SPD - anyone else joining me on the birthing ball?

[elgoldenflower]

Hello out there, was looking for a support thread for those of us unlucky enough to have developed SPD and couldn't find a current one.

I'm 19 weeks (EDD 26.10.11) and have been aware of pelvic pain since conception (v mild at first) but it's steadily getting worse. I now can't walk more than about 30 yds without being sofa/birthing ball - bound for the evening.

My physio is fitting me with crutches on Monday as I can't avoid a bit of walking for my work (I run drama workshops all over the place so have to travel to them and I don't drive).

So far cycling's wonderful but I'm not aloud to use my bike like a mobility scooter as far as I know so cycling usually involves a bit of walking too.

Grr just wanted to be able to rant without annoying my v supportive antenatal thread.

DH did that for me after dc3. He paid upfront for a cleaner to come once a fortnight for six weeks. Made a huge difference to how I felt though I too was mightily !

I don't think it will happen this time - we are massively broke!

elsgoldenflower - that awful deep hip pain is what has been wearing me down and its what the acupuncture / cupping seems to have eased :0 after 12 weeks of it constantly hurting. I sound like a mad acupuncture zealot - I'm really not, just tried it out of desperation. I'm back at work next week, so back to driving and walking a bit, and I'm pretty worried that I'll end up back to how I was 2 weeks ago before the apparently magical effects of having a load of needles stuck in me seemd to help things. Or that I'll not be quite as bad but not all that great either and I'll be stuck with the horrible choice of trying to muddle through for the next 3 1/2 months or wuss out on sick until I go off on mat leave.

I've actually felt up to walking round mothercare without crutches to start buying some little bits and pieces after my 20 week scan last week, excited! I also managed a little gardening and clothes sorting in the room that'll be the nursery without being crippled, just achy and stiff with a twingy groin (tmi!).

Big hugs to everyone who isn't in a good place pain-wise, I just hope something works soon for youse, even if it is just the chance to rest fitted in somewhere or popping the baby out!

Big at missustulip's twinging groin! Shame the actual thing is not as funny as it sounds...

On the acupuncture thing, my mum's had really bad bell's palsy since Oct and she's been having acupuncture for a few weeks with some really encouraging improvement since it started. Her practitioner is a gp who says she has no idea how or why it works, logically it shouldn't but it does and she can't explain it. So much for a ringing endorsement, but she does appear to be right! Might be worth a try, esp if you have a way to go.

missustulip and anyone else with knowledege.....please tell me more about acupuncture for PGP. I have had it before for sinus & migraines so know more or less what to expect, but just wondering where exactly they put the needles for PGP? I'm presuming lots around the hips etc....lower back as well? groin?? (ouch!) How does the practitioner make you lie for it? To get at the lower back you'd need to be on your tummy, but that aint possible right now! Also I'm scared that they won't know what they're doing and stick needles in wrong places and bring on early labour or something bad? I didn't like the last practitioner I went to, and didn't feel the room was clean enough so will look around for somewhere better if I decide to go ahead with it again....what should I look out for? THanks

Well I managed another swim yesterday and plan to go again tomorrow morning, all being well. Had a really bad night on Monday night with very little sleep due to hip pain so yesterday did the folded duvet under the sheets thing and had a better night last night. Also got DH to pump up my big ball and stretching out on that really helps. So far fewer tears and better mood here this week as I'm doing more out and about (long may it last that I'm able to get out!).

How are the ladies that are due any minute? Any sign of labour yet? Wish you all the best when the time comes and do let us know how it goes! Jealous of you because I've another 4 months to go!!

Overdone it today . Got missustulips twingy groin thing going on. Time for cocodamol methinks.

Hi all, just to report I am still feeling much better after painful session at chiro on Monday, no crutches for 2 days and back to see him tomorrow so hopefully we can maintain it. Maybe that will give some hope that it can ease off a bit, although I know it isn't going to go until baby is out (due a week today). No signs of labour yet though baby keeps burrowing head down hard! Hope you are all ok, buttonmoon feet up.

It's made worse that it's my birthday! Once I've got my teaching out of the way at 8 I'll be ordering myself a sad one person's nice little takeaway.

DH hasn't even remembered it's my birthday yet! He's so busy working away that I guess the date hasn't even occurred to him and I don't think he's got all our birthdays on this new phone. Am planning on saying nothing til the w/e so he feels mega guilty and really spoils me then

happy birthday Button!

IWill - haven't tried accupuncture - understood it to be for symptomatic painrelief more than "fixing" it - though could imagine it might help tight muscles relax.

ElseItell - no crutches for 2 days sounds good!

I am really pleased with my chiro - last appointment was 2nd, with not another one till the 30th (so don't feel like he's making me go uneccesarily). Last time he assessed my pelvis (sacroiliac joints) to see if they were even - didn't need to do any manipulation there, just sorted an upper back niggle.

I don't think this will go totally away - but I've been so lucky/relieved to have such big improvement - I really thought I would be lucky to be able to maintain where I was - let alone get better (fingers crossed) as I get bigger.

Happy Birthday Buttonmoon! Hope your little plan works out & you get totally spoiled at the wknd!

damn internet connections, had written a post and it has been eaten by the Broadband monster, grrr!

a reconstruction -

Happy birthday Button moon, hope ur getting spoiled!

In hindsight, the twingey groin was a bit wrong , glad it raised a few laughs... Unfortunately, my 'test-run' driving and walkng today in preparation to go back to work (if appropriate next week) has resulted in grindy hip and back pain returning - pants!

Viz acupuncture - it doesn't fix it or really loosen the muscles that I've noticed, but it has brought the amount of pain I've been in right down, so that I've had a couple of pain free days per week over last 2 weeks - deffo a result in my book, however it works! I think it is something to do with the needles causing a small amount of cell damage which causes inflammation and releases helpful chemicals, esp for pain relief and reducing inflammation. (well that sounded credible enough, despite reading about that pre-pregnancy and trying to remember thru the baby brain fog)

I've been seeing a lovely French lady (random info there) for past 3 weeks, she has done acupuncture proper twice and cupping and acupuncture once (didn't ask why the cupping, other than it's done over the same points). She won't treat the sacral area as she said it's too risky in pregnancy as it can bring on premature labour - okay dokey sez me! She gets me to lie on my left side so she can treat the right (worse) side. She starts at the hip and does about 3 other points on the side of my thigh, 2 or so on side of lower leg and 2 on foot (owie last time), sometimes with one on left foot too. With the cupping, she does the points on the hip and thigh with the little glass cups and needles the rest. I get migraines too and she'll put a needle in my temple and ear. Then she covers me up for 20mins and dims the lights and leaves me behind a curtain. Which meant a couple of weeks ago, I managed to doze off and snore loudly enogh to wake myself - classy pregnant lady!!!

The cupping certainly hurts more - was quite hard to stick for the 20 mins and left me with impressive bruising for a week and a half. I have to say I think it did give me longer lasting pain relief tho? I'm due it on Friday, so I'll know better next week hopefully!

And as I am so classy, I will leave you with this lovely thought -

I don't know where she would needle for erm, frontal SPD (or twingy groin as I like to call it! ) but she said that some ladies find it helpful to massage that area during the treatment if it is sore... so on Friday afternoon, I may be lying on a couch in a darkened room behind a curtain massaging my groin for 20 mins . Wrongsville!

Thank you for your very informative post, missustulip. Sorry you had to write it twice! I'm presuming the "sacral area" is the lower back? It all sounds good.... will see if there's anyone local I trust enough to treat me. Thanks again for all the helpful info.

iwilldothis- yep, obvs I can't see where she's specifiying but i think if you draw a line across the top of your pelvis over your lower back, anything below that = sacral area. I forgot - she gets me to sit up at the end and puts needles in above that and takes them right back out again - no lying, well sittig around for 20 mins there!

I was lucky to find someone nice who I trust and has a nice clean treatment room in a GP practice, tho she's not NHS. We have something called ACT, acupuncture in childbirth team (I think) locally and that's how I found her, so I knew she had prenancy experience. May be they're national too?! Good luck, hope you find a good'un.

Im at 34 weeks and goin for scan to check on placenta - can they check the pelvis distance at a scan or not much point mentioning it? Now waking up about 12times a night definately my most uncomfy thing to do! Hurry up due date!

Slept really well last night and I think it was due to trying a new thing.

I turned over in bed the other way round, turning under instead, hoisting myself into an all fours position to get to the other side. It's seemed to aggravate my pelvis much less meaning I remained slightly more comfortable and got a decent night's sleep

In lots of pain today. Worst day so far. I know it's all my fault as I overdid it yesterday. Got burning, shooting pains in the front and aching in bum.

I'm really hoping it's not here to stay for the remaining weeks.

witches, no idea about that, sorry.

elgoldenflower glad u found something to help...I do that too sometimes

buttonmoon....awww dear, poor you. Use your painkillers and take it easy. Have a bath when you get the chance. Hope it eases for you soon.

missustulip I'm not in England so doubt we have a system like that here....will look into it though. Yours sounds like a good set-up though.Will ask around for recommendations.

I had a little breakdown this morning, sobbed for about an hour with pain and terrible hayfever, unable to breathe. Bad combo. Got away for a swim then though so that helped.

elseI'lltell with DC1 I lay on my left-hand-side for the pushing stage and DH gently lifted my leg a little with each contraction so I could push. With DC2 I can't remember (happened very quickly) but as I had a 3C tear I ended up with my legs up in stirrups for stitching. I was very worried about how this would affect my healing and if it would lead to permanent damage but am delighted to say it didn't. I did get the occasional twinge but that happened after DC1 and having stirrups after DC2 made no difference.

Given in and got some cocodamol to try help sleeping tonight - still a little wary about taking them but the thought if going into labour with no sleep doesnt bear thinking about! Has anyone here had a section due to the spd?

Hello ladies.

Well I've had a hellish week with the pain, nearly came home from work the other day because of it. Could NOT get comfy what ever position I was in, ended up crying at one of the officers at work over it, she was lovely though, and would have been fine with me if I had said I was going, but she isn't my direct manager :( who has casually dropped into conversation about bringing my mat leave earlier if I keep going off with pregnancy sickness things - which I know he can do, but can't bring it before 36 weeks, but it still gives you that guilt trip. Thankfully I've mentioned it to my union rep who was good and will help me if needed, but I don't need that to add to my woes! Then I mentioned the pain to my mum who said, we never had this is my day, I replied with, no but it was probably there, people just didn't know what it was then, same as loads of things, they've discovered over the past x years! Grr.

Felt terribly miserable about the whole thing really this week, the pain has been really bad, I've been very tired with changing to earlier shifts at work and have had numerous bouts of bursting into tears.

It's worse on the left hip, driving hurts with the clutch, have moved my seat closer to see if that helps, not sure so far. Last night I put duvet under the covers and the pain is slightly less this morning on getting up than it had been the past few days. Going to check with doc what dose of codeine I can take, have it prescribed for migraine but not had to take it for a month or two(touch wood) so just want to check before I go and take any.

Physio the other day was a group session and tbh didn't get a lot out of it, was a lot of general advice, keep legs together, showing us how to get into car, how to lie in bed, all stuff I've picked up from leaflets and other people's experience. The don't give out belts, so you need to buy one, and they just say whichever you feel suits you most, so didn't even get a proper recommendation. So I'm going to look at them and choose one. Think buttonmoon recommended one on another thread, so will look at that one. Asked about osteopath or chiropractor and she was very dismissive of them. Saying they will help, take your money and then you feel bad again few days later, heard good things from other people though. Oh and if I want one to one session, if I feel that what they have done on that day hasn't helped then I can ring hosp and speak to physio and get them to speak to me and discuss if I need to go in for one to one session. Nightmare. Might just ring up my private healthcare people and get it done privately. We have health insurance through my OH's work, which isn't being used that much.

Hope everyone is doing OK today and has a decent weekend. My weekend is consisting of doing very little I hope :)

100years if you have health insurance - you should definitely go see a physio, chiro or osteo privately.

The belt recommendation is i think on an earlier page on this thread.

Hmm, if I see a private phys they may recommend a belt anyway. Hmm.

Will ring the company and see if I can get an authorisation number.

Rang the company, they will cover it, but need a GP to do the referral as opposed to the midwife, so will ring docs on Monday, and hopefully get a doc to give me a physio referral, have the claim reference anyway so as soon as I know which physio I can have treatment :)

hello can I join in please? i have never felt pain like this. what drugs can I take?! am nearly 32 weeks. got a pelvic band. does help but night time is terrible, i wake every 2 hours for a wee or cos I moved and it hurts and getting out of bed feels like someone ripping off my left hip and half my fanny.

private healthcare is useless BTW - they wouldn't pay for physio as don't cover pregnancy (despite the fact I was going for a problem I have had years before pregnancy!) My physio said last week I had put the bottom of my back out (slightly) which she fixed but my pelvis has rotated slightly (an old problem) and she cant fix that this late into pregnancy. so I feel fucked really as its only going to get worse the more my pelvis rotates and the more I compensate for this with how I walk etc will only make it worse.

ok, now I am jealous 100years my private healthcare company are now on my hit list

100years, the difference in quality of treatment and physio access available in different areas seems incredible. It's so unfair on people in areas where there is only a group session available. In my area we get an open ended referral for as much 1 to 1 physio as we need until 6 weeks after the birth.

I've been to the chiro this week, it has helped with the 'surrounding' issues, but not with the main symphisis pubis pain. That seems a lot worse this week, I am hating turning over in bed! Only 8 days till my due date, so 3 weeks of this maximum.

elseIlltellyourfather, I saw on another thread you asking about using the birth pool. Everyone has seemed to think it's a very good idea for me to use it with SPD. Mine is all set up and I have tested getting in and out. I have to admit it isn't easy, but I think in an emergency I will be able to get out as quickly as anyone else. It's not like SPD makes me unable to move, it just hurts a lot! And being in the water is so much easier to move around. Not long till your due date, how are you feeling?

witches, did the co-codamol help? Have you talked to anyone about the possibility of a c-section? I know lots of people are offered early induction for SPD, could that be an option for you?

I couldn't manage without a cleaner at the minute. Well, I could, my house would just be a state. I have reached a stage of if I drop something on the floor I look at it for a while thinking, 'well it could just stay there until the baby is born'.