How soon after hyster can you do yoga DVD (1st wheel)

Welcome to the forum. I’m sorry for what you went through. The possibility of cancer puts women in a difficult position. You did what you had to do. I believe you’re at a great advantage post-hyst since you already know and practice posture. I would think the physical demands of trying to return to natural posture for the first time, many years post-hyst (not to mention all those years of sucking and tucking) creates an enormous challenge. With your knowledge and experience you have a better chance of keeping those organs forward, even without the uterus to help pull them. You will be protecting your hips at the same time.

I would say, follow whatever guidelines your doc has given you with regard to exercise. Definitely don’t push yourself beyond what feels right. That being said…..I can’t imagine anything better than some WW yoga to get you back to feeling good. Please keep us posted on your progress! Hugs to you - Surviving

Hi Coping,
Yes it's entirely understandable to undergo surgery in those circumstances. We all do our best to do the right thing. I don't think any of us should beat ourselves up about the choices we make. We do the best we can in the circumstances. We can't do better than that!

You don't say how recently you had the surgery. Basically whenever you start, start ever so gently. Gently, gently ad go from there, taking care all the way. Integral to yoga is self awareness and listening to your body. Go slow, breath gently and work with awareness. Never go beyond your limits. Work within your limits. If you can;t do what's on the dvd, modify it, do something gentler. E.g if the instructor does something with straight legs but it makes you legs hurt, then bend the legs - go to a point where you feel the stretch but no further... Gently work the body, work to your comforatable limits but no further. The same applies to the breath. If your breathing is laboured then you're pushing yourself too much. The breath needs to be soft and slow and at ease. Yoga is for health, it's not a competative sport!

You may find a yoga dvd easier to work gently with than the wonderful but rather aerobic dance exercises.

When to start? If you're luck enough to have a WW practitioner nearby then a consultation and personal practice would be good. You could start off with a very gentle and appropriate pace and practice. I had a caesarian years ago and it was a very gradual process back to full health (although I was literally never the same again. Can't put you toe in the same water twice in a river...) The dvd wheel of yoga 1 is a good starter yoga dvd, but you may have to modify it, go slow etc and take all the time you need to work up to some of the posture work. Initially you could start with some general gentle exercises.

Hope this helps,
wholeowmanukx

Hi Coping, I too have had the hysterectomy. My suggestion would be to make sure you are keeping the posture every moment you can. This in itself can be a challenge after surgery...and even though you are 4mo post op, if you have been slumping/slouching during recovery in a comfy chair (aka, silent killer chair--lol) your back will have become weakened and the posture a challenge. Now if you are able to keep the posture during daily regular activity, I would go back to the 1st DVD--FAFP and work the dance like movements since you are already familiar with them. I would however NOT take both legs off the floor at the same time as done at the end of the workout for the cool down, but just do one leg at a time. I would hold off on the yoga dvd for a while longer...maybe until you feel very comfortable moving to the above. As far as regrets and beating yourself up...waste of time!!! I say this b/c I've been there, done that (still am at certain moments, ugh) and it really doesn't help us at all. We just move on, support and encourage one another. Hugs...

Hi Coping- I have never seen a chiro so my question may seem dumb, but that's OK. What is it exactly that the chiro might do? Are we talking about help with posture, or some specific hands-on treatment or massage to the area? - Surviving

Coping, I do understand from my readings here that some chiropractors recognize the importance of lumbar curvature in posture, others maybe not so much. Just be aware. - Surviving

I am not knocking chiropractic care, because I myself have gone for years to keep my back from falling apart from the hard labor I was engaged in, but I haven't been to one in two years now, amazingly.
Especially because this last year I have really delved whole hard-idly into whole woman posture, whole woman exercises, and whole woman walking I haven't had those issues that used to take me to the chiropractor in the first place. I don't know if it is just a coincidence or if whole woman practices have actually helped me to the point I don't need to go anymore.
I do still get at tweak every now and then, thinking chiro first, but then those exercises stretch me out enough for it to go away again.
As for chiro helping prolapse, that would be a nice addition, but i haven't heard of this. Maybe it is that certain chiros have an understanding of the true form a woman should actually be standing in. Mine never made me aware of this aspect; he would just tell me to get a different job!

not sure on the chiropractic thing, but would encourage you to make sure the abdominals are not overly tight as this causes pressure on the bladder (so maybe massage to the abdomen?). I know my abs are very tight and I must be as diligent with relaxing them as I am with keeping the good posture. I really love the sequence on the FAFP dvd that has us holding the baton overhead while doing leg gestures. It allows length through the torso without overuse of the abdominals. Sometimes I will just grab the baton if its handy (or a towel, belt, anything light that I can hold overhead and put light pressure pull outwards with the hands) and hold it above head in posture and sidebend, twist and move the legs freely just to work out any stiffness/kinks from the day. :)

AC, this is a good idea for all of us. I myself do a fairly good job of keeping my belly relaxed, but lately I seem to be getting this shoulder tightness that is telling me that I'm spending too much time in certain work positions, and not enough time up on my feet keeping everything long and strong. Something about this time of year, I think. And these sub-zero temps. I can't seem to loosen up! Anyway thanx for the suggestion. - Surviving

Hi Coping - the healing process after hyst is something I can't discuss with any degree of knowledge, but this what I think: You will need to work hard on keeping the remaining organs forward, and it's probably best to start sooner rather than later, as long as you are gentle and let your body tell you when to ease up. Doing the WW work is important after hyst because the pelvic dynamics are greatly altered. You will need that lumbar curvature more than ever in the years to come. Don't be afraid. Taking action is a great antidote to that fear. Loosen the belly, and pull up tall and proud. Be gentle and good to yourself. We are here for you. - Surviving

This is a great place to vent, and your anger is justified. But you sound like a strong lady and it's never too late to take back control of your body. There is no question, the medical profession does not serve women well when it comes to pelvic health. We can only hope that each generation of women will be more informed than the last. Before the internet, we were putty in hands of doctors who preyed upon our fears. Anyone who had managed somehow to research her own condition, was met with scorn by her doctor. Things are different now, the information we need is available to us, yet doctors still have the power to undercut our own instincts about what is right for us. I personally have never discussed my prolapse with any doctors. I don't believe I could sit there and hear what they have to say without raising a ruckus! Keep coping. And keep posting! Post-hyst members who are having results with WW work are an incredibly valuable resource for our forum. - Surviving

The exercises in the dvds help strengthen and support all the muscles and tissues that support a strong WW posture. If you are staying in posture all the time, and if you do the exercises gently and in good posture, it should do nothing but help your situation.

I don't know much about vaginal vault prolapse, only what I have learned from WW, and to be perfectly honest I have not heard of pessary discussed as a possible solution. If you are seeing a gyno you might want to press for more details as to what type is recommended for your kind of prolapse, because I wouldn't want your gyno to be making suggestions totally off the cuff that have no basis in reality. Docs never do that, huh? (ha).

Even Christine has pointed out that a severe vaginal vault prolapse would at some point probably require surgical repair.........So this might be a case where you can keep that thought in the back of your mind while still working towards a goal of non-surgical management. Aging Gracefully has written many posts about her good luck with the V2 supporter with significant uterine prolapse, so this is definitely worth checking out.

Finally........ keep in mind that many docs are just not giving good information and assessments of what is actually going on in there. A comment can trigger an avalanche of worry needlessly. Your vagina might be doing just fine! Have things been feeling different? Trust yourself.

On the other side of the coin, I could sit here and try to say "posture fixes everything" knowing that is not necessarily true for every situation. The bottom line for you is to keep up with gentle but very diligent posture work, with these other options sitting quietly in the background for now, where they need not cause you too much stress. Even the possibility of surgery isn't as bad at 74 as it would be for someone who was going through this at 40 or 50....given the typical life span of a repair.

So be joyful and get on with things, and take plenty of time to nurture yourself in all ways. - Surviving