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Post by Karen on May 13, 2010 20:26:11 GMT -5
Keri - I'd highly, highly, highly suggest you find a PT that knows how to work with pelvic pain, not just any 'ol PT will do! You'll do yourself a HUGE favor if you can find a good one. Can you talk to your old PT and see if he has anyone he can suggest? Best way to find good health care is through word of mouth!
My PT can also tell when I'm constipated! I don't quite understand how that all works, but I'm amazed. And I'm also amazed that just by feeling, she's able to find tight spots/painful spots. And she's ALWAYS right. It's so, so, so worth looking into for anyone with chronic pelvic pain!
(I should note - there's 'internal' work, and 'external' work. From what I can understand, internal work is great if your pelvic floor muscles are poorly functioning, and external work is great for adhesions/tension/proper blood & oxygen flow to the pelvic organs.)
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Post by melswan on May 13, 2010 21:56:27 GMT -5
I'm so excited because I have an appointment next month with a PT!!! I researched people in my general area who specialize in women's issues and pelvic pain and found someone who looks promising. So then I emailed her with some questions and she kindly responded. We exchanged several emails, and she impressed me with her willingness to chat with me like that before I ever made an appointment. She was already booked 6 weeks out, so I'm having to wait. But if she's any good, it will be worth it. I'm just wondering if I'll have to wait 6 or more weeks in between each appointment with her.
Karen, how often do you see your PT??
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Post by Karen on May 14, 2010 6:05:55 GMT -5
I see her every few weeks. When I had my initial appointment, she told me how many sessions she wanted to see me for (I think 5 or 6) and had me schedule all of the appointments right away. She, too, books out a long way... I have a few more in June and maybe one in July for now. Yay - good luck with everything! I really hope it goes well for you, and I'm glad she took the time up front to discuss it with you! Let us know how it goes, k?
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Post by melswan on Jun 12, 2010 17:55:32 GMT -5
I had my first PPT session last week! It was....interesting. I really like the physical therapist! She seems to know what she is talking about/doing, so I'm going to stick with it for a while and see if I get any results. It's covered by insurance, so I have nothing to loose. She wants to see me frequently right now, so I have about 8 more appointments scheduled between now and mid-August. I'll report back when I have a more definitive opinion.
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Post by Karen on Jun 13, 2010 9:32:55 GMT -5
Interesting, eh?... I can only imagine!!
I hope she turns out to be a good one! I think I've mentioned, but I've seen three. The first two were only trained in internal work. I didn't see them for very long because I knew they were missing a big piece of the puzzle. But, the third one that I've been seeing is into visceral release. Since everything in your abdomen is soft tissue, she works to release any soft tissue that isn't moving around properly. She can even stretch adhesions so they are more flexible and work to eliminate them all together, just through manual manipulation. (I think it's along the same lines as Clear Passages, although that's much more intense.) So far, she's been fab! Although, I have to admit, I saw her last week and I think she did a little too much work in the right ovary area - it really unleashed some more pain after my appointment. It sucked. But with all the gains I've made, I'm not sweating it!
As I don't know much more about PT other than my own experiences, I'm interested to hear how yours is! Is it similar? Totally different? Keep us posted throughout your progress!! And GOOD LUCK!!!
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Post by Karen on Jul 1, 2010 17:51:37 GMT -5
I had a break-through today with my PT. My right side is all jacked up, and she was doing some internal work again but still finds that my pelvic floor muscles feel pretty normal, but yet I'm still having some pain on my right side. She had me sit a particular way and had me move my leg in the slightest way while she was still feeling internally and she said she felt my hip muscle really over-react, she said it was like a nose poking her finger, and that she's never felt a hip muscle that strong! She's convinced that during pelvic exams (and likely sex), the muscle is protruding so far out into the pelvic area that it causes more pain, that it's a trigger point. I have a feeling it likely explains my occasional leg pain, too, particularly after penetration... All this time we've been focusing more on my pelvic muscles and visceral release (which feels awesome, by the way!), but today, she really focused on what the surrounding areas are doing. And she found that my stomach muscles are doing next to nothing, so every time I move, I rely on my pelvic muscles and other muscles to pick up the slack and are waaaaaaaaay overworked. She's convinced that if I don't correct the stomach muscle and corresponding back pain, the pelvic pain will never go away. It was so cool to see the light bulbs go on in her head!
So, my next 2 appointments are with a PT that is a certified Pilates instructor. Since I do Pilates on a regular basis, she and I are going to work on doing the moves while engaging my actual stomach muscles and not my pelvic floor.
The other interesting thing she said is that when people hold a lot of tension in their jaw and forehead, once it's released, women can often feel a release of tension in their pelvis as well. Just goes to show it's allll connected when it comes to tension.
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Post by helinor on Aug 27, 2010 6:16:51 GMT -5
Okey dokey, so I went along to my appointment today with physio/accupuncturist and said I thought Pelvic Physio could be the way forward...I did not know about the internal thing! He (Joel - great guy) never brought it up so maybe we do things differently in NZ but he's given me breathing exercises and flexing type exercises to do which have nothing whatsoever to do with what you guys have talked about?? Slightly confused.
Do you think it matters? By the sounds of what Joel said today compared with the notes here it seems like it would achieve the same thing.
So also, have read the thread on accupuncture. Have never had it, think that's coming in the next session. All very interesting. Learning an awful lot, but the mood swings are fairly gnarly, I seem to go from stoked and elated about being so proactive (and finding this place and so being research-mad) to despairing that I will ever heal & have kids to bewildered and overwhelmed. I've had this disease for years but it's the first time I've ever really paid attention to it and figured out what's going on. Not really sure about the whole thing.
Also, I have an appointment in 3 days time with a craniosacral therapist. Sounded like a good idea at the time, turns out my osteo does this anyway. Should I travel the two hours (each way) and spend the $130 on the appointment or should I sit tight and give my osteo/physio/naturopath combo (no, dammitall it's not cheaper with all three!!! Should be run like McDonald's coz then I'd just order the happy meal with extra osteo!) more of a chance?
Need a bit of advice on that one. Not sure if I should cram it all in and try anything and everything or stop panicking and be patient. When is enough proactivity enough???
AAAARGGGHHH DAMN THIS DISEASE. It's all a bit much sometimes. And trying to run my own business whilst working a second job, and just got a list of fines to the tune of $1200. Why does it all happen at once I ask you??
Thanks for the rant, sorry it's all over the place. I only intended to come and talk about physio for crying out loud..and then it all just comes pouring out. Sheesh.
Thanks. Helinor.
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Post by Karen on Aug 27, 2010 6:24:39 GMT -5
Hmm, does he have training specifically for pelvic pt? If not, I'd suggest finding one that does. I went to two PT that didn't know what they were doing, and finally found one that did and that made all the difference! One of them had me doing exercises to strengthen my PC muscles, and it turns out that was the last thing I should have been doing! When you call up to make an appointment, ask specifically for someone that specializes in pelvic pain!
As for your other appointments, I can see how you'd want to get everything done at once, but if the funds are an issue, consider trying one treatment for a bit, then trying another, etc. That way, you can tell if one is a benefit or not, might be confusing to tell what's working if you have a few things going on. But that's just my two cents - do what you need to!
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Post by pretty on Aug 27, 2010 11:54:19 GMT -5
Helinor take a big deep breath. I have a really reallt great boss, she is about 4 feet tall with red hair, and what she is forever pointing out to our team is that "when we focus on something, it expands" simple I know but just mulling that over a couple times a day gives me a lot of perspective. so if you focus on something confusing, it is going to get bigger, crazier, and more strange before it calms down.... maybe this is too vague, but sometimes (she says) when something crazy is going on she just takes a step back from it until it possibly solves itself. so I apply this to my own search for healing, and when I run into a 'roadblock' I either stop and look at the scenery, or take a break from the path and give myself a time-out (in theory) while the universe takes care of its mysteries.... (how flaky do I sound this fine morning!) also, it's required of all new members to rant as much as possible, so keep-it comin!
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Post by Karen on Aug 27, 2010 12:30:26 GMT -5
Pretty, that's EXACTLY what I needed to hear today, having a rough day. Thanks for the perspective!
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Post by helinor on Aug 27, 2010 15:32:01 GMT -5
You guys are right, I did take a big deep breath thank you Pretty, and it helped. And, Karen, thank you. I'll just give it some time. Here's my plan below. (And also Karen, thank you for giving me sound advice even though you're having a rough day, big heart you've got, take care of it. x).
So, I'm going to postpone the craniosacral therapy, give Joel a shot at getting this right, (he feels like the right dude to be seeing, if you know what I mean), and just chill out for a bit. I'm doing loads, I guess, so that's probably enough for now.
Also, today is day 4 of a detox I'm on (The Ultimate Cleanse) so it's not entirely surprising I'm a bit all over the place.
Thanks you gals, for the constructive ideas. Breathing is key! I'm going to write it up on my blackboard in the kitchen and then I won't forget (as mad as that sounds!). You guys rule.
Look out for more rants...bound to be a load by the time the detox is over! H.
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Post by Karen on Aug 27, 2010 15:59:03 GMT -5
Ah, yes, detox brain, I know it well! Best of luck on that, I did a different one but felt SO much better! There's a thread around here somewhere...
So this guy knows his pelvic stuff, eh? I think I'd feel weird with a man PT!!
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Post by omaklackey on Aug 30, 2010 23:32:27 GMT -5
So I'm looking for a PPT and i'm trying to figure out how did you guys find one? Was it a referal or an internet search? I've tried the interenet search link on here and didn't get anything unfortunetly. And would one who is trained for adhesions also be trained for PPT, or would I need two different ones? I just read through all six pages of this so if I missed the answer somewhere...? My aunt lives in Alberta and there the doctors require all their surgical patients to get post surgical PT for adhesion prevention. How cool is that? I don't know if its just her doctor or what but I think its smart.
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Post by omaklackey on Sept 16, 2010 20:00:31 GMT -5
I have inadvertenly found a therapist. The only thing is he is someone I'm working on drama with. Is it just me or would anyone else find this awkward? I'm such a twit because I would feel so wierd working with someone after that. Is this just me? Would you get PT from someone you knew and saw frequently??? He is trained in breaking up adhesions though and we have such a small area that our options are limited. I would also be paying out of pocket since he doesn't take my insurance.
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Post by pretty on Sept 18, 2010 15:02:04 GMT -5
no, i would not do that, I would ask him to recommend someone. Then you will also have someone to talk about this with. I think it would just be too wierd, and if it was me I would stress out about it a lot (especialy considering where he would be working, it would just be too strange) my 2 cents. maybe, depending on what type of friend he is, how often you meet, etc, it would be ok... good luck!
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