Pelvic Health Patient grateful to Dr. Kaplan

When I was waiting for my name to be called for my normal six-month appointment at Lompoc Valley Medical Center, I saw an announcement about pelvic health services on the digital screen in the waiting room. I wondered if I could get help for some of my issues. 

 I talked to Dr. Brian Taber and he sent me to the Rehabilitation Services Department to see Physical Therapist Winnie Badger. Winnie told me that pelvic health always has complexities and things like diet, medication, hydration, exercise, stretching and strengthening of muscles are some of them. 

Winnie and I started with two weeks of monitoring the amount of water I was drinking and eliminating; the level of fiber in my diet and how fast and well food was moving through my gastrointestinal system. 

A pelvic rehabilitation specialist such as Winnie works with patients to strengthen the three overlapping muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles hold the weight of the pelvic organs and help to support and maintain their position to the pelvis. In my case, these muscles were weak. I was diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse.  

I worked with Winne on diet and strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles. This helped, but did not fix, the prolapse of the organs. From there, I visited Dr. Eugene Kaplan for a surgical repositioning of the pelvic organs in July 2023. 

As I continued to heal, I went back to LVMC to continue working with Winnie for numerous appointments, so that I know how to exercise to maintain pelvic muscle strength. I made permanent changes in my diet, keep my hydration level balanced and I use breathing techniques when lifting small amounts, to keep me from putting pressure on my pelvic floor. 

Winnie has her own terminology and Dr. Kaplan diagrams procedures of what he’s trying to accomplish. That’s how he communicates the medical issues. He and Winnie find ways of being able to discuss pelvic floor disorders that are not embarrassing. 

I am very grateful to Winnie and Dr. Kaplan for helping me to correct my health issues that I had struggled with for so long.