I thought we could take a few minutes to get personal.

Or perhaps more accurately, I thought I would take a few minutes to get personal. 😂

Many of you know me as a passionate pelvic health physiotherapist – especially if you’ve seen me talk while holding a model of the pelvis ;).  And although I ardently approach helping my clients in the clinic navigate their own journeys with pelvic health challenges, I’m no stranger to my own core trials and tribulations.

I have stress incontinence. I have more than one kind of pelvic organ prolapse.  I also have a significant diastasis recti.

BOOM.

Sometimes I call this my terrible triad. Sometimes I call it my inspiration or motivation.

The road I’ve been traveling with these conditions has been hard. And long. And life changing.  I think all of it has helped me become a better therapist, but it sure hasn’t been easy on my body or my heart.

My stakes in this game are also about to sky-rocket because next week I’m having my diastasis surgically repaired (it was supposed to be last week, but that’s another story…).  Recovery from this kind of muscle repair will be no small act.

I wanted to put all of this out there though because I know some of you are walking alongside me, carrying your own versions of some or all of these same conditions.  I think you and other folks might also have questions.  There are common threads in our experiences and I think they are worthwhile sharing.

I also know that over the 11 years I’ve been a mother, I’ve been growing and learning and getting stronger. Not always physically, and not always in ways I expected…  BUT, I want to learn and grow stronger still.  I typically feel my strongest when I am united with other women – I think we are stronger together.  So I want to lean on you all for a little support while I enter my next chapter (especially if you are ahead of me on the path 😉 ) and I also want to be there for you to lean on if you are coming up the path behind me.  Let’s all hold hands. 🤝

Do you have any questions about this journey?  Any thoughts to share? Are you walking alongside me with any of these challenges?  Are you wondering what the heck a diastasis is, or pelvic organ prolapse, or incontinence?

I’d love to hear any questions or thoughts you have, and I’d love for you to stay tuned to see how this next leg of the journey turns out. 💕

~Mandy