SPD or UTI?

[becksydee]

I'm 19 weeks pg and have had really bad pelvic pain for nearly 3 weeks now. I can barely walk, get up or down stairs, I'm also not getting much sleep because I have to keep turning over in the night which really hurts.

Went to see my GP when it first started, she was fairly unsympathetic, gave me painkillers and said she'd refer me to physio if it became a "real problem" (because obviously I was just bothering her with a pretend problem )

In the meantime, I've been going to see the osteopath weekly (expectant mothers clinic at the British School of Osteopathy, so I think it can be assumed that they know what they're dealing with) who have been treating me for SPD and have shown me some exercises to do as well (which I've been doing every day).

They're closed for the next 2 weeks because of Easter and overall the pain doesn't seem to be improving (plus DP is currently out of work so even the BSO's reduced rates are more than we can afford at the mo) so I decided to go back to the GP again today to try and get referred to physio because it's really making me miserable .

Usual GP doesn't work Fridays so saw the other GP, who I've seen once and vowed never to see again (I went to see him about a well-established (7 year) problem I have with my wrist to try and get referred for some specialist treatment in this area (having just moved here) - he tried to tell me it was tennis elbow, despite the fact that there was no pain in my elbow and the pain was radiating from my wrist!). Anyway, he told me confidently before I'd barely even sat down that there's nothing wrong with my pelvis, it's a UTI. Went and did a urine sample, which he's sending off to be tested and prescribed a course of antibiotics.

Told him I was convinced it wasn't a UTI and he told me 'they feel different in pregnancy'. Uh, ok. Of course, I might have a UTI as well and I'll take the course of antibiotics and see what that does, but to me the pain feels like it's in my joints and certainly the osteopaths have found plenty to treat.

So ... can a UTI be mistaken for SPD? Or is my GP the useless idiot I think he is?

bump?

If I'm wrong and all this is due to a UTI I'll happily hold my hands up and stop calling my GP an idiot, but I'm interested in other people's opinions so I can decide whether or not I need to go to the surgery again on Monday and put my foot down.

Sorry to hear about your ongoing pain. I am not sure about your question but I do know that if I were seeing an osteopath and the problem was not improving i would get a second opinion irrespective of how highly rated the first osteopath was. I have had something which can only be describe as shooting bottom pain which turned out to be back strain resulting in pain in my SI joint. The net result was my buttock was really tensing up and causing terrible pain, normally towards the end of the day. I knew it was a physical and not a chemical problem too so there was little point in seeing the GP. Everyone here was very useful with suggestions (ranging from SPD to PGP) but seeing the osteopath and my physiotherapist (who I used to see regularly for an running injury) really sorted me out in the end. And that was after just a couple of sessions. A few weeks later and I am almost completely pain-free. If I were paying for a treatment without any noticeable result, I would definitely be inclined to look elsewhere. Good luck and hope it improves!

Thanks for the reply MoshiMoshi.

Problem is, I need GP to take me seriously on this in order to get a referral to physio, they're the gatekeepers and there's no way I can afford to see a private physio at the moment, or go and see a different osteopath as they're so much more expensive. Bah

Hi Becksy

Can you get your midwife to refer you to a physio? That's what I've done... try to have as little to do with the GP as tend to have the same frustrating problem as you.

I've got SPD (am 28 weeks now), and she fitted me out with a support belt. It's also good to get in the obstetric physio system, as it all goes on your notes as SPD can affect labour, etc.

I think I'm going to try an osteopath too, as sometimes it hurts terribly, and sometimes not at all, making me think something's going out of alignment, and maybe a magic osteo man can put it back.

Hi herbaceous,

I'm going to the hospital on Tuesday for my 20 week scan so will go a bit early and see if I can talk to the duty midwife, or will phone on Monday. I'm booked into a hospital out of area so not sure if/how that will affect a referral to the obstetric physio. Hopefully it won't, but my experience of organising my antenatal care has so far been rather frustrating.

Hope seeing an osteopath helps with your SPD

I'm no expert at all so dont take my word as gospel...as if you would! But I have been suffering with spd for a few months now. My pelvis wasnt out of line or anything and my physio told me to rest. She said that was the only thing that would help as it wasnt out of place physio couldnt really do anything.

I don't know whether this is right or not, But I have taken her advice and do hardly anything of what I used to and it is manageable. Still painful, very painful at times but manageable and I know I'm not doing any more damage to myself.

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks mumof2andabit. I'd quite like an excuse to put my feet up for a bit! Will phone the hospital on Monday and see if I can get referred to physio through them.

Hehe sounds like a good idea, especially as mine reccomended no housework as well!

ooh, my DP will be so happy!

Rest will crtainly help, but I would push to get seen by a physio asap.

In the meantime try to keep your knees together whatever you're doing - eg in/out of the car, on/off the bed. Climb stairs one step at a time rather than feet on alternate steps. Get some silky pjs - they make moving in bed loads easier!

If it takes a while to see a physio you can get support belts from figleaves.com for £10

becksydee - UTI in pregnancy can be different but I would expect you to have other symptoms such as backache, frequency of passing urine ann a burning sensation by now as you have had pain for a while. I would wait till the urine result came back before taking antibiotics (won't do any harm if you have started but complete the course).

It is early for SPD (now known as pelvic girgle pain) and I am afriad that treatment can help it but not cure it. It is caused by pregnancy hormones so may get worse.

What was the cause of your wrist pain? Could it be nay way related?

You should see a midwife during your pregnancy and she can refer you to an obstetric physio.

information here

IwishIwasmorechocolatey - yep, doing all that! will order some silky pjs, turning over in bed is really painful and always makes something or other make a loud cracking sound! my sister had SPD when she was pg so is posting me her support belt, hopefully i'll get it next week but thanks for the figleaves tip

mears - that's why i was so sceptical. i've had UTIs before and i knew i had them because it hurt! i have been weeing a bit more often than usual, but i thought that was par for the course for pregnancy, and initially the pain was around my lower back as well as my pelvis, but i have no back pain now. i've started taking the antibiotics on the basis that it probably won't do any harm (plus i don't know how long it'll take to get the result of the urine test back), can't see it helping but we'll see.

the wrist pain is tenosynovitis - a type of RSI basically, so not related to the SPD/PGP.

next midwife appointment isn't until the end of april but will phone on monday and see if i can speak to the duty midwife or find out if they have some kind of drop in service so i can get a physio referral sorted.

thanks for the link - looks really useful! will have a proper look after lunch.