Prolapse

[fitmama23]

I know this probably can't be cured a by a good ol Whole 30 but I'm wondering if any of you have dealt with uterine or bladder prolapse before. I apparently have some bladder prolapse after having my daughter. She's almost 20 months now but it seems like it's starting to get worse. I went to a PT who specializes in this and she gave me basically a bunch of kegel exercises to do. Granted, I haven't been that faithful in doing them but I guess I'll give it a shot now. I know they can give you e-stim units too if the situation warrants it. SUCH a pain!

[Robin Strathdee]

fitmama -

So sorry to hear about this! Eating Whole30-style can definitely help you keep your moods stable and keep you as healthy as possible while you rehab, but I'd definitely trust your docs on this one.

[Maeva]

Sorry you are dealing with that.

Kegel/pelvic floor exercises do help over time. They are a good idea in general.

Caffeinated drinks (especially coffee) are bladder irritants, so you may want to reduce or eliminate them if you have not already.

Maeva

[fitmama23]

Maeva,

That is interesting about the caffeine. I don't drink coffee or any caffeinated drinks but I do like chocolate/cocoa every now and then. I wonder how much they would contribute to irritating this issue as well. I finally have an appointment with a naturopath next Tuesday to discuss this, the fibrocystic breast pain, and my hormone levels in general. Really looking forward to getting to the bottom of all this and FEELING WELL!

[jrustdc]

There's an alternative approach to prolapse, which says that you need to improve your body alignment by strengthening your core and all of the muscles in your abdomen to correct for prolapse. Take a look at Katy Bowman's website. She's a biomechanical scientist. It made a great deal of intuitive sense to me, even though it goes against conventional medical wisdom (kinda like paleo, you know?). To be completely honest, I have the video but I haven't started using it so I can't say if it actually works, but I really prefer this concept to possible surgery.

[fitmama23]

Cool, thanks! I'll check that site out. I definitely want to avoid surgery! I know I want 1 or 2 more kids also and I'm sure that isn't going to help things either

[musingmama]

acupuncture can also be helpful for prolapse... good luck!

[son.et.lumiere]

Katy Bowman is awesome! Here's a great interview with her: http://mamasweat.blogspot.ca/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html

I had three prolapses right after having my second child (uterine, cystocele and rectocele). I remember crying for two days before talking to my midwife about it. She said that most will resolve or greatly improve with time, and recommended squats when I was feeling up to it. I started doing Crossfit at 2 months postpartum (not the best idea for everyone, I'm sure) and I was fine a few weeks later. I think time, lots of protein and full squats played a big part in that.

Also, I am VERY wary of the mesh repair surgeries. There is a fairly high risk of rejection because even though the mesh is sterile, it gets contaminated because the surgical field (the vagina) is not. Implanting a non-sterile material = bad news bears. It is also nearly impossible to remove.

[Leax]

I know this probably can't be cured a by a good ol Whole 30 but I'm wondering if any of you have dealt with uterine or bladder prolapse before. I apparently have some bladder prolapse after having my daughter. She's almost 20 months now but it seems like it's starting to get worse. I went to a PT who specializes in this and she gave me basically a bunch of kegel exercises to do. Granted, I haven't been that faithful in doing them but I guess I'll give it a shot now. I know they can give you e-stim units too if the situation warrants it. SUCH a pain!

Hi Fitmama23,

does your physio do manual therapy? Not all of them do that's why I ask. Having an expert PT feel how your pelvic floor is working and manually work through trigger points and tight spots to help restore optimal function can be massively helpful in reducing symptoms of a prolapse. Also Kegel exercises can result in over strengthening of some muscles when extra strength is not what's required. The ability to relax the PF and ensure all and not just some parts of it are being used used effectively is really important.

[birthdance]

Thought this article I saw today might be of interest to you regarding the surgical mesh repairs: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/legal-firm-warns-of-mesh-used-in-pelvic-surgery-20121007-2778l.html

[Kirsteen]

thank you for recomending the Katy Bowman site and the interview with her. I was really impressed but not sure if the DVDs would work over here as we're a different region. I emailed customer support to ask and they not only assured me that they will but also gave me a UK suppler so I could save on postage. It's http://www.stressnom.../?q=katy+bowman for anyone else over here

[jrustdc]

I reeeeally have to do that video. I can't imagine where to find the time, but things are Not Good in that region.

[Sarah Sue]

I do think that times helps a ton. I have a rectocele and my youngest is 3 and it seems way better than it used to. I kegal at every stop light and try to do a focused set a day. I too just started crossfit to help my core.

[fitmama23]

I have been working with a physical therapist now for a few months who specializes in women's issues like this. She is awesome and so smart. I have noticed improvement for sure and just have to keep doing my exercises. I'm sure after another baby though, this issue is going to be back :-0