Inside the Box

In this patient story we are joined by Anna, a new mum who was faced with severe bladder leakage after the birth of her first baby. Anna shares her story of months of physio, specialist appointments and her saving grace, urethral bulking. Anna went from soaking through multiple incontinence pads a day and being held back from a “normal” life as a new mum to almost no leaking and participating in all the activities and more. 

In this episode we cover:

• Anna’s birth story 
• The first days a weeks after Anna’s birth experiencing no bladder sensation and constant urine leakage
• The professionals involved in her treating team including OB, physio and urologist 
• How she came to the procedure of urethral bulking. 
• What is urethral bulking, how its done and how much it costs
• What the future holds including considerations for future births and bladder surgery 

We finish with a discussion around why it is a societal norm for women not to speak up about incontinence and Kat’s opinion on how we can improve that with one simple question! 

In this episode we interview Lauren Ferris. Lauren is an Obstetrician and Gynaecolgist from Sydney, currently in Queensland completing further speciality training in the area of Urogynaecology. 

Lauren is passionate, personable and very holistic in the way she thinks and treats incontinence. In this episode we discuss:

• What actually is Urogynae? 
• What are the biggest misconceptions you see about urinary incontinence?
• What is overactive bladder and how is it diagnosed?
• How do we treat urinary incontinence? What are all the options and in what order do we trial them?
• TENS for overactive bladder, Botox to treat incontinence, types of surgeries available and their success rates 

LINKS:
https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-11/treatment_options_for_stress_urinary_incontinence_sui_-_transvaginal_tv_mesh_-_information_for_consumers_patient_resource.pdf

In this episode we interview Sarah, a young female living with chronic pelvic pain. Sarah started off with an early diagnosis of vaginismus, which progressed to a term known as vulvodynia. Sarah openly shares her experience with vulva pain and pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, how she was diagnosed and her treatment journey so far. 

In this episode we cover:

• Sarah’s early symptoms with painful intercourse and vulval pain
• Which health professional she saw first and how she went about diagnosing vaginismus and vulvodynia 
• How living with vulvodynia has impacted her relationships 
• Which treatments have made the biggest impact on symptoms so far

We finish with Sarah’s advice to anyone starting out on their pelvic pain journey.  

Associate professor Emma Readman is a specialist gynaecologist from Melbourne. Emma has special interest in menstrual disorders, endometriosis and pelvic pain. Her holistic approach to pain management is one of the main reasons we decided to have her on the podcast. 

In this episode we cover:

• What is the difference between pelvic floor myalgia, vulvodynia and dyspareunia?
• How is are these diagnosed?
• What treatment methods are available for chronic pelvic pain?
• How would treatment differ for someone experiencing vuvlodynia and burning at the entrance of the vagina vs someone with deep pelvic floor pain?
• Botox for the pelvic floor, what's involved, how is it accessed and how much does it cost?
• Future research and scope in chronic pelvic pain 

Resources:

Change your brain, change your pain - Ebook by Carolyn Vandyken

In this patient story we are joined by Sarah, a young exercise physiologist living with Endo. Sarah shares her story of how she came to a diagnosis of endometriosis and bravely opens up about how, at 25 years old, she was thrust into making decisions about her future, family planning and how she could preserve her fertility.  

In this episode we cover:

• Sarah’s early symptoms and how a trip to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain led to a diagnosis of endometriosis 
• Sarah’s treatment so far and her honest insight into what has worked for her and what hasn’t 
• How Sarah dealt with being told her endometriosis was significantly impacting her fertility and the steps her and her partner took to preserve this
• The impact of endometriosis (and everything that comes along with it) on mental health and relationships 

We finish with Sarah’s advice to anyone on their own endo journey 

In this patient story we are joined by Laura, a young female living with Endo. Laura’s journey to finding out she had endometriosis started with hip pain and years of physio, scans and specialists - all whilst trying to finish her HSC. 

In this episode we cover:

• Laura’s journey with symptoms as a teenager and how she came to a diagnosis of endo
• What it’s like dealing with chronic pain, bladder and bowel issues and a diagnosis of endo as a young female 
• Laura’s treatment so far and her honest insight into what has worked for her and what hasn’t 
• The most challenging thing about living with endo

We finish with Laura’s advice to anyone starting out on their endo journey.  

In this patient story we are joined by Frankie who is living with Endo. Frankie shares a raw insight into her experience navigating everything from onset of symptoms through to diagnosis and her treatment journey. In this episode we cover:

• Her first period through to onset of endo symptoms
• Types of symptoms that led Frankie to seek help
• Early (not so successful) experiences with navigating health professionals 
• How she was diagnosed with Endometriosis and what first line treatment looked like
• Frankie’s honest insight into living with endometriosis and its impact on mental and physical health
• All the tools currently in Frankie’s treatment “tool belt” and what has been the most helpful for her symptoms

We finish with Frankie’s advice to anyone starting out on their endo journey. 

In this episode we interview Professor Jason Abbott. Professor Abbott is a Gynaecologist and Laparoscopic surgeon who completed his PhD in the surgical management of Endometriosis in 2003.  Since then, he has established himself as a leading teacher, trainer and gynaecological surgeon both nationally and internationally. He is one of the founders of Endometriosis Australia and continues to dedicate his work to this field. 

Jason is down to earth, personable and very holistic in the way he thinks and treats endometriosis. In this episode we discuss:

• What is endometriosis?
• What are the most common signs and symptoms of endo?
• How common is endo in Australia?
• What should be the first line of action for someone who suspects they might have it?
• How is endometriosis treated/ managed?
• Who else is involved in the treating team for endo? And what does holistic management look like?
• How is the field of endometriosis changing and what is on the horizon in terms of research?

Links:

Alana Healthcare: https://www.alanahealthcare.com.au/services/gynaecology/endometriosis/

Endometriosis Australia: https://www.endometriosisaustralia.org/ 

Dr Sophie Bermingham and Dr Laura Willington are consultant anaesthetists working in South Australia. As mum’s themselves, Sophie and Laura have a passion for women centred care. We sat down with them both to discuss all things pain relief and the role of anaesthetics in labour and birth. 

In this episode we cover:

• What’s the difference between an epidural and a spinal?
• Is every epidural the same?
• How epidurals have changed over the last 20 years
• What are the risks of epidurals and spinals and how common are they?
• Is it normal to have pain at the injection site and how long is it “normal” for it to last?
• Is low back pain after an epidural common?
• How likely is it to have incomplete pain relief coverage?
• The differences between anaesthetic care in the public Vs private systems in Australia  
• Soph and Laura’s personal experiences with anaesthetics in labour and birth 

Resources:

Information on pain relief choices in labour - https://www.labourpains.org/ 

In this 2 part series we are joined by four mum’s from our Inside The Box Community (including one of our own hosts, Kat). Four mum’s share the good, the bad, the awkward and all the raw insights and realities of getting back to sex and intimacy after having a baby. Today we have Alicia and Kat speaking to their experience. 

Alicia - Wife, Audiologist and Mum to 3 year old Piper. Alicia and husband Sean have been together for over a decade.

Kat - Founder of Ivoryrose physiotherapy, co-host of this podcast and Mum to 2 year old Teddie and Orlando who is under 1. Kat and hubby Christian have been together for 6 years and married for 4.