Starting point

Submitted by Hopefultoo on July 6, 2017 - 5:02pm
Body: 

Hello all,
This is my first post so please excuse anything I do wrong, and please let me know if I do. I am 72 years old and have had some moderate stress incontinence since having first of two big babies (one at 26, one at 42), the first under anaesthetic, the second natural, both with an episeotomy. In the last year stress incontinence has progressed to prolapse, mostly of uterus, with a little bladder and rectocele as well. I have tried a Gelhorn pessary which worked well for all but the stress incontinence, but ended up causing some bleeding. I went without anything until vagina healthy again but uterus was prolapsing until almost outside of the vagina, and was causing problems with bowel movement. My gyn then switched me to a dish pessary with support, and that is helping to the extent that nothing falls all the way down, and BM's and peeing both work reasonably well. BUT I would really like to get rid of the pessary and use this WW program to make things work. I now have the Saving the Whole Woman book, the First Aid for Prolapse DVD and the baton, BUT I am feeling overwhelmed by all the info and am hoping for some guidance.
The WW posture seems like the starting point, along with the firebreathing, and something called Naula which I did see somewhere, but can't find now. Also I've seen reference in the forum to "jiggling", but I've no idea how to do it. All of these seem to aid in getting uterus and bladder forward into belly which I am sure I need to work on. My back does not have much of a lumbar curve.
This may seem silly, but I've spent a lot of time on line on this website, and my posture sitting at the computer is pretty poor! None of the sitting positions in the book seem appropriate. What do people do that work at a desk all day? (Thank goodness I'm retired!) Is there a recommended posture for sitting at a computer?
I feel like I should get these things mastered before moving on to the other exercises. Any advice most welcome. Thanks in advance.
Hopefultoo

Forum:

Surviving60

July 8, 2017 - 8:51am

There were some great posts on this thread, which were evidently lost last night in a server crash at WW. To me it appears that everything posted on the Forum yesterday is gone, including at least one new topic that I can recall. I believe Lanny will be checking up on the status of things later on. - Surviving

Hopefultoo

July 11, 2017 - 12:31pm

Fortunately for me, but not the trees, I printed your first (now lost) response to me Surviving60, and it was very helpful. As you suggested I have been concentrating on WW posture, relaxed belly, lifted chest, et al, and have started back on my walking again. I was surprised that things did not fall right down as before, so my posture efforts seem to be helping. I have to remind myself (it seems like) hundreds of times a day to maintain WW posture. But hope eventually it will become second nature. Thanks again for your response.
Hopefultoo

Surviving60

July 11, 2017 - 3:59pm

I'm so glad to hear this. Wish we hadn't lost the discussion. - Surviving

Hopefultoo

July 24, 2017 - 1:18pm

Hello again. Would really appreciate some more advice. Have been working on the WWposture and seem to be having increasing difficulty relaxing my belly. I can relax it initially, but as soon as I move on to the other aspects of posture my muscles seem to tighten up. Also find it hard to relax belly when bent over trying the fire breathing. Seems silly to have so much trouble relaxing.

I have always done quite a bit of walking, but recently have problems with everything sliding down as soon as I try anything near a vigorous walk. I saw my gynocologist and had the pessary removed because I wasn't sure whether things I felt were because of it or because of the new things I'm doing. It seems like the force I exert on my heels bounces things (mostly uterus and bladder I think) down and it's pretty uncomfortable. Now I wonder if I should have left the pessary in, and if I can do any harm by continuing to walk with the bulging occurring.

Any advice most appreciated.

Surviving60

July 24, 2017 - 4:18pm

Relaxing the belly was the biggest mental block I had when starting this work. There's nothing to do except just remind yourself all the time until it becomes largely automatic (which it will, but that can take awhile, as all new habits will). It may be that you are a chest-breather, which many of us are (or were)....work on keeping your breathing lower, and maybe the relaxing will come easier.

I don't think you need to consciously relax your belly while firebreathing. What you DO need to do consciously, is to get the breathing sequence correct. I had trouble here too, as I tended to reverse the breathing, because I too was a chest breather.

What all of this takes, is practice practice practice.

I've never worn a pessary, but I can well imagine that if you are used to something propping things up, you will be worried by the bulge because you aren't used to it. The organs move around all the time, and you needn't fear or be bothered by your symptoms; they are there to provide feedback all day long. I basically taught myself posture by serious mindful posture walks. At first, they didn't feel that good. But I kept going and eventually discovered that if you're standing and moving correctly, long walks actually make the symptoms less. The first time this happened was a huge epiphany for me.

Have faith and patience! Give it time and effort and you will see what we're talking about. - Surviving

Hopefultoo

July 25, 2017 - 5:03pm

Your comment about not necessarily having to relax belly for firebreathing was really helpful. I found it very hard to both relax my belly, and to allow my lower belly to expand toward the floor, widen sit bones and lift tailbone. I think I'm getting it now! I don't really have a problem with the breathing sequence, so will keep on keeping on.

I'm trying not to be impatient, but do find myself longing for the days when my only problem was leaking a little pee when running. If only those kegels had really worked!

Thanks again...

Hopefultoo

August 23, 2017 - 4:45pm

Have been working on these three things for a little over a month now, and don’t feel like I’m making a lot of progress. I feel like the firebreathing and the nauli (not the counterclockwise option, but the in and out one) come more naturally to me than the posture, but the posture is the most important! So I relax my belly, then chest up, shoulders down, back flat, chin tucked, imagine being pulled up by string at crown of head. By the time I do all that my belly is no longer relaxed! I often feel like I’m pushing my belly out rather than just relaxing, and I suspect that’s not the right way to do this.

I do try to take walks in WWposture, but even if I start out first thing in the morning with things relatively in place, by the time I walk a block my cystocele bulge is right down at the vaginal opening (I no longer have a pessary). Sometimes I can encourage the bulge to slide back up just by bending over, but after doing that a time or two it doesn’t work anymore. Should I just ignore it and keep on walking? I can’t help but be nervous that I might cause more problems.

I have watched the First Aid for Prolapse video a few times but have to admit I’m a little discouraged there too. The first part of the beginner workout involves sitting on the floor with legs folded under you, and there is no way I can do that, and I wonder if it could be my osteoporosis making that so uncomfortable. I creak and crunch and charleyhorse, before I’ve even let my weight settle. Is it ok to skip things that don’t work for me, and pick and choose some exercises that do?

I'm probably being a baby, but any advice much appreciated.

Still Hopefultoo

Braveheart

August 24, 2017 - 2:22am

Dear Hopefultoo. I can relate to your experience of getting discouraged when you walk and feel the bulge after a short distance. I too feel disheartened by this but maybe we can encourage each other to keep practising the posture and exercises (the ones we can) and see where we are in a few months.

Surviving60

August 24, 2017 - 5:24am

I believe at this point you just need to simplify. For example, I have never tried to teach myself nauli, I find it a little confusing and I'm saving it for later if I should decide I need an extra tool. Basic posture, firebreathing, mindful walking and good daily habits will get you a long way. I had my most notable improvements in my second year of this work; it is vital to remember that there is no "cure" per se, and no quick fix for prolapse; this is maintenance, and it is extremely effective at allowing us to return to a normal active life without fear. Once you really come to "know" your cystocele and realize that nothing is going to fall out, that your actions throughout the day have a huge impact on your symptoms......your attitude changes dramatically.

So first and foremost, teach yourself to keep that belly soft. That was my downfall at the beginning. Once I made progress there, I added lifting my chest, so that I wouldn't have that pot-bellied look, to get that sleek profile that WW posture gives you. In those days, walking was the one and only time I would try to put ALL the elements together. I too thought it was making things worse at the beginning, but I discovered that if I was completely mindful of posture, the longer I walked the better I felt. If a long walk seems to make things worse, you need to take a good hard look at things. If you can't keep your belly relaxed, then nothing you do is going help.

As for the exercises, yes, do what feels right and skip over what doesn't. There are certain moves where your posture and breathing sequence are absolutely essential, so be sure to pay attention there.

A little over a month.....that is a drop in the bucket. Give yourself time. Get down on elbows and knees and feel the organs settling into the belly; visualize yourself keeping that basic dynamic going when you stand up. - Surviving

Braveheart

August 24, 2017 - 10:45am

Wonderful advice thank you

Hopefultoo

August 24, 2017 - 12:16pm

Thank you Braveheart and Surviving. It's wonderful to post something one day, and next morning there are encouraging words to lift your spirits and give you good advice! Will keep repeating soft belly, soft belly, soft belly, and try to visualize things staying in place. Visualizing and mindfulness do not come naturally to me. I much prefer action, but I suspect that's just looking for the easy way out. Will continue to work on the faith and patience too. Thanks again.

Braveheart

August 25, 2017 - 1:20am

Yes! My new mantra these days is also "soft belly, soft belly, soft belly." I'm not going to expect myself to master all aspects of the posture at once andI dont have to be a perfectionist. One step at a time.....Wish you a lovely day.