I originally posted this blog post last August. I wanted to update you that things are better then they ever have been for me with Prolapse! I will be reviewing another form or workout that I have been doing lately that has helped me feel human, in shape and sexy again! Come back Monday the 3rd to see what it is!
Okay today I am going to talk about something extremely personal. I would rather not discuss this topic but will because I hate to think how many woman out there are dealing with my same issue, or one similar, and not know where to reach out or how. As a warning I want to let you know I will be using the names of female body parts which could be offensive to some people. If you are one of those people I apologize, close this post and wait for my next one. Here we go…
Two weeks after the birth of my third child I realized things were NOT normal “down there”. I started panicking and called the doctors office right away. I was terribly afraid that my uterus was falling down. In the doctors office I was told that my uterus was fine but my bladder had fallen into the walls of the vagina, a stage two bladder prolapse, medically termed a cystocele. Horrified and teary eyed I asked my doctor what it meant. He calmly and confidently said it happens to women occasionally and should be back to normal by the first birthday of my baby. My doctor is awesome, I appreciate him fully but he is not a woman’s health specialist he is a family practice doctor. He does not deal with prolapse all the time.
I left the office feeling confident but with so many questions. I was bummed it would take a year but was happy life would go back to “normal”. A few days after getting my diagnosis I was thinking about my half marathon goal and how soon I could start training for one. I have never done a half or full marathon, I had planned on doing one this summer. While researching I was curious about how long I would need to wait for my prolapse to heal before starting a running routine. The information I found was more then devastating, my soul lingered at my feet, my body tingled, I felt hot and heartache set in. I could find nothing positive about prolapse. I was reading that I would never run again and my body would never return to normal. I cried for weeks, I was afraid to walk, jump, pick my kids up, I was afraid my bladder would fall out completely. Depression hung around for months. The worst part is that I couldn’t workout confidently so the baby weight stayed on. I did not have the endorphin release from exercise that my emotions so badly craved. Running has always been the way I lose the weight and de-stress after a baby so this news only added to my frustration and heartache. Days, weeks and months went by with no idea what to do for myself. As time went on I started to feel better down there yet I was still to afraid to workout. Frustration filled every part of my being when I thought about how I would lose the baby weight. I felt lost and lonely.
One Saturday morning my Mom told me to listen to a local health talk show on the radio. She said they were discussing woman’s health. I tuned in and received a huge answer to prayer! Two women Physical Therapists were taking about pelvic health, how to heal, get stronger and how they could help! Since I found out about my prolapse I had been clueless as to if I should go to a specialist and if there was even one available. I knew there were physical therapists for these specific issues but heard there was none in my area. The following week I called and booked my first appointment. I have been working with an amazing PT ever since! SO it’s worth it to find a specialist if you can! I also just found out that a GYN specializing in these issues is in my area too so I have an appointment booked with her as well. All of these things have really helped my outlook for my future running passion and pelvic health. My PT has already told me to start running again. I am very excited about it! I will live with my prolapse forever but I can make it stronger, keep it from getting worse and not even know it’s there just by taking the advice from my doctor, PT and using my Habit DVD!
www.habit.com
In my searching for information about prolapse I ran across this website www.hab-it.com. It is a great source of information for all woman’s pelvic health and the DVD is fantastic! I use it weekly as much as I can and LOVE the exercises and the results. If I did not have a prolapse I would still be using this DVD, it strengthens your inners!
Prolapse is not just an “old lady” disease or a “birthing trauma” it can happen to anyone. It’s more likely to happen if you are older because of estrogen making the walls of the vagina more dry and weak. It’s also more likely to happen if you have a larger baby, as I did. It can STILL happen if you have not had one of those things. I read about a gal who had just had a great workout, did some crunches and “pop” she was never the same. YOU can prevent this from happening and make it better if you have one! The Habit DVD has exercises that you will learn to help strengthen your pelvic, lower body, and back region. It focus’ on correct posture and over all pelvic health. EVERY woman should know these exercises and practice them. This DVD is not just for a prolapse patient it is for any woman.
If you are struggling with prolapse and do not know where to turn to for help PLEASE email me at info[at]striveforprogress[dot]com I will be more then happy to help you find a physical therapist who specializes in these issues and doctor to help you in your healing and pelvic health. Be sure to go to Hab-it’s website and read more! Do yourself a favor and click on the link below it is time to invest in your pelvic health, order this DVD today! 
~Mae
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
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Thanks for all the info and for the courage to discuss this
Thank you it’s been quite the journey!
I have been hearing more and more about this lately! It’s kind of nice that people are able to discuss these things so people don’t feel so alone! Thanks!
Hylarie
Yes it can be very lonely that’s for sure! The word needs to get out so we can save more women from prolapse.
Glad you enjoyed the post!
Wow, thanks for sharing such a personal story. I’m so glad you are on your way to healing. I never knew such a thing existed to it was good to hear about it from someone with personal experience. I’m so glad you will be able to start running again, I know that is a great experience for you. Love you a ton:)
Yes I never knew about it either. I heard about uterine prolapse but never bladder. I do hope to keep running! Miss you and love you too!!!
amazingly encouraging story! i am sorry that you had to go through all of that! press on, sister!
Thank you Meredith! Whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right?!
I am happy that I can use my issue to hopefully help others.
Yes thank you for sharing I am so sorry you have been through the ringer. My mom and her mother have both had this happen and had surgeries which really did not work called bladder lifts. I have always been worried about this because of the amount of time I had to push my first out. If I do not win I will look into buying and glad you are on the road to feeling whole again.
Yes I will avoid surgery at all cost, there is no good surgical option for prolapse and from what I have researched most women end up having repeated surgeries. I would recommend looking into birthing strategies to avoid having one if you can. And this DVD will definitely help in a proactive manner! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. I am off to do more research on this!
Yes I hope it you find lots of POSITIVE info!
Thank you for sharing your story, in order to help other women! My mom is currently struggling with this same problem. The Drs haven’t given her much info or help. She’s been told if it doesn’t get better, she’ll need surgery
I am 25 with a 1 year old son. I would love to have 2 more kids, but this truly scares me!!! My grandmother had this happen too( but she had 9 kids)
I would love more info/links/ help that you can give!
Thank you so much,
Melissa
I am seeing there is a big need for more info. I will gather more information and post about it within the next week! Do not be afraid to have more children you can do it without having problems I highly recommend getting this DVD if you do not win
I am so glad you posted this. I am sure there are so many women afraid to talk about this issue and you can give them courage now!!!
Thank you love, I really appreciate your encouragement. I love you!
A close friend of mine is a PT who specializes in pelvic alignment and health. She has been showing me exercises and even given me a video (I’m not sure if it’s this same one) and I’ve been sort of brushing it off. For a good two years now… This post is a great reminder that a little bit of prevention goes a long way. Now, to get off my duff and find that video. Or maybe I’ll win this one!
Thanks for sharing. Isn’t it wonderful when God uses our biggest, most overwhelming experiences to bless others? We regain our footing and are freed from fear when we begin to focus on encouraging and inspiring others through these same things that we, at one time, thought we wouldn’t be able to bear ourselves. It’s not until you can honestly offer hope to others that you realize your own outlook has truly changed. What a beautiful process of healing. <3
It is so easy to take “prevention” for granted I know that all to well. I am still working my DVD and PT exercises into a routine, it take time. Yes I agree fully, if you allow the challenges in life to make us stronger then God can use us to bless others in amazing ways. Thank you! xoxo
Thanks for making this issue public! I took some Women’s Health coursework during PT school, but have not pursued it. I am interested in the content of the video and will definitely keep it in mind as a reference material if I do not win it.
Thank you Lora, the DVD is awesome, be sure to check out the website as well!
I love your information! I would love to have that wonderuful dvd! I am sorry that you have prolase but am very thankful that you are sharing the information and knowlage. you are wondeful! keep up the great work!
Thank you! I happy you found it useful! Good luck winning the DVD!
I had signs of this after my fourth baby and now I am pregnant with my fifth and worried. This DVD sounds great! Thanks for being willing to talk about it. The only people who seem to even know what this was is my mom and my midwife. All my other friends look at me like I am a little crazy when I talk about this.
It is very sad to me that so many woman’s issues have been “hidden” from society. These issues are real and what’s more frustrating is they are mostly preventable! I hope more women decide to start talking about the real issues we deal with so we can start preventing them and helping one another with them. Thank you for your comment.
Seriously huge kudos to you for talking about this publicly! I’d love to learn more about this and win the dvd as well
Thank you Tina, I felt funny as I typed my story but the sadness of knowing others are dealing with this without help pushed me to post it. Glad you enjoyed it and good luck!!!
You are an amazingly strong woman. Thank you for your bravery. It is people like you that help others to know that they are not alone, that they don’t have to be alone when dealing with a difficult issue. Thank you hon for being exactly who you are!
Thank you for your support Jami I truly appreciate it. Good luck!
Hey Mae. I know how hard it is not being able to do things you love (running, pick up your kids, jumping……….) it’s nice to hear that it is more common than most think. I was just referd to a PT for a similar problem.
I encourage you to go to the PT!!!
I know you’ve been saddened and down because of your “limitation” but it was brave to speak about it and smart to educate yourself and encourage the education in others. I think most moms can use a little more therapy and training of their pelvic muscles. Good luck on your running!
Thank you so much. I really was in a cloud from it but today is my first day back to running and I am so thrilled about it! Yes we need to reach out as women it’s so important.
Thanks for being brave and sharing this, Mae. I’m glad you found a solution and it’s good to know that there are ways to prevent or at least lower the likelyhood of this happening.
Thank you! Yes we can prevent and lower our rates of getting pelvic disorders that is for sure! Good luck!