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

It sounds like textbook sciatica. And you have a clear reason for it (bulging disc). Pregnancy has likely exacerbated it because weight gain and your expanding uterus will put more pressure on the nerve or bulging disc which then nips the nerve. It's very common in pregnancy.

@secondchancesat - she's in A&E

Might be something totally different for you but I was admitted to hospital with obturator neuropathy of pregnancy (basically the baby was pressing on a nerve in my pelvis). Prescribed codeine and paracetamol for the pain. Also given crutches and the sort of toilet seat people use after a hip replacement. I couldn't really sit up without being in so much pain that I sometimes was sick. The good thing was it did actually resolve before delivery and was much better in a subsequent pregnancy.

Should add that physio really didn't help because every movement just seemed to irritate the nerve further. The only thing that helped was avoiding movement as much as possible. A pregnancy support belt (as others have said) did help.

Could it be the way baby is lying? Possibly trapping a nerve?

Yes it absolutely can be, the pain can range from 'haha my leg just gave out for a second, back's a bit twingey' to 'HOLY FUCK CUT THEM OFF! CUT IT ALL OFF! SPINES ARE OVERRATED TAKE IT OUT DEAR GOD THE PAIN' and everywhere inbetween. I've only been at the very far end once & the pain was terrifying - I got stuck in positions loads but no one could touch me to help me move, I was so scared of triggering the pain.

All this assumes that's what your pain is (and it seems likely). Moving won't cause damage, really do whatever hip movements you can so you aren't still.

This

Oh sorry didn't read the whole thread!

Glad you went. Sorry you're feeling so awful OP. Hope it's sorted soon.

Still here and waiting. I dread getting up after sitting down for any length of time now. I'm in immense pain but feel more mobile today given I've been moving around on the crutches for short distances while I wait. Hoping to be called soon.

I had this with my 3rd pregnancy, I was hospitalised and given strong pain relief. I needed a microdiscetomy and had the operation when baby was 6 weeks old. Nothing helped and it ruined my last trimester. I feel your pain and hope it eases soon.

Sympathies @Aandespine

Sounds an lot like Sciatica my best mate had it when she was pregnant and some days she was just crying with the pain all day but dont think they gave her anything but painkillers for it.

Ring an ambulance

For what ?

😂

Hiya,

try a hot water bottle and if it is still hurting after a while, go to A&E.

I wrote this when she couldn’t get to A & E so ignore as I cannot delete.

Hope they find the cause soon!

It's still not an ambulance job that's why taxis exist

I have also had this, I was not injured, just my back seized. I had the same useless advice from a gp. I took naproxen, paracetamol and valium. Basically had to lie flat for 2 days and crawl to the loo. Once I could move a bit I went to an osteopath. Sadly it has recurred so its a good idea to maintain appointments with the osteopath. I hope you feel better very very soon.

Please please please go to A&E. Especially if you have had sciatica!
search Cauda Equina Syndrome & it’s red flags - it’s equivalent seriousness as a heart attack. Speaking from experience.
please get checked.

A sciatica flare up can hurt like this. Mine sometimes do. If you have a herniated disc that gave you flare ups in the past, it might just sit more on your sciatic nerve due to pregnancy. You should go to hospital for a really bad flare up as you can have opioid/morphine based pain killers in pregnancy, and you clearly need pain management. Also you should really get to the bottom of what’s happened to your back.

Maybe phone NHS 24

op has been in A and E all day