New to ICN ? about PT

[JulieA ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close JulieA]

Hello my name is Julie I am new to ICN,finding it very helpful.Suffered with out a diagnosis for most of my life was seeing a urologist in Lancaster PA for 8 yrs finally saw another for a 2nd opinion and he sent me to Dr Kristene Whitmore (who I love),She did reconstructive surgery,pelvic and bladder,my bladder had herniated thru abdominal wall mucsle& had attached to the wall,she did an awesome job that is when she confirmed the IC with the ulcers,I am now taking Elmiron,ibuprofen800mg,amrix15mg,hydrocodone5/500,prilosec20mg,valium supp ,estace cream ditropan5mg,cromolyn petrolatum and bladder instillations 1xwk,my question or concern is about the internal PT,Im supposed to start on fri for hightone pelvic floor muscle dysfunction,and I have no idea what to expect and Im getting very anxious and fear it will be too painful since sex is like 10 for pain.any info would be greatly appreciated Thanks Julie

[nanawaggs ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanawaggs]

Hi, Julie....I can fully understand your anxiety about the PT. I felt the same way, but honestly, they handled things so "clinical" that it's no different than any treatment other than it's quite "private" indeed. It's my understanding from literature I've read from the ICA about PFD that the internal therapy should only be done as you can tolerate it and may need to begin with external first. That was how I was treated.

The key to most treatments regarding our IC/PFD is relaxation. Prayers that your therapist is experienced with IC and you feel the results quickly.

[JulieA ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close JulieA]

Thanks for responding Ginger!

Thanks Ginger, still thinking about it.I had a reaction to the estrace cream and now I have that pain on top of it all ,so maybe I will wait until that is clear.Thanks for the advice,Julie

[skybluesoul ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close skybluesoul]

Hi Julie, I'm also a patient at Dr. Whitmore's office. (I didn't have a great experience with her as you did, but I love the NP that I see there.) If you're going to do PT, I'd recommend seeing Raven Sims with Body Rebuilders. She is amazing! She's very nice and really knows what she's doing. I had PT for a long time somewhere else (for more than a year all told), and it didn't begin to fix my problems. I saw Raven for 4 months, and I'm so much better. Most days, I feel pretty normal, and I'm able to have sex with very little or no pain. I do the exercises at home every night, and they have really changed my life.

Pelvic PT is a bit strange at first, but you get used to it. If you experience relief, you'll be convinced very quickly to keep it up!

[Barbm ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close Barbm]

Do not be scared! Think of it like an yoga class for your vagina. Go slow and let them know if you are in pain. Pelvic stretches worked great for me.