This is a long over due post. I've been meaning to share my pregnancy injury for some time. Especially since I know what happened to me also happens to other moms. It was one of those things where once the pain went away, I wanted to stay as far away from it as possible and that meant not discussing it. Now 14 months later, I can freely write about it since I've been pain free for a few months. But it is something that still has me puzzled today and is always in the back of my mind. I never want to experience pain like that again and I don't wish anything like what I experienced on anyone ever!
The pain I felt was off the charts. It was sharp. It was breathtaking. It would stop me in my tracks. It was like no other. I remember crying wondering if I would ever walk again. It awakened me in my sleep. The pain affected me mentally. I felt depressed and hopeless. On top of that I was seriously pregnant! All I wanted was to be able to physically do the simple things in life that many of us take for granite on a daily basis. I wanted to walk with my son at the park and pick him up if he needed me. I wanted to be able to shut the blinds once it got dark or get a glass of water without having to prepare myself mentally and physically for the move. I wanted to be able to get out of bed or roll over without being stabbed by pain. Simply I wanted to walk without assistance and pain.
It all started when I was around 37 weeks pregnant. I started to feel a little weaker in my right hip and was experiencing lower back pain. The pain in my lower back went across the lower portion of my back and I was constantly feeling the aching pain. By the end of the day I would find myself limping around. I would sit down and relax and still feel the throbbing pain in my back. It was hard to get comfortable sitting down. Luckily the pain was worse at the end of my day. I would tell myself, "only three weeks to go!, I can do this."
At 37 weeks, things begin to get harder. But I carried on. I just figured I should slow down a bit and take it easy. But as any pregnant mom with a toddler knows, slowing down is an understatement. We can try, but slowing down a toddler is close to impossible.
At around 38 weeks I remember walking along side of my son and I suddenly began to limp. My right hip felt weak and hurt. So I limped around the rest of the day. I thought that maybe I pulled a muscle and my hope was that after a little rest, I would feel better the next day. But I didn't. The next day was no better. It was actually worse!
I limped all day long and walking just got harder I was in pain. I was slowing down and I wasn't able to walk far. The pain was stopping me in my tracks and I knew I was in trouble. At work, people asked why I was there. I was unable to hide my struggle. I could barely walk.
I started to do my research. Thank God for Google. All kinds of things came up about sciatica but my pain description just didn't match. I didn't have pain shooting down my leg and in my heart I knew it was not that. So I continued my research until I found out about Pelvic Girdle Pain. I dug deeper into PGP and the description was on point. Sadly enough, my description appeared to be one of those severe cases. It was awful!
The following morning I could no longer walk on my own. I immediately asked my husband to look into finding me crutches. Within an hour, I had a pair of crutches to help me walk. Little did I know these were going to be my friend for the next 5 weeks.
Luckily I delivered my beautiful daughter a week later. My hope was that instantly after having her, I would be up and walking like normal. Instead, I was still in need of my crutches and before leaving the hospital, my husband picked up my new walker. Time. I was told by doctors that I would need time to heal. Well six weeks later, I was seeing a specialist and prescribed physical therapy. Luckily, I was able to completely drop the crutches and walker after 3 weeks of delivery.
Fast forward a year and I can honestly say I feel minimal pain. I have dedicated myself to working out regularly and that has helped a ton.
I know that I am not alone. I know that many other women experience similar pain and write it off as sciatica or a pinched nerve. Please research Pelvic Girdle Pain. Many gynecologist are not even familiar with this. For some reason, it is not receiving much attention.
If you had a similar experience I would love for you to comment and share below. Also feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Of course I could go on and on in details but you would stop reading.
I wish each mom a healthy pregnancy and if you happen to get Pelvic Girdle Pain, please know I understand your pain and I'm happy to give any help I can.
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