Pelvic Health & Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Addressing your questions about pelvic, women's, and musculoskeletal health. Health is a journey. Movement is healing!
So we are in the final countdown leading up to my second scheduled excision surgery. New town, new surgeon, new plan. I have so many emotions leading up to this procedure. My first surgery was November 2019 where I was diagnosed with stage III endometriosis impacting my right ovary, ligaments, nerves, and ureter. The surgeon indicated postoperatively she had to "fillet" my ovary to remove the endometriosis and that she could not remove all of the disease. The recovery from the first surgery was tough. I ended up in the ER twice and had to go to do a second MRI postoperatively. I had a few months of relief, but then my initial symptoms of pain came back with a vengeance. Cue the second act. I am scheduled with an endometriosis excision specialist in St Louis in the next few weeks.
I am now in this wild emotional ride of fear, hesitancy, anxiety, and hope. I hope that this is the procedure my body needs to remove all of the endometriosis tissue. I hope this is the last surgical intervention I need to start my healing journey. But even with these hopes I also feel a sense of dread and fear. I very much remember how difficult my first recovery was. It is not something I am looking forward to reliving in the next few weeks. What if they don't find anything in my surgery? What then is causing my pain? What if the surgery does not help, but worsens my pain? I have been reading a lot of success stories from other patients who had a second surgery with my physician. That helps to ease my anxiety a little bit. I've been trying to get myself physically and emotionally ready. These past few weeks I have been organizing my house, almost nesting if you will. My endo box of resources is ready. List of these items below! I have been strategically buying comfy clothes throughout the past year for my recovery. I am filling my space with items that comfort me and bring me joy. Treating myself with Trader Joe flowers, a new candle, soft blanket. Mentally, I have been talking with my counselor. I am doing preoperative and chronic pain meditations. I am filling a journal with my thoughts and feelings. After surgery I plan on going for walks, working through my Netflix list, embroidering, and reading a few books I just ordered from the library. Also starting to play with the idea of creating my own wellness and health coaching business, so stay tuned for that! If you have any other suggestions for things I should do after surgery to support my healing please let me know! I would appreciate any prayers, good vibes, or healing energy you can send my way this month. As promised my endo go box: -Heating pad for shoulders -Ice Pack -High waisted underwear (1 size bigger) -Cotton Pads -OTC stool softners and gas meds -Biofreeze -Pillow for protecting incision site in car -Abdominal binder -Toiletries Other endo items: -Pregnancy Pillow -Loose fitting dresses, sweats, shorts -Peppermint Tea -Ginger Turmeric Tea -Squatty Potty -Compression socks
Endowarriors is the sisterhood of women who share the symptoms and diagnosis of endometriosis. One in ten women is estimated to have endometriosis (1). Endometriosis is when the endometrial lining of the uterus begins to grow on other organs and tissue outside of the uterus. It can cause pain with periods, pain with intercourse, infertility, pain with urination and bowel movements during menstruation, GI upset, fatigue, and chronic pelvic pain (1). Oftentimes women with this diagnosis are delayed in getting treatment because it takes so long to identify what is going on. True identification involves laparoscopic surgery to identify endometrial growth . Women with endometriosis are at a higher risk for developing ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
The treatment available for endometriosis targets the symptoms and effects of the diagnosis, but not the cause. It slows the progression. With so many individuals with endometriosis we can do better. March is endometriosis awareness month. If you have been diagnosed with endometriosis make sure to surround yourself with a support network. There are lots of options through twitter and facebook as well as online forums if you would rather not find a local group. http://endometriosis.org/support/online-support/ https://www.facebook.com/endowarriorssupport/ https://www.facebook.com/endometriosis.support.diet.tips/ If you feel you may have symptoms consistent with endometriosis talk with your physician. It is important to be open about the symptoms you are experiencing.
References:
1. ​https://www.acog.org/ Sorry for the hiatus from blogging! I've been settling into my new place and job, things have just been a little bit on the crazy side. Anyways, lots has been going on.
So what's new? I recently went to another continuing education course on pelvic health physical therapy. We dove deeper into more complicated topics on gastrointestinal pathologies and pelvic pain. Remember all of those important muscles of the pelvic floor? They can impact your ability to have normal bowel movements. They have to lengthen for pleasurable intercourse. They also play an important role in a variety of pain diagnoses felt in the perineum, back, and legs. Chronic Pelvic Pain is described as pain in your pelvic region lasting longer for 6 months. The Mayo Clinic tweeted just this past week that 39% of women will experience Chronic Pelvic Pain at some point during their lifetime. This is just the number of women currently reporting their symptoms, so the number of women actually experiencing pelvic pain could be much larger. Many women just don't know who exactly to turn to for help. I just want to say that there are a lot of ways to help manage that pain and Pelvic Floor or Women's Health Physical Therapists can help patients with not only this type of pelvic pain, but many diagnoses. You see when our body experiences pain A) the muscles form a muscle memory and B) the muscles tighten and guard against the pain. If that pain stimulus does not subside our body continues to become more sensitive to pain triggers so smaller triggers elicit a greater pain response. This is true for ANY aspect of our body, including the muscles of the pelvic floor. So what does mean for an individual experiencing pelvic pain? A Pelvic Floor or Women's Health Physical Therapist can help you lengthen and relax your pelvic floor musculature, give you techniques to encourage more positive connections between the brain and muscles, and help to desensitize the area.
Chronic pain can be life altering. It is complex in nature with multiple variables and subtleties that contribute to it. Pain can be difficult to treat and manage. Women's health related pain conditions may require a myriad of Physical Therapy, medication, counseling, changes to diet, and other treatments.
There are a number of conditions that can cause pelvic pain. Here is a list of just a few examples:
A women's health PT can help you to manage pain related to many of these conditions. They can help to address the restrictions to the structures of the anatomy, educate you on self stretching, oscillatory exercises, massage, and techniques to properly engage your pelvic floor (just to name a few things). A women's health PT will help guide you through how to properly modulate your pain and give you techniques so that YOU are in control of your body. Sometimes the most frustrating part is finding the right practitioner to diagnose your pain or refer you to women's health PT if your state requires a referral to visit a PT. It can at times be an isolating experience for a patient if they feel their experience of pain is not being taken serious or properly addressed. Please rest assured that you are not alone. Many individuals experience pelvic pain, however, that does not normalize the pain. Pelvic pain is not a normal experience with urination, bowel movements, intercourse, sitting, exercise, using feminine hygiene products, or wearing pants. You should seek treatment. Just because you are a woman does not mean you have to grin and bear pelvic pain. I encourage you to utilize the Section on Women's Health PT Locator to find a PT near you if you are experiencing pelvic pain symptoms. They can help get you connected with the appropriate resources or schedule you for an evaluation.
http://www.womenshealthapta.org/pt-locator/
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AuthorHello! I am Caitlyn, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Board Certified Women's Health Physical Therapist working in St Louis, Missouri. Faculty in developing residency program. Endowarrior Categories
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July 2021
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