What I want you to know about my stomach!
I
decided to write this blog for my own sanity! Every day I end up ignoring my
kids to write long post to a stranger on either the Diastasis Recti support
group, CrossFit mom group, or Mom2Mom group. I just want to be the person that
I needed years ago so badly, so please help me share my message!
- Small
torso, big baby (both boys almost 9 pounds)
- Genetic
factors: I got the short end of the stick how my fascia responded to these
stressors.
- Making
my already bad situation worse during my first “fit pregnancy” by doing
exercises to increase intraabdominal pressure
- Returning
to CrossFit and the physical demands of motherhood with no guidance
- Thinking
I was healed more than I actually was after my first round of PFPT and
returning to CrossFit activities in between pregnancies that further
stressed my stomach.
- I
had learned Julie Wiebe’s approach, piston breathing, and how to
correctly manage pressure during my second pregnancy. However, I didn’t
receive individualized attention and help until I found my new pelvic
floor physical therapist 6 months postpartum. I thought I fixed my
alignment, but I didn’t. I wasn’t activating my glutes, and I had to make
some adjustments to my breathing. The moral of my story is that even with
the right information, I still couldn’t do it on my own.
I
am battling a 9-10 finger gap at my belly button. My hands sinks down so far
that you can almost feel my spine because my fascia is completely unresponsive.
I have seen 3 pelvic floor physical therapists, including making a trip from
Michigan to California to see Julie Wiebe, all to confirm that surgery
is my only option to heal. However, just because I know surgery is looming,
doesn’t mean I just give up and wait or hurry up and get the surgery. There are
so many other considerations to take into account. The muscle repair/tummy
tuck/abdominoplasty surgery is NOT a quick fix and/or something to rush.
- Hormones
released during breastfeeding delays healing; therefore, rushing into
surgery before you body has completely readjusted can make recovery much
harder. After you wean, it can take up to 6 months for your body to
reaccumulate.
- Even
with my extreme case, I have seen significant improvements through my work
in pelvic floor physical therapy. I have done so by modifying my workouts
at CrossFit, changing my alignment, learning how to activate my glutes,
getting an internal assessment to help me learn how to activate those
muscles, and doing PFPT exercises at home.
- Taking
1 & 2 into consideration, I want to go into surgery as strong as
possible so I have a smoother recovery. I have fixed the movement patterns
that have exacerbated my condition because those won’t magically go away
once I have surgery. In fact, I have talked to many PFPTs and other
professionals that have seen women experience prolapse or incontinence
AFTER having this surgery because they never fixed what was truly causing
the pressure issues in the first place. This actually happens quite
frequently but we never, ever hear about it. Although any time I bring
this up to the surgeons, they look at me like I am nuts. In any case, all
of this work is also going to make me into a better and more efficient
CrossFit athlete.
- Surgery
recovery is more complex than most realize. Yes, it is really painful the
first few weeks and you are stuck in a motorized reclining chair for at
least two weeks. However, there is tons of scar tissue that will need to
be worked on, and I will be completely disconnected from my
muscles…..again. So I plan to work with my PFPT.
- It
is a huge financial investment (approx. 10,000) and even though my organs
are basically exposed, insurance still says it is cosmetic. I need to find
the right surgeon that understands my athletic goals and is also damn good
at what he/she does. This doesn’t happen overnight!
I
am the extreme. If you have a 3-4 finger Diastasis, or even if you have a 9-10
like me, please do not jump into surgery until you truly exhaust ALL of your
options. Don’t settle for just one pelvic floor physical therapist assessment.
Don’t listen to the surgeons that tell you there is no hope without surgery.
Advocate for yourself. Never stop demanding answers. Gather your data. Network
with other moms and professionals. If you don’t, then post surgery you might be
left with new pelvic floor issues, a huge bill, and weeks of miserable recovery
that all could have been avoided.
http://www.juliewiebept.com/
www.lisa-ryan.com
http://www.juliewiebept.com/
www.lisa-ryan.com
Lisa, thank you!!! Thank you for posting this and thank you for doing Julie Foucher's podcast! I was listening to it in the car after work (and on the way to the gym, ha!) and I just started crying. Crying out of frustration and crying because I felt someone finally understood! I WISH I had know about all of this BEFORE I was pregnant, but here we are; gotta move forward. And now I can help the ladies at my box who are pregnant. If you know of any physical therapists in the Raleigh, NC area that work with patients with this, please let me know. Thanks again! - Erin
ReplyDeleteomg! Thank you for writing to me, too! Reaching people like you is just everything to me. I will check our network and get back to you for sure :) You could also become a P&PA coach! Bri is launching the new program in May!
DeleteIt's sick how they can call this cosmetic when it has a huge effect on the function of the body! Women's conditions are just not as important it seems. We have a similar situation here in Sweden where it's really hard to get it through the regular health care system (not going to a private practice and paying it yourself). A relative of mine who had about a 7 cm gap I think got her surgery through the regular health care system though getting both the gap and the loose skin fixed and she is now recovering. She was in the hospital for a few days but is recovering well. She's able to go on trips with the kids and things like that. She wears a girdle and of course can't exercise for a while but she is absolutely able to be out and about. She had the surgery about 1 month ago. I have a bit of a DR myself but it's pretty small - about 2 fingers depending on how you measure, but the muscles are a bit weird between the belly button and my c-section scar(s) (I've had 4 kids all born with c-section). But I do have problems both with function and the look of the belly. I have been working with a naprapath for 3 years now (it's now been almost 22 months since my 4th child was born) who is trained in rehabing abs and despite that it's such a slow process. He said it usually takes about a year to fully retrain the transverse abs but for me it's a lot slower. I have increased the function enough to not have any pain in my everyday life but my belly still sticks out as much as it did at about halftime during my first pregnancy. I had a paralysis condition as a child too so not sure if that affects the transverse abs too - I do have a pelvic floor dysfunction from that which makes it a bit harder for me to use the pelvic floor efficiently. I also have a colostomy because of the paralysis and pelvic floor dysfunction together with IBS which I got as an adult. Anyway. Slow process but the only thing to do is to keep working on it I suppose. I'm persistent so that's good. :) Good luck with your surgery when you decide to go for it.
ReplyDeleteWow thank you. Someone who knows my pain. I had my third and last child April 20, 2018 via my first c-section. My incision didn't heal until four months later. I still look seven months pregnant. I am asked daily when i am due. I recently have started to have pain in my abdomen as I finally return to my routine at work. From the pictures you have posted my diastasis recti is much worse. I can ball up both fist and push them into my stomach. I have yet to see a doctor and I am dreading the outcome. Thank you for a real story with pictures.
ReplyDelete