by Mar2 » Jun 09, 2004 3:51 pm
Leah-- I am sorry the aftereffects of HG have been so painful for you. It is understandable you finally chose to move forward with another pgcy rather than wait for a cure/treatment for the pain. After HG, cures and treatments seem like long-shots at best.
Although my post-partum pain was not related to sitting (although it hurt to get into the sitting position), I thought I'd share my story since it is somewhat similar to yours...
As with most HGers, being bedridden for 8 months wreaked havoc on all my muscles especially my back and neck. It was an annoyance during the latter half of my pgcy, but bareable in comparison to other things. Then, at about 10 days post-partum, I developed severe joint pain throughout my entire body, which made it difficult to move let alone pick up my daughter. At first my doctor thought I hadn't tapered off the steriods properly. But then she diagnosed me with Parvovirus or Fifth's Disease (also known as slapped cheek disease in children). Normally, it is asymptomatic in adults, but with my weakened immune system, I developed the tell-tale signs of joint pain and swelling. They told me the pain would disappear in 10 days. About a month later, I told the doctor the pain was continuing and getting worse. She then told me a small portion of women have the pain for 3 to 4 months. So in November, with no relief in site, I called the doctor and she sent me to a rheumatologist. I was still testing positive for Parvovirus, which should NOT have been the case. But he thought all of my pain really had to do with the degradation of my muscles during pgcy as well as being bedridden. He suggested some pain meds and a chiropractor for some temporary relief. He thought if I could get some relief and start building back the muscles, I might start getting some more long term relief. So I did the chiro for a month or two and by the end of February was free of joint pain and could walk up the stairs to work. I did have a few relapses related to my lower back, but with some specific exercises and a few more chiro adjustments, I've been feeling LOADS better.
I am not sure if chiropractic treatment would help you, but I guess you could run it past your doctor. For me, the chiro worked better than the pain meds...most of the meds burned my stomach and Vioxx had little effect on the pain.
Best of luck to you with this pregancy. Do they think anything as simple as Kegel exercises might help you? Can you even stand to do them?
Take care and let us know how you are feeling.
Marla
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HG PG 1: miscarried at 16 weeks 3/18/2002
HG PG 2: baby girl 5/29/2003
Step-Son: born 11/26/1990 (acquired May 1997)