Anyone else with bowel problems due to PN or PNE

[judys]

I haven't posted in a long time. I have recovered from cystocyle and rectocele surgery for 6 weeks. (Bladder and rectum lift). Specialist thinking that was the cause of my bowel problems. I always feel like I can't completely empty my bowels. It has interrupted my life as I no longer golf go boating or do anything if I am not near a bathroom. I have a sudden urge upon waking then go 3 or 4 times within an hour each time the stool gets smaller and difficult to pass. By afternoon I have my normal pudendal burning and foreign object feeling in the vagina then sometimes the feeling is in the rectum along with not being able to void. When I am able to go I get some pudendal relief. Explaining this to someone they must think I am crazy. I have suffered with the pudendal problem for 4 years!!! I have had nerve blocks and take 1800 mg of gabapentin daily . Surgery would be my LAST straw. I drive 4 hours to see a pelvic physical therapist in Orlando. I pray she can give me some relief. ANYONE else share some of these horrible symptoms. Judy

[calluna]

Hi Judy - I know how this is. Your symptoms all sound very familiar to me. You've had bladder and bowel lift - that's colposuspension and rectopexy, yes? I too have had those, colposuspension many years ago and rectopexy 6 months ago.

I think it is important to bear in mind that you are only 6 weeks post-op and that is very early days. It does take a while for everything to settle down after a surgery like this, in particular after rectopexy the bowel has to re-learn how to work correctly, and for those of us with a pre-existing pain condition such as PN, recovery is often not as straightforward as it would be otherwise.

For a good while after rectopexy I too needed to stay near a bathroom - we'd drive 10 minutes to the supermarket, and as soon as we arrived I'd need to go.... and then probably again before we left, and again as soon as we got home.... I also had continence problems. But it has all improved, and I am gradually getting my confidence back again now.

I am sure that things will improve for you, too. It just takes a bit of time.

In the meantime, could I suggest that you tell your doctor that you are not getting sufficient pain relief from your current dose of gabapentin? There is a lot of leeway in that dosage, people go up to 2400mg or even 3600mg. For me it was not gabapentin but pregabalin/Lyrica that did the trick. We are all different after all.

I do hope that things get better soon. And I take my hat off to you with regard to driving 4 hours, I could not contemplate that even now.

[judys]

So glad to hear you are doing well. I don't know about increasing the gabapentin. I have blurred vision and feel foggy on this dose. I have all my faith in feeling better with PT. I had to discontinue when I had my cystocele and rectocele surgery. I have my first session Monday. Judy

[calluna]

I hear what you say about gabapentin, I gave up on it because I could not cope with the side effects. I took 1800 mg for several weeks and was not getting enough pain relief, could not have contemplated taking the dose up more. But some people take it with no problems. Pregabalin was the thing that made the difference for me, it worked very well. If the PN ever gets worse again then I would be asking for that right at the beginning. It is not a good idea to let the nerve pain run unchecked, the pain pathways can get 'stuck'.

Let us know how the PT goes!