Prolapse Question

Submitted by Natural only on June 19, 2014 - 8:13am
Body: 

I've been working on the Whole Woman Posture and my old posture is changing....for the better. I have a question about bending and prolapse. When I bend over to put my cats food on the floor, and stand back up...it feels as if I've pushed my prolapse further down. Has anyone had that problem? Also, sorry this sounds bad, but before I have a bowel movement, it seems to push my prolapse down....and it doesn't go back up until I've gone. I'm wondering if this might be due to lax muscles between the rectal wall and the uterus. If so, which of the DVDs would be the best to help correct it? I've been ordering Christine's items a couple at a time. I just ordered DVD #2 & #3.

Here's a little history on me: I had adrenal fatigue, and a doctor put me on steroids....supposedly for the rest of my life. With the help of another naturopathic doctor, I weaned myself off. I had steroid rebound for over a year. What didn't hurt was too tired to do anything....so I was very sedentary. Then, I've always watched my hormones because of working with so many wonderful ladies that have gone through breast cancer. I let mine get too low and lost the elasticity in my tissues (arms, legs, etc.). With the help of my endocrinologist...who has recommended Whole Woman to many of her patients, we're getting them back into balance. I've been fatigued for a few years, and didn't feel like doing much. Now, I seem to be coming back to my old self and am working to get back into shape and get this prolapse under control. I've read too many horror stories about surgeries to ever let that happen. Now I just have to trade my recliner for the floor....to sit on at night.

On a good note though, when it's a good day.....my prolapse stays where it belongs.

I have a vacation coming up in October and I'll be going out of state to help a friend at a state fair.....which means standing almost all day long. I'm trying to get prepared for it. Does anyone have some good suggestions on specific exercises?

Thank you for all of your help.

Forum:

Aging gracefully

June 19, 2014 - 10:40am

Hi natural only,
Bending over presents us with a great opportunity to help allieviate our prolapse symptoms! While down there do some jiggling, take deep breaths into your lower belly, and do some firebreathing, or even Christine's new belly tosses! This really helps me, especially on bulgy days.
Pressure from our bowels does put pressure on our prolapse. Try to keep from being constipated and don't force the stool out with straining. For the most part, it should come out on its own with very little pushing, if any. It took me some time to work through my constipation and straining habits, but I have been very successful just adopting the posture, and especially using the half squat hovering over the toilet. You really have to feel the bowel movement coming on before going to the toilet. It took time for me and repeated trips before I really recognized when a bowel movement was really coming on. Like brand new potty training all over again. With me, the straining really cause my uterus to be forced to the opening of my vagina, so I had to be conscious of which tube was doing the actual work down there. Amazing, but true. I really didn't know how to actually go to the bathroom properly.
As far as which DVD, they all strengthen the muscles needed to hold the posture, and they also strengthen the thigh muscles, so I can actually hold a half squat over the toilet.
Don't get me wrong, I do sit on the toilet eventually, but only in whole woman posture, leaning slightly forward.
Good for you getting off those meds. I weaned off them too with changing my diet, whole woman walking and exercise. It does take time to see the other side of it, but I can tell you that you can get there too!!
There was a thread about standing for long hours, but can't remember where it is at the moment. Christine was giving the advice to have one foot slightly forward and then switching to the other. Can't remember the exact details. If I or someone else finds it we will surely post it for you.
Best wishes to you!!

Aging gracefully

June 19, 2014 - 10:57am

Here is the thread on standing for long hours:

https://wholewoman.com/forum/node/6117

Great stuff!!

Natural only

June 19, 2014 - 11:27am

Thanks so much Aging Gracefully. I read the postings and will try the different stances. I won't have to stand really still, I'll be able to move around a good size space, so that might help a bit also. I appreciate the information.

When my prolapse stays low, I know it won't be long until nature calls. I don't strain anymore. I just let nature take it's course. I've done the jiggles and the fire breathing, but haven't heard of the belly tossing. When I'm in the restroom at work, and am doing the jiggles, I think..."I'm so glad the door is locked. If anyone walked in, they'd fall on the floor laughing." When I feed the cats, I'll do some jiggles and fire breathing before standing back up. I guess I'm in a hurry and don't think of it. I can't wait to get my new DVDs.

Thanks so much for all of your help. You ladies are absolutely amazing!

Aging gracefully

June 19, 2014 - 11:41am

Hi natural only,
These things do take time. I can't say I am symptom free all the time, but then I am dealing with a profound uterine prolapse. On bulgy days, I just have to work a little harder. Sure, it can be frustrating at times, but for the most part, I have been managing my prolapse quite well. And,a really good symptom free day is sooo awesome! I try to get as many of those as I can, and truly appreciate that whole woman gives those to me!
Hmm, wonder what my cats would think if I did some jiggling in front of them....

p.s. Doing some jiggling/firebreathing before/after toileting is good too for some of that bulgy feeling.

sevilla555

June 19, 2014 - 2:47pm

Hi AG,

When bending is it advisable to keep knees bent or not. Also, how does one jiggle bending over and firebreathe at the same time?

Natural only

June 19, 2014 - 2:57pm

Hi Aging Gracefully,
I'm trying to be patient, because I know it's going to take time to reverse my bad habits. It's just nice to know these crazy things aren't happening just to me. I'm like you, I really enjoy a good day when my prolapse is cooperating! I'm glad you suggested jiggling/firebreathing before and after toileting. That's a great idea. I usually only do them afterward only. I've had some really good days, but the bad ones seem to take more out of me. You're right, it does get frustrating, but if I can get to where I can manage it better.....I'll be happy. Of course I'm aiming for reversing it.....but realistically, I'd love to manage it and still be active.
I think my cats are secretly laughing at me. After I do the jiggles/firebreathing and I go to feed them, they won't look me in the eye!!

Aging gracefully

June 19, 2014 - 5:54pm

Hi Sevilla,
When bending over, bend from the hips keeping your lumbar curvature in place is what is important. Bending your knees is perfectly fine.
You don't firebreath and jiggle at the same time. First, bend over and do some jiggling, and then follow up with firebreathing.

Aging gracefully

June 19, 2014 - 4:45pm

Lol! Cats are funny that way! Wish I could take credit for the jiggling and firebreathing before and after toileting, but I believe our dear surviving came up with that.

Natural only

June 19, 2014 - 7:22pm

Hi Aging Gracefully and Sevilla,

Sevilla, thank you for asking about posture when bending over. I just realized that when I bend over to feed my cats, my back is NOT in natural curvature.....it's just bent over. The tush kind of tucks in...like it used to all the time....sort of like a clam shell. No wonder everything seems to fall out of place. I'm standing with everything above the vaginal opening, and of course it's going to fall down. Thank you so much Sevilla. It's amazing what questions or remarks turns the light on for us. I wish you all the best with your POP. I'm pretty new here and have learned a lot from these ladies. They're awesome, and so willing to help us. Good Luck!!

Surviving60

June 20, 2014 - 5:34am

Bending from the hips (not the waist) is something I still work on. If I'm bent over wrong and then I stop to correct myself, restoring that lumbar curvature without even standing back up, I can literally feel my organs moving forward into position over the pubic bones. There are so many ways in which the truth of this work is demonstrated to us as we go throughout our day. Once we learn the principles, they are self-evident, as Christine has pointed out so many times. - Surviving

Natural only

June 20, 2014 - 8:06am

You are so right Surviving60. I paid really close attention last night when I fed the cats and I wasn't bending, I was more squat/bending from the waist, not the hips. When I do that, it seems like everything in my abdomen pushes down, and my prolapse moves lower. I've thought it was so amazing that when I find myself out of WWP (I'm still working on that), and I stop...put myself in WWP....I can feel my organs moving back where they belong. And I've only been working on this a couple of months. I took an anatomy/physiology class and one thing I remember is that the instructor said that people who have braces to straighten their teeth have to wear their retainers for the rest of their lives or their teeth will go back to the way they were before.....the body has a memory. After finding Christine's website here, I'm rememembering that message and that the whole body...not just the mouth....has a memory of how we should be standing, sitting, functioning, etc. I definitely have to pay attention to every move I make until it comes naturally. Thanks so much.

Surviving60

June 20, 2014 - 8:14am

I believe that the body has a memory, and one of those memories is a memory of how we used to carry ourselves as children, before we learned to suck-and-tuck. Since adopting correct posture in my 60's, after decades of pulling in the belly, I feel that this old memory was still there buried somewhere. - Surviving

Fillygene

June 23, 2014 - 2:53pm

The body definitely has muscle memory. Plus, the Whole Woman posture is so much more natural - instinctive - than the suck and tuck. Luckily, I never really bought into the whole suck and tuck thing. I felt guilty and lazy because I did not attempt to hold in my lower abdomen, but it was just too uncomfortable and not worth it to me. And, tucking my butt just seemed too awkward and useless, especially since I have always been well endowed in that area. ;) That whole mindset is probably the main reason I do not find the Whole Woman posture so difficult. The hardest part for me is not letting my upper body collapse when I am sitting.

Surviving60

October 17, 2014 - 4:29am

I don't think there is any harm in this. The spine is very flexible and you can and should certainly take it through its full range of motion. I think Christine even does this on one or more workouts, rolling up slowly one vertebra at a time. But as you go throughout your day you just want to keep lumbar curvature in mind as you move. Especially when the bending is coupled with lifting.

After four and a half years here, I still sometimes find myself doing something sloppily bent over with a rounded back....if I stop myself right there and alter my bent position, I can literally feel the organs move forward quite dramatically. You'll experience this for yourself. - Surviving