Pain in the ass and Diastasis

I wonder if this is all worth it in the end. My diastasis is great! Currently, I have a small separation. Do I still have a "tummy"? Yes, but I don't look pregnant anymore. After all of my hard work, my tailbone (Coccyx) is in pain. It's very frustrating! I can't use the excuse "My hubby is a pain in the ass!" Wait, I still can :). Not the case though :(. I have found some exercises that are helpful. It doesn't take the pain away, but it takes it down a notch. Check it out...

http://www.coccyxcushionreview.com/coccydynia-exercises-coccyx/

Diastasis and Physical Therapy

It's been a while since my last post. I've been working hard on strengthening my abs. My abdominal muscles separated from belly button to my sternum. I quit binding my belly after December. I closed my Diastasis 6 weeks into my program. I plateaued after that :/. After my program, I continued with pelvic floor exercises. However, my upper abdominal muscles (sternum) kept on herniating. The first of the year rolled around, I decided to make an appointment with a physical therapist. She checked my Diastasis and I still had a 2 finger gap. A 2 finger gap is better than a 4 finger gap :). She massaged my abdominal region. Ouch! It brought me to tears. WTF? What else is wrong with me? She told me that I have worked so hard to close my gap that it puts stress on those muscles. It's like scar tissue. She also checked my alignment and popped me back in place. I am not misaligned anymore! Yay! The therapy is great! Before therapy, I had no idea how to find my core muscles. It thought it was tightening your abs. Nope, it's much deeper than that. My session is once a week with 1 1/2 hours of exercising. My tummy is pulled back in for the week. I have made huge progress. I have a tight 1-2 finger gap. I don't think it will close any further. Hopefully it will stay that way! After all the hard work, my tail bone has decided to give me hell :/. It's from the 100's of kegels I do through out the week. If it's not one thing, it's another. How do I correct my issue? I am scheduled for a Integrated Manual Assessment. I know, I know...WTF is that? They go in vaginally and find out what is going on with me. Maybe they can find out what is going on with my tailbone.

Before and After Tuppler Abdominal Rehab Program (Aug-Dec)

Road to Recovery: Week 6

It's been a while since I've posted anything about my recovery. Life gets in the way sometimes. My hubby travels a lot. So, it's me and the girls most of the time. I am busy, busy, busy. It's been 6 weeks since I have started the program. I have 12 more weeks to go :). It's not bad. I am loving the results! The only issue that I have is that the splint bunches up in the back. It's annoying as hell! I've emailed the company. They say that is normal. You have to readjust through out the day. So far, I have lost 5 1/2 inches around my waist. I almost have a 29 inch waist! Crazy, huh? I haven't lost any weight, if that is what you are thinking. So, as of right now, I have plateaued. My tummy is relatively smaller, but I don't think it will get much smaller than that. I understand what my G.S. was saying. Even if I had the tummy tuck, I will not have the wash board abs. I am not built that way. I am more than ok with that :). I am not giving up! My skin and muscles are coming together nicely. Still saggy, but it could be worse. The exercises are easy to do. Do I do every single one of them? Ummmm NO! What you see in my pictures are from doing half the exercises. I am warn out by the end of the day, so I don't always do them. I am also at the gym 3x a week. Nothing fancy, just the treadmill :). As you can see, I stay pretty active.

Flexing my Tummy

Straight back, flat tummy, and nice ass :)

Nice flat tummy!

Lying on my back. My hernia looks much better.

One finger gap!

Look, I have a body now :)!

Thanks again for being supportive and helping me through out my journey!

Road to Recovery Week 2!

I've been wearing my abdominal splint (Tupler Technique) for Two Weeks Now. The exercises are coming along. However, I find myself not doing as much as I would like. My girls keep me busy and drive me crazy half the time. When I do remember to do them, it's towards the end of the night. So, I end up doing most of them all at once. It's prob. not recommended, but I feel more of a burn when I do them that way. Even if I am only doing half of what is required, I am still seeing huge results. That's good, right? I just washed my splint for the first time. Don't worry, it's not gross. I don't sweat much and I am usually wearing a tank or Spanx type clothing. I washed mine on hand wash cycle with small amount of detergent. After it's done, it's still quite damp. You can either wait for it to completely which means 4+ hours w/o your splint. If you are going to do that, try to find some type of Spanxs to secure your abs. That seems to help in the mean time. Needless to say, I didn't want to wait. I put the splint in the dryer (it does say no dryer under care). I used the setting "air dry"until it was somewhat done. Then I put it in for 5 or so mins on low heat. So far so good! Anyway, enough of me rambling about boring sh@#. Here is what ya'll have been waiting for. In two weeks, I've lost 5 inches around and I am still at a 1 finger gap. If that, b/c it's pretty tight. So, maybe half of that. I've been told that a 1-2 finger gap is considered closed : ). Lets take a looksie, shall we?

Dressed with splint underneath. Side view. See how tall I am? Maybe I can say that I am 5'3 this time lol?

Another cute bikini shot with tummy relaxed. New Hair? Yes, cut, color, and highlights! Check out my waist. It's much smaller. Scroll down to see the results from last week.

I am still not going out in public, but I am willing to show all of you. Look, I have curves!

Side view. My muscles are moving back in place. There is a difference from last post. My tummy was slightly lower. Now, It's much higher : )!

Flexing my abs! My skin is looking tighter. Still flabby, but it's getting there.

Relaxed tummy on my back.

See? One finger gap! It's barely in there.

Flexed tummy on my back (partial sit-up). Where did my belly button go? It's hiding like a turtle lol. The last post, my belly button looked like a pigs nose. Kewl, huh?

Since the last two weeks...three weeks really since I have posted about Diastasis of the Recti muscles. I have had over 800 HITS! WOW! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! This truly means a lot to me. I hope I can help and guide those who want to do this or at least look into it. Feel free to follow and leave a comment or two.

Road to Recovery Week 1

Everyone, "I'm Bringing Sexy Back!" It's been one hell of a week. I've been wearing my abdominal splint non stop and I've seen wonderful improvements! The splint takes some time getting use to. The exercises are easy to do. It's all breathing and tightening your abs. I have to do this for two weeks and then start the next set of exercises. My hernia doesn't look like an angry uncircumcised penis anymore :). It's starting to look like an actual bellybutton. The splint is pretty comfortable to sleep in. I don't have any lower back pain or woken up to back pain since I started the Abdominal Rehab program. My weight hasn't change in case you are curious. However, I have lost 4 inches around my waist and I am down to a 1finger gap (originally a 4) I think that's pretty impressive! See for yourself :).

Pros: flat tummy, pain free (lower back), fabulous posture

Cons: Pain in the ass to put on and you have to readjust through out the day

Hi Bikini! It's so Nice to see you again!

Close up of my tummy. I don't look 6 months pregnant anymore

Flexing my abs! I wasn't able to do this a week ago!!!!

Side view of my tummy. Looking Good!

Hey, Look...I have a waist :)!

Relaxed tummy on my back

On my back in a partial sit-up position. No organs are exposed here. They are pushed back into place...See previous blog before I started the program. My organs were exposed, but NOT ANYMORE!

1 Finger Gap and NOT 4

Road to recovery Day 1

Mommy tummy be GONE! I just purchased the Tupler Diastasis Rehab Splint. It came in the mail Friday afternoon. I opened it up and saw my belt and dvd. I put in on immediately (after I measured my belly). Holy shit, this sucker is tighhhhhht! It literally sucks you in. You have to watch a video on how to put it on. If you don't, chances are it is not on right. I watched the video like 3-4 times to make sure I am doing this right. It's a pain in the ass to put it on and your arms will hurt like hell in the morning. You are tugging, pushing, and pulling the belt while holding your gut in. Once it's on, you will immediately notice you are standing 10ft. tall. I am SERIOUS! I use to have good posture, but it went to shit after I had my girls. For once, I actually feel TALL. My tummy is flat and...AND....I CAN SEE MY FEEEEEET! I know you are questioning and one eyebrow is cocked upwards. Seriously, THIS IS A HUUUUUUGE improvement my friends....HUGGGGGE! Later that night, I popped in the DVD and followed the exercise routine. I have to do this for 2-3 weeks before I move on to the next. It's pretty easy to do. After I was done, I went to bed with the splint on. I thought it would be uncomfortable, but it's not. I woke up feeling great! No back aches! After I had breakfast, I decided to measure myself w/o the belt on...just to see if it's true that you can see results immediately. HOLY SHIT, I lost 2 1/2 inches! I was shocked! Not only that, my skin is looking tighter. My muscles and skin are finally coming together. I still have a ways to go, but This is a step in the right direction.

 

Sorry no pictures other than the one that you saw on FB. I will try to post more during my 12 week program.

Diastasis Recti=Mommy Tummy of DOOOM!

Everyone, My mommy tummy is coming out. I have two beautiful daughters. My pregnancies were awesome, but they came with a mommy tummy of DOOM. I have Diastasis Recti. Diastasis Recti is separation of the abdominal muscles. My muscles separated during my first pregnancy. I gained around 20 lbs. and started showing around 3 months pregnant. My pregnancy was awesome. However, I noticed my belly button popped out around 4 months. I thought that was odd, but didn't allow myself to worry. Later, I found out it was a hernia. Not uncommon for a petite person. My beautiful daughter was born and weighed 8lbs 2oz. Well, no wonder...She was huge! I lost most of the pregnancy weight, except the last 5lbs. It took me a few months to lose the weight, but I still looked pregnant. 6 months, 9 months, 12 months rolled around and people would come up to me and asked "How far along are you?" I had one come up to me a patted my tummy. I was shocked! I held my head up high and carried on. The only issue I had was something was bulging out when I would do anything related to sit-ups. I thought my gut was coming out of me. I saw a few doctors and they thought it might be a hernia. I was told at the time not to do anything about it unless it gets worse. So, I have to avoid sit-ups, coughing (hard), and weird sexual positions :). Otherwise, it bulges out and is VERY VERY Painful. Again, I carried on with life. A few years later, I was pregnant again! This pregnancy wasn't as easy. I had morning sickness like no other. Every time I hugged the porcelain god, I would hold my insides :/. It sucked, but I was afraid my insides were going to explode. Very scary! My beautiful daughter was born and weighed 7lbs. I lost the pregnancy weight right away due to breastfeeding. It only took me 6 weeks and I was back into my normal clothes. Just recently, I decided to see a general surgeon. He confirmed that I have Diastasis Recti. I spoke to the G.S. about what I was experiencing and he didn't think I could have a hernia near my diaphragm. I told him that it bulges out when I give my abs a workout, cough, sneeze, laugh, etc. So, he ordered a CT scan. The CT scan showed only an umbilical hernia. So, I must have separated all the way up? HOLY COW! The G.S. said most likely I was born with weak abdominal muscles. Over time, they weakened by improper exercises,throwing up, pregnancies, etc. He also commented that I have more than 2 finger gap. Most people have a 1-2 finger gap, which is completely normal. Anything more than that needs attention. I did a self check and I can stick 4 fingers in my stomach. That really sucks!!!

Here is what my Diastasis Recti looks like with clothes on.

Here is what my D.R. actually looks like.

Here is my tummy when I am lying on my back.

Checking for D.R...partial sit-up position. You can clearly see the separation and organs (?)

 D.R. check...You can see that I can easily fit 4 fingers.

Here is where I stand. A quick fix would be a tummy tuck. I love the idea of a tummy tuck. Perfect abs...Sigh! Sound inviting, but it also comes with painful recovery and scaring. I can't do any lifting for a few months. Plus, hubby can't take the time off to help. It seems that a tummy tuck is the answer, but nothing is 100% curable. Not only that, it is considered cosmetic. The G.S should be able to fix my hernia, but not D.R. The Plastic Surgeon performs cosmetic surgery. Since I have a hernia, the plastic surgeon may be able to kill two birds with one stone...right it off or tell insurance that I need the surgery. If my D.R. is not corrected, it causes major back pain. Most people with this issue have lower back pain. If I choose not to have a tummy tuck, my other option is pelvic floor exercises while wearing a binding belt for a few months. The exercises closes the gap and strengthens my abdominal muscles. That being said, I will have more support in my lower back. Unfortunately, it's a temporary fix. I can totally screw things up lifting wrong and re-open my gap....start all over. They don't tell you these things during pregnancy or postpartum. Moms usually start exercising when they are clear or recovered. Doing the wrong exercises CAN (or may not) result in Diastasis Rectis or abdominal separation. It all depends on the way your body is designed. If one has weak abdominal muscles (like me), this is what happens...Diastasis Recti...MOMMY TUMMY OF DOOMMMMM!!!

I hope I was able to inform and not scare you all. Please consult your doctor before you do anything. For more info., please check out the following links.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diastasis_recti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKukYpSnJCc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6SfiH2-TEQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=786UlOm9Bso