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Q I have reached my 79th birthday and have been diagnosed with pelvic prolapse, affecting mostly my bladder. however, my OB-GYN describes it as bladder, bowel and cervix.

Owing to my heart skipping occasionally, I went through an EKG and all stress tests and blood testing preparing me for surgery.

I was given approval for the surgery until my OB-GYN told me that she would not perform the necessary surgery as it would be a long procedure and she didn’t want to put my body through that much stress.

A pessary was ruled out because it did not work for me. so, for the time being, I have decided to live with the situation but am now asking your advice on whether I should get a second opinion or do nothing? what problems do you think I would encounter later on?

A Pelvic prolapse is a weakening of the muscles and ligaments of the pelvic organs with the end result being that the organs slip downward out of their normal position.

This is a rather common condition that affects almost 50 percent of all women who have had children.

Symptoms include loss of bladder and bowel control, an increased sensation of urgency to urinate with a sensation of being unable to fully empty the bladder, repeat infections and excessive vaginal discharge.

To document the diagnosis, there are bladder-function tests plus pelvic floor strength tests, ultrasound, MRI or cystoscopy.

Because there are several types of prolapse, I will explain them briefly. If the anterior vaginal wall and bladder fall, the condition is known as a cystocele.

If the posterior vaginal wall and rectum fall, the condition is known as a rectocele. If the uterus falls, a person has uterine prolapse. Small bowel protrusion through an area between the vagina and rectum is an enterocele.

Initial treatment might begin with medication. For example, menopause causes a decrease in estrogen levels in a woman’s body that results in a weakening of vaginal muscles.

Estrogen-replacement therapy can restrengthen those muscles; however, this therapy is not appropriate for all women. that decision must be left to each patient’s primary-care physician or gynecologist.

The next step might be physical therapy to include either biofeedback or electrical stimulation — then surgery. the procedure depends on what specific type of prolapse a person has.

I don’t know your full medical history and can only suggest you return to your surgeon with a list of questions.

Ask why the doctor has chosen not to perform the procedure after all your testing. Perhaps she found something in the test results that she failed to share with you.

Then, if you remain dissatisfied, ask for a referral to another specialist for a second opinion. Bring all your test results when you go.

Write to Peter Gott, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10016.

Jul 15, 2010 by TBT staff

People who daily experience the impact of vibration on the body, suffer diseases of the musculoskeletal system, with the defeat of osteochondrosis 2 and 3 divisions combined with the curvature of the spine and diseases of the joints.

RIGA – Nowadays work takes a very special place in the life of every modern human, after all we spend most of our time doing it, that is why it leaves its mark not only on our character, but also on our health. our beloved working place is exactly where we can „earn” an occupational disease. Diseases of the spine and pelvic organs.

It is common knowledge that a large part of modern professions presuppose that the person works in a sitting position for several hours every day. this is what a usual working day looks like for many representatives of various companies, organizations and institutions. As a result, this leads to malnutrition of muscles and vertebral discs, which means that we can expect the development of muscular dystrophy, with strongly pronounced muscle pain, osteochondrosis, which is generally accompanied by a large amount of unpleasant symptoms, hemorrhoids and men should beware of the development of prostatitis.

if appropriate actions are not taken in a timely manner, it could end with a bad spinal injury and disruption of the pelvic organs.

the following rules should be followed in order to reduce the daily load on the spine: – For starters – you shouldn’t sit leg to leg, both feet should be placed on the floor; – Hips should be placed on the chair just above the knees. this allows distributing the body weight evenly between the feet, knees, hips, buttocks and waist; – the shoulders should be relaxed and straightened, the abdominal muscles should be in tone (tense, but not too much); – the head and neck should be in one line with your back; – in order to maintain a straight back, it is necessary that the computer is right in front of you and the screen is located at eye level; – f you are working with a laptop, you should buy a special pad, so that the display is located at eye level, or just put some books beneath the laptop to elevate it.

Control your posture when sitting. if it is possible, try to make the workflow more active: walk every hour around the office, perform light exercises. this will help to prevent the fatigue of tendons and lower back. It is preferable to have a course of massage a couple times per year.

Radiocarpal syndrome

Those who are busy working with a computer, i.e. working with a keyboard, should beware that as a result of the uneven and strong tension of tendons in the wrists, a radiocarpal syndrome may develop. Tendons eventually begin to swell, squeezing the nerve, which leads to pain and a slow death of the nerve. the work of typists, seamstresses, knitters, pianists leads to such effects, because their work involves the presence of small, reiterated movements, repeated with short intervals.

to protect yourself from the development of radiocarpal syndrome your workplace should be well-appointed. It is necessary to choose the height of your desk so that when you sit at it, your arm bent at the elbow forms a right angle. you should also adjust the working regime so that you can take breaks every hour or two. during these breaks you should do special exercises to stretch the wrists and fingers. Diseases of the vocal chords

Representatives of some occupations sometimes don’t even notice what is happening to their voice. Orators, teachers, actors, singers are at the biggest risk of damaging their vocal chords. As a result of professional activities nodules may appear on their vocal chords, and the voice begins to become hoarse, but people do not notice this because, unlike colds, the process is not accompanied by pain. if the process is not stopped in time, there can be a growth of hardenings, and even a long period of silence is not able to restore the voice to full volume.

the problem could be prevented by voice therapy, which teaches how to manage your own voice, thus avoiding its overstrain. But if the nodules still managed to form, then the only possible way to solve this problem is by means of surgery. The manager syndrome

It is impossible not to mention another problem faced by modern employees, largely it concerns managers, teachers, businessmen, etc. the question in this case is about stress. As a result of the fact that representatives of these professions have to deal with constant nervous tension, absence of a fixed working schedule, with high sensitivity and fear of making a mistake, they may have persistent insomnia and depression.

the burden of responsibility and constant contacts with people with whom it is obligatory to communicate in a customary way, and not how you want to, makes it even worse for them. such states are called “the manager syndrome”, which is fraught with the development of serious cardiovascular diseases and ailments of the brain (these include heart attacks, strokes, hypertension).

to avoid such developments, the people of these professions must learn to detach from professional activities in the hours of rest, and relieving of the stress is possible through sport activities, meditation, or a clear realization of the limits of their own abilities and needs. Diseases of veins

As it was mentioned above, sedentary work poses a serious threat to human health, but no less at risk are those who are engaged in such occupations, where most of the time it is necessary to stand on the feet. These are sellers, waiters, hairdressers, etc. 

These people are vulnerable to diseases of the veins, such as thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, which cause the swelling of the lower limbs and their fatigue, which doesn’t go away even while resting. in order not to drive the situation to a sad end, that is, to the operating table, you should use every opportunity to rest. As soon as there is an option to spend a few minutes sitting you should immediately take advantage of it, and if there is an opportunity to lie down, it would be a sin to miss it.

you should not forget about various special ointments, vitamin complexes, a contrast shower, foot massage and you should avoid wearing shoes with high heels.