Greetings!  I wanted to end the week by sharing a discussion that arose after my last blog about pessaries.  In spite of what I thought was a good explanation and even a weblink, one of the women on our team at WHF asked the question, “What exactly IS a pessary?”

Before we leave this topic, I want to share with you this great picture from WebMD which shows two common types of pessaries and the proper fitting of one.  Imagine a thick diaphram that literally can lift everything up just enough to restore proper alignment and/or functions.  

Placement of a pessary

The illustration above shows how a pessary should fit. The most common types of pessaries are the Gellhorn and the doughnut. A pessary is used to support areas of pelvic organ prolapse. - Get it!?

 So, a few other cool things in the world of pessaries.  There is a group of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health called the Pelvic Floor Disorder Network; seven top acedemic institutions funded to develop innovative research studies in female pelvic health.

They have a study (see: http://www.pfdn.org/current/index.html) called Atlas that looks at physically active women with SUI (stress urinary incontinence, or that “laugh, cough, sneeze and you leak” phenomenom) and assigns them to one of three groups:

1. A group that gets a pessary

2. A group that gets 4 sessions with a pelvic floor PT

3. A group that gets both

The research will look at improvement of both symptoms and quality of life for the three groups.

 What I love about this research is that it addresses active women who leak (like me!), but with holistic, less invasive approaches - physical therapy and a device as old as the hills.  Rumor has it Cleopatra had one in her pyramid!

So, that’s all for this week.  Be fit, be active and you have issues, be sure to start asking questions of your healthcare provider.  As one of my favorite docs said, “It is your job to keep asking me questions & keep getting answers until you have none left.”

Have a great St. Patty’s day and remember…

You Go Girl!

Today I took my dog, Beeb, for a run on the lakefront here in Chicago.  Running outside is one of the things I insist on doing all year; rain or shine, winter, summer, spring or fall. 

 OK, I know you are wondering how I, an incontinence patient, can run…and why would I?

Well, I run because I can and because I love it and because I do my best thinking out there on the path.  It is my spiritual moment and where I get some of my best thoughts and ideas.

 As for the “how”, that is what I want to write about.  So, I run with the help of orthotics - inserts I put in my shoes and one I put in my body.  The orthotics I rely on to run is a uterine support device called a pessary.  That’s a scary name, isn’t it?  Maybe, but the reality is this little “device,” actually it is like a stiff dyaphram, can totally change your life.  Or, let you fully live your life.