Ok to put bladder bulge back in?

Body: 

My 81 year old mom is suffering with a recent prolapsed bladder that seems to have gotten worse since she has been going for physical therapy.Her pelvic floor physical therapist tells her to put her finger in her vaginal opening and push the bulge back in place.The therapist keeps her finger in mom's vaginal opening to make sure she is doing the exercise correctly which makes my mom feel sore internally.My mom also now has bleeding hemorrhoids.My mom's bladder is fine during the day but at night it wakes her up and her urine gushes out and she gets her nightgown wet even though she is wearing a pad.Any recommendations for protection and any advice on these matters would be greatly appreciated.

Hi SPK - Frankly, no 81-year-old needs to be going to a pelvic floor PT. Most of our members who have tried this, have not been helped, or, like your mom, have gotten worse. The traditional and very flawed medical model of a pelvic "floor" as a basket of organs with a hole at the bottom, results in treatment options that are kegel-based and do nothing but aggravate the situation. The fundamentals of Whole Woman address the pelvic anatomy more correctly and aim to get the organs out of the vaginal space by moving them forward.

Before I understood what was going on down there, I used to push my 'celes around with my finger. It didn't do me any harm, but it was a completely useless endeavor. At her age, I can see where it would irritate the tissues. I would suggest you stop the PT. These "exercises" with therapist's finger inside are doing nothing to help. Women have been completely sold a bill of goods about kegeling.

If she is physically and mentally still in good shape, you might consider the WW video course for elders for your mom. Gentle exercises that can help her learn how to keep the organs forward in the relaxed lower belly. If she can get down on hands and knees, or elbows and knees, she will be able to feel this dynamic for herself.

As for the nighttime issue, you might want to get her up every few hours to use the bathroom, instead of waiting until the last moment when the strong urge wakes her up. If she lives alone and there is no one to do this, maybe something more like a pull-up than just a pad, will give her more confidence when she goes to bed. - Surviving