u/uh2508

I'm seeing my urogyn for a consultation soon, and I am going to ask about getting a pessary. I have heds, never gave birth, in my 30s. Im currently doing pelvic pt but have had a lot of problems with pain and vaginal tightness so far with each regimen I've tried. My pelvic PT is going to modify my regimen at our next appointment. My question is, anyone with experience getting a pessary for a rectocele specifically? Which pessary worked for you? Any advice or tips I should know about before I get one? Thanks

I am in my 30s and have heds, never had kids. I have a moderate rectocele and a mild cystocele. I have major problems pooping and vaginal splinting does not work for me. I get vaginal pain when having bowel movements. Also I have chronic vaginal muscle tightness that sometimes causes me to have an urge to pee when my bladder is almost empty.

Anyways, my pelvic pt was having me do a regimen where I do both relaxation exercises and strengthening exercises for my pelvic floor, since I have both pelvic weakness and pelvic muscle tightness. Unfortunately, kegels caused more vaginal tightness and pain. My PT tried having me do multiple deep breaths in between each kegel, but most of the time it would still hurt. I tried doing the relaxation exercises first (happy baby, child's pose, dilators) and then the kegels, but then my muscles were so relaxed that it was hard to get my muscles to do the squeeze. There were also times where the relaxation exercises CAUSED tenderness. Now my PT is having me stick to dilator therapy on top of exercises where I squeeze my knees on a pillow and pull my knees around a band, rather than kegels or relaxation exercises.

Has anyone else struggled with kegels like this? Anyone here with hEDS with a positive story of encouragement? I really don't want to do surgery so I'm hoping that pelvic pt and a pessary will correct my symptoms enough so I can have better quality of life. Thank you

I am in my 30s and have heds, never had kids. I have a moderate rectocele and a mild cystocele. I have major problems pooping and vaginal splinting does not work for me. I get vaginal pain when having bowel movements. Also I have chronic vaginal muscle tightness that sometimes causes me to have an urge to pee when my bladder is almost empty.

Anyways, my pelvic pt was having me do a regimen where I do both relaxation exercises and strengthening exercises for my pelvic floor, since I have both pelvic weakness and pelvic muscle tightness. Unfortunately, kegels caused more vaginal tightness and pain. My PT tried having me do multiple deep breaths in between each kegel, but most of the time it would still hurt. I tried doing the relaxation exercises first (happy baby, child's pose, dilators) and then the kegels, but then my muscles were so relaxed that it was hard to get my muscles to do the squeeze. There were also times where the relaxation exercises CAUSED tenderness. Now my PT is having me stick to dilator therapy on top of exercises where I squeeze my knees on a pillow and pull my knees around a band, rather than kegels or relaxation exercises.

Has anyone else struggled with kegels like this? Anyone here with hEDS with a positive story of encouragement? I really don't want to do surgery so I'm hoping that pelvic pt and a pessary will correct my symptoms enough so I can have better quality of life. Thank you

It sounds strange but I tried it recently and it's pretty good. It adds some extra creamy texture to the oats, plus it can help with digestion. Oats typically slow down gastric emptying which can be a good thing to help you stay full longer, but it can backfire with bloating. This combination helps make the meal easier to digest, and it tastes pretty good. I don't measure the cream of rice, I just pour a small amount into the oats during the last couple minutes of cooking time. I make them custard style of course. It's definitely worth trying.

Edit I realize I may have been wrong about my theory of this combination making it easier to digest. I know that cream of rice is more easily digestible so my thought was combining the two would make the oats easier to digest. I looked it up and it seems I'm wrong. The oats will take just as long to digest but the cream of rice will digest faster. So my bad

I remember reading the article about the allegations when they first came out, but I actually never saw this video. Sharing it here leaving the post open for discussion.