I was diagnosed with SPD in week 26 of my pregnancy (last June) after 2 hospitalisations for severe pain. I was told, after the 1st one, that it was a water infection, given painkillers and sent on my way. As soon as the painkillers ran out, I was in more agony than before and went back to hospital. I finally was seen by a doctor who pushed on my pelvis once, asked if it hurt while I screamed and diagnosed me with SPD. I stayed in hospital for a week, saw a women’s health physiotherapist, was given a pelvic support belt and crutches (due to the severity) and told to come back to be properly assessed.
At the assessment, I was booked in for hydrotherapy each week until delivery, given a TENs machine for pain relief as well as cocodamol and tramadol. I went faithfully to hydrotherapy, but the pain just got worse, despite the TENs and analgesics.
I went into hospital the day I was 38 weeks to be induced. It didn’t work. The delivery suites were so full they had to stop inductions while I was there. After 4 days I was told that those pains I’d been experiencing regularly for the last 36 hours were, in fact, early labour and, after hooking me up to that machine that looks at heartbeat and contractions, they said I was in established labour. I had been for some time, but the midwife changeover had put me aside (it was late August, they were even more understaffed than usual as many were on holiday).
I was taken up to the delivery suite with my fiancé at midnight, 10cm dilated, and my son was born 13 hours, 2 epidurals (1 failed entirely), major episiotomy and multiple tears later. The delivery room was full, with surgeons prepping themselves to do something or other as I was at the last push. I later realized this was because my son was completely blue with the cord wrapped tightly around his neck. He had been stuck in my pelvis for some time, as his head was far too large for me, really.
“I can’t get it off, can you try?” is not what you want to hear from the midwife passing your newborn, dead looking child with cord wrapped around his neck, to another midwife. Luckily, my 7lb 4oz at birth son, Henry, is fine.
Anyway, I won’t go into anymore of the delivery horrifyingness. I spent about 10 hours in stirrups, though, which is not the best thing for my SPD, to say the least. My stitches had just healed in January when I had a gynae consultant appointment to check on their progress. I was told referred and remembered pains were the only problems, gynaecologically.
I’ve since had an x-ray of my pelvis, which shows lots of “wear and tear” on my symphysis pubis bones, as well as misalignment and a worrying gap. My physiotherapist showed me the x-ray at today’s appointment and was shocked that I’d been lying down during the x-ray, as the joint looked under the kind of stress you’d expect from the “flamingo x-ray pose” – she demonstrated by standing on one leg, the other bent up and touching the weight bearing leg’s knee. As if I could do that, anyway.
I work on my core stabilisation exercises daily, I take my tramadol and paracetamol faithfully, and still I’m in agony, worse than in pregnancy. The only thing worse than this daily, excruciating pain, was my son being stuck in my pelvis during labour and trying to push him out. Luckily, I’ve finally got my Orthopaedic consultant appointment booked for February 19th, and a hip ultrasound for March 7th - it’s nice to know that an urgent referal from last October has finally made it through the system! Will I be offered surgery and/or painkilling injections like my wonderful physio hopes? Who knows.
Having seen my x-ray, I know I’m not complaining about nothing! I’m still relying on crutches and muddling through the day, hoping for better things. I also apparently have postnatal depression, though how much that has to do with the fact that I’m bored and emotionally drained by being in so much pain I can’t do the lovely things I want to do, like play with my son, I wouldn’t like to guess.
So that’s me. Nice to meet you.
