Is in anyone else trying to get pregnant and have a chronic pain issue?

[elf]

Hi-
My issue started with my last pregnancy and hasn't gone away. many unsuccessful treatments later....here I am with the same debilitating painful issue. As any of you with chronic pain know---it can be very depressing. We want to expand our family but of course I am terrified that pregnancy is only going to exacerbate my pain and potentially cause some major issues. however, i am leaning towards just getting pregnant and dealing with it....somehow.

anyone else in this boat? how do you deal with it? what is your plan?

[finnegansmom]

I'm not sure what kind of pain you have, but I have a herniated disc in my lower back.
Ironically the month it got really bad and I needed xray and MRIs (Jan of 2006) was the month I got pregnant (an oppsie) with #1. I assumed my cycle would be shot that month and we used NFP so that went out the window.

It got worse again last spring, 2009, and is now putting pressure on a nerve that leads down my leg and to my left foot. It's at the point that a part of my foot and my last 2 toes on that leg do not have feeling (and I've been told it won't come back).

As for pain management, I use advil and when it's terrible either Tylenol #3 or Vicodin which is safe for breastfeeding and OK with pregnancy (after the first trimester maybe?) Although I don't think tylenol is OK during the 3rd?

I assumed that being pregnant would make it worse but according to my ortho doc the ligaments loosen as well as the skeleton to prep for childbirth, so the pressure on my disc can release a bit. I've never had any worsening during pregnancy, and might agree, I felt better when pregnant than not.

I think I could benefit from yoga or pilates and I'm going to try to fit that into my schedule.

ETA - I've been nursing since Oct 2006 so I am limited still as to pain relief. I'm not much of a pill popper per se anyways, but if I find my pain is limiting my activities with my kids, I'll take some advil. I wish I could find something that that could help the constant crankiness that comes with being in pain round the clock. I think that some meditation in the jacuzzi helps a huge deal.

[TonyaW]

I wanted to tell you I have a chronic pain issue. I have general aches and pains, sore muscles and joints. I found that the one time I didn't have pain was when I was pregnant. It was wonderful. So there is hope. There is a chemical in the body, I think it is called relaxin or something like that when pregnant. I think that is what really worked for me in my 1st pregnancy.

Anyway if you pain started when you were pregnant, then maybe what I am saying isn't helpful. However, another thing I found helpful when pregnant was seeing the chiropractor regularly.

[elf]

Thank you for your responses. I also have a few herniated discs--one of which causes extreme pain. i am not a pill popper either. in fact, all the things the drs try to get me to take I eventually stop on my own b/c i just can't handle taking something every day. (anti-seizure drugs for chronic pain).

I compare my last pregnancy to being in a concentration camp. my pain was bad in my first trimester but starting around week 24--it got soo bad (almost screaming bad) that i eneded up in the hospital for a week on dilaudid. to go home with that pain and think I had to be pregnant for potentially 15 more weeks with such pain was beyond mental warfare.

my point is, I feel like I am gambling by getting pregnant again. yes, it might get better but if like last time....it will get WAY worse.

I am trying to set up a "plan of attack" if I get pregnant again...besides vicodin.

any more thoughts anyone?

[livinzoo]

Not sure if this would help or not, but might be worth a try. I have bad TMJD. I was in constant pain and crying daily. I actually asked a dr to remove my jaw. I'm glad he wouldn't. Because now I'm mostly pain free as long as I take the magnesium daily. All I take is 500mg and it took about 2 weeks to get some relief. They also say 75% of Americans are deficient in it. It also helps with high blood pressure, heart attacks, ADHD, diabetes and more.

[elf]

Magnesium here I come. What brand? I am willing to try anything. Does anyone know of a natural anti-inflammatory you can take while pregnant? I only get by b/c of my ibuprofen. i think that is why pregnancy was so hard--i couldn't take it.

Right now I take fish oil, folic acid, vitami B (stress complex), ibuprofen 800 mg three times/day, ambien to sleep and an occasional neurontin if i am in too much pain to sleep.

[TonyaW]

If it is herniated discs, have you tried the chiropractor. The chiro may be able to help you manage esp during pregnancy?

[finnegansmom]

Originally Posted by TonyaW

If it is herniated discs, have you tried the chiropractor. The chiro may be able to help you manage esp during pregnancy?

I haven't myself - are they usually covered by insurance? My othro recommened PT but i couldn't afford the $25 copay 2-3 times a week (every week each month, ugh). I have better insurance now, I would try anything myself....

[TonyaW]

Originally Posted by finnegansmom

I haven't myself - are they usually covered by insurance? My othro recommened PT but i couldn't afford the $25 copay 2-3 times a week (every week each month, ugh). I have better insurance now, I would try anything myself....

I don't know if your insurance will cover it. My insurance is catastrophic and doesn't cover anything until I reach a $10,000 deductible. However it is BCBS and they discount and cover chiropractic once the deductible is met.

But PT is something you can easily do at home. I am sure they can give you a list of exercises that you can do if they didn't already. They can show you how to do them the first time. Also, when I was in PT for a back problem, the physical therapist said that pilates is like physical therapy. So I am sure you can find a pilates dvd specifically for back pain on Amazon. Finally, chiropractic is something that I do once a month. IN the beginning however, if you are in a lot of pain they may want you to come in more frequently.

[elf]

Even though I don't have celiac disease--someone suggested doing a gluten free diet for chronic pain. Has anyone heard of this? I guess being gluten free decreases your inflammation so maybe in theory it would work?

[Grace24]

I'm sorry you're in so much pain. I have chronic back pain and have had two pregnancies now. The things that helped when I had a disc issue are Bikram yoga (I swear it cured me, my god that yoga is amazing), and a really good chiro who also did some accupuncture. Then the pain moved to my mid-back, and was better during my pregnancy but horrible afterwards. (The relaxin someone mentioned makes it better as my pain is muscular/myofascial)

My pain may be very different from yours, but one of the things that really helped me was Reiki. I was so impressed with how much it helped that I got trained to practice on myself... sometimes I can stop a flare just by doing 10 minutes of energy work on myself. It is one of those things I can't explain, and wouldn't have believed would work if I didn't have such a profound experience myself. As an added bonus, it also relieved my mild depression! Other things that helped me during that post-partum time, which I plan to do again (as the pain is coming back now, two weeks after my second baby was born) is a PT who did myofascial release. That, plus the Bikram yoga plus the reiki was the winning combo for me. Also, I ate a lot more raw foods and I think that helped too. Oh, also, stopping coffee. (Which broke my heart, but I think it was adding to the inflammation)

Like I said, though, it could be that your pain is different... I still recommend the yoga and reiki, esp. since you are trying to avoid too many pills. With chronic pain I think the more alternative stuff you can explore, the better, because it's too easy to start relying very heavily on meds which then cause other problems.

Now, during my pregnancy, I did sometimes take anti-inflammatories (advil or aleve) up through my second tri, as long as it wasn't every day my doc said it was ok early on. That plus extra strength tylenol worked ok. Also, icy hot patches when I went to work (I'm a violinist which further strains my back) actually worked better than I'd expect them to.

I can't tell you whether or not to get pregnant, but definitely check out a chiro (get a rec from a friend) and some of the other things if you're so inclined. Good luck!

[MoOnFiReGlOw]

We are ttc, but it is my husband that has more of a chronic pain issue. I throw out my back every once in a while, but he has L2-S1 herniated and L4/L5 is torn and L5/S1 is torn in two different places. Needless to say he has enough trouble sitting up much less dtd. He is in a wheelchair and just last week started to loose feeling in his lower extremities. He's have several MRI's and spoken with the neurosurgeon and they want to see him again in 3wks to see what they are going to do and if they are going to do surgery (I hope they do b/c right now he is in so much pain and can't stand the wheelchair). The meds he is on are very strong and possibly infringing on his sperm quality but we have yet to get the tests done.

I've been torn on continuing ttc as well. On one hand I tell myself we need to keep the kids with decent spacing, but not too far, and that I'm not the one hurt so if we do IUI or something like that it would be fine. On the other hand I have to lift his wheelchair and sometimes him to do some of the daily things that he can no longer do and I imagine myself 8mo pregnant trying to do that and cringe.

We take ttc day by day. Usually this means we don't dtd but once or twice a month (timed in my fertile period) with him continuing to self stimulate so that the boys stay fresh I think as long as you are willing to deal with the effects of being preggers you will be fine hun!

[loonar]

Originally Posted by Grace24

The things that helped when I had a disc issue are Bikram yoga (I swear it cured me, my god that yoga is amazing), and a really good chiro who also did some accupuncture.

Grace24, did you do Bikram yoga while you were pregnant? I love it for my lumbar disc problems too, but wasn't clear on whether it's safe during pregnancy.

[livinzoo]

Originally Posted by elf

Magnesium here I come. What brand? I am willing to try anything. Does anyone know of a natural anti-inflammatory you can take while pregnant? I only get by b/c of my ibuprofen. i think that is why pregnancy was so hard--i couldn't take it.

Right now I take fish oil, folic acid, vitami B (stress complex), ibuprofen 800 mg three times/day, ambien to sleep and an occasional neurontin if i am in too much pain to sleep.

Any brand will do. They say certain forms of Magnesium are more absorbable, but I find relief with just the cheap magnesium oxide. Magnesium is actually an anti-inflammatory too and helps you sleep.

[eireann]

Originally Posted by elf

Hi-
My issue started with my last pregnancy and hasn't gone away. many unsuccessful treatments later....here I am with the same debilitating painful issue. As any of you with chronic pain know---it can be very depressing. We want to expand our family but of course I am terrified that pregnancy is only going to exacerbate my pain and potentially cause some major issues. however, i am leaning towards just getting pregnant and dealing with it....somehow.

anyone else in this boat? how do you deal with it? what is your plan?

WOW do i feel for you. DH really wants to try for baby 2, and so do i, but i need to right my body as much as possible before that. unfortunately, im not a totally spring chicken anymore so the clock is ticking.

years ago, it started with an irritated sciatic nerve from sitting (i know this now.) then it just got more painful in different parts of the body all revolving around using a mouse and sitting. i have a knot that is so painful between my shoulder blades that it tingles. i have referral pain into the hips, which then greets a very compressed sciatic nerve and weak piriformis muscle that alternates going down either leg, causing tingling and dull pain. i am also having classic carpal tunnel issues in my hand. i pop and crack all over, but its the nerve irritation that really bugs me. all from 13+years of SITTING in an office with ZERO concern for ergonomics and not minding my vitamins. oh, and sleeping on my stomach with my hands bent underneath my chest did NOT help. if anyone sleeps like this, please stop now. it absolutely taxes your nerves and muscles. sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees! i am so not happy that i was this thoughtless to my own body!

my PT looks at me and just says that relaxin took a special liking to me last pg. my SI joint was COMPLETELY out of whack mid preg. anyway, i'm on b12 methyl, C, and now just started taking magnesium. its mag oxide, as it was the Solray type at whole foods. i am probably going to upgrade as soon as i have a better idea. i needed to get something in my body asap. im trying to sleep more too, and we need a new mattress.

well, off to find an ENT for this friggen sinus issue! ugh!

all whining aside, i do love life. for real!