Thank You

Submitted by Hopeful81 on July 3, 2017 - 11:26pm
Body: 

Hello everyone, I just wanted to say thank you to Christine and this forum for saving my sanity. I'm only 35 and had a terrible cold and cough five weeks ago and felt something pop during a coughing fit and felt a big bulge at the front of my vagina. I had a difficult labour 4 years ago with epidural and third degree tears and I have had the WORST posture for a while now! I was dx with a stage 3 out of 4 prolapse (especially when I coughed during the exam) by my local general practitioner the morning of discovery who referred me to a Gyno and the gp also told me to Kegel in the meantime.

Initially I didn't find this forum until after I googled 'why are kegels hurting' after initially finding and following the Kegel Queen program religiously for 2.5 weeks. I was crying in pain each night and having issues with peeing and it was getting worse and worse not better.

I found this website and the rest is history. I stopped kegelling immediately and downloaded the prolapse bundle and everything completely resonated with me at a deep, fundamental level. I actually was teary watching the part about dr's experimenting on women for surgery. I have been taking longer, slow walks each day in the best WW posture I can and rememembering to change posture as best I can, sitting on floors etc, firebreathing when I felt different down below and also every day when I wake up and go to bed I do some lovely moves from some of the videos including more fire breathing. My son loves it too as I take any opportunity now to crawl on the floor and play with him at the same time. Getting on all fours when I've felt bulgy has been amazing!

I know this is long term work and I am committed. I also know I am a newbie but if anyone is reading this and new like me please STOP kegelling especially if it's hurting. Once I understood the anatomy from the WW videos it was a massive aha! moment. Also Christine's tip on coughing to bend at the hips I found reading the forum was a game changer and I don't care where I am if I need to cough badly and sneeze I drop what I'm doing and bend at the hips. Interestingly I had sought help with posture over the years and it was all slightly confusing (and I realise wrong!) so I'm so happy to find the WW explanation that makes sense.

Out of curiosity I kept my appt with the gyno yesterday and I've had only a small bulge and very little symptoms since starting WW work a couple of weeks ago (after spending a those initial weeks after discovery thinking a water balloon would explode and a dragging feeling which got worse after kegelling)...and she did all the embarrassing things like telling me to squat and bare down while she digitally examined me. She disagreed immediately with stage 3 and said at worst my bladder is a 1.5. I know organs are very mobile but I believe in my heart of hearts that diving immediately into WW work has led to early improvements. I completely understand that to continue with this progress that I must commit to this for life and I do and I urge anyone in doubt reading this to give it a go. My gyno suggested physio but it's obviously something I'm not interested in and told her kegels were AWFUL for me and I prefer WW. The good news out of this is that she did a complete exam of my tears and recommended a natural birth (previously I had been told the damage was bad and would require a Caesarian but that was following the birth 4 years ago). She said to me my vagina has healed nicely for my next pregnancy so I'm stoked.

I feel so, so, so grateful I've caught this now and I can transform the way I view my body as a woman and my posture. Christine's own photos of her posture journey was another aha! moment for me as it basically described how my posture has progressed. I just wanted to share my beginning journey and say a heartfelt thank you to Christine and to all the ladies here on the forum. What a blessing to have found this site! I no longer feel broken, I feel empowered and hopeful (and more in control of my body) that with continuing WW I will keep my organs where they belong to the best of my ability through my next pregnancy and beyond. I wanted to share my story so far I know I'm only beginning but wanted to share especially my experience of kegelling.

Forum:

everhopeful

July 4, 2017 - 1:41am

I think your story is great and similar to mine altho I am a lot older. I have felt saved by this site since I found it 3 years ago. I would love to share this story on other prolapse sites where they tell me WW must not be mentioned because it does not promote kegels! It is a shame so many pple do not find WW and so resort to ops which ruin their lives and r high risk compared with WW lifestyle which makes so much sense but has much to offer if only pple would read the site posts ,articles and ask the questions they need answered. This is also the best working site I use and I am useless with computers!

Hopeful81

July 4, 2017 - 4:21am

On reflection this site came up in my frantic searches in the beginning but I was so in the mindset of kegels that until I was in physical pain and worsening symptoms it was only then that I 'found' it. I am so glad of your similar experience! It's been such a journey in such a short space of time! I was extremely overwhelmed with information from various online personalities/physios etc.

I didn't expect such a profound shift in my thoughts towards my body but I am welcoming it. I am also extremely grateful for the shift in symptoms in such a short space of time but I know when I haven't walked as much or been as mindful my body is already telling me I need to remember. I am seriously in absolute awe of the work Christine has done...especially in the face of such a biomedical world. The information on the forum alone is astounding!

I feel sad that other forums don't allow WW to be mentioned it makes so much sense on the levels of mind, body and spirit. My GP said "don't worry it can be fixed easily with surgery" - I'm so so glad that I now understand the importance of the womb and feel so grateful this information is available to me now.

Best of luck for your ongoing WW journey too and thanks so much for your response. I will never do another kegel again! The pain for me was absolutely unbelievable and my peeing became dysfunctional. I feel so thankful I was able to realise it was the kegels rather than just thinking I was simply stuck with a worsening prolapse and that I didn't attribute my increased symptoms to the prolapse but rather the kegels were the problem. I'm looking forward to more WW progress and thanks again to the wonderful ladies on this forum.

Texasgal

July 4, 2017 - 7:11am

Oh my gosh! I don't belong to any other sites on prolapse but I am totally blown away by some people's closed minds. I guess I was drawn to Christine's work because it is "outside the box" and just makes sense. It also WORKS! I have been practicing WW for about 10 months. I was diligent for the first few months - of course - and I got so much better I forgot I had a problem that needed to be attended to daily. The last few months at work have been grueling long hours of sitting at the computer and then a 45 minute drive home, so all together some days 11-12 hours of sitting. Couple that with constant tension and I found that I was always tight through the abdomen. And guess what....major bladder drop and prolapse. When I discovered what my discomfort was I panicked (again). Then I re-visited my videos and, for 3 days, almost every time I went to the bathroom, I did fire-breathing. I got down on all fours and rested a few times a day and did the 1st wheel exercises. Guess what? My bladder is no longer protruding, and all the other "celes" are better as well. I encourage everyone to keep following the guidelines and "remember to remember"!

Aging gracefully

July 4, 2017 - 7:21am

Hopeful81,
This is a beautiful post and a must read for all newbies coming here! Gaining a full understanding and really immersing oneself into this work really does have these kinds of benefits.
Really awesome and thank you so much for sharing with us!

Hopeful81

July 4, 2017 - 5:02pm

Out of curiosity again I've searched other forums again and now I am even sadder that this work is dissed or written off as 'strange.' It's interesting to read and I can understand why old timers become protective and passionate. It's because WW works. The fact that the biomedical world has our anatomy wrong is enough for me. This information makes sense and the fact that my organs are falling backwards not down makes complete sense in my symptoms!

Particularly on the surgical posts that have popped up on google - I am so grateful I have questioned my worsening symptoms with kegels. The women on the whole are describing awful symptoms and worse after repairing, depression and the body rejecting the mesh etc. I have such empathy especially because a few women have said that their doctors provided very little information and after the post op period have basically said have another repair or you're on your own. I actually went back and checked the Kegel Queen site that I paid $300 for (yikes!) and she has WW on her list of sites but caveats it with people being negative and not welcoming. I have found the complete opposite in the posts and every time I searched things like coughing, sleeping, fire breathing etc there is so much information generously offered by the women, Christine and also the free resources here. I am not knocking her program but I am knocking kegels because of my experience. I'm telling all my girlfriends and even my husband has been amazed at my progress because basically I was depressed and crying, couldn't eat and felt so ashamed I had prolapse at 35.

The proof is in the pudding for me in a very short space of time. I don't usually write like this on forums but I feel if I didn't share I would be doing such a disservice to my experience around Kegels. I am already a very open person around the mind/body/spirit connection so this has resonated with me so much. I hope anyone on the fence reads this and takes the plunge I see the money I've spent here a huge investment for preventative health.

Thank you aging gracefully! I really appreciate your kind words. My life has done a complete turn around and I will be forever grateful to the women who have shared their experiences such as you. I think our modern world is lacking a tribal experience where stories are shared around women's circles. This site for me has been the next best thing.

Aging gracefully

July 4, 2017 - 4:55pm

I just love reading your posts, Hopeful81, and agree completely about the connections we have lost. Please keep posting, as your message will be so inspirational for those that are struggling.

Hopeful81

July 4, 2017 - 5:17pm

I'm so glad you have had this early experience too! Thanks Texasgirl I'm sure there will be times for me too down the track to make sure I'm on track - your post gives me so much hope! I have been so pleasantly surprised by the immediate changes I can only imagine the long term benefits as I continue :)

Hopeful81

July 4, 2017 - 5:19pm

Thanks again aging gracefully! I will be sure to post especially when I fall pregnant again! I feel so much more at ease and I can only wish that other new people can dive in and experience a relief in symptoms.

Aussie Soul Sister

July 5, 2017 - 3:37am

Hi Hopeful81,
Welcome to WW and thankyou for your post.
When I was told to do pelvic floor exercises ( what we call it in Aus), I found that they gave me constant urinary urgency, so I gave them up.
Just knowing I didn't want surgery, I put up with rectocele and hip problems for 17 yrs before I foundWW.
IMMEDIATELY I adopted the posture, the hip instability and the start of painful crunching hip concussion stopped along with knee pain climbing stairs, and everything was prolapsing more and that was helped as well.
That is 5 years ago now and what a journey of healing and self empowerment it has been!

Thankyou for sharing and may your WW journey be filled with healing, and blessings and so many of those aha moments that I have experienced.

Much love and best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

everhopeful

July 5, 2017 - 4:22am

I try to help other women by explaining the amazing work that Christine has done to find a safe and logical way to live with prolapse and other problems and telling them to read this amazing site.
However it is incredible that pple just do not believe me and I do not think they bother to learn from all the reading there is here and videos etc.It is so sad that so many women r missing this gem of an answer and then spend the rest of their lives trying to get back to the health they had before having operations which the doctors recommended. there is more scientific explanation here than many women r given by their doctors but still they have the ops.I think I should just worry about myself but Whole Woman could give a whole lot of women good health for life if only they were prepared to give it a go! Sorry about that rant but I actually just meant to ask if I could use a screen shot of this page to show others why I am not alone in leaving kegels out of my routine!

Hopeful81

July 5, 2017 - 6:29am

Thank you for your warm welcome :) I am Aussie too but must have mainly been exposed to the Kegel language for some reason with health care people who have crossed my path since the birth of my son. "Just do some kegels" my GP said which in hindsight wasn't a huge help!athough I do have a vague memory of seeing a hospital physio that gave me some random pelvic floor exercises four years ago. It's probably why I found the Kegel Queen first and downloaded the online program as I started searching kegels.

I am so hopeful after finding this forum and Christine's work. Only today I was having a few issues with constipation and low and behold so much information for me after a quick search including the LoPo! Gosh what an amazing resource!!

Thank you so much for your blessings and I wish the same right back at you too for your ongoing journey. I have found many of your answers and posts on the forum so helpful when I was madly reading and I'm so happy you have your health back.

I seriously cannot express my gratitude enough because it's all the trail blazing women before me (including those who have had so many issues with their surgery and spoke up) that will change the trajectory of my pelvic health into my future.

Hopeful81

July 5, 2017 - 6:44am

I understand what you mean I am only new here and still learning and while I have been previously doing other forms of exercises (I now obviously focus on doing exercises from WW videos and other safe exercises in day to day life like squatting, bending etc that I thought/was told was bad for my knees! And exercises that I can do in posture and my body responds positively etc) I think a lot of people still are not ready to hear it so I'm working out how I can best articulate it in person when faced with professional questions/disbelief in future (my good girlfriends though are all ears thankfully!). Eg my gyno said only a women's health physio will fix your issues not the 'gentle' work you are doing now.

For me it was the act of doing kegels on my back as per the Kegel Queen program and sustained 10 second holding that blew my prolapse out even worse the more I did it. Looking back now my prolapse got worse very quickly doing those exercises following advice to just Kegel the morning of discovery. The bulging feeling got so worse but I said to myself this must be what prolapse feels like!

Again, I know it's still early in my journey but the other thing I find empowering about this work is the knowledge of things I can do while in posture and having the courage to stop/say no to exercises that hurt. I was so shocked when I came across running and jumping in the videos as I thought jumping/running was such a no go on any level. But again made sense with explaining posture and belly rolls after etc and this knowledge is empowering.

I am beginning to understand now that there are so many exercises I can do safely if in posture from the videos and reading forum posts. Even Christine explaining that holding children correctly can stabilise muscles and strengthen them gave me a flood of relief because here I was thinking holding my current and future children was doomed.

I think the difficulty for people new to prolapse is the overwhelming amount of info on the net and our society's reliance on the biomedical model. That's part of the reason I posted - im still learning but at least I can share that sustained kegels hurt me and made my symptoms worse.

Hopeful81

July 5, 2017 - 6:48am

And please pull me up if any of my understandings of WW way are incorrect - I'm still learning :)

Surviving60

July 5, 2017 - 7:44am

Hopeful81, I just wanted to add my welcome, and to commend you on your excellent grasp of basically everything that this work is all about! You will still have your ups and downs, but you are empowered with the knowledge of why it happens and what to do about it. Prolapse no longer casts a shadow over your life, and that is the biggest gift Christine has given us.

So many of us have come up against the politics of prolapse. I myself have the distinction of having been kicked off of Yahoo Answers about 4 years ago. But I know of at least two people who came here because of my posts. So it's OK to keep nudging people. If even one open-minded person decides to check us out because of something they read elsewhere, then it's worth it. We are saving as many as we can. Experiences such as you have shared are a priceless part of this effort. - Surviving

Christine

July 5, 2017 - 12:18pm

Dear Hopeful81 and All,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences and validation of the WW work. I am very grateful, since from the beginning - almost 15 years ago! - this forum has been all about giving each other strength and courage to stabilize and reverse these conditions. Believe me, I’m just as much in awe of the work as all of you and feel like somehow it is flowing through me. I’m just a conduit and am extremely grateful.

Today I’m working on the last module of the new Hips course. My oh my, is orthopedics ever in a pickle. The poor souls (I'm talking about the surgeons ripping out hips left and right) have been fabricating and covering up vital information for over a century. Such amazing things have fallen into my lap…like the 100-year-old x-ray with an old caption describing how the image had been altered and that 9 out of 10 images of the pelvis in the turn-of-the-20th-century orthopedic literature are “faked up.” Astonishing!!!!

I spent many years in dialogue with Louise (of Lo-Po fame) agonizing in conversations like, “Can all of gynecology, urology, and orthopedics *really* be so terribly misguided??” Now I can say with utter confidence, “Yes, not only can they be, they most certainly are!”

People are afraid of truth-tellers. Stand tall in WW posture anyway and always shine your Light!

Christine

Hopeful81

July 6, 2017 - 4:03am

Hi Christine and Surviving

Thank you so much for both of your kind words. All I am doing is relaying to you the life-changing impacts this has had for me in approximately 3 weeks now since I started. I am still very clumsy and remembering to remember but gosh this stuff works. Even today, I played a bit too hard with my son at the local park and had some pelvic heaviness. Straight away when I got home I did firebreathing, stretching, crawling and some jiggling and then took a long walk being very mindful of posture in the afternoon - symptoms completely gone tonight. However, the empowerment comes from knowing that I CAN do things.

You are such a trail blazer Christine and your dedication and commitment to not let your work go in the face of such huge medical opposition and incorrect documenting of the female pelvic organs is so inspirational. At the risk of sounding like a WW groupie - I think you and the village of woman you have created is amazing.

On a whole, society is so lacking with connection and narratives around 'women's business' so it's so comforting to know I can jump on line when I am feeling like my prolapse has gotten the best of me and remind myself that I am not alone in my struggles (and find so much information, strategies and compassion whilst I am at it).

Thank you and blessings to everyone!

Hopeful81

July 6, 2017 - 4:05am

And yes surviving that is a huge badge of honor to be kicked of yahoo especially if it brings a couple of women to this amazing place :)

P.S. I still haven't got the LoPo down but I am trying!