SPD: How do you use crutches and a pushchair?

[FYCandTheGhostsOfNagsPast]

I'm getting to the limits of my practical options.

Dd is 1. I am now fully reliant on crutches and even then in a lot of pain all the sodding time. I have 3 months to go.

Luckily we have an automatic so I can drive with minimal discomfort. But other than that I am now trapped.

My day revolves around minimising moving, dreading having to lift dd, and nothing else. I go out for appointments only, and that's only when dh can meet me to take dd for a bit.

So how do you do it? I've got at least another 3 months, and it's only going to get worse. I can't take dd out in the pushchair because it hurts and will mean I won't be able to walk later on at all. I obviously can't use pushchair with crutches, or carry her whilst using them.

I need some practical ways to cope. It's not for long, I just need some techniques. Other people must've done this. There must be solutions. I'm just struggling to see them.

Any advice gratefully received.

Sweets, dh is getting extra massage-muscles :) I should get some heat packs. Sorry you suffer too. I had a long chat with a friend who is a gp about codeine etc. and so have the info on that. I am very reluctant to use it at all, since it does cross the placenta, but might be worth having some in the house for emergencies.

I have never used an osteopath for SPD (quite early on in my first pg - but I am high risk to get it) but I have had to have surgery twice on my back and found that once I had reached the limit of drugs I could take the only thing I found effective for pain relief was the osteopath. I've seen great ones though and not so great ones (none have ever made it worse, but some have made no difference at all!)

Id definitely try physio- it helped me so much. As I think I said in this thread, the first physio didn't help in the slightest, but the second (who felt like she was doing very little) helped so much. Had 3 sessions with her & it became manageable between that & avoiding certain movements/using belt/hot water bottles until baby dropped.

I asked the practice manager in my gp's if she knew anyone who specialised in area & she rang around and found the 2nd physio. Worth trying, I found the pain unbearable so you have my sympathies.

Thanks pocket

Tricia, I've only seen the hospital physio, she seemed good with advice and knowledge, but none of them have ever actually done anything to me. They check my range of movement, pain levels, etc. say "yup, that's SPD, try to do this and don't do this" but that's it. Should I be asking for more?

It's got to the point where a trip to the physio means that I will have to walk about half a mile/a mile all in. Which is a distance I will suffer for. If there's no practical benefit to me, I don't want to do it.

Thankfully the MW I saw this week is happy to visit me at home from now on, so no more walking to the clinic (a similar distance).

It's so rubbish having to think about such trivially small trips out as beyond me.

Maybe physio can't help in your case, I know everybody is different. Was just so miraculous for me, I can't help recommending it. But I went to a private physio as waiting for a public appt would have taken months (not in UK). A 30 min walk would kill you though. I'm lucky, my mum is retired & nearby so helped out & my husband reduced his hours for that really bad week as I was completely immobile, even crutches didn't help. Definitely limit stairs if you can- I packed a bag morning & evening for dh to carry up/down so only had one round trip per day. Do you have any family you could stay with for even a few days who would help out?

BTW I said to my mum that it felt like I'd aged 60 years in a couple of days. Was less mobile than my 95 year old granny. I hope it gets better for you

Thanks Tricia, I'm more of a zombie (good and seasonal), dragging my legs one after the other. Need to get the downstairs loo fixed!

Family all have a lot on at the moment. They're from the school of, "what you need is to get out more! Walk it off", regardless of how many times I've explained that that would make it worse and could potentially leave me in permanent pain.

Dh is always able to hurry home in emergencies.

Yes second hand scooters can be picked up really cheaply on eBay. Sadly it is usually because an elderly relative is to unwell to use one any more so they are sold for a fraction of the original price often with not much use.