Mild bowel incontinence 18 months after hysterectomy

Hi Joanna,

I had surgery in August 2017 and it took a while for my bowel to settle down, my bowel was really loose for a long time, I still have some urgency now and the odd occasion of looseness but it's manageable, I've noticed that I have lost some bladder control now, I think it's because I'm not as vigilant with my pelvic floor exercises as I was straight after my op.

I went to see my gp about my bowel and they checked me out, I'd recommend it for peace of mind they can have a look and let you know if anything is of concern. I was having some bleeding from mine but it was piles and they gave me ointments etc. 

I hope you can get to the bottom of things and get sorted

lots of love

xxx

Many thanks for your reply, Arla! This is so reassuring. I was doing pelvic floor exercises for some weeks after my op, but I must admit that I later gave up, especially because losing weight is now much more of a priority ;) I am going to start doing them again, at least from time to time.

I will tell my doctor about this problem. Since being diagnosed with cancer I am sometimes worried when I have problems with my bowels (painful bloating etc.). Piles is quite unpleasant and I hope that you found the ointments helpful! 

Have a great rest of the week!

Joanna

Hi Joanna,

The ointments and suppositories worked a treat! I've also started using wet toilet wipes and they are great, especially when my bowels are playing up. 

I hope you get on ok with the doctor, there was a booklet that I read that said that the pelvic floor exercises helped with bowel, bladder and vaginal muscles, so I think it's all connected, the diagram illustrated it like an elastic band that holds all three parts and explained that the surgery and removal of our womb etc meant that we should keep up the exercises for life. Not that I took much notice lol, I pretty much stopped at 3 months post op, I need to try and keep them up again, I had a bladder incident the other day when I sneezed! 

Ive put on over two stone since my op, I've been loosing some then putting it on again for a while now, hopefully coming into winter will help me loose a bit again, good luck with your weight loss too.

lots of love

xxx

Arla,

I am so happy that the ointments and the suppositories have helped you! Yes, I know that we should try to keep our pelvic floor muscles in shape because it prevents all kinds of problems, including the prolapse of the vagina, bowel and bladder...  

Thank you for your wishes and I am wishing you the same! In my case a fitness tracker wristband helps me much more than I expected - it really motivates me to walk and exercise more thanks to the beeping and the encouragements which show on the wristband's screen. I am going to try to get to 10,000 steps every day (I now walk so much only from time to time). 

I have also started trying to eat about 17 ounces of vegs every day and not more than 11 ounces of fruit about a month ago (I have read somewhere that this is good for people with insulin-resistance - I suffer from it) and surprisingly I quickly lost a little weight! But losing at least some weight now seems really difficult, so my main goal is now to be fit and to eat healthy food .

Have a great evening!

Joanna