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.
Thanks Didispunk. I am still a bit twingy occasionally but considering I was flitting between crutches and a wheelchair I am pretty happy with how much I can move now. I know that at my worst my husband was worried I would be disabled for life but it is amazing how quickly SPD often recovers.
so there's the practical mechanics... how to get around, how to manage... and I'm wondering about some of that. For e.g. while my mum is staying, she's bathing DS. My DH doesn't have a good back either (he couldn't lift DS at all for significant periods of time last year)... and honestly I'm wondering how we bath DS once she's gone??? What do we do if we're both bad at the same time? I don't think you can leave a toddler unbathed for 2-3 months last time I checked, and I am seriously worried that neither of us is going to be able to do it! I got down to pull the plug out of the bath and thought I wasn't going to be able to get back up again.
Secondly, the emotional side. How do you cope emotionally? I'm much improved and incredibly lucky to have my mum here but she has to go soon. So i'm starting to try pick up what i have to, and it's not going great. I can see that I have to do the bare essentials and really focus on that only. But I miss going for walks, I miss being able to go shopping, I miss getting out. I managed 10 mins in Kmart the other day and that was it. We're so lucky to have online shopping, but honestly some things are better done in the flesh! How did you all manage without going crazy!?!?!? And I'm not even on crutches or in a wheelchair, PLUS i have help. Am I just a big wuss? Or were you all crying into your pillows?
It is hard to miss out on everything. I used to get my OH to bathe the kids when he was in the bath anyway, but if not a shower with your child is a good idea, as Didispunk says. There isn't a whole lot to be done about all the usual activities, except to try and find things that you can do together and focus on those so you still have fun, even if you can't go out for a walk.
Belfie - I'm not going to lie to you, the emotional side is hard. I've been housebound since Week 16. From then I could literally walk 50 metres to the end of my street where I could sit and have a coffee then back to my house. I didn't drive either though that has changed now we have moved to the country (which is one of the primary reasons why we moved). So I could either go to the end of my street OR catch a tram from the end of my street and go to a shop that was within 50 metres of the stop at the other end. Whoopy flaming do as you can imagine
If DP was home to drive me I could only walk 50 metres from the car. DP is also a shiftworker and often works 9 days straight.
My oldest friends have been crap and have treated me like a whinger if I mention "housebound" or "pelvis".
So, to coping. Firstly, I decided not to be a martyr and to put DD into childcare two days a week. Because she was housebound too and it wasn't fair on her. Without that, I would have gone completely insane.
Luckily or unluckily, depending on which way you look at it, I was really busy. We were buying/selling/renovating/moving all during this time, dealing with legal issues and trying to cope with DSD who had gone off the rails. So although I couldn't get OUT of the house, my mind was busy.
If you drive, I'd suggest the following. Get out of your home environment as much as possible. Visit friends' houses, playgrounds, parks etc. etc. Keep the walking to an absolute minimum but get out of the house. Think of a project - decorating the nursery, writing letters for Amnesty International ... ANYTHING.
Also spend some time each day just thinking about your new baby. It really helped me to concentrate on being excited about new life rather than focusing on pain and coping. Last night for example, I couldn't get to sleep until past 2am because I am now BESIDE MYSELF with excitement that DD2 is nearly here.
Finally, keep posting especially with practical issues like bathing. Usually there's some solution - I agree, take a shower with him. Or put a chair next to the bath that he can climb on to and then you can hold his hand to get into the bath. Use the chair to swing your own legs in maybe to take the plug out or perhaps you could put some string on the plug so you can just yank it. Don't worry, DD very rarely baths and lately she hasn't been in the shower much either. As long as her bum is wiped and her girly bits are clean, I don't stress. If worst came to worst I'd wash her down with a warm cloth.
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