Woman able to dance again at 76 after finding solution to severe pain

A dance-loving vicar has revealed how she bounced back from an “intensely painful” health battle. Sue Brown and her husband Laurie, both 76, love to dance – the pair have been on the dance floor together since they met 57 years ago.

When the retired Caerphilly vicar started experiencing “intense” lower back pain and a lack of bladder control, she was devastated. “I felt sad and disappointed as dancing was something I really enjoyed doing, it’s something that brings me and my husband together, especially in retirement as it’s a passion we both share.”

Sue and Laurie met while at university and have since had four children together, including Chris, 50, Paul, 48, Lisa, 46, and Laura, 45. As a child, Sue really wanted to dance, but as her parents were. She couldn’t afford classes, it was something to check off her bucket list.

After retiring, the couple joined evening ballroom dance classes at Shapells studio, where they made many friends and reconnected. But when Sue’s pain started in 2021, she found it difficult to walk or stand for long periods of time, let alone dance.

Desperate not to give up her passion, Sue sought help from her local GP but struggled to get a follow-up appointment. Tired of waiting, she decided to take matters into her own hands and researched other healthcare options.

She contacted Infiniti Healthcare in Cardiff – a private pelvic health, menopause and wellbeing clinic founded in 2013 by husband and wife team Kiron and Nadia Bhal. Sue was fitted with a pessary – a removable device that supports the pelvic organs from prolapse – and felt “instant relief”.

Sue said: “I missed the joy that grooving brought me and decided enough was enough. When I visited Dr. Nadia at Infiniti Healthcare, she made me feel so comfortable and relaxed.

“It’s not an easy subject, pain or bladder leakage, but she handled it easily. I was able to get right back into dancing which was great. Now I can dance without worrying about physical problems.

“I don’t think I realized how much it was affecting me until I got better. Then my energy returned and I was able to do the things I loved once again.

“When you’re in pain all the time, it wears you down – but now I’m getting my life back. It brought back the sense of joy and upliftment that dance gives me.” Nadia said: “It is so important to listen to women and learn what is important to them, to come up with minimally invasive solutions that enable women to return to full health.

“Vaginal ring pessaries are underused in practice, but they can be so effective in helping to relieve symptoms and give women their lives back.”