Some kind of success...

Dear Maman, sorry you are so worn out, hope that things ease up for you soon. Are you getting enough help?

Such a good post on posture, such an important discovery. You are so right, and I hope others who think that it is hard holding posture will take heart from this post and realize that in time, with diligence, it will become the posture your body craves.

Now I have a story about the other end of the spectrum. When you've been doing this awhile, and you have lost all fear of your bulges, you can easily take all this for granted and get very lazy. My normal standing/walking/sitting (sitting at work, at least) is totally WW now and forever. But I'm still susceptible to collapsing into soft furniture at night before bed, and my diet has not been great lately so I've been letting myself strain on the toilet more than normal. Boy do I feel a difference. I know I can't get careless with driving posture, relaxing posture, diet/bathroom habits, exercise.....these are the things that seem to take turns going temporarily out the window. And I allow it because I get too trusting that my daily posture is enough. Sooooo.....extra mindfulness, extra firebreathing, in with the good stuff and out with the bad! Keep it up, Maman, and thanks for sharing this. - Surviving

Okay, "The Other End of the Spectrum" made me smile. Saw myself all over it. So true that on those "good days" you (and I mean me) tend to slack a little. Glad to know I am not alone on that. Thanks for the gentle reminder to all of us.

I thank you too for the reminder!!

Thanks Surviving60 for the confession. It came at the right time, I've been feeling so great and slacking off a little, so with your confession I realize we have to think of all this like brushing your teeth, something to do every day , like it or not, it has it's rewards. You help us every day in just right ways. Do you have that fire-breathing up to 5 min yet? There is such a beautiful rhythm to it that it becomes hard to stop. Blessings Free2Be

Oh!! I forgot to tell you the results of my experiment over the weekend. I decided I was going to start a timer and then see how long I could go before being overcome by the urge to check the timer (talk about setting the bar high, ha ha!). I got to a minute and 20 seconds, is that ridiculous? I find myself wondering, is my attention span becoming a casualty of age? But here's what I think is going on at some sub-conscious level: I don't want to pull out ALL the stops now, in case I need to ramp up my efforts further down the road. It's a mind game of sorts......thanks for asking! - Surviving

You ladies are always such an inspiration! I have been so successful with this up to this point that I have also been guilty of slacking off here and there. My hormones have been changing more and more with my periods, along with it my prolapse. For the past few weeks my cervix has been constantly sticking just out of the opening of my vagina, and I have been getting that helpless feeling back again. And then I read free1be and surviving a posts here.
I also have not been doing the firebreathing for 5 minutes, but just enough to keep her inside. Fear of the intensity or laziness. Who knows, but reading that Free2be is doing it 5 min. Twice a day made me feel a little foolish for not being more diligent. Thank you free2be!
I also thank you surviving! I hope you never stop harping about posture! We need the constant reminder.
So, I have had to regroup instead of freak out. I have this stiffer recliner that I would sit propped up with pillows at night, but was throwing it back way too much. Hubby took it out of the room, and got me a stiffer chair to sit in. He also got me a yoga mat that he folded over to sit on the floor so my poor achey knees can handle the floor positions easier. He has been such a support to me.
I am up to 3 min. firebreathing, and I didn't explode doing it! Lol! And, I am being extra diligent in my posture. Doing my whole woman exercise, of course. Those really help to strengthen and relax my body. I also ordered a v2 supporter, just in case I need the confidence while I pull myself back together.
Last few days have been better. Cervix going back in for a good amount of the time. Just got to get over this hump.
Thank you again ladies, truly, for always knowing when to say the right thing!

That rationalization of yours will get you quite a few years to reach the 5 min. mark with the firebreathing!!! After I read Hockey Mom's epiphany about the inevitability of things moving south, ---at your tender age would be wise to have something stored in the wings for that rainy day. Then on the other hand, if the 5 min 2X day, kept everything resting safely on the pubic bones, the muscle memory effect would be stronger all the sooner. Let's check back with each other on this one in 10 years and compare notes. (teehee)

Glad to hear someone appreciates my posts. Likewise enjoy yours. One thing that really helped me when I was really concentrating on learning the posture was refitting my car seat so I would always be in posture. This required purchase of some firm foam and an electric knife to literally fill in the seat and back rest so my body was at a perfect 90 degree angle, then wrap some fabric around both and fastening the back with stick-on Velcro. Just having a pillow in the lumbar curve is only part of the fix. I have a small lumbar pillow that I also stick in there after I' m seated. I have also adjusted my LR furniture. The more we stay in posture, the more our celes are happy. And the more they are happy, the more we are happy. My mom who had prolapse for 18 years and managed it on her own with a homemade harness (she could hold them in her hand) that my Dad designed for her played soccer at 80 with her grandchildren. We now have Christine and WW, and all manner of supporters if we need them on occasion, but what I wanted to say about my mom was one of the most precious of gifts she left me was a book called "As A Man Thinketh". Prolapse didn't stop her from enjoying her life, she made her "new normal" by thinking positive thoughts--- "as a man (woman) Thinketh so is he (she)".
After the initial shock that we have prolapses comes a decision on how we are going to move forward and live the life we have been given. It can be our chose. I find it helpful to have a priority list on those days that are not quite 'A' days, and when I see them in black & white on paper, there are many I move down to the bottom of the list. I would say to myself "If I don't do this, will I be dead tomorrow?" Being in the (OA)category, we do have an advantage with this plan, but we as women no matter the age sometimes push ourselves too hard. Well I seem to be on a roll, but always am hoping to uplift someone's day. Mochas gracias again for reading and responding. Free2Be

Well girl, I am definitely in a slump at the moment, so I think I'm going to escalate my FB plan. I figured out that when I'm under stress, a couple of things happen: First, I find that I can still catch myself with tension in the belly, even though I thought I un-learned that a long time ago. Second, I start to adopt an unwinding routine at the end of the day, where I collapse that spine into a semi-fetal position (to watch a movie, let's say) even though that position doesn't feel all that great. It's kind of hard to explain, but I'm seeing several things going on that I know are not good and are having an effect on symptoms. All of this just proves WW principles to me all over again. - Surviving

Free2be,
You are a true gem to have on this forum! Wise and gentle and knowing of women's hearts.
I knew I was going to have bad days with onset of approaching menopause, having read many posts here on the forum to ready myself, but as these changes progress and affect my prolapse more I started to go into a little tailspin, wondering what the hell I was doing wrong. After a tearful weekend with my husband driving around to different stores, throwing couch cushions on the floor, and moving out my dreaded recliner, I was beginning to feel hopeful again. And then I happened upon you ladies speaking so candidly, it almost made me cry. I am in the right place. I have done it before, and I will do it again.
Very ingenious car seat idea!
Thank you so much!

What ingenuity! What a visual I have right now ;-) Think I'll just keep that electric knife out after Thanksgiving and visit a craft store on Black Friday. Brilliant idea Free2be.
- AZ

Lol! Arizona! Are we thinking alike again!?

Probably ;-) Wonder if there will be a run on electric knives and foam this season? We need a secret code or nod. Won't this just perplex the poor cashier. LOL!!
- AZ

About the post the other day: You were right, I was wrong, I humbly apologize. Now off to feed my troops, they are giving me that look.
- AZ

Read that Christine is recommending cutting down on the driving. Does anyone know if this is because of the non friendly seat design or is it the vibrations from the car..? I thought I had figured out and solved the issue with the foam and the electric knife but maybe that's not the complete solution. Any ideas S60?k

My living room has 2 wicker pcs--a couch and a love seat both with loose seats and multiple back cushions. The wicker seat slants down to the back so I put some old towels under the rear section to raise the seats so they are level and I can easily sit in posture or lie in posture. I use lots of pillows to support the lumbar curve when I want to sit relaxed yet supported. It must have been hard to give up your recliner, but I think you could salvage it with using it in the upright position with lots of pillow support and maybe a Piece Of plywood under the seat cushion and an old towel at the rear to make the seat level. I have found that if I have firm lumbar support sitting upright can be quite relaxing. I am still struggling with some of Christine' sitting positions, can only do then for very short periods. Persistence will triumph!!! My dining room chairs are wood backs but they give me an opportunity to really relax in posture, sitting toward the front of the seat, legs apart, belly relaxed between legs and chest raised with shoulders relaxed. I could sit there for hours. Not always was this way newbies, in the beginning I got a backache after a few min. This is something you have to work into, little increase every day. It's an exciting challenge to figure out new ways to stay in posture all day long.

I went to a place that sells all kinds of drapery. & upholstery material as well as foam and they actually gave me pcs for free left over from big jobs--- something to investigate if you are on a tight budget. The pieces you need for the car seats are usually considered scrap to them. Doesn't hurt to ask. "We are women ,hear us roar."

Stress will do it every time how well I know. Taking care of elderly parents is not an easy task. How you manage to be there for all of us with parents and a job always made me think you were"Superlady". I guess the universe sometimes has to let us know who is in charge. We all are so human, fall down, and get up again and correct our course. You are an inspiration to us all my dear, so take care and know how much you are loved.

Hi Fee2be,
The recliner I had wasn't the usual huge soft ones you see, but was actually stiff enough and with pillows supportive enough. The problem was that it did recline, and I was way too tempted to use that option more frequently than I'd like to admit. Maybe if I had wrapped duct tape all around it to keep it from reclining would have helped! Lol! It was better to take the temptation out of the room. I am fine with my new chair, actually better than I thought I would be.
These changes we must make to be kinder to ourselves.

Here are a couple of good quotes from Save Your Hips by CK:

"The repetitive motions of driving while sitting in pelvic counternutation are highly suspect in the development of retroversion of the hemipelvis."

"The respite required to improve hip symptoms includes limiting common activities such as driving and sitting on upholstered furniture. Walking and public transportation prevent the constant hip flexion necessary to work the foot pedals of a car. Most hip disease in the United States seem to involve the right side."

Now I grant you that most of us probably can't eliminate much (or any) of the driving that we have to do. So it's important to provide good lower back support and protect that curvature as much as possible. - Surviving

Along with the changing of furniture, I wanted to tell you ladies my experience with the V2 supporter so far. I got in the mail yesterday, and it just looked like a big sling shot! When ordering it you are suppose to measure below the belly and then around the hips. I ended up getting the large one. I usually where extra large with everything else, but decided to give it a shot. It seems a little too big, so for you ladies who do decide to get one of these, you might want to go smaller.

I have to tell you, this thing isn't restrictive at all. And, you can slip it on and off faster than
underwear. It kind of reminds me of those old security belts we used to wear to keep our pads in place, except much wider elastic of course.

So, today I decided to try it out on my walk. I wore it over my underwear, but instead of wearing it like the picture, I ended up pulling the sides up over my hip bones. And the back straps straight up over either buttock instead of around. The front goes below the belly.
It gave me just enough support down there so I didn't have that hanging low or hanging out feeling.
Yes, it gave me the confidence I needed without interfering.
Got back from my walk, whipped it off, and jiggling and firebreathing.
Getting into that good place again! Yay! Just had to share....

Happy to read about this, AG, it's makes me more inclined to suggest it to our members, knowing it is truly WW-friendly! Thanks! - Surviving