Client Story: Shawna's IC symptoms had her frozen in fear. Now she's training for a ballroom competition.
Heal Your Chronic Pelvic PainShow Notes
Shawna spent nearly three years doing everything right. She saw the specialists. She did the rounds of antibiotics (eight of them). She cut out every food on the IC list and tracked her symptoms by the hour. She had a compassionate pelvic PT in her corner. She had done everything she was supposed to do. But she was still having debilitating symptoms. And she was still terrified. Her healthcare providers were doing their absolute best, but they were running out of new ways to help her. So her pelvic PT referred her to me. Now, Shawna is training for her next ballroom competition in August. She took three international trips in three months. She is setting boundaries, speaking up for herself, and she often forgets she ever had symptoms at all. In this episode, Shawna shares her full story. The diagnosis that changed how she thought about her body. The way dance, her biggest passion, became her biggest trigger. The loneliness of living with symptoms that the people in your life can never understand. And how she got to where she is now, living her life beyond chronic pelvic pain. I am so grateful to Shawna for being willing to share her story so openly and honestly. It takes courage, and I know it's going to mean so much to the people listening. We talk about: Her diagnosis of interstitial cystitis Why dance became a trigger, and what was actually happening in her nervous system The hypervigilance spiral: tracking, dietary restriction, and what all of it was really doing to her system What made her open to mind-body work when so many people resist it The specific tools that helped most, including EFT tapping, visualization, and parts work What it feels like to say "I like who I am" and actually mean it Where her symptoms are now, and how she thinks about flare-ups differently If you've been told your pain is something you just have to live with, this episode is for you. Resources & Links: Follow me on Instagram: @thepelvicpaincoach Get Your Free Pain Flare Plan (download): https://thepelvicpaincoach.myflodesk.com/painflareplan Get on the waitlist for a Pelvic Pain Strategy Session: https://thepelvicpaincoach.com/strategy-session Get on the waitlist for Beyond Chronic Pelvic Pain (doors opening early summer): https://thepelvicpaincoach.com/healing-program
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
More from Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain
What can you do when a pain flare is loud, uncomfortable, and not something you can make stop in the moment? A building fire alarm kept going off for two weeks, sometimes during coaching calls and sometimes in the middle of the night. The experience reminded me of what it was like to live with chronic pelvic pain: knowing what was happening didn’t make the sensations disappear, and I couldn’t always change the situation right away. In this episode, I share how I supported myself through those moments, from putting in earbuds so I could keep coaching to noticing the comfort of my bed while I waited for the alarm to turn off. We talk about acknowledging discomfort without pretending it isn’t there, choosing what might support you, and considering whether you want to take a values-aligned action or rest. There’s no right or wrong choice. For me, showing up for the things I cared about, even when my symptoms were intense, supported my sense of agency. Your choice may look different. The invitation is to ask what you need and how you want to spend the time while you wait for the flare to pass. In this episode: Why knowing a symptom is a false alarm doesn’t always make the discomfort go away
If you've ever frozen on the exam table, or spent the drive home replaying everything you wish you'd said, this episode is for you. For so many of us with chronic pelvic pain, gynecologist visits are part of the recovery journey. And they can be really hard, both physically and emotionally. Many providers aren't trained in trauma-informed care or familiar with conditions like vaginismus and vulvodynia, which means it often falls on us to speak up for what we need. In this episode, I'm sharing the things I didn't know I could ask for when I was healing, so you can walk into your next appointment feeling more prepared and a little more in control. In this episode: Why telling your provider about pain with penetration out loud matters (even if it's already on your intake form)
When I was living with chronic pelvic pain, I believed that if I had symptoms, I was suffering. It felt impossible to enjoy my life or loosen my urgency to heal while pain was still there. Because I felt like I was always suffering.
Do you have to quit your job, leave your relationship, move, or completely restructure your life in order to heal?
Even though no one can do the healing work for you, that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.