Sciatica -32 weeks - cant afford to go on maternity -motrin?? positive UPDATE 21

[Michelle Renee]

Hello

Im a second time around mamma due May 26. I am a middle school special ed teacher and a first year in this district. I do not have unlimited time off and my family depends on my income and I carry our insurance. I am mentally not ready to go on maternity leave nor financially.

I am desperate. Last tuesday, I started with sciatica in my left hip (no pain down leg just intense hip pain and I cant walk very well) I can sit/stand but movement - Im pondering wearing depends. Walking from my car into my house/work is horrid. Its bad.

I started chiropractor care every other day on Wednesday and have had 2 massages. Financially the massages are rough but Im trying. My insurance covers the chiro. Financially once my 3 more are done - I cant afford any others. I sit on an ice pack every 2 - 3 hours and take it to work with me.

My ob called in 6 tablets of flexoril (they dont do anything and I have taken 2 of them) and offered Tylenol 3. Neither of these are doing anything.

I have taken 4 aleve since Tuesday. Im realizing now this is a NO NO but oh my goodness. It helps - especially after a massage or adjustment. I can almost walk/hop on it.


The chiro says swelling needs to go down but the spasm has stopped. He says I have limped so much I have thrown my leg length off.

What else can I do? Can I take prednisone? Can I risk anti inflammatory meds? Prednisone? I bought some homeopathic stuff per my doula's recommendation but I am not comfortable with that at all at this point.


Thank you so much! I dont want to stop working - I have not been at my job a full year for FMLA and I *LOVE* what I do. My students are amazing, creative young people and I love being with them daily.

[athansor]

I have some problems with sciatica too, and I'm due around the same time. For me, chiro + dance and other exercises and OTC tylenol when it gets bad are working for me. I'm guessing, though, that if tylenol 3 doesn't work for you, then regular tylenol wouldn't either. My dr. did say that tylenol was OK but to avoid asprin and ibuprofen.

[Michelle Renee]

movement makes this worse -
the only thing the chiro says is bounce on birth ball -
I have done that

I have done the pinofrous (I spelled that wrong) and that helps slightly - its just I need to walk.

walking is the worst and moving. Swinging my legs to get out of bed, turning around to see whats going on behind me -

I am gaining empathy for those with mobility struggles

[time4another]

homeopathy is way less potent than any allopathic meds as well as herbals. If you don't want to really take anything then take homeopathics first.

Are you on your feet all day and walking around at work?

What did you do all weekend? Did you get some rest in?

If you can sit for a bit, try and sit with your feet resting on a low stool.

Try cat/cow poses

I am glad you are seeing the chiro and the cool packs certainly must help.

Try and keep even weight on both feet when you are standing (no leaning on one foot!)-think 'mountain pose' as in yoga.

When you sleep shove some pillows between your legs, sleep on whatever side feels most comfortable.

I think you might need a tincture of time to feel better. I am so sorry that your hurting! Keep up the massages (get your partner to help) and chiro though.

Heather

[dewi]

Pelvic Girdle Pain

Here is a post from a wonderful colleague Judith Halek who wrote to another member that had a client with painful sciatica as you have. Judith is brilliant!

Just want to mention...
what is often mistaken for sciatica is actually PGP...Pelvic Girdle Pain...a
disorder related to the relaxin hormone in the ligaments and tendons tends
to create a vulnerable, something is going to go out, or pain in the glute
area with it wrapping around the side of the buttock and hips and down theleg in the back.

It can even extend into the front ligaments as well.
Supposedly, sciatica does not really exist in pregnancy...babies are not
necessarily "on a nerve" so to speak...like I always thought they were.
There are exercises a woman can do to strengthen the muscles around the Loose and painful joints. It's interesting...I didn't know about it before
this year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_girdle_pain

Acupuncture is very helpful:
Acupuncture May Be Helpful for Pelvic Girdle
Pain During Pregnancy http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/501703

Some exercises: Low Back and Pelvic Girdle Pain during pregnancy
http://www.back-in-business-physioth...cybackpain.php


Good luck looking into this.
It might help you.

[nashvillemidwife]

Motrin (ibuprofen) is not safe, especially in late pregnancy.

[sevenkids]

Get a good, WIDE maternity support belt, it really does make a difference!

[Hallielynn01]

Maybe yoga? I was amazed at how it took away many pains I had in my joints after giving birth. It helps increase circulation as well as the alignment of your joints. Couldn't hurt I imagine. And its cheap to try

[courtenay_e]

Physical Therapy, especially if it's covered by insurance, can help a great deal. They do massage, heat/ice, and exercises that the other modalities may not think of. Might be difficult to fit it into your day, but could be well WELL worth your time to get you out of the acute stage. I have contact with a massage therapsit who has done a great deal of training with accupressure and deep tissue massage specialists and did WONDERS for my back when i couldn't walk, sit, or lie down comfortably.

My other suggestion would be an accupuncturist. I have been having issues with my back/pelvic girdle so that I can not sit/drive or do housework in the last few months. When I finally started seeing the accupuncturist, in three visits, I am almost (ALMOST) back to normal. I have the name of a great guy who is an anesthesiologist during the week and an accupuncturist during the weekends...he's at 12 and John R (madison heights?), if you want his name/number.

[mwherbs]

belly binding, or a SI lock belt either may help
what kind of shoes are you wearing, sometimes women need to wear flatter shoes instead of heals in pregnancy but if they have worn heals for a long time their tendons can be shortened and add to the pain so experiment with your shoes and height of heels see if you can get some comfort.
pillow support in bed for between your knees and under your belly and behind your back
be aware of how you are sitting, you may need padding for your bottom if when you are sitting down your tailbone is pressing against the chair/carseat/couch. I bought one of those cushions that have a U cut out so I have some lift for my tail bone and also I do some glute muscle flexes that help to build up my bottom muscles and protect my tailbone

topically I use saint john's wort oil and it can really reduce the pain and bring down the inflammation-it is red in color and will stain clothing so you will need to figure out how to put it on and not ruin your stuff. when I get sciatic pain it can hurt all the way down my bottom to my heel as well as taking a turn and hurting across my labia, many women don't mention that the pain travels that way but if asked they have said yes that is part of the pain they experience- sometimes sitting in hot epsom salts baths or alternating hot and cool cloths can help-

here is an article on over-the-counter meds in the American Family Physician, scroll down and table 1 give you a chart of how drugs are classified and table 2 has a chart on some of the typical NSAIDS and their safety in pregnancy--

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030615/2517.html

[mamato3cherubs]

Originally Posted by time4another

homeopathy is way less potent than any allopathic meds as well as herbals. If you don't want to really take anything then take homeopathics first.

Heather

I have to second this. I am not an expert, but well read so far. think about weighing the risks that could be associated with homeopathics to the KNOWN RISKS of motrin (ibuprophen). It is not at all safe in late pregnancy.

I really hope you feel better soon. Rest whenever you can and get as much help as possible

[Ironica]

A good prenatal yoga class (and my definition of "good" requires "lots of props to help you get in comfy positions") can really help with this.

Also... what kind of shoes do you wear? I had *crippling* sciatic pain for about a week, following two days wearing what seemed to be very comfy shoes with a low, but present, heel, and walking in them some (say, a total of 1/2 mile, not all at once, each day). I have orthotics for fallen arches, and these are really, really well-fitting shoes... but that little bit of heel (like an inch) did me in. I've avoided those shoes since, and the pain hasn't come back, but it took a good prenatal yoga class to get it worked out too.

So, see about wearing the flattest, most comfy shoes you can... it may help!

[bananababies]

I second physical therapy. I was working as a waitress while I was pregnant and got the worst sciatica. I tried chiropractic first, and it helped for a bit, but after a few sessions of physical therapy it *went away*. I continued chiropractic and physical therapy a few sessions past when the pain went away, and continued to do the exercises that the therapist suggested for a few weeks longer and the pain never came back!

[Datura]

I've had better luck with an osteopath than with a chiropractor. They look at the entire body as a whole rather than just the affected part. In my case I'd thrown several different bits out of alignment, making for one very unhappy mama. It wasn't until all those pieces were adjusted that I got relief. I've also found the osteo to be much gentler, as well as having a larger repertoire (spelling is probably off on that one) of techniques.

[BetsyS]

I had pretty bad sciatica with my first pregnancy. I was working on my feet alot, and that definitely contributed. With this pregnancy, I started doing all my "stuff" right away. So far, it has prevented most of the pain.\

Some things that helped:
potassium in my diet (bananas, oj, dried apricots, potatoes are good sources)
swimming (the water helped alleviate the pain, so I was getting some exercise, without pain, which helped)
a daily soak in a warm tub
when it was really huring, a hot shower, with the spray directed right at the spot that hurt most
stretching daily
flat, flat, flat shoes. Even a tiny heel would cause a flare up

The stuff I read said that it was a cycle--the muscles around the sciatic nerve get inflamed, trapping the nerve, causing the pain. The pain causes the muscles to be more inflamed, trapping it worse, causing more pain.

The stretching and exercise, along with the daily warmth of a bath were to help keep that muscle loose. Massage would be similar.

(()) to you. I hope you get some relief soon!

[dewi]

Ladies,
It is NOT sciatica, it is more likely Pelvic Girdle Pain.
As so many other things in pregnancy Sciatica is wrongly diagnosed in pregnant women.

See my above post.

She is doing movements and treating it to make it worse. I agree with the OP she needs to see a physical therapist. Read the links I gave above and bring this to the attention of the physical therapist.

[Michelle Renee]

Originally Posted by dewi

Ladies,
It is NOT sciatica, it is more likely Pelvic Girdle Pain.
As so many other things in pregnancy Sciatica is wrongly diagnosed in pregnant women.

See my above post.

She is doing movements and treating it to make it worse. I agree with the OP she needs to see a physical therapist. Read the links I gave above and bring this to the attention of the physical therapist.

Im going to the OB at 2:20
What do I say?
Im going to ask for a referral for physical therapy.

[Michelle Renee]

Originally Posted by athansor

I have some problems with sciatica too, and I'm due around the same time. For me, chiro + dance and other exercises and OTC tylenol when it gets bad are working for me. I'm guessing, though, that if tylenol 3 doesn't work for you, then regular tylenol wouldn't either. My dr. did say that tylenol was OK but to avoid asprin and ibuprofen.

Originally Posted by dewi

Pelvic Girdle Pain

Here is a post from a wonderful colleague Judith Halek who wrote to another member that had a client with painful sciatica as you have. Judith is brilliant!

Just want to mention...
what is often mistaken for sciatica is actually PGP...Pelvic Girdle Pain...a
disorder related to the relaxin hormone in the ligaments and tendons tends
to create a vulnerable, something is going to go out, or pain in the glute
area with it wrapping around the side of the buttock and hips and down theleg in the back.

It can even extend into the front ligaments as well.
Supposedly, sciatica does not really exist in pregnancy...babies are not
necessarily "on a nerve" so to speak...like I always thought they were.
There are exercises a woman can do to strengthen the muscles around the Loose and painful joints. It's interesting...I didn't know about it before
this year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_girdle_pain

Acupuncture is very helpful:
Acupuncture May Be Helpful for Pelvic Girdle
Pain During Pregnancy http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/501703

Some exercises: Low Back and Pelvic Girdle Pain during pregnancy
http://www.back-in-business-physioth...cybackpain.php


Good luck looking into this.
It might help you.

I need a login to see the medscape one..

Ugh! This is frustrating

[Moonglow Girl]

Another vote for ACUNPUNCTURE!

Chiro alone, pt and icing didn't help me with my pregnancy induced sciatica. Once I added acupuncture to regular chiro, viola, three sessions and I could walk again.

PT didn't work for me. Every body is different. I tried 12 wasted weeks of PT first. No relief and in some cases, I think the PT aggravated it. My growing body was changing too fast for the PT to keep up with.

Also, if taking time off from work is a problem, lots of chiros can do needles as well. Kind of a nice "two for one" approach to appts and copays.

Hang in there mama! Relief is possible!

[BetsyS]

Originally Posted by dewi

Ladies,
It is NOT sciatica, it is more likely Pelvic Girdle Pain.
As so many other things in pregnancy Sciatica is wrongly diagnosed in pregnant women.

See my above post.

She is doing movements and treating it to make it worse. I agree with the OP she needs to see a physical therapist. Read the links I gave above and bring this to the attention of the physical therapist.

You are right. I didn't read very well. Sciatica is pretty classic with the shooting pain down your leg.