pessaries and doctors and good news

Submitted by ananda on August 28, 2012 - 7:02am
Body: 

I wrote previously about my decision to try a pessary, and that my doctor & one to whom I was referred were both pushing me to see a (male) uro-gynocologist who was hysterectomy-fixated (although my post menopausal organs are in blessedly good health) than pessary oriented.
So, I made a decision to be proactive & search for a compassionate female gynocologist who was comfortable fitting pessaries. My daughter's friend, a birth doula in NYC put out word to her network of midwives & doulas & I got back several names. I chose one who had a really informative & open-minded web site & was about 1 1/2 hours from my home. She was wonderful! She looked at Christine's book, had trained with Rosita Arvigo in Mayan massage, and was completely comfortable with pessary fitting, and hearing my concerns. She was also into nutritional & herbal remedies.
She was so good at fitting the pessary that she got it right on the first try, and so far I love it. She did admit that many gynos won't fit pessaries because they are uncomfortable with the them!!!!
She also did something my other Dr. never did. She used a mirror to show me what my prolapse looked like (I did that at home as advised in the WW book, but it was so great to have a Dr. guide me through what I was seeing - bonjour madame cervix!) and she told me what sort of prolapse I had, "classic uterine prolapse" which my previous Dr. never told me even when asked.
Note: this doctor did say I was a perfect candidate for a pessary due to my sort of prolapse, my flexible body, and my comfort with my girl parts. So may not be for everyone, as Christine & others have said. I think if you want to try one- look for a compassionate doctor who has experience with fitting pessaries. Midwives are a wonderful resource for finding someone.
I have to say all the work I have been doing with the Whole Woman book, tapes, this forum, etc. are what have made me be that comfortable and knowledgeable enough to have a discussion with the Dr. and to pursue trying the pessary. I intend to continue the exercises to tone those muscles and to stay comfortable and familiar with "down there." Meantime, the pessary has been a great boost to my confidence & physical comfort.
Thank you to Christine & forum again and again for all the support.

Forum:

Surviving60

August 28, 2012 - 7:14am

Congrats ananda! This is a great post, and you have touched on all the reasons why some women are better candidates to have pessary success than others. Looks like all the stars were aligned in your case! Wish you continued success, but please don't let wearing the pessary get you "out of touch" with your symptoms which might make you a teeny bit less posture-conscious as you go about your day. It won't be enough just to continue the exercises; you still need to guard your lumbar curve all the time. Wishing you the best! - Surviving

ananda

August 28, 2012 - 7:58am

Yup - I was thinking about that. I had some back issues a few years ago & the PT also encouraged consciousness about the natural female curve - so I have several reasons to be vigilant. Here's an amazing (or not so amazing) thing - I was sitting on the couch really slumping and being lazy & my back started to hurt like crazy. Was going to get up to take an aspirin, but first I sat into the posture. Away went the back ache - instantly!!! Anyway thanks for the reminder. I will keep up the work.
Love to you & all of us learning to live with this.

Nightbird

September 16, 2012 - 7:25pm

Its so nice to hear this story - of good compassionate wise health care and good results! I would be interested to know who the doctor is that you saw, if she is in the NY area. ?

discouraged

October 27, 2012 - 8:27pm

I'd love a follow-up on your pessary. Are you still using it, have you made any changes, did it cause any ititation and how did you manage. I have a uterine prolapse also. Thanks for your story.

Artemis

November 21, 2012 - 9:49am

Hello,
Can you tell me the name of this doctor and the location? I am having a hard time finding a good person to work with on the medical end. I am rhode island but at this point I would be willing to travel far for the right person.
Artemis