Preventing & relief of pelvic floor flares? MS and IC?

**happygirl** · 08-10-2009, 03:06 PM

Hello, This is my first posting. I love this website! It has made such a difference in my life!

I was diagnosed with IC 2 1/2 years ago...and I feel foolish that I just recently saw one of Jill's videos and learned that there are 2 kinds of flares...the bladder wall (more food related) and the pelvic floor flare (vibration, tension, extended sitting). I didn't know about the PF flare...of course it makes more sense now!

I have the little red pill (don't have the bottle in front of me for the name) for wall flares, but I don't have anything for the pelvic floor pain...except a heating pad, limited driving with a pad, and limited sitting...Like you , I have a life to live.

I have a urologist appointment in a couple of weeks to ask about pelvic floor flare relief and prevention. I'm curious to hear from your experiences...

1st question...what can I do to prevent pelvic floor flares?...(I'm really disciplined about my diet thanks to this great website, so I feel I have some control over the wall flares.

2nd question...any suggestions on a muscle relaxant. I've never taken one before and I'm curious what is recommended and what the typical side effects can be.

3rd question...I have RRMS. Anybody with MS and IC? Any advice?

I'm usually a really positive and happy person, but I have been in a PF flare for a week now...and I'm feeling discouraged...I am a primary teacher and I've started tutoring this summer...I love it, but I think the extended sitting is causing this current flare.

Thank you so much!

**loveslife** · 08-12-2009, 03:49 AM

Dear Happy Girl,
I'm replying to your post in the hopes that this will get it bumped up and maybe some one with the info you need will respond. (It seems that some of our posts get lost if they're not on the front page.).
Since you have RRMS are you in remission at this time? I hope so as this IC is tough enough to deal with! And you're tutoring right now!?
I just have chronic joint pain and this IC has sent me over the top. I'm not working at the moment but I used to tutor and that was before all of this happened and I was fatigued then!
Anyway, hopefully someone will come along and give you some answers.
regards,
Cynthia

**Poppystock** · 08-12-2009, 06:51 AM

Nice to meet you!

I am still awaiting diagnosis (tomorrow) but also suffer from MS (mostly numb/ tingling limbs).

Best of luck,
Emily

**Goodnightmoon** · 08-13-2009, 08:56 AM

Hi Happy Girl!

I have not a lot of experiences, but from what I read there are a few things to help with PF pain:

- sitz-bath in hot water (100 degree) for at least 15 min (my favorite, because I can completely relax and read a good book, while my PF muscles just relax all by themselves!)

- lay down, put your legs/feet on a chair in a 90 degree angle and wrap yourself/PF area in a blanket. The heat is supposed to relax the PF muscles just as with the sitz-bath.

- try the IC pillow for long driving/sitting

- and I hear a lot of good things about physical therapy for PFD

Hope this helps! GNM

**Cassaundra** · 08-13-2009, 10:38 AM

Hey, I hope you are feeling better and

I have PFD. To answer your questions:

Q:1st question...what can I do to prevent pelvic floor flares?...(I'm really disciplined about my diet thanks to this great website, so I feel I have some control over the wall flares.

A: PFD results from two things: weak pelvic floors, or too tight of pelvic floors. My PFD was caused the by the constant chronic pain I was in. My body tried to protect itself by "pulling" in. It got too tight and I could not get it to relax without the help of phys. therapy. It does help by the way.

-Try taking hot sitz baths.
-Abstain from sex for a while.
-Try P/T. This does help.
- Try to "de-stress" or learn how to handle stress. I catch myself when I am in pain or stressed out. If I don't it starts to "pull" up.
-Stay away from jarring exercises, such as jogging. Don't forget staying away from abdominal exercises, such as situps/crunches. This places more stress on yorur pelvic floor.

2nd question...any suggestions on a muscle relaxant. I've never taken one before and I'm curious what is recommended and what the typical side effects can be.

There are several such as Flexeril, valium, etc. I do not use them as my doctors tell me they do not help. However, other members on here seem to find it helpful

3rd question...I have RRMS. Anybody with MS and IC? Any advice?

I do not have this. However, my ailments and meds are listed below.

Hope you feel better!

**babybuns** · 08-28-2009, 05:04 PM

Hi!
Pelvic floor dysfunction seems to be my main problem right now. GO FOR THE PHYSICAL THERAPY!!!!! I have flomax my Uro wants me to try but I'm a one thing at a time girl. Try one thing and eliminate it and then move on to the next. She already has mentioned the interstim to me to kind of get me used to the idea if everything else fails... HMMM.
I just got the IC pillow yesterday and it feels SO GOOD to sit on.
For me now that I have the IC pain under control I really notice that the base of my pelvic bone just ACHES. I had a massage with a really good massage therapist who brought in an anatomy book and had me id. the spots I really hurt and even though it was a male massage therapist I had him work on those areas (happens to be my butt) and he found some really balled up spots of muscles and was able to release them... You have to be REALLY CAREFUL with deep tissue work as some can over do it and you hurt more the next day than you did when you originally yet in.
I'm going in again Monday but my physical therapist was AMAZED at how much looser my internal muscles were and totally credited the massage therapist saying she didn't expect those results for 3 weeks.
NOTE: EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT AND WILL RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO TREATMENTS this just happened to work for me and I was DESPARATE for relief so gave it a shot.
I also do biofeed back to myself and focus on relaxing all my pelvic muscles in my abdomen and my muscles in my behind. This has taken me awhile to be able to do.

So again, physical therapy and everything else just happened to work for me.
GOOD LUCK!

**Marisol** · 08-29-2009, 07:03 PM

Hi Happygirl,

I was referred to a Neurologist for my chronic back pain caused by my IC, she also mangages the program for abdominal and pelvic health. It's a new program at the hosptial, that treats pelvic floor dysfunction. I had a complicated hysterectomy with bladder reconstruction in April of this year. She explained to me that my nerves were affected and my muscles weakend.
She performed a vaginal and a rectal exam to identify the affected nerves and muscles. I had no idea that my condition was so bad until she touched me and I felt horrible pain. I had no idea that the weakend pelvic floor muscles were the source of my back pain.
She put me on Neurontin 300mg three times a day for the back pain. For the muscle weekness she recommended physical therapy that focuses on pelvic floor dysfucntion. I will start on Tuesday, I will keep you updated on how this physical therapy helps me. I was also taking the red little pill (Pyridium), but I noticed that after taking the medication i felt worst. I told my doctor and he told me not to take it anymore. The treatments for IC are many and we all dont respond the same. I hope you had better luck than I did taking it. I wanted to ask you how you feel when you have your pelvic floor spasms? I feel pelvic pain that just comes from nowhere, it comes and goes at random times. I do not have MS so i have no info to help answer your question on that. I wish you the best and I hope you continue posting her, this is a great place to find info and support.