Does cancer treatment impact your pelvic floor?
Short answer.
Yes.
How?
Any surgery around chest/breast or abdominal area can change how your internal
pressure system (your “core”) works.
Imagine your core as a can.
Your pelvic floor is at the bottom of that can.
If you open the can- the pressure changes- now you can squeeze the can increasing
pressure downwards.
Not that we function like inanimate objects of course but you get the idea.
Your pelvic floor does not work in isolation- it functions within a system.
And anything that alters that system will alter how the pelvic floor functions.
So if we take breast surgery for example.
Breast tissue is removed and has to heal.
That healing process requires tightening of tissues.
This pulls on other tissues- causing a change in functioning around the abdomen,
core and thus pelvic floor.
Then you add treatment.
We know radiation therapy affects both cancerous AND healthy tissue.
So all of the healthy tissues (bone, ligaments, muscle, tendon, organs) in that area.
All of these factors impact how your pelvic floor functions.
What are the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction?
Urinary leakage
Getting up at night to urinate
Getting sudden urges and rushing to the toilet
Not being able to hold on for as long as your used to
Going to the toilet more often than you did before
What can help?
- Pelvic floor exercises (more about these coming soon)
- Bladder retraining
Bladder retraining are strategies we can practice to help retrain our bladder.
URGE SUPPRESSION TECHNIQUES
When you get an urge:
- Pause
- Name it (MILD/MODERATE/SEVERE)
- Delay- try some of the techniques below:
Stop moving. Sit down if possible and try to be still.
Breathe- take 5 slow deep breaths. Inhale through the nose, exhale out
through the mouth.
Practice your pelvic floor exercises.
Mental distraction- count slowly backwards in 3s- 99, 96, 93 90 etc or remind
yourself that all urges are not TRUE URGES.
Keep repeating these steps until the urge passes.
If after 5 minutes, the urge remains- continue calmly to the toilet.
*Remember you are retraining your bladder, giving into the urges, and urinating too
early is letting the bladder have control of you.
Small changes add up.
Let me know if any of these help.
As always, I’m here if you have any questions
Catherine xx
