Workouts are safe for women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction! [Guest post from Dr. Erin Williams, women's health physical therapist]

Workouts are safe for women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction! [Guest post from Dr. Erin Williams, women's health physical therapist]

Exercise can be an intimidating routine to pick back up after having pelvic pain or dysfunction. Fear of urinary incontinence (both urge and stress), increased pelvic pain or re-injury, or just feeling like you are so out of shape that you can’t even start a routine up again, can all be reasons women avoid exercise or returning to the workouts they used to love.

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Facing down "normal" pain after years of chronic pain

Facing down "normal" pain after years of chronic pain

It's so hard to accept any bad days after suffering so many bad years. I think that, as my pain continues to recede in my rearview mirror, that will become less challenging. With time, I expect that I'll even come to appreciate the occasional "down day" with some minor ailment. But for now, I'm desperate to enjoy my still-fresh health.

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My pain changed me, and I'm working to be OK with that.

My pain changed me, and I'm working to be OK with that.

I thought I could “start fresh,” making a clean break with my pain-riddled life and beginning the pain-free chapter.  But my reflection since my pain faded away have taught me that there are no clean breaks.  Our lives are fluid, and our experiences color us.  So today, I’ll admit that my pain changed me.  And I’m working to be OK with that.

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A few bad apples: Don't let a rotten provider stress you out (& find a better one!)

A few bad apples: Don't let a rotten provider stress you out (& find a better one!)

Sometimes, I leave a doctor’s appointment and think “gawd, that was an awful experience.”  And for most patients, bad experiences equal bad doctors.  The doctor may be brilliant, published, and well-respected, but if she’s rude, condescending, or freaks me out, she gets a failing grade from me. 

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I dropped an f-bomb at the gynecologist yesterday. Here's why.

I dropped an f-bomb at the gynecologist yesterday. Here's why.

I think we as patients would often be better off with no medical intervention. Because not all "intervention" counts as healthcare. And yesterday, while I saw a doctor and received an exam and had some tests run, I wasn't cared for. And it felt like shit.

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Graded exposure to work: How I did it with the help of some furry friends

Graded exposure to work: How I did it with the help of some furry friends

My months at the dog daycare were some of the most powerful in my recovery.  When I started work, I struggled with the basics – keeping a routine, maintaining enough energy to get to work, and learning new tasks.  The job was fun and challenging; it was manual labor, and it gave me confidence in my strength – and, importantly, in my ability to integrate my strength into my responsibilities.  Previously, I’d kept the two separate: my responsibilities lived in my laptop, which I used from the security of the sofa; meanwhile, my strength lived at the yoga studio, but I didn’t push its limits outside those walls.  This job, though, combined the two, and it taught me how to harness my energy and [literally] play well with others again.

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