Bouncing Forward




Seeing Julie Wiebe was amazing. I got some new strategies and have some more healing I can do on my own.  Unfortunately, it seems some of my fascia is unresponsive, and I have an umbilical hernia- just as my local PT, Nancy, had concluded. If I want to CrossFit the way I want to and not look like I am 6 months pregnant, I’ll need surgery.  Julie suggested that I wait at least 6 months, so I decided to wait a full year. 1) I want to find the absolute right surgeon that understands my fitness goals 2) I want to learn more about hernia repair options 3) I want Dean to be at least two years old so he will understand why I can't pick him up 4) I want to make sure I truly exhaust all of my own healing to set me up for a more successful recovery.

This week I met with a general surgeon and got my hernia officially diagnosed. He explained the difference between doing the surgery with him verses a plastic surgeon. If he did it, we could probably get insurance to cover most of it because of the hernia, but I would have a long scar down my tummy, and I would have no belly button. Honestly, at this point, I would welcome that compared to what I have now. However, if I am going to do this, I want to really do it right. Plastics people do these all the time; it is their speciality, and I want my abdomen to be repaired the best way possible. 

The general surgeon did mention that recently he has learned how "Yoga moves" might be able to help heal diastasis recti. It's a start! And, I was just happy at least some of the doctors might be encouraging women to try healing without surgery first. I hope this information continues to spread so women know to try at least 6 months of physical therapy before signing up for a costly and invasive surgery.

I am 36 years old. By the time I am 40, I want to be "healed". I will never be the same but this is going to be another step in my journey to "bounce forward." My goals are to Crossfit 5 days a week, do the Open, and maybe a local Masters competition once a year.  I feel these are reasonable, balanced, and realistic goals. However, I am still a little nervous about being put back together and wondering if it will all hold up. Either way, I will need to learn to embrace what comes. In the meantime, I need to find the right surgeon that understands my goals.

The next step is to enter into the world of plastic surgery, which is a weird and scary place for me. I feel like I should be embracing my body to set a good example or something. UGH! However, this stomach is getting in the way of many things, not just my workouts. It hurts me to play with my boys, who love to rough house, and I cannot wear the majority of my clothes because I look 6 months pregnant. Also, this cannot be healthy for my organs to be unsupported. So, anyway, I am going to work on owning this process and be proud of it.  My first appointment is January 16th. Not sure how people afford these surgeries, but we will figure it out. I plan on documenting all of my meetings with the surgeons as I go. Stay tuned if that interests you.

As I go along this journey, I will also be starting my pregnancy and postpartum classes in hopes to help the postpartum women in my local community. Helping is healing. Join me on my heart project!

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