Anne had already been a client at KCP for the last several years. She initially came for shoulder rehabilitation and then found support for managing her arthritis and unstable pelvis. When she began to face urinary incontinence and prolapse around the age of 70, her doctor recommended pelvic floor physical therapy. Anne knew that this was an area of specialization for KCP physical therapist Ashley Williams and made an appointment.

Not knowing what to expect, Anne admits she had some nervousness about pelvic floor PT. “Ashley immediately put me at ease,” she says. “She told me the first visit would be just to talk. And we did. She asked me about the issues I was having. She asked me what the women’s center told me. And she kind of prepped me by telling me, ‘If you are OK with it, at some future visit I would like to do an internal exam.’ I left there thinking Holy Moly! You know, we were programmed to believe that you go to the gynecologist for that.”

Anne went back for her second visit. When asked if she was comfortable with the internal exam that day, she joked with Ashley about why she would choose such a career and admitted her nervousness. “Ashley is just really good with putting you at ease,” she says. “She told me we did not have to do this if I was not comfortable, but I just decided to trust her. She’s very mindful of your modesty. She tells you every single place she is going to touch and what she’s going to do before she does it. And she’s very attentive to not hurting you. She was just gentle and told me everything that was happening.  It was like being in a gynecology office, if you want to know the truth. And I never got embarrassed, which was amazing.”

In addition to the manual work during their PT sessions and the at-home exercises that Anne now does, she is also learning more about other factors that may be contributing to her urinary incontinence. “Ashley is also big on helping you understand the big picture. She talked to me about nutrition and gave me some handouts that listed foods that are irritating to the bladder. She also talked to me about making a daily diary of what I was putting into my body for a few days to see if there might be some connections with what was causing my leakage. The total approach was just wonderful. I can’t say enough good things. I’m just blown away by the level of care,” she says.

Anne says that she appreciates the lessons she is taking away from the sessions with Ashley. “I’m learning how everything works together. I’m also learning that just because I’m getting older, it doesn’t mean I have to stop doing the things that I like and accept them as they are. I can get help and work to improve my situation. You know, I’m approaching a big birthday, but when I walked out of there, I felt young. How’s that?!”