The Day My Life Changed meeting my Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist.

I am a fit woman aged in my late 70's who whilst living in a rural area gave birth to 4 children. The first child being born 52 years ago. Apart from my first child the births were extremely quick and not supervised by a Doctor. In hindsight, it appeared that muscles and nerves had been damaged in the process.

As the years passed I began to have problems with the muscles and nerves surrounding my rectum. My Faeces were gradually becoming looser and looser and often at inconvenient times. This gradually worsened until I was afraid to go out in the morning unless I had been up for at least two hours during which time, after constant movement I would hopefully have been to the toilet.

This condition worsened until I felt I would need to wear a nappy! I began to place paper, occasionally pads in my briefs as often it would be fluid and I experienced no sensation of needing to go to the toilet. Daily I would give serious thought as to whether I would leave the house as my fear was so great that I would experience an 'accident'. From a trail and error basis, I knew I was intolerant to wheat, preservatives and citrus fruit.

In my early 60's I had a most successful operation to sew the muscles together. Unfortunately, nothing could be done for the damaged nerves. This procedure is still holding the muscles together.

My Options

Eighteen months ago I consulted my GP who referred me to a Specialist who suggested I had some options open to me:

1. A Sacrol Nerve Stimulation operation.
2. Consult a Physiotherapist qualified in the Pelvic Floor.
3. Consult a Dietician and test foods to see to which foods I was intolerant then follow a suitable diet.

The Path I took

I choose to follow a Physiotherapy/Diet option. The Specialist recommended a strong passionate, dedicated Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist, based in Melbourne. Under her supervision, instruction and guidance I followed plus months, of specific daily exercises. I visited her on

Under her supervision, instruction and guidance, I followed plus months of specific daily exercises. I visited her on a regular fortnightly visit which gradually extended to 6 weekly visits to 3 monthly visits. After nine months I have improved in strength enough to be referred to a Clinical Pilates Class doing specialised exercises to strengthen my core muscles. I did Pilates 3 times per week for two months before dropping back to twice a week. During this time my Pelvic Floor Physio consulted with my Pilates Physio on a regular basis as to my progress and which exercises I was doing. In conjunction with the Pelvic Floor exercises, I was supervised by a Dietician in discovering which foods I was intolerant too.

This combination, of adhering strictly to a modified Fodmap Diet suitable to me, regular exercises and Pilates, my Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist's supervision and advice, has resulted in my muscles strengthening sufficiently that I rarely have 'accidents'. Occasionally paste but no fluid. Occasionally a day will pass without a 'motion' being passed. Every now and again I will loose smaller faeces during the day after one or two normal motions passed earlier in the day, but it is nothing I cannot live with. This combination of factors has prevented the need at these stage of an operation. This journey is allowing me the freedom to live as close to a normal life as possible, I am not in a constant state of anxiety.

Thank you to my Physiotherapist whom I will forever be grateful to you - it was a wonderful day when I met you.