free weights, just for her!

OK, Ready? I can hardly believe this myself. I just ordered a set of free weights. For my vagina.

I don't know about you, but I am very amused by this. When Emily, my physical therapist saw me yesterday, first, she asked "How was your concert on Sunday?" because Victoria, my other therapist, had attended our concert with her fiance, Jason, but had not yet seen Emily to give her the full report.

But then, after hearing a bit about the concert, Emily was excited to tell me about some training equipment I can use at home to bulk up my pelvic floor muscles. Emily knows how much I love using various pieces of fitness equipment at the gym, so she was eager to tell me about a product called Step Free Vaginal Weights. She has a set in the office, still in its plastic wrap, just to give patients an idea of what they look like. (I had a busy evening yesterday after therapy, so I just ordered mine before writing this blog post.) The weights reminded me of a wireless electronic toy that is operated by remote control by one's partner, which Emily found intriguing, so she and I had a little nice conversation about that, and then she explained how the weights are used.

The point is that by using the weights regularly, as with any new strength building exercise, the muscles will change in shape and size in about four to six weeks. So, yes, this means the plan is that I am going to bulk up my vaginal muscles. Hmmm...

We can tell, from the areas that remain challenging for me, that this is what needs to be done. As I had hoped and predicted, I am currently on track to be the valedictorian of pf&c rehabilitation. My strength scores have improved consistently and dramatically from one week to the next, so that I am now hitting "above normal" levels on both the quick flicks and during the first half of the long holds. So, one challenge is that I still need to build stamina, but the good news is that I am well on my way. The other challenge is that if my legs are spread wide, as they are during triangle pose in yoga class, or while running down a snowy hill to retreive an errant sled, the slightest trip or wobble can result in leakage. The element of surprise continues to override the work I am doing by mindfully performing Kegel exercises while loading dishes and putting away clean laundry.

Legs Apart + Surprise = Leak

So, just as my strong muscular legs and arms are constantly prepared to stop me from falling or hurting myself when I am surprised by a false step, so must my vaginal muscles be constantly ready to keep the urethra supported when a sneeze or loss of balance threatens to allow urine to be released.

Our family went to Dick's (the sporting goods store) last night and while Sam was trying on baseball cleats, I played catch with Isaac using a 4 pound medicine ball, and then I bought a Bosu ball and a 36" foam roller. These are basic gym equipment for toning and strengthening your core, but which also can be very helpful in exercises I've learned to do to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. I was delighted to have my very own equipment, and I was so busy trying it all out after the kids went to bed last night that I forgot to order my vaginal weights, but now I have, and they should soon be on their way to me.

Next week, I won't go to pf&c therapy because I have a full day field trip with Isaac, and then the following week is Spring Break, so I'll be busy doing mom stuff. So, I won't return for more therapy (and assessment) until April. I'm excited to see how much progrerss I can make by then. I continue to feel very optimistic. I'll let you know how goes with my new set of weights when they arrive.