Disappointed with OB

[ExcitedMamma]

Thanks to Brittone answering my question about pain I'm pretty sure that I have SPD but I haven't been able to get into see my OB before my regular appointment next week. I've exchanged messages with her staff about the pain I'm in but they say the Dr. says its just round ligament pain and to take Tylenol. When I asked about SPD they got back to me that the Dr. says its too early for that, which sounds very wrong from what I've now read about it. When I ask for opinion on how to go about my daily activities they said don't change anything but when I mention that daily activity and exercise makes the pain worse then they say to limit my activities. :banghead: I'm very frustrated that I'm not getting any advice and about being so limited in my activities for months. I really wanted to do fun things with DS this summer and enjoy our last months together before the new baby changes everything. Plus now I'm really worried about being very out of shape if I have to basically severely limit my walking to keep the pain down. I'll see if she can give me a referral for PT at my next appointment but I'm skeptical she will since she doesn't believe it I anything which scares me because of what I've read about being careful in labor.

Any BTDT advice about SPD? I can't find many answers about daily activity. Will the pain just get worse or will your body somehow adjust if you don't limit yourself? Anything help?

[brittone2]

Depending on your insurance and your state laws, you can see a PT in many states without a script from the doc. If you call outpatient practices, they should be able to tell you more. Your insurance may want you to see a doc first however.

Do you have a PCP?

I wouldn't ask, I would pretty much tell the doc that you are in severe pain and want a script for a PT evaluation.

I can't tell you if you have SPD, but I can tell you that in my 2nd pregnancy it started at 12/13 weeks. Then it let up again for a while, and then hit again in my third trimester. But the pain I had at 12/13 weeks was substantial even though I wasn't all that pregnant. Since the pregnancy hormones contribute to ligamentous laxity, it doesn't have to be how "big" you are necessarily. The weight of a big preggo belly doesn't help, but instability to the pelvic girdle can start pretty early.

I would tell the doc you are having trouble with activities of daily living, getting in and out of bed, etc. and that you would like to consult with a physical therapist.

Do you have a women's health PT in your area, using that locator? If not, try calling some outpatient orthopedic physical therapy offices and see if they offer women's health PT, or if they know of PTs in the area who do. They may be able to tell you whether there is "direct access" in your state. Your insurance may have certain requirements separate from that as well.

I hope you can get some answers. Be assertive. Consider talking to your PCP.

[pinay]

I talked to my OB about the pain I was experiencing as well, and he pretty much brushed off my concerns as just an unfortunate consequence of pregnancy, told me to take Tylenol if the pain got really bad and wrote me a prescription for percocet, which I REALLY do not want to fill. I need up making an appt with my PCP and saw him yesterday in order to get a referral to a physical therapist. He was hesitant at first but after checking me out and establishing that it looks like sciatica, he relented and my referral should come through next week.

One thing that has helped my pain diminish significantly was changing my sleeping position- I have one of those snoogle pillows and was using it to force myself to sleep on my side, but I was waking up with leg cramping on an almost nightly basis plus my sciatica seemed to get worse every day. I now sleep on my back in a modified position, with multiple pillows to elevate my head and upper back, then something under my knees. I still have some pain during the day, but it's so much more bearable compared to earlier this week. My leg cramping has also diminished significantly. I know its not recommended to sleep on your back after a certain point in pregnancy because of pressure from the baby on some major blood vessels, but this positioning seems to work for me now and I'm going with it.

I really hope you can find some relief soon- this is some of the most horrific pain I've ever encountered and I'm hopeful that getting in to see a PT helps me find ways to cope that don't involve taking meds I am wary of.