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One postnatal symptom which some new mums battle with which is super un-fun is fluid retention. Pelvic Solutions’ therapist Ingrid Vollweiler walks us through how lymphatic massage works and some of the astounding results she’s seen with one of her clients.

 Swelling during and after pregnancy is pretty common; after all, you’ve just grown a human IN YOUR BODY. You deserve a darn medal and a biscuit. Lymphatic fluid build-up post pregnancy is common, as the body has stored excess fluid to prepare for birth. However, there are some sorts of fluids which are normal and other fluids which are annoying and downright depressing. If you have excess fluid that you’re finding impossible to shift from your abdomen following the birth of your bub, you ain’t alone and it’s critical to know that it may not be fat! It’s really important to know that it’s not necessarily going to go away on its own – and what you can do about it.

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

-        Brene Brown

Most men have no idea they even have a pelvic floor – let alone how it could be affecting them. Here at Pelvic Solutions we see a plethora of bladder, bowel and pelvic problems that can be summarised in four terms – keeping it up, keeping it in, getting it out or pain. We have seen some extraordinary success stories and watching our clients walk out the door – sometimes pain free for the first time in years – is why we love what we do. Below are some of the main things we see our clients for and how we can help.

There can be one not so joyful side effect that no one really tells you about….fluid that you just can’t shift sitting in the abdomen ….and NO THIS IS NOT JUST FAT!!!!!!

Lymphatic fluid build up post pregnancy is common as pre birth the body stores excess fluid to prepare for birth 

Graham has always been fit and active, with skiing high on the agenda for he and his wife and four children. “This love of skiing and the mountains eventually brought us here to Wanaka, which required me to snip the golden hand cuffs from city life and the corporate environment. We’re all glad we did,” Graham says. “Until my encounter with prostate cancer at 65-years old, I had never been to hospital before.” For Graham, the decision to remove his prostate was an easy one. “My specialist was giving me the spiel about all the options and information. I stopped him mid-sentence and said, ‘You’re the specialist who comes highly recommended, how many of these situations have you encountered?’ More than a thousand, was the reply. I then asked him what he’d do in my shoes,” Graham says. “He said, ‘I’d have it out’. So, I replied, ‘Well, when are we doing it?’.” Graham had an open prostatectomy in April, which went as expected and required no further treatment.

Most of us know how debilitating pain can be; whether caused by a broken limb, surgery, sickness, trauma, mental illness or a broken heart. We can become irritable, despairing, angry and inundated with a sense of hopelessness. Luckily, for most of us, we heal. The bone mends, the scars fade, new love flowers and we receive the help we need. For those whose pain is ongoing, life can become unbearable and devoid of hope.

 Chronic pain is an issue often shrouded in silence. Sufferers live among us – working in our shops and health clinics and schools and governments, shouldering their conditions in secrecy. For many, a life in pain is a reality, representing a serious health issue in this country. One in six New Zealanders report suffering from chronic pain – which is defined as ongoing pain, generally lasting longer than three-months. It’s an issue that Lisa Carnie, founder of Pelvic Solutions, sees again and again. Sufferers stumble upon the clinic, often at the end of their tether, having tried every type of therapy under the sun, with no joy. Many have never heard of pelvic physiotherapy, and are floored with the results. This is life-changing work; lifting the burden of chronic pain and shining a light on days crippled by debilitating conditions.

Sex. The mystique and mundane, the taboo and the accepted, the longing, love, shame, trauma, stigma and necessity of it, wrapped and knotted together to embody an incredibly nuanced, sensitive and personal experience. Sexual behaviour can move along a spectrum, from the conservative to the very liberal; while sexuality, the erotic and its physical manifestation also exists on a spectrum. On one side is the joyful, whole bodied worship of sex as the ultimate expression of divine love; a spiritual act that helps to raise consciousness, ignite creativity and spark connectivity. At the opposite end, sex is an act to be feared or to be shied away from; a trigger of former trauma, a painful experience, or one that brings little or no sensation or contentment. Many of us will traipse up and down the spectrum through our lives to various degrees like playing a keyboard; dancing to a soundtrack that ebbs and flows according to our life’s events. Childbirth, loss, love, pain and emotional disturbances alter the frequency and vibrations of the chords so that the sound waves oscillate. Sometimes, the tune jars discordantly and we lose that sweet rhythm that dictates the beat of our days. However, with the right fiddling of the right knob at the right time (!) the harmonies can unite in angelic delectability, so that everything and everyone is singing of the same hymen sheet. I mean, hymn sheet.

How Lisa Carnie found her purpose after her traumatic birth experience.

 Sporting a pink, floaty dress, brightly coloured Portuguese ceramic earrings and long dark hair, Lisa Carnie doesn’t strike you as a typical physiotherapist. Welcoming me into her Pelvic Solutions clinic for a cuppa, the clinician’s professionalism is laced with an exuberance for what she does and a determination to change the status quo. Pelvic Solutions isn’t just a job for Lisa; it’s a passion and a lifestyle, as well as a beacon of hope for many, forged from her own personal story. Told from the heart……

We understand that some people get nervous about attending their first pelvic health physiotherapy appointment, because it is new to them and they don’t know what to expect. 
We have made this video to help you understand what an initial appointment involves and how we can help put your worries at rest.

We love educating our community about poo! If kids and adults alike understand what their poo means, and what to do about it if your poo goes a bit funky - hard and chunky, soft and sloppy.... what things you can change to get the perfect poo!

Many pelvic health concerns come due to constipation or straining to pass bowel motions, so learning about what health toilet habits are for bowel health can make a massive difference to prevent and improve pelvic health concerns .