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Post by Karen on Feb 7, 2010 9:52:13 GMT -5
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Post by Karen on Mar 10, 2010 18:40:25 GMT -5
Ok, well, I just started back today with PT. The PT I met with today is pretty new with pelvic PT, but she already seems to know a TON more than the last one I tried. So, it's a start. I have appointments set up 2x a week for 4 weeks. If we don't see any improvement within two to three weeks, she's going to have me see one of the other PTs that knows how to do more. My PT only knows how to deal with pelvic floor stuff, but the other one knows more about tissue manipulation, which I assume to mean more abdominal massage for adhesions, etc? I hope so, at least! Honestly, that's more of what I think I need, but she had me schedule a few appointments with the really knowledgeable one, too, so either way, I'll get both areas worked on.
So a few things I thought I'd mention. As she was asking why I was there, she said that most insurance companies won't cover a lot of PT if the main complaint is "pain due to sex". So if that's a woman's only complaint, insurance isn't as willing to do as much! She said "pain during pelvic exams" was a reason that they almost always cover. Wow! She made a point to make sure all my bases were covered with plenty of reasons for insurance to cover everything.
Part of my problem is that my right side of my hip/pelvis is always out of alignment just a little bit. She gave me some stretches to do that I hadn't seen before and I already noticed a difference! Part of my PT is internal, and today she was testing out how strong my pelvic floor muscles were and how well they relaxed (that's the big problem, she said, is getting them to relax properly). She did some pressure points internally at the tender areas to try to get them to relax a bit. It's similar to when you have a knot on your shoulder and you press on it until it goes away. I have some pain now, but not nearly as bad as other times, so fingers crossed this is a step in the right direction!
The PT is kind of high strung, but really nice and kind of funny. The thing that most surprised me is that she was talking about the last training course she went to. It was a 3 day convention on pelvic floor dysfunction. She said they had to practice on each other! By the third day, she called her husband and told him how sick of looking at/feeling vaginas she was! Can you imagine going to a conference, knowing that the people sitting around you would be feeling you up later on?? She said there were even a few men there, although one was very effeminate. I don't know if I'd want a male PT doing what she was doing!!
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Post by hellsbells on Mar 11, 2010 14:48:07 GMT -5
Holy crap!! That convention sounds weird!! I don't know if I could for that, but I hope it does you some good!
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Post by Karen on Apr 8, 2010 18:02:01 GMT -5
Ok, so here's the latest update... I only went to that 'new' pelvic PT that once. I had a few other appointments scheduled but two coincided with my period and two coincided with guests in town so I canceled them. But, she had me schedule a few appointments with a more experienced PT named Suzi. I just met with her today and it was great!
She does internal work, but said she likes to start out with visceral release, which is basically working with the organs and muscles around them to loosen up so they aren't as tense. It was amazing - she could tell that my uterus and bladder don't move as much as they are supposed to! She listened to what I had to say about my pain and what I assume to be adhesions and didn't look at me like I was nuts (isn't it amazing how much that means to us?)! She was very calm, has a soothing voice, and seems very nurturing. Essentially, she found some tight areas in my pelvic area and gently put pressure on them. She described it as putting your finger on a stick of hard butter - eventually, your finger starts to sink when the butter melts and allows it to go deeper. That's what she was doing with her hand - putting slight pressure on it so it would sink lower and lower and lower as my body allowed. Amazingly, it didn't really hurt (although it started burning a few minutes later).
She could feel the tenseness in the area where I assume I have adhesions. Finally - someone believes me! She also asked if I was constipated - she said it felt like my colon was full! Crazy. She didn't do a ton of work in a ton of areas, but the areas she hit were dead on for where I have the most pain.
She talked a lot about letting my tummy muscles relax. I'm so used to sucking in my gut, and she said I shouldn't! That it prevents oxygen from getting to the organs properly, and that in itself can cause cramping and pain that radiates down into the legs! She also asked me what I did for calm. Odd question, right? At the end of the appointment, she had me close my eyes and took me through a calming breathing exercise to relax. She said I need to take 15-20 minutes a day just doing nothing but relaxing. Hard to do! But, the reason behind it is to let my body relax, let the muscles relax, because I'm so used to keeping them tense in response to the pain.
I felt like a fool, though, and I cried in front of her! She asked if sex was painful and I told her I didn't know because I've been avoiding it. When she asked me why, I started crying when I admitted I'm scared of it because of the pain. She just looked at me and said 'don't worry - we'll work on it'. I could have hugged the woman! She also stressed the importance of seeing someone to help with the emotional side of pelvic pain in general (I am). She just seemed like a woman that was very in touch with the entire body and not just going through the motions like a lot of health care professionals I have seen.
So the appointment was all external (yay) and I felt quite good about it. I have a little bit of cramping now after the appointment, but all in all, it's not really bad. I have 4 more appointments scheduled with her but she's in high demand so they're spread out quite a bit. I'm optimistic, though, and feel she's (finally) someone that will help me. I feel relieved.
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Post by iwannabeamomx5 on Apr 8, 2010 19:47:06 GMT -5
Just reading this makes me feel so happy for you!! I can totally relate to what you're saying about finding someone who *gets it* and actually knows how to help you, or is at lweast willing to try things to help!!! I've been frustrated by several medical workers (nurses) while seeking infertility treatment, that when I find one I really connect with communicate well with, it's very hard to deal with the others from that point on. Anyone in a field that deals with female issues NEEDS to be very understanding and compassionate - because even just that alone takes the stress level down quite a bit, and is really comforting!!! I wish you all the best and hope that this PT keeps working her *magic* for you
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Post by melswan on Apr 8, 2010 20:48:56 GMT -5
Karen, that is so wonderful!!! I wish so much I could find someone like that here in south Texas... But then again, I don't know if anyone will do PPT with me due to my endometriomas. So frustrating because I think I could benefit so much from something like that. I'm SO excited for you!!!
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Post by Karen on Apr 8, 2010 20:57:12 GMT -5
I posted a link somewhere in this thread that lists PT by specialty and area - might be worth looking to see if you can find one nearby! They may be cautious with the endometriomas, but I'm taking a guess there's still a lot they could do. Yeah, I'm super excited, too. I know it won't be a cure or anything, but I'll take ANYTHING to not have such bad days every now and again. I'm super thankful that I've gotten things under control most days, but my last period really shook me up. I just feel so more relaxed tonight after my appointment! And it's funny - she said she can tell I'm really trying to control my pain by how tense I am. I know I have control issues, and apparently it goes as far as muscle control!
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Post by hellsbells on Apr 9, 2010 9:16:00 GMT -5
Super news. You're making me want to go ask about it!
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Post by Karen on Apr 9, 2010 18:22:21 GMT -5
You should!! My right leg is always much tighter, I feel like I walk a bit goofy because it's so tight. Has been for years. When I went to PT for my back a few times, they all commented on it. I swear, today, I feel like I almost have a full range of motion with it today! Of course, sitting at work, I was stressed out and I could feel myself tense up so much. I don't want lose this 'relaxed' tummy feeling! (Although I feel like my gut is sticking way out now because the muscles are so relaxed.)
I've had a feeling of fullness in my lower right pelvis for years. It's almost not there today. I can't wait to go back, seriously!
I swear, EVERYONE should try it (with a good PT, of course)!!! One appointment and I'm amazed at the difference!
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Post by hellsbells on Apr 10, 2010 8:38:34 GMT -5
Might ask my new GP on Monday! Is it Pelvic Therapy or Physical Therapy? Need to know what to ask for!
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Post by Karen on Apr 10, 2010 10:31:02 GMT -5
Both! Pelvic physical therapy. Basically PT that focuses on the pelvic area.
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Post by Karen on Apr 14, 2010 17:41:38 GMT -5
Had my second appointment with the good PT and I'm totally in love with her!! She's awesome!! We started today with a bit of internal work so she could check out my strength of my pelvic floor muscles. Weird, I know, but it told her a lot. Turns out my muscles are TOO strong! She asked me to clench my muscles and try to pull her finger in and she joked that I almost broke her finger! She ordered me to do kegals, but only at 50% of what I normally would. She poked around a bit more (said my right internal muscles felt swollen - and I typically have most of my pain on the right side) and then we did some external work. So, she did some work near my bladder, stretching out the muscles near my bladder. You know that feeling during a massage where you feel all the tension melt away? I had that!!! Oh, and after poking around internally, I had some dull pain on my right side that she was able to stretch away as well. WOO HOO! You know what that means?? It means if I have pain after sex, my muscles can be trained to relax so it won't hurt!! Again, she was able to pinpoint exactly where my pain was just by feeling the muscles. We got to talking about how my pelvic pain (more of a fullness) started right around 2000-2001, which is when my lower back pain started, too. After talking more about it, she figures that the stuff going on internally caused the back instability, and when you have instability, you use your tummy muscles and then your pelvic floor muscles to overcompensate. Since my tummy muscles at the time were weak, it's no wonder my pelvic floor muscles are strong enough to compete in an Iron Man competition! She did some muscle release in my lower back area and I feel tons better. She said it's good that I'm doing Pilates so my tummy gets stronger and my body won't rely on my pelvic floor muscles as much. Yay! So, next time, she's going to show me some Pilates moves and we're going to work on relaxing my pelvic floor during the moves. And she's also going to research a visceral release (muscle release) for my cecum since that's where I had adhesions and still have the most pain. YAY YAY YAY! It's so weird - when she's working on releasing the muscles in a certain area, I can feel things shift around internally, but in a totally good way. It's kind of like they spasm a tiny bit out of protest, and then all of a sudden it relaxes and feels really calm. Strange feeling, but good. She can feel it, too, when she's doing it! Oh, and once again, she stressed the fact that I need to find time for calm, that I need to relax. Just because I have an agenda doesn't mean my pelvis has the same one and I need to listen to my body better! I think a LOT of us could stand to listen to that advice!! Can you tell I'm excited about this? I still have a tiny bit of pain, but I felt so good, so relaxed all day!
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Post by hellsbells on Apr 15, 2010 14:55:37 GMT -5
That sounds so amazing. I really need to look into this more, I feel like every muscle in my abdomen and pelvis is on constant high alert!
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Post by Karen on May 12, 2010 19:52:11 GMT -5
I saw Ms. Magic Fingers again today. Honestly, I've been feeling SO good the last few weeks since my last appointment. She continued to work on my ab muscles. She digs in with her fingers and releases all the tension away. Today she was focusing on my right side, and while she was, I was feeling parts over on my left side respond! You know when you pull on a rubberband and it eventually bounces back? That's kind of the feeling I got - it's like I can feel things being pulled a bit, and then all of a sudden, they all relax. At one point, it felt like she was putting warm electricity through her fingers - it felt SO GOOD! Seriously, I had NO IDEA I kept that much stress in my abs! My pain has been really next to nothing the last few weeks. I hope it'll continue! She's also a big fan of Pilates and instructed me to never stop doing it! There are always a few moves that I can't do just right, though, because of limited back strength or limited movement in my abs, so today she also got me down on the mat and showed me how to modify those moves so I get the most out of them. I tell you, this woman is amazing! I can't stress how awesome of an experience this has been for me. Anyone with chronic pelvic pain of any sort should seriously try to find an experienced PT! I walked out of there this morning with a healthy looking glow on my face, I felt so relaxed when I was done. The only downside? Now that my tummy muscles are relaxed and I'm not sucking in my gut, my tummy sticks out a lot more.
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Post by KSA on May 13, 2010 10:30:13 GMT -5
WOW! So glad for you Karen. I am playing catch up on your posts and this sounds right up my alley. I see my doc next week and really need to discuss my constipation issues I think now that I have no uterus my endo is really liking my bowels! LOL! I had PT a few years ago for what they thought was a lower lumbar sprain. I doubt that tho I think it was my crazy turned uterus and my bowels but it did help to do the exercises and I felt good for awhile after. Then all my body when nutts on me! So I am going to talk to my doc about maybe doing some therapy with my PT again. He was AWESOME! I also notice after a massage I feel good for a day or two and my bowels move. She can tell too when I am constipated it that a massage therapist and PT intuition or what? LOL Thanks for the post Karen! Glad it is helping you:)
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