) through the vagina (transvaginal), or abdomen (laparoscopically, robotically, or via a bikini incision). If performed by a well trained, qualified surgeon, prolapse surgery can be very successful. However, there are risks of complications that you should be aware of. Surgery is not an emergency, so be sure to find a trained specialist to evaluate your prolapse and determine the best way to treat it.
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