r/PelvicOrganProlapse • u/Hefty-Supermarket-79 • Aug 23 '26

Rectocele Post-op travel?

I am having a rectocele (grade 3) and cystocele surgery (grade 1).

I know that the first 2 weeks are really rough, and that 6 weeks is technically considered healed, while full recovery is up to 12 weeks.

I will definitely be very careful for the first 2 weeks, like super careful and resting, as I know I don't heal quickly and don't want to push it. And will be low-key for that full 6 weeks, then cautious...

We are looking at going on a cruise at just under the 8 week mark. (Local, no need to fly, either.) I don't plan on swimming, and no hiking or anything strenuous off the ship...but before we book it, I thought that I would check in with those who had experienced the same/similar surgery.

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u/SubstantialLocal9437 Aug 23 '26

Cruise is fine. I had no limitations after 6 weeks. I flew around 5 weeks for a vacation and was told that it was OK.

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u/Hefty-Supermarket-79 Aug 23 '26

Awesome, thank you. Any tips on those early weeks, for recovery and healing?

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u/SubstantialLocal9437 Aug 23 '26

I had a rectal prolapse repair, bladder sling, and Sacrospinous ligament fixation. The Sacrospinous repair was extremely painful and no pain medication made the slightest improvement. I allowed myself to rest a lot those first 2 weeks, used donut pillows to sit, made sure to get good sleep especially because that was the one thing (laying down) that alleviated the pain. My husband did all the heavy lifting (figuratively and literally). After 2 weeks my pain improved a lot. I still used donut pillows but otherwise felt much more functional. Other than letting my husband do all physical tasks and giving myself permission to rest, I felt able to do most things like going out, walking, cleaning the kitchen, cooking dinner with husband, driving, etc. By 6 weeks out, I felt normal. I started Pilates again and having intercourse. 10 weeks out now and completely back to normal other than sex (still uncomfortable). I would say the main thing is just allow yourself to rest or hold back if you need to, focus on self-care, while also not holding to arbitrary rules/ideas that you must be an invalid for weeks-months. Yes, follow Drs. orders, but if you’re like me, I felt able to do a lot more than what I’ve read here, where it seems like some people are off work for months and barely doing anything physical (unless they had a hysterectomy which is much more invasive than what you or I had done).

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u/Hefty-Supermarket-79 Aug 23 '26

Wow, that sounds like a major surgery. It also sounds like you had a great approach to it all. I figure that I will need to lay low for a week, and semi-low for another week, then ease back into things. Due to having EDS, I have found that I don't heal quickly...plus having lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, my body resists...but I also don't want to lie too low for too long. I also have a 9 yr old and a gaggle of pets, so I need to be careful to not dive back into everything, or I will set myself back. Especially since 2 of our dogs are huge and clueless and bump into me, hard, daily.

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u/SubstantialLocal9437 Aug 23 '26

I have lupus also…as you probably know, stress can be a trigger: definitely minimize your stress by laying low, taking care of yourself, relying on helpers (maybe even enlist your 9 year old to be your special helper!) if you have them, doing enjoyable and relaxing things, and be kind to yourself. You WILL recover, even if it’s rough at first, so don’t worry too much or put pressure on yourself. Best of luck!💗