Hemorrhoids and cramp taking over from morning sickness.

[TheOddity]

Feels like I just finished morning sickness at 20 weeks and now at 30 weeks it's external painful Hemorrhoids and unbelievable leg cramps at night. I know exercise is meant to help but I can barely walk. Anyone else in this really shitty boat? Need someone to join my pity party,

I'm all about the cramps. 28 weeks and in agony every bloody night. Every night I wake up screeching and stagger out of bed to try and ease it.

Feel your pain, quite literally

I'm 18 weeks and I'm getting some horrendous cramps at night. It makes me jump out of bed its that sore, then I'm sore from jumping out of bed. Also suffering from internal piles... I have IBS which really didn't help. The joys of pregnancy I suppose.

Just wanted to say if anyone read this that I went to the doc's for the cramp and she prescribed magnesium and it helped almost immediately. It is quite a tasty sachet of stuff you take twice a day in water. I haven't actually had a full on cramp since I took the first sachet. Still not sleeping well but not racing round bedroom in agony now! Please get something for the cramps if you are suffering as it is definitely preventable.

The 'other' problem is feeling better with a lidocaine 1.5% cream but I don't think I can take that for the next 10 weeks. Not much advice on long term management of Hemorrhoids beyond warm baths and witch hazel is there?! But everywhere it says they won't do anything other than prescribe topical cream

Hi TheOddity,

I've written on this topic recently. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/2496362-Piles-Lovely

Please note that difene is CONTRAINDICATED in third trimester of pregnancy. Please speak to your pharmacist or doctor before taking it. You can take movicol with no problems in pregnancy, and it's vital to keep your bowels movements very soft to avoid worsening the problem. Plenty of water, lots of vegetables and gentle exercise is usually recommended as the best prevention of constipation, however when you already have piles, it's very difficult to exercise and we need to be more strategic.

Swimming is an exercise that you can do that doesn't put pressure on the piles, and being in the water can help with out her pregnancy discomforts. Lying in the lateral position with the affected side up can bring some relief, as can lying on your front, if you can still tolerate this position.

You shouodnt use any crema for ponger than a week. If the hemorrhoid is still rock hard and pain full to touch after a full week of tropical treatment, and you can not replace it manually, then you might benefit from having a small procedure to remove the clot.

They do get better, and if treated now they will not affect your birth. However, they may worsen after birth (but there are more treatment options for pain control then), and they will probably recurr in future pregnancies.

Good luck. Let us know how it progresses, it's a VERY common problem.

Thanks doctornova. It's got worse now. My hb levels are really low (9.1) and have consistently dropped the last two appointments so the gynocologist recommended one iron tablet a day (stronger than the sachets I had been taking but had stopped as I'd been worried about hard stools ironically). And a multivitamin with extra iron. This obviously means I'm likely to become constipated which up until now hasn't been a problem . Now I've taken the lidocaine for a week they have prescribed proctosyl for the hemorrhoid and told me to only use the lidocaine/cortisone when the pain is bad.
All very well lying in bed but not really possible with a three year old who wants to play cars on the floor with me. DH doesn't get it and thinks I'm 'choosing to be down'.

You can try taking movicol 1-2 sachets with each iron tablet, constipation is not inevitable (Upper dose is ~8 a day). Anemia is also really shit and can make you down and increase risks of post partum haemorrhage, so it is important to treat it. Interestingly, iron deficiency anemia is though to be a possible cause of those muccular cramps and restless legs syndrome.

Your husband needs to buck up. That's a really shitty attitude. Can you rely on TV/movies for your other child for a while? Playing hairdressers, reading story books together, or playing with apps on a tablet can be done lying down, and could help you to get through. It's a short term thing. Explain to your child that you aren't feeling well and that you need to lie down because the baby is growing so much. Your child will probably get it. It's such a shame your husband doesn't. Have you tried to explain clearly what's going on? It can be hard to talk about.

It's not just you, it's a very uncomfortable, painful and debilitating condition. Don't underestimate it.

Doctoranova, your kind message has really helped on a bad day and you've offered some really great advice which I will be taking! Thanks again!