Tip to encourage elimination

Body: 

Hi all

My physio gave me this tip (not much else apart from standard pelvic floor exercises and an ill-placed tampon pessary) and she also gave me the literature that explained it so I kind of got it.

Basically there is a muscle or nerve or something (sorry my anatomy is totally bad) in the sphincter linked to a muscle in the lungs.

When sitting on the toilet waiting to void (preferably with your feet raised and in WW posture)put your hands around your rib cage and breathe in so that your ribs move out at the sides and out at the front. When you do this, you will feel your sphincter open and waste move down and out!

I swear by this. Everytime I'm struggling to eliminate I do this and it works. It said in the literature if you have a prolapse and are having difficulty voiding do short breaths as described above in succession to move things along (I guess what it meant is that we have to do extra work but I've rarely had to do this).

Make sure your breathe is deep and long.

Enjoy!

(please don't get mad if I have my anatomy wrong, or have described something that seems incorrect physiologically. As I've said, I can't remember the actual anatomical details (I was loaned the literature so don't have it), but just wanted to share because it REALLY works for me).

Hi fc12

No, I do believe you are right on the little nerve thingy in the sphincter. I did some reading about breathing the other day, and discovered that the pelvic floor muscles do have a role in breathing, so it sounds logical. Can't remember where I saw it.

Will give it a try myself. Goodness me, aren't we a clever bunch, coming up with new stuff all the time!

BTW, the anatomy of the pelvic floor is not easy for most of us to get our heads around, because it is so 3D, and it changes, depending on what position we are in. Viz even the gynos don't understand it!! ;-)
I think doctors choose to examine people lying down because it creates a standard body configuration that they can all visualise in the same way, which relates to all the horizontal anatomical drawings, which were done from very horizontal cadavers that did not sing or dance at all! Unfortunately, their horizontal model limits their view of the mechanics of the all-singing, all-dancing human body, and limits their thinking too!

I suggest you get a copy of Saving the Whole Woman, 2nd edition. I am always referring to it, even after 5 years of having it on the shelf. The anatomical diagrams were drawn specifically for the book. There is also a very useful glossary in the back so you can decode medical language more easily. Having a good understanding of what happens in your pelvic region is the only way to be able to live your life with POP. If you understand and can visualise what goes on you are in a position to amend for yourself the way you do almost anything physically, so that you can do it without causing symptoms. It give you the freedom to do what you want to do, with less (, sometimes no) symptoms and free of fear.

Fear is the big monster to beat. Knowledge is a slayer of fear. Once you have it licked a lot of the stress (and the constipation) just melts away, and you can enter a new positive headspace, heartspace and body-space.

Louise

I actually have the Saving The Whole Woman 2nd edition and have used it constantly since discovering my prolapse(s). I must admit that I tend to skip all the anatomical stuff. I have two degrees in English Literature - science just isn't my thing!!!

Having said that, I know you're right - I will feel more in control and more empowered if I know exactly what's going on anatomically. I'll have to set aside a few hours to sit down and read it again - it takes me so long to get my head around this stuff. I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box!!

Cheers
fc12

Hey, what's all that stuff about the pen being mightier than the sword? Life wasn't meant to be easy. Get into the challenging bits! You will gain much better understanding of your body. (I do know how you feel though. If I had to watch Shakespeare or read English poetry to gain an understanding of POP I would be in your shoes. Forget it!)

In the same way that you cannot do critical analysis of a piece of literature without understanding its components and how they fit together, then go on to apply your conclusions to a work of your own writing, you cannot create the the best 'rest of your life' in this body of yours without understanding its components and how they work together for the physical functioning of the whole. There will be Aha! moments after the hard reading.

I betcha you are just as sharp as any of us. It doesn't take about five years to become a doctor for nothing, you know! You don't have to understand *all* of the anatomy, only the bits in the book. Then you can look for more if you are sufficiently interested. Nah! Just reward yourself with a novel when you have mastered your new anatomical knowledge.

Cheers

Louise