Should I go to A&E?

[Aandespine]

I'm 5mo pregnant. Woke up yesterday morning with excruciating back pain. I cannot walk unaided (thankfully have a pair of crutches at home I've been using to shuffle to the bathroom and back), cannot sit, even on the toilet seat I'm having to lean to one side, cannot bend over. I'm struggling to lift myself up from the toilet seat, cannot turn over in bed. I'm climbing the stairs on all fours then I take a while at the top (in a lot of pain) to stand up straight again. My lower back is numb and I'm getting tingling pain under my belly, and shooting pains down one leg. One leg feels heavy and weak.

Have been to see the GP. They can't tell me what the issue is, no advice re recovery time or prognosis. They've just prescribed dihydrocodiene. No other advice besides to go to A&E if I experience incontinence or numbness down below. I pleaded with them for an MRI which they say they'll try to request without any guarantees/it will be at the discretion of the radiographer who will decide if there's an indication for it.

Now I've had sciatica in the past and the pain was in no way near this. I'm in tears numerous times a day and the pain is literally exhausting me. I dred going to the toilet. I'm bed bound. I have a family member taking care of my 2 young children.

I haven't yet been to A&E because I cannot sit and wait there for hours to be told the same thing (pain meds and no further diagnostics).

Please tell me what to do

This sounds awful, I’m sorry, Your Midwife isn’t going to tell you to go to A & E unless they mean it so I would get yourself to A&E - best of luck

The GP (a trainee) actually recommended I take Ibuprofen today. I am aware that it's contraindicated I'm pregnancy so won't of course.

Also they are very very unlikely to x-ray the lumbar spine if a pregnant woman if there is no traumatic injury. It won't show cauda equina and there would be no point and a dose of radiation to the baby.

Same here - but my SI issues never really went away. 12 years down the line I'm not in too much pain but it's a jiggle that's one movement away from 'going' if that makes sense.
It's despicable pain that needs to be taken seriously as some people suffering with it become suicidal. I was so low with it I was questioning my own life. Absolutely awful.

They’ll likely not do an x-ray in someone who’ll have a fetus sat right next to the bit they’d be interested in looking at.

It doesn't sound like SPD. I cannot bear any weight at all on one leg, and I've had issues a long time ago with my 2 lowest vertebrae so I think it might be something related to that.

Thanks so so much for all your responses.

I've managed to book an osteopath appointment for tomorrow can you believe! So thanks to whoever recommended that.

My DH gets home late tonight. I'll see if we're up for sitting in A&E. I'd be happy to withstand the excruciating pain if I know I'd get an MRI/diagnosis at the end of it. If only to know prognosis, recovery time, how best go manage (and avoid going forward).

In so much pain right now. Need to get myself to the bathroom which I am absolutely dreading.

Thank you all again

This ^^

I'd be amazed if an Osteopath wanted to touch a woman who is pregnant and has numbness in a leg, tbh. You should go to A&E, as advised by your midwifery team.

Oh, poor you! It sounds awful. It sounds like you're doing all the right things.

baby 3 weeks old. I had pelvic girdle pain / SPD from 28 weeks which got gradually worse in the third trimester. Was in agony by the end with a 2 year old working FT too. It 90% vanished after delivery and then had some aches and pains for a week after when moving in certain positions in bed (midwife advised things were “knitting” back together) and it’s thankfully gone now.

ended up with gestational diabetes in last few weeks which I partly blame on my reduced activity as I was much more active in my first pregnancy went for a lot of long walks etc but I didn’t suffer with my pelvis with my first son.

so easily dismissed as “not serious” but it is so debilitating.

really feel for you being in this kind of pain quite early on.

I wouldn't go to A&E but I'd go to your local maternity day assessment/triage.

I'm surprised he's agreed to see me!

I tried them already and they've said they cannot see me and I should go to A&E.

private presumably

so money OP!

Does the Osteo actually specialise in treating pregnant women?

So go to A&E then…..

The medical professionals are telling you to go to A&E. Why haven't you gone yet?

So your midwife team have told you to go to a&e and the gp have told you to go if things get worse, but your questioning whether you should go?

So you have been told by health professionals to go to A&E and you are asking Mumsnet ? You know what you should be doing 🙂

You won't get an mri through a&e they only offer xray and ct which would be unlikely to be given due to the risks when pregnant. I know it must be so painful but unless you lose bladder control/incontinence they won't be concerned and will only give pain relief which your gp has already done.

if professionals are telling you to go to A&E, I think you have to go now before it gets too mad on a Friday night

Why are you messing about making osteopath appointments and posting on here when your midwife has told you to go to A&E?

GO TO A&E

They told you to go to A&E.

Go to A&E.

This is utterly bizarre

You have been explicitly advised by medics to go to A&E

But you’re booking in with Osteos (presumably you’ll have to get to him too?) and mumsnetting

when i was pregnant, i followed whatever my midwife / doc suggested!