Medical Gaslighting: How To Know If You're A Victim In Pelvic Healthcare

Too many people, especially women and people who identify as women, are victims of medical gaslighting - especially when it comes to pelvic health. In this video I review the ways you can know you are being medically gaslit, and what to do about it. Below are some resources to help you be your own advocate when it comes to finding the best pelvic health possible. Note - Having pelvic health issues also goes hand in hand with voice and core strength issues, so if you are having those issues and your provider is ignoring you, please reach out. We can help.

To find a trained pelvic health therapist - visit these websites:

The purpose of this video is to help anyone suffering from voice to pelvic floor issues find the care they deserve and need. Watch the video to learn how, but if you are suffering from any of the following then it is highly likely a pelvic health therapist can help:

- Voice issues - hoarseness, chronic laryngitis, endurance or strain
- TMJD/jaw pain and/or headaches
- Breathing issues
- Core strength problems
- Prenatal back and pelvic pain
- Postpartum - just giving birth alone is an injury that requires pelvic health
- Gender confirmation surgery
- Leaking
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Performing arts issues, specifically sustaining your phrase as a musician or musical theatre performer
- Hip pain and injury, including hip arthroscopy
-Pelvic pain in general
- Constipation

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For more from Dr. Garner:

[Dragonfly-spirit]

I'm 71 and been gas lighted by every doctor my whole life. I took the reins of my pain years ago. Thank God for YouTube and all the wonderful PTs who share their knowledge. Thank you! I'm looking for a PT here with your credentials.

[beckycracraft]

Dr Ginger, Tears ran down my cheek as I listened to the passion in your voice ! My story is heartbreaking due to this gaslighting you speak of. My saviors ( parents) that taught me the awareness of this gaslighting, only to both lose their lives because of compassionate family that got sucked into the gaslighting!
My dad ask me to keep his story alive! You give me hope in doing that! Thank you for your heart and compassion

[cloudsilverwing]

Awesome! I don’t even necessarily feel like all of these issues apply to me, but I really appreciate your message of open and honest, listening where gaslighting is rampant nowadays. The spirit and the physical are intimately combined.

[tg]

I was medically gaslit in another way causing immense strain in all my muscles - your release technique’s are helping

[sonjablue]

I knew right away that something was wrong during my last pregnancy. And I've been fighting over and over and over for 20 years and while I finally recently am starting to get somewhere (while paying for some tests out of pocket even!), I still am nowhere near done. Literally everything I am dx'd with I was the one who researched and fought for it and was told by "specialists" that I "couldn't possibly have it"...they finally do the test...and I do. No apologies or anything...they just continue on like it was their idea the whole time! My first issues where...low back / butt / hip pain....digestive issues....skin issues. I was told "you're just pregnant", after was told "you just need time for the body to heal". Never once was going to obgyn or pelvic anyone! I thank goodness for videos like this from actual doctor themselves as well as personal stories. For so many years I was alone...even hubby wasn't "sure" for many years (he is fully on board and supports me in every way now). But thank you for this...apparently I need to add a new specialist to my list to go see. I've found that most of the time when it comes to my yearly "woman appt" it is talked about in general terms, it goes really fast. No one ever wants to acknowledge that I said I have leakage issues or weird discharge sometimes, etc. Or anytime I someone hears it now they at first act like it is a new thing...and I say nope had it for years....then they brush it off like well it's either gotta be normal for me...or it's not as bad as I make it out if I have been living with it for "so long". That thinking applies to most of my other systemic issues as well. Specifically my sacrum and s.i. joints were the start and currently the worst. Did finally get pelvis and si joint mri. But it was "unremarkable" so...I'm being told that all of my pain is "just fibro" from rheums. I literally have all issues you mentioned. Never thought about my voice. Thank you again you given me more things to research and look into. Subscribed! <3

[libbyranshaw]

Wow! Thanks for this. I have past trauma and completely freeze up during pelvic exams. About three years ago I started losing my ability to sing and was diagnosed with muscle tension dystonia. I also have lots of hip pain. Both my massage therapist and I are very excited about your videos on pelvic floor/facial connections! I’m hoping the exercises will help over time.

[swingophile]

Interesting. I actually have a 2nd appointment with an ENT today because of ongoing vocal issues like you describe.
On what I thought were completely unrelated issues, I've seen a Pelvic Floor Therapist now a couple of times.
I wouldn't have put the two together having not seen this.
I'm gonna bring it up at the next appointment.
I am a singer, and find the voice issues particularly troublesome.

[cutechiangels]

Hello Dr. Garner. Thanks for all your interesting videos. Yes! I've always said that the two are linked. Since a very young age, I made that link. Was a professional trained ballet dancer, danced in companies for 8 years, and later became a psychologist and art therapist. But due to huge unemployment at the time, I mostly worked as a teacher, in different types of schools and fields!
I have many activities, one of them is semi-professional singing.
Around the age of 24, when the choir mistress of a very renowned big ensemble forced me to sing with the mezzo-sopranos and even altos, for +6 years, instead of in my own voice pitch which is high soprano 1, I became very ill.
I ended up having to be operated on a big right ovarian cyst. That OP traumatised me heavily, for many reasons but also because I got into a coma, after the tube was stuck to the walls of my throat and was pulled out too fast! Singing under my voice range was a huge mistake. I didn't feel comfortable at all, pressing on my cords too much, as when I have to sing lower notes my voice level is very low. I later found out that the choir mistress was jealous of my beautiful high clear voice, thus forcing me into the lower range, not to be noticed too much!! Awful. And criminal too.
I didn't get any help at all to revalidate.
I took up singing again years later, on and off. But, it's crazy how many women can be so jealous... That made my life very hard in many other fields too, eventhough I didn't take much notice of it.
Anyway, now I only sing in my higher pitch, which is such a joy, for me and the listeners. 🙏 It's so much easier and natural.
Although, during my whole life I suffered from scratching, awful hoarseness and coughing, it was often hard to speak fluidly and sing in one go was very demanding. It's better, though not gone totally now, because I recently stopped eating gluten, for other health reasons, and suddenly I hardly have any hoarseness, scratching nor blocked throat. Marvelous!
But it's very hard to find food without gluten and also flour without any gluten traces. Can't go out to eat, and it's a daily hassle to eat without gluten. Very expensive too. I don't like potatoes, (flour), and baking or cooking with other types of flour is not very satisfying either. Amoungst the many aliments I suffer from, I have EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrom), and SAMA (hyper allergic reactions to food and lots of other things).
Daily life is very hard. I also suffer from nausea and migraines at the back of my head.
Since two years, I've come up with a cyst in my left ovary. This one seems not to be related to hormones, says the doctor. Strange...
This is 25 years after the other one on the right.
Luckily, this one doesn't hurt at all, and I wish it to disappear on it's own. Any advice is welcome on thar matter. Also, concerning the link with my voice.
I'm in France, the medical system and care is very different here from the US. No pelvic specialists here. Gynaecologists, physiotherapists, and midwives. But, nobody makes that voice/pelvic link. They all look at me as if I was crazy.
BTW, in foot reflexology, the heels are linked to the reproductive organs. Seen that my heels are very inflamed, calfs and thighs tight, it could be related.
I've undergone all sorts of therapies. A little relief.
My new osteopathy sessions might bring better relief.
Thanks for any advice. Keep the good work up! 👍🙂
BTW, could you say the abreviations out in full, at least once during your vids. Thanks.

[ablanccanvas]

Wow! I feel like I’m learning about a whole new field of health care that I didn’t know existed. 😳 Now I have to understand the connection between the “3 diaphragms” and how they interrelate. I was diagnosed with EoE, a while back + while maybe not directly related to “voice”, it is related to the “throat”. I just don’t understand “it/EoE” in itself as it’s supposed to be “food allergy” related. Complicated. Just trying to understand… 🤔
Thank you for your videos as I start my climb down into ‘new rabbit holes.’ 😌♥️