If your SPD got THAT BAD would you......

[Charleesunnysunsun]

Go to hospital?

Im not sure what they could do.

I was in hospital getting an anti-d injection last Monday after a small bleed after intercourse. Whilst i was there i mentioned to the midwife i was having alot of pain down below and finding everyday activities i.e sitting, standind painfull.

They said it was an 'SPD type pain' and that they could give me some Co-Dygomal (sp?) which i declined because i have a very weak stomach when it comes to painkillers and i was really sick with co-dygomal when pregnant with ds, plus it was tolerable then.

By Wednessday i had a routine midwifes appointment and i was in agony, i litterally sobbed my way to the dr's surgery to see her and was crying in pain when she saw me. She said there was nothing she could do so to get on with it basicly.

Anyway now i really am in extreme pain, if i didn't know what it wasi would have gone to hospital a long time ago suspecting something alot worse, but am reluctant because i have been told what it is and i have been told they can'y do anything about it, but i really dont know how to cope with the pain anymore.

I have had to move my bedding downstairs as i can't climb our stairs.
I can't pick up ds or get on the floor to change him, luckily dp works easy hours for us to work around.
I can't stand/sit/roll over or walk without sobbing in pain, paracetamol isn't touching it at all and it's really effecting my daily life.
Im 37+5 weeks today, everything else is fine otherwise.

[Ettenna]

Charleesun, in the last few days I have started a quite bad achy pain in my lower bump area - so sharp yesterday that i ended up in hospital being monitored to see if it was contractions! Also my lower back and hips hurt at the end of the day. you say your pain is 'lower bump' - do you mean just above your actual pubic area? (sorry!) they couldn't find anything wrong with me but today it's pretty severe. i kind of almost hope it's SPD rather than a threat to the baby, but your experience sounds hellish, you have my sympathies!!x

[jofeb04]

Hiya,
So pleased your GP is taken you seriously, tbh, that is half the battle.
Just to let you know I was given crutches after seeing the midwives in the hospital clinic due to the pain being so bad. The midwives themselves took me to the physio for emergency treatment, and I had crutches there.

HTH

[northender]

You must feel so much better just for being taken seriously, I hope the painkillers work for you. Just a suggestion, I don't know how this works in your area but you could ask the GP to do a referral to physio for crutches. In the department I used to work in we would just see people when they came in with a referral and issue them with the crutches (no waiting for an appointment). If you could do that then at least you would have a pair of crutches for when you do move about. Total bedrest is the best thing but crutches would be great to help you whenever you need to get in/out of bed

Take good care of yourself.

[lulumama]

((hugs)) charlie.....glad you gp taking this seriously......hope you get some rest

[Charleesunnysunsun]

Hi, just thought i would give you all an update.

I saw my G.P this evening he has given me some super strong painkillers along with some strong anti sickness tablets to try for a day and put me on strict 24 hour bed rest, he has also advised my dp to meet with his boss tommorrow and explain the situation to get some time off, it will mean he wont be allowed much time off when LO actually arrives but i need him here more now.

He said he would admit me to be seen by the consultant but all they would do is put me on complete bed rest in hospital untill LO was born anyway so i may aswell be at home if i can.
He was really understanding and said that the hospitals consultant wouldn't induce me, he also can't get an appointment with a physio unless there is a sudden cancelation (he was appaled by this)

So i have come home toaken my medication, dp helped me in and out a warm bath so now im off to my make shift bed for some rest.

Thanks again for all your help

[Nemo1977]

Charley sympathies as I was like this when having DD and looking after a toddler at the same time was a nightmare. Agree about seeing physio they can give a support belt, crutches and sometimes a wheelchair if really necessary. However apart from that and the codydramol/co proxamol route there is not a lot else that could be done bar put up with it. Will say on positive note am now 30wks with no.3 and it isnt half as bad yet as it was with DD from 18wks.

[NappiesGalore]

good for you. stick to your guns and DEMAND attention urgently.

[Charleesunnysunsun]

No im due to see my consultant untill im 4 days overdue as up untill now apart from a problem with my urine samples (constant positives blood and protien) i have been fine this SPD literally came out of nowhere, hopefully i will have some luck with my g.p tonight like i say if not i will go to a&e and demand help. I figure when it starts effecting my ability to look after my ds its about time something got sorted.

[TwinklingTinselAndTenaLady]

Arent you due to see the consultant in any case before the big day. If not, get yourself up A&E, you shouldnt be hobbling around like that.

[drosophila]

try again

[drosophila]

\link{http://www.nhs.uk/england/aboutTheNHS/complainCompliment.cmsx\have a look at this. It tells you how to complain. In my experience it is the only way I ever got what I needed from GP when they were reluctant.

[Charleesunnysunsun]

Well i spoke to my midwife again this morning for one last go, her response was as i expected, she suggested i get my mum to look after ds! She knows damn well my mum is disabled with a heart condition and is not at all well enough to look after a toddler!

I have managed to get an appointment this evening to see my g.p who thankfully knows me and knows this so may beable to at least prescribe me some anti sickness drucgs to accompany some stronger painkillers, i will also ask about an emergency physio appointment as he is in genral very helpfull so should hopefully take pity on me.

I can't afford a nanny but ds is in playschool 3 morning a week so that is a bit of help for me.

Thanks again for all your replies i am reading them and taking your advice into consideration, if i get no luck at the g.p's tonight i think i will go to a&e and ask to be admitted there and then to see a consultant.

[NappiesGalore]

Charleysunny? poor you! Know how you feel. Heres my advice, FWIW (and sympathy to piffle too ):

Get to the physio ASAP as their advice is necessary for you to learn how to hold yourself to get thru next few weeks. Follow northenders advice if necessary! And don?t be fobbed off with any 4-6 week wait time nonsense - they can and will see you earlier if you make them/get the right person on the phone

you don?t need any private treatment ? you are entitled to this care on the NHS

sympathy for looking after ds being so hard. I was lucky to be able to hire an ?emergency nanny? to look after my toddlers while I limped about in agony. (she was a total nightmare but that?s another thread!) no chance you can shell out for that? or as someone else said, can dp take time off? (long shot I know, but if you cant move, you cant move, dammit!)

I still have the support belt thingys suggested by my physio. CAT me and I will send them to you. If they work for you, great. When finished with them, or if they don?t work for you, pass them on to another MN spd sufferer.

TRY ARNICA. Havnt heard anyone else ever mention it, so maybe its all in my mind, but I popped Arnica like it was going out of fashion for about a week and I swear, it practically cured me. Worth a try I think, as I don?t think it can harm you.

[jofeb04]

Hiya,
I really feel for you, I had it severly with my dd's pregnancy.
Could you take co-codamol? I was on that from 16weeks, taken it as a course due to the pain. I was given a support belt, crutches and physio, but the physio did not help what so ever due to the severity of the pain.
I asked the consultant to induce me, which they did at 38 1/2 weeks, but it didn't take anyway!

Bed rest is the best thing.

[Moomin]

I had spd with both my pregnancies although 2nd time wasn't as bad because i went to see an osteo most weeks. I also had placenta praevai twice which was confirmed at 34 weeks both times. The bed rest that I had to have after this meant that the spd went away completely. To be honest, with you only being a few weeks off birth now, if you can arrange to have complete bed rest, either at home or in hospital, go for it.

I hated my hospital stay the 2nd time esp because of having to leave dd1 but we survived and i have to now say in retrospect it was the right thing to do. If you can get childcare, do it. Can't you also take paracetomol to help take the edge off the pain at all? Even if you don't go to hosp, i'd try for complete rest and that means only getting up to go to the loo. Can dh/dp help or a relative come to stay with you for a few weeks?

[Piffle]

Agree with crutches I have some and they are godsend for gettig up stairs and getting in and out of the car.
Ice packs if you can stand them do help too
I am seing an osteopath privately (as like you opbs physio is 6-8 weeks and midwife only refer in LAST effing trimester)

[Piffle]

charlee just saw your pain is low bump and groin
mine is low back hip and groin
If I could stay immobile and keep legs together, perhaps...
I'm only 20 weeks Charlee at least you're nearly popped

[BettySpaghetti]

Poor you -I know what you are going through with that pain. If nothing else get some crutches ASAP, they will help a little for getting around (although not much use if you have 2 y o in pushchair to contend with too admittedly but may help at home).

Also just wanted to say that it can be almost instantly better after the birth -light at the end of the tunnel for you I hope! I went in on crutches, had DS a few hours later and walked out without the crutches.

A Mum at school also had it recently and she had an elective CS at 39 wks as she had also had it during her previous pregnancy -she had to "shop around" though and find a consultant who agreed. Her recovery too was also very quick.

Wishing you all the best

[Charleesunnysunsun]

Lol Piffle tis ok it was missionary, we haven't indulged since the bleed though, the actuall sex didn't hurt much ot's just got worse this last week!

I am doing as much as i can, in hope that if nothing it will somehow help the pain - it doesn't!

[Piffle]

charlee...
Am curious pls let me know if this is too personal
Which pos did you do the "deed" in?
Buggered (joke) if I can find one that doesn't leave me in agony.


Ps when I was in hosp when preg with dd there was a lady in there who had severe SPd and the nurses were quite tough on her - making her get in and out of bed a lot, use crutches, toilet herself and denying any pain relief other than paracetamol.
Maybe things have moved on a bit though.
Sorry you feel so bad, I dread dread mine getting that bad.

[Charleesunnysunsun]

Gosh what alot of replies! Thank-you all so much for your input and advice.
I am going to ring my G.P first thing tommorrow morning, thankfully one of the g.p's at our surgery is really very nice so hopefully i will be able to see him and get some stronger painkillers.

It does make it so much worse not getting a good night sleep especially at the moment as im sleeoing either in an arm chair sitting up on on the sofa as i can't get up the stairs.

Im in West Sussex and our local hospital is in a very poor state an average wait for any specialist appointment is 6-8 weeks if your lucky which is why my midwife wouldn't refer me to a physio but i will ask the g.p for an emergency one.

The worst thing is not being able to function well enough to look after ds and being only 2 he doesnt understand, dp works untill 2 everyday so after that i can rest, he cant take time off without giving a weeks notice.

Unfortunatley i can't afford any private treatment of i gladly would so at the moment im only seeing my midwife who as i said is not at all helpfull.

I just hope this baby decides not to take to long about making an appearence, i was induced last time becuase of bp early and both ds and i were perfectly fine i had an easy labour so maybe an induction would be an option.

Thanks again for taking the time to post. x

[taylormama]

You can get an emergency referral from your GP - ignore your MW she sounds appalling - i got an emergency ref at 32 weeks as i couldn't walk without being in pain. Your physio can give you exercises, and a support belt as well as crutches if you need. If you go to A & E they may well admit you as you are PG and you could get an emergency referall via the hospital. I had pretty bad SPD and i was advised to use crutches so i can sympathise. Please take some painkillers if you can ... warm baths can help. i really feel for you - good luck.

[northender]

I'm a physio and am shocked but not surprised at the wait for an appointment. In our area we see acute spd (which yours clearly is) as an urgent ie within a couple of days and in your case you'd be offered a home visit. That doesn't help you much though. I would suggest ringing the physio department direct and asking to speak to the women's health physio. In a previous hospital I worked in I saw ladies who'd been admitted because their spd was so bad. You need crutches and specialist assessment and advice. Good luck.

Where are you in the country by the way?