Pain after PT!! PLEASE read if you have had PT

[KatieB]

I already posted this in this section earlier but I'm getting really worried. I got the Isa Hererra book "Ending Female Pain" on Wednesday. I did a few of the basic yoga poses from the book. And since I woke up yesterday (Thurs) morning I have been having really bad pain. My vulva hurts (feels like muscular pain) and it feels like the muscles around my bladder are SO painful. I haven't done any of the exercises since then. I have been mostly resting and alternating ice and heat. I'm sorry if this is all a repeat of my other post, but I'm getting really concerned. I've never had vulvar pain and it has made beginning to pee so difficult. I'm trying to be patient with this but I'm holding back tears right now. I was finally making some progress and now I have different pain than I had before plus just my "regular" pain. I didn't do anything extreme!! I was only trying to do something that would HELP me and now I feel like I'm worse than I was before. Please, please, if you have done PT or the exercises in that book and you had pain afterward, can you please tell me how long it lasted before it got better. I'm just SO scared that I'm not going to feel better again. I really need some help with this. I don't see my uro until the 30th and I emailed Isa today and explained what was going on but I haven't heard back. Anyone with any experience?

Thank you!!

[meResque]

I'm so sorry, I don't have any advice, but I didn't want you to feel alone in your pain.

[suzannes]

Katie,
I actually got bad pain after doing the Kegles she recommended. I took some valium and flexeril and it helped. I also sit on a little rubber ball, about the size of a grapefruit and that seems to help stretch the muscles. I think if you tried sitting on a football that might work.

Suzanne

[bob04951]

So sorry Ms Kate, it's always one step forward and two back isn't it? You think you are doing something to help yourself and you get slapped. Sucks. The ball thing does seem to bring relief, Bob has one of the big exercise ones, it just seems to take pressure off, but then he is a guy with different "equipment." LOL May be worth a try, certainly can't hurt! Maybe you just moved some muscles around that haven't been worked in a while, and it will pass. Know I carried a lot of firewood yesterday and suffering today, but tomorrow will be better. Bob is active today (got his happy pills refilled) and he will be hurting tomorrow. The cycle continues. Hope you feel better soon, sure others will have lots of suggestions for you. Jill, wife of Bob

[ICNDonna]

With IC it's better to work with a real live physical therapist, rather than trying to get exercises from a book. That said, I'm in physical therapy for a shoulder problem and it's not unusual to have some discomfort for a day or two after therapy. My PT recommends cold packs --- no heat --- for inflammation.

Can you spend a session or two with a therapist?

Warm hugs,
Donna

[sailawaygrl]

There are 5 chapters prior to the yoga poses. It is extremely important to start at that beginning and read everything. She starts with very slow breathing techniques, then on to knowledge of your pelvis. Also she has one do what is called a reverse kegal downtraining series, many PTs do this, it is a good way to identify where the muscles are so that you can locate what you are working with. After you have accomplished that you move on to the kegals.

If you go back to the beginning and read through the book you should find some very good relaxation techniques for your pain. I find the child's pose release and the prayer squat to be the BEST relaxation for my pelvic floor. Try taking some warm baths a few times a day as well.

Many people don't realize it but yoga stretches are actually very effective at working your muscles. The poses in the book are simple but as she states they are specifically chosen to help with PFD. If you have any muscle relaxers they should help as well.

I had this book for 1 week and read almost all of it before I even started with the beginning breathing techniques. I hope this doesn't make you or anyone else give up on this book, it is excellent and has a great deal of information and helpful techniques. My PT costs me $70 a visit, I can't afford that, so this book has helped me a lot. It is also sold on the ICN, so I would say it is a recommended book.

I hope you feel better soon.

Sandra

[KatieB]

I am feeling somewhat better now. And I did read the chapters prior to doing those (I think 3 yoga poses). I don't want to give up on the book but it has scared me. I threw it (not away) but on the floor!! I'm sure I was a little over ambitious when I did those exercises as they really felt good, if they had hurt I would've stopped immediately. Anyway, thank you all for your support and the book is on the floor until someone else picks it up, lol. Right now I'm just going to enjoy feeling better.

And the PT in my "area" is over an hour away, I've seen her once. But that long of a trip plus the trip back home is just not possible for me right now.

Thank you all SO much!! My panic is slowly subsiding as my pain gets better.

K

[judy45]

First of all ICers should not do Kegels, so I hope you are not doing that. Long hot baths, a muscle relaxer or low dose valium (or suppositories) if you have them. I recommend that you either use a yoga instructor or see a PT. If you are doing something incorrectly (and it is hard to follow from a book) you can just be causing more harm. good luck

[123456]

Yes, ICer's should NOT do Kegels!!!! That was the first thing my PT told me. We have to work on relaxing our muscles down their first. I've been going to PT for over a year and I now only have to go every other week. I feel pretty normal most of the time. PT does hurt at first but you'll start to feel better and better over time.

[izazen]

My PFD therapist told me I had to do Kegel's but I don't do them as they hurt -in the beginning squeeze. I was just thinking about starting them up again.

I have moderate IC and atrophic vaginitis.

[sailawaygrl]

This thread is a few weeks old and I believe Katie is doing very well right now. It is true that ICer's aren't advised to do kegals at all. Some PTs do what they refer to as a reverse kegal, it is not the same thing so don't freak out if they mention them. I had a pt tell me we were going to do them once and I was at the ready to tell her no way! LOL.

Izazen,

I reverse kegal just has you barely tighten in order for you to distinguish where the muscle you are trying to relax is located, then you consciously attempt to relax that muscle but not by pushing. It is tricky to do. Maybe you can talk to your pt about those.

[icgennifer]

Hi Katie,

I hope you're doing well now

When my pelvic floor muscles go into a spasm I find that valium suppositories are very effective and helpful! I put 1 in when Im laying down. They "melt" so that's the best position.