Tamoxifen, Constipation and Rectocele PT

labelle

I've just returned from my first PT session for rectocele. Both my PT and gyno say it was either caused by or made worse by the constant constipation I've had since starting Tamoxifen.

Anyway, someone asked that I share my PT experience. PT is a very nice lady. She did a pelvic exam and asked me to do Kegels while examining me (like with her finger in me so she could feel what I was doing). On a score of 0-5, with 5 being normal, she rated my pelvic floor muscle tone a 2, and she said she was being generous. Dang! I've never gotten such a low score on an exam in anything.

Then she attached electrodes to my exterior parts, vulva and area between the vulva and anus and hooked me up to a biofeedback program. This showed how I was doing when she asked me to do things like squeeze and hold the muscles, contract and relax the muscles as quickly as possible, etc. I did not perform well! It was interesting though, and the machine showed me when I was doing the exercise effectively. Now, if only I can remember!

The believes if I do my homework (these Kegel type exercises) keeping in mind where the biofeedback program showed I had problems, this could be fixed w/o surgery or the use of other therapies (she said something about weights inserted in the vaginia-don't ask-I didn't). She suggested these exercises be done lying down at first. Anyway, now I'm pretty sure I know how to do Kegels properly and plan to get right on it, 3x per day as instructed.

Like my gyno she says I really need to try not to become constipated, but says I'm already doing almost everything she can think of for that problem, but she did show me how to do an "ILU" self-message nightly that she says helps some people with this issue. She gave me a handout, but I found it online too. Maybe it will help some of us with the constipation issue. I'm willing to give it a shot.

"Lie on your back- preferably on your bed, but a firm sofa or other comfortable surface will do. You might want to wedge a couple of pillows under your knees. Use your hand in the most comfortable way possible- either as a fist, using your fingers, or using the edge of the palm. Begin on the left side of the body- think of the belly button as the center- just beneath the left rib cage, and massage down toward the pubic bone in a straight line. In other words, draw the letter "I" from the bottom of your rib cage downward. In doing so, you are massaging your descending colon. Repeat 15x.

Now for the L: This time, start on the right side of your body, just under the rib cage to the right of the belly button. Massage from right to left, then down toward the pubic bone: across, then down, as in the letter "L". This also massages both the descending and the transverse colon. Repeat 15x.

Finally, draw the "U": Start to the right of the belly button, but this time, begin at the top edge of the pelvic bone, and massage up toward the right wide of the rib cage, then across to the left, then down to the top of the pelvic bone. Repeat 15x. This massages all the portions of the colon- ascending, transverse, and descending."

MexicoHeather

I am reviving this thread because the info from LaBelle had great details and something else that's happening in my life right now.

I was going to have an oophorectomy, but since Taxol chemo I have very weak pelvic floor. Tamoxifen might have made it worse. At any rate I have the trifecta: cystocele, rectocele, and cervical prolapse.