thanks traveller - i'm following up with my friend who offered to lend me the elbow ones it sounds like they're better.
well I tried swimming today... and managed to sprain my toe! Of all the stupid things to do huh! I was pushing off the wall and it caught or slipped on something somehow and YOUCH! So now I have a big fat red swollen bruised toe! The actual swimming and gentle water-walking went well and didn't cause pain. As for the sprained toe (i'm assuming it's not broken - shall check with my physio on thurs), well it doesn't really make too much difference given I'm not walking much anyway! But still, I can't quite believe it
I'm just popping in to say YAY for this thread!! SPD is such an under-acknowledged thing that we're kind of expected to grin and bear it like it's "normal" late-pregnancy aches and pains.
Re the crutches, I know a couple of ladies who just went straight for a walking frame...has the added benefit that you can stop and sit halfway thru your journey if you need to. I don't know if I could've managed crutches...
Yep, I never even considered crutches - too impractical for me as DD would have not left me alone and would have been running in and out of them. Plus, you have no arms/hands available. Plus, I'm completely unco so doubt whether I would have been able to use them proficiently.
I am currently 38 weeks pregnant, and last week my pain got so bad I was just about ready to give up and book in for a C-section right then and there ( I am trying for a VBAC after previous placenta previa).
The good news is with a lot of physio (5 sessions in the last 2 weeks) and as much rest as possible with a toddler running around, I have started to see some results. The pain has lessened and I am able to walk around (with support belt). It still hurts, but compared to this time last week, when i couldn't walk from the sofa to the kitchen without crying, things are much improved.
I think the hardest thing about have SPD is being told to "stay of your feet". It's hard to explain to a 2 year old that you can't do anything with them anymore! I think i have found it worse this pregnancy as I am now living in Auckland and all my family is back in Aus. DH has been great though, and gets home from work and gets straight into playing with DS, cooking dinner, bringing me drinks and looking after me, so that definitely helps. I am also making a real effort not to let things get back to how bad they were by taking every opportunity to sit down and get off my feet.... it is really hard when there is always so much to be done, but I guess we have to look after ourselves first and the cleaning somewhere later down the list!
gms78 - rest and the belt are good but to really get the pain under control you need to ice, ice, ice. Icing since week 7 has enabled me to continue walking around the house. Without that, I would be permanently in a wheelchair.
When I was 22 weeks pregnant with the twins, I got a taxi to pick me up from my antenatal appointment. The driver asked why I had cructches and I explained about my pelvis, then he said "oh you women, just like to make a fuss because you love the attention". I honestly nearly belted him there and then, instead I gave him a proper dressing down about how it was not fun that I could not go upstairs when my childern cried at night or pick them up when they wanted to be held, and how I did not love being almost housebound. It's so hard to be disabled in pregnancy and have everyone assume you are making a fuss just to be the centre of attention.
I just wanted to add a thanks for this thread. It's great - it's particularly great to see that so many people have positive attitudes to their SPD, as it's often really hard to stay positive when in this degree of pain.
I haven't been able to walk properly since 12 weeks pregnant (now 31 weeks) and have been really struggling lately. My physio has recommended elbow crutches for the bad days and nights, and I try to ice at least three times a day - this helps so well! I can't do the pregnancy pilates at my hospital any more as there's too much standing up for me, so I try to do some of the exercises at home to at least be somewhat active! My physio also recommended swimming - walking or something very simple, absolutely no breast stroke, even trying to kick a bit with a floatie between my knees to make sure that things are stable in my pelvis and I get some exercise. I haven't been able to try that yet as I had a chest infection, but I'm hoping to get in the pool soon!
Traveller - I second the "attention seeking" comment that you made. A good friend of mine, a doctor, told me that pelvic pain is "normal" and physiotherapy/chiropracty/etc is all voodoo. He received a very good talking to from me, and a gentler (but very specific) one from my DH after that, but I was so hurt that a friend would say something like that. Sigh.
Any suggestions for positions that are conducive to pain-free sex? My wife gets quite severe iliac pain during her pregnancies, and it is making sex very uncomfortable for her.
Well, first post here and all I can say is 'ooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww'!!! Thanks for all the wonderful input and tips already given, I've gained a lot already. I'm not nearly as debilitated as several of you have described but I've gone from a bit achy to the pain worsening rapidly over the past few days. I'm kinda scared of how it might progress over he next 10ish weeks I have left. We're going on holiday in 2 weeks and staying in a unit that's up 3 flights of stairs -silly, silly me I know, but I booked it in Feb and my PG with DD I had no pain at all so didn't see this coming. Really hoping I'll be able to make it to the beach and back with DD. I've been HANGING for this holiday.
I also have suspected GD - positive on first-round test, longer test next week. Because of this, and for the sake of general health and being fit enough to survive labour, I really want to exercise, but even a gentle walk around the block today has left me hobbling. Can someone tell me if there's any exercise I can do without upsetting my pelvis?
How many of you girls continuedd to have SPD after bubs was born? I am still getting pain, 5 1/2mths later! Nowhere near the pain I was getting in later pg, but I still get shooting pains in my pubis , and turning in bed is still sometimes painful and I get the grinding back/pelvis bones/ligaments.
I still ahven't been to the physio or chiro (or anyone actually!) I'm waiting on our tax....another few weeks til we can afford to do anything unfortunately, then it will be a toss up over going to the dentist, or the chiro/physio. Gee, decisions!
Not sure if it's been mentioned lately, but there's the Pelvic Instability Association you can go to for great information and latest research. It's going through a name change but you should still be able to google it and look it up on Facebook.
It's been nearly 3 years since my last child was born and I still need to see the osteo to put me back into alignment. I came off my horse the other week landing on my hip (actually, my whole left side!) - as soon as the bruising subsided I went back to the osteo, because it felt like a concertina effect and I wasn't taking any chances with my pelvis.
it sounds like they're better.
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