My pelvic floor muscles are just fine :)

[ICLori]

Hi, guys, the physical therapist evaluated my pelvic floor muscles today, and we did biofeedback and all of that, and I don't have any pelvic floor dysfunction!

I am glad to know this, because docs keep trying to find other reasons for my bladder symptoms, besides my bladder. "Maybe the pain is from PFD...maybe it's endometriosis..." They don't seem to want to believe the photos of my raw, red bladder right in front of their eyes. Can't they see from the photos, that the pain is from that raw bladder??? Oh, well.

Anyway, it's one of the hoops I had to jump through on my way towards Interstim/bladder removal, to really prove the problem is my bladder and not something else, so I am happy to have jumped that hoop.

Blessings, Lori

[Katrina]

:woohoo: :woohoo: Congrats...I hope you end up getting the help you need now!

[Just Mary]

I'm happy for your nice, relaxed muscles.

[Iris5]

You may want to try getting a second opinion. My gynecologist and urologist both seemed to think that I did not have pelvic floor problems. I was already diagnosed with IC through hydro and had all the pinpoint hemorrhages. I went for biofeedback, and it just made my symptoms worse. I went for a second opinion to Dr. Brubaker, a urogynecologist at Loyola in Chicago, and Rhonda Kotarinos, a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor dysfunction in Oak Brook, and discovered that I did have pelvic floor dysfunction. I am now doing trigger point release physical therapy, and am beginning to improve. Getting your bladder out seems like an extreme measure - once it's out, you can't have it back. I've also heard of other patients report that they still had symptoms, even once their bladder was removed. Having their bladders removed did not stop their pain.

[JAMIEL]

You make a great point Iris5...I think that more women have PFD and don't know it. The uro that diagnosed me with IC did not even check me for PFD. I went to an IC specialist (one of the best in the country) and he diagnosed me with PFD as well. He says that it is so bad that most of my pain may be coming from the PFD. If I never went to the second doctor who knows where I would be right now. I am currently being treated for IC and for PFD (PT, valium, warm baths, etc). Treating the IC is not enough in my case!

Jamie

[Melanie]

For me, I got IC first and didn't have pelvic pain for awhile. Eventually I developed PFD because of all the IC and bladder ick (holding, straining, etc). PT has helped me tremendously. Because of regular PT, I know that some days/weeks, my pelvic floor isn't flaring or problematic. So if you notice pain with sex, you might want to get another eval.

But not all ICers have PFD. So hopefully PFD isn't an issue for you and Congrats!

[JAMIEL]

...oh and I did forget to mention that I am happy for you ICLori...it is nice to get good news once in a while! lol

Jamie

[ICLori]

Thank you so much! No, PFD isn't my problem at this point. No signs of PFD at all, no trigger points, etc. And really there is only one PT at WRAMC who does this so unless I move to a different post, I won't get a second opinion. She has the degrees, she is a PT, she ought to know (I am assuming she knows) what she is doing so if she tells me I don't have PFD then I don't.

And kegels don't do much for me - if anything they irritate my bladder - so no more PT for me...

Blessings, Lori

[Lyn40]

How is it that you are tested for PFD? My IC specialist tells me I don't have it.

[ICLori]

Well, my uro really thought from a pelvic exam he gave, that the problems were probably not so much pelvic floor, but he wanted an expert to assess it, and also to have the biofeedback machine used that measures whether or not my muscles are clenched, in spasm, or relaxed as they should be. Turned out my muscles are not clenched, or in spasm, and I have no trigger points, and my pelvic muscles appear to be in good working order, I have normal reflexes and I can do a kegel properly easily.

He just wanted to make extra sure that it wasn't PFD that was making my pain worse than it needed to be, before we get into drastic things like Interstim and bladder removal. You know, kind of double-checking everything.

I guess there are many IC'ers who do have some pelvic floor dysfunction along with IC, so it's important to rule out.

But I'm sure there are a fair number of us, who don't have PFD but are still in pain anyways just because our bladders are in such a bad state.

Never hurts to just have things ruled out, I guess.

Blessings, Lori