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

Don't be so stupid 🙄

If she can, OP should pay for a private physio - I did and it made so much difference. Meanwhile, she can help herself by getting a pregnancy support belt and looking up ways of moving - my physio taught me how to get out of bed, rise from a seated position and so on. That and some drugs got me through.
babygo.uk/collections/pelvic-support-belt?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAC2_SMA47k1AzDJoVG9AZ-YJdYELZ&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpP63BhDYARIsAOQkATZv4UNEc7wrVkNkPhK-wHbbcizBsR142ZV8R8dtJjzJXABEa6LrXrEaAsJxEALw_wcB

Yes to a pelvic support belt @independencefreedom it definitely helped, again - no help with this on NHS. Hopefully OP will get on better with a private physio.

I hope OP has gone to A+E, and they in turn have referred her to the midwifery unit- where Mum and Baby would get the right care for them.

Why are you demanding an MRI scan? Are you a doctor? What would an MRI scan do for you?

If it’s not SPD it sounds like it could be a trapped nerve. Not sure what can be done for a pregnant woman other than physio though. I had a trapped nerve in my lower back (very similar symptoms to you even the leaning to side on toilet (!) but I can imagine it’s worse having the extra weight/fluid etc in pregancy). Took a couple of months to go - a fluke occurrence from jumping on a trampoline which untrapped it. I don’t suggest you do that though!
Can your midwife not refer you for physio at the hospital? I actually did have SPD too with my 1st pregnancy (oh boy that was another delightfully painful experience 😫) and had some physio appointments at the hospital and a pelvic girdle belt which helped. Also a hot water bottle and body pillow might offer a bit of comfort. I hope you get it sorted OP.

Nrtht - but as a nurse, if you have pins and needles in both legs, or around tour back passage, any problems in your control of urine or controlling your bowels, I would go straight to ED to be assessed. Especially if your mw has advised you to. Anything else, you could probably wait until your osteo appointment tomorrow unless you're concerned in the interim.

@Moonlightdust not sure when you were last pregnant but any physio offered on the NHS now is a phone call and a leaflet! At best you might get a video to watch or a group exercise.

Yes that was with my first pregnancy 16 years ago so not surprised really! 🙈

Did the doctor know about the numbness in your lower back and the shooting pains in your stomach?

He did, but did not seem concerned about either. He did not examine my back at all.

@Vinvertebrate How you doing now? I’m on the mend but it’s slow and the Dr and the physio I have seen says expect issues for up to 2 months.

I had numbness in both legs, awful pain in my back and zero reflexes so out of hours GP sent me to A&E. I was flagged for cauda equina and they did do an MRI. Turns out I have bulging discs in my back and received physio four days after discharge and am being seen for six sessions initially with a possibility of extension if required. I’m doing specific gentle stretches every two hours, the practice is private but my Dr surgery must have some sort of deal as it’s an NHS series of appointments. I do have scoliosis of the spine which probably makes me more suspeptible . This was a major A&E. so they do if they think clinically necessary do MRI scans.

I rate osteopaths but if a medical professional has told you to go then that’s what you should do. Also do not lie about your symptoms that is dreadful advice. I hope you feel better soon,I have never had such bad pain and I have given birth with zero drugs as the baby came too quickly.

I managed to sleep for a couple of hours hooked up to a tens machine. DH was very delayed on trains and got back just now.

Still on considerable pain. None of the red flag symptoms the GP mentioned. Baby active as they usually are this time of night.

The plan is to visit A&E in the morning tomorrow before my osteopath appointment.

Really worrying reading stories of how long this sort of this lasts. I also have scoliosis, and have experienced a disc bulge and episodes oc sciatica over the years (was absolutely fine with first pregnancy). The pain and immobility never lasted longer than a week, and seemed to improve after a day.

Thank you so much for all your responses and advice.

I’m off to bed now but I hope they can help you and it settles I would advise you in the near future to consider footwear very carefully and also do stretches always, even if just five minutes a day under the supervision of health professionals. It’s something I regret not doing more. All the best x

I'm so glad the TENS machine is giving you a little relief. I had to fiddle quite a bit to find the right setting & power level. It's definitely no cure but it took my pain from 11/10 to 7/10 so I could VERY SLOWLY change positions, keep breathing & not sound like I was acting out some really bad porn.

I also found that if I did have to sit (we were using public transport in London) then keeping moving was key, jiggling my leg, rocking on my bottom so my hips were moving. Staying still was an absolute killer. I must have looked like a nutter, but better that than the grunts & squeaks 😳

TENS machine shouldn't be used at this stage of pregnancy

OP

does this Osteo have a specialism in treating pregnant women?!

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.

What were the “red flags” that the GP mentioned that you don’t have?

Actually ignore that, I see the advice has changed

Have you googled PGP or SPD in pregnancy? I have just had my baby and what you describe sounds EXACTLY like what I had and I had PGP. I went to an osteopath and it was a godsend!!!! They do specifically modified things because of being pregnant but I found it gave me some relief. Don't get me wrong, it never got rid of the pain, and I was signed off work. But it gave me some relief so I could get up off the sofa without pain. A&E won't help from experience I'm suprised your dr didn't say PGP. Look up the Pelvic Partnership they are really helpful on Instagram or Facebook too!

Red flags for cauda equina are loss of feeling/numbness in bowel/bladder.
Unfortunately people with sciatica are just given painkillers and told to get on with it if they don't have these red flags.

The shooting pain today is down both legs. Have been waiting in A&E for a few hours. Sitting is agonising. Have been told it's another 4hr wait. Triage nurse has been trying to get to go to maternity triage instead given I'm pregnant? But triage midwife has made it clear to me that beyond checking the baby they can't do anything for my back.

Could this just be sciatica? I've had sciatica and even a disc bulge in the past and I've hardly even taken paracetamol for the pain! Just managed with creams and gels and a hot water bottle. This pain is incomparable to anything I've ever had before.

It could be, my sciatica was excruciating

I am not a Dr so would not diagnose.
But yes as a sciatica sufferer it can absoutley be this painful.