severe cramps, desperate for help

[loonar]

I am losing my mind here... sorry for the novel. Any advice would be appreciated.

I gave birth to my son 7.5 weeks ago. About four weeks postpartum, I started having pretty bad menstrual-like cramps. They were manageable with aleve and went away after a couple weeks.

Last week after a pelvic exam the cramps came back with a vengeance. There is always some amount of pain, but then I get these waves that last anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour where it's so bad that I am writhing on the floor and sobbing. I have been to see my OB/GYN twice and to the ER three times, all in less than a week. The only pain medication that has any effect is an NSAID called toradol... they were giving me shots of it at the hospital and the Dr's office, and finally gave me a pill version a couple days ago. I've tried several other NSAIDs, prescription and non, and the whole gamut of narcotics, all the way up to morphine and dilaudid. 

I hate taking the toradol. I can't nurse my son for six hours after I take it, so I am having to pump and save just before taking it and pump and dump the rest of the time. We've run through my small freezer stash and I so badly don't want to give him any formula, but I don't see how I can make enough milk in those few pumping sessions I don't have to toss. But when I don't take the pills I can't nurse anyway because I am in too much pain to hold my baby, or even sit up.

What's more, this drug is so toxic that I can only take it for five days. That means three days from now, if this hasn't stopped, I will have no way to treat the pain. I'm terrified.

The doctors have ruled out every cause they could think of. I have had normal pelvic exams, blood tests, urine tests, ultrasound, and CT scan. I have no fever. Both the ER and the OB/GYN have basically said sorry, there's nothing else we can do. The best theory they could come up with is this is my body gearing up for my first postpartum period. That just doesn't make sense to me. I haven't had any bleeding yet that wasn't directly related to a pelvic exam. And I just can't imagine a period causing cramps this severe without some underlying problem. I've had incapacitating menstrual cramps in the past, but this is a whole other level of pain.

Does anyone have any idea what could be going on, or any suggestions for what steps I should take next? 

[crystal_buffaloe]

I'm so sorry that you've been going through this with such a tiny baby. The explanation that all of this is "gearing up" for a PP period sounds absurd to me, and I'm also suspicious that it was triggered after a pelvic exam.

[homemademom]

I'm so sorry! That sounds totally abnormal to me and I would seek out a new doctor (or more) and get second opinion. 

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

They're wrong that you have to wait six hours before nursing. Hale's lists it as an L2, which is comparable to a B risk in pregnancy, which means it is safe to nurse right after. There are lots of other NSAIDs that could help, maybe Indocin?

Do you know what your placenta looked like after birth? Were there any chunks missing? Has your lochia been very heavy, or have you passed any clots?

~Rose

[Lisoula]

Please, please stop waiting 6 hours to feed your baby!!!!!  Toradol is safe.  We give it immediately post-op for cesareans to all moms, breastfeeding or not.  I highly suggest finding a different doc - or more than one - because something is obviously wrong.  Best of luck to you.

[lunarlady]

Something is clearly wrong! My first thoughts were retained placenta, uterine infection, or twisted uterus. Please find a doctor who will take you seriously. You might try to find someone to do uterine massage as well, as it may help if you are suffering from a malpositioning issue. Good luck and I hope you find swift healing.

[mrsberman]

Originally Posted by Lisoula 

Please, please stop waiting 6 hours to feed your baby!!!!!  Toradol is safe.  We give it immediately post-op for cesareans to all moms, breastfeeding or not.  I highly suggest finding a different doc - or more than one - because something is obviously wrong.  Best of luck to you.

I'm almost positive this is what was given to me after my c/s and I BF'd DD right away. I never had problems and DD is healthy as can  be. Get a second opinion on the medicine and your pain. I've been given false information about what is safe/unsafe for BFing or pregnancy so many times. You can easily call any pharmacy and speak with a pharmacist about what can be taken. I hope you feel better soon.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/pain-meds.html

Look under Ketorolac

[loonar]

Thank you so much everyone for your input. Unfortunately I am still dealing with this; I thought I was getting better but then took a major downturn last night. 

Re: Toradol... I do have the Hale book and was aware it's classified as L2 but every doctor I saw, and the pharmacist I consulted with, strongly warned against nursing after taking it (I assume because the manufacturer's labeling says breastfeeding is contraindicated). While my logical brain is inclined to trust Hale and assume these practitioners are being conservative for lack of better knowledge, my paranoid-new-mama brain is just so afraid of hurting my baby. Thankfully I have a bit of an oversupply so we've been getting by.

Re: diagnosis... I finally saw an excellent OB who had some reasonable theories and expressed willingness to do an aggressive work-up and get to the bottom of things if I didn't continue to improve (this was before the downturn last night). Hopefully he can help me solve this. I hate hate hate being in too much pain to care for my baby.

RoseRedHoofbeats -- Sadly I have tried several other NSAIDs to no avail. Even the oral Toradol doesn't make a dent if I don't take it at the first sign of trouble. When my midwife examined my placenta she didn't note any missing bits, and as I understood it a lack of fever and other signs of infection ruled out a retained placenta? I also had a normal ultrasound in the ER. My lochia was not especially heavy, and I didn't pass any large clots. It tapered off by six weeksish.

lunarlady -- I splurged on a Mayan massage last week and have been continuing the self-care at home. It seemed at first to be very helpful but given the level of pain I was in last night I guess there's something more going on.

Thanks again, ladies.