Yesterday Baby Girl was seven weeks old. I am having aching pain in my rear, both the piriformis and gluteus medius, as usual. My groin on the right side has a sharp pain from time to time, indicating hip involvement. And the PT decided that my SI "flares" that I was feeling was referred pain from my low back.
That last assumption is likely correct. The last three times I've gone in, they have put me in traction for my low back and it is oooooohhhh so nice! And the SI "flares" have dramatically decreased.
She has me doing one-legged bridges and side-stepping squats, the latter using a blue band around my ankles. Actually that blue band stays with me for my clamshells and leg lifts too. This week she added in ball squats (against the wall). Those are killer and irritate my left knee, which I strained recently, I don't know how. I'm also doing neural flossing and some other stretches like the figure 4, pigeon stretch, and hamstring stretch.
I get discouraged because I'm so weak, and I still take so much pain medication (compared to the general population, not compared to SI victims). However, I reminded myself today that I am only seven weeks from major surgery where I lost a great deal of blood, and I already walk 1/3 of a mile, partly uphill, as well as doing all these PT exercises. In reality, I'm doing awesome. Even with the new low back disc issues and new hip pain, I'm doing things now I could never have done before my surgery two years ago.
As far as medication, I'm taking naproxen every night, 800 mg ibuprofen at least once a day (sometimes twice), and an occasional Percocet for breakthrough pain (maybe twice a week). I would love it if some day I could get off the NSAIDS. I would love to be able to get to dinnertime without pain. I would love to be able to sit and/or stand long enough to hold a full time job again (right now the max is around 20-30 minutes without meds, maybe an hour with). Maybe I will and maybe I won't. But I'm taking it day by day, and today... I'm hopeful.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteCatching up on all your posts. I am amazed by you!! I don't know how you do it. I also would be FURIOUS if I didn't get a prescription for enough pain medicine. Moms don't have time for pain!
Have you figured out your childcare situation for the summer? I'm really hoping you have because you really need a break!!
Keep me posted . . love you!
Karen W. Black
I have a really great homeschooler that I pick up and take with me to PT. She sits in the waiting room with Sarah. Nate is in PT with me too, so once summer comes, she'll be sitting with Sarah and Josh. She is such a blessing. I pick her up on my way - she lives about 10 minutes from my PT office.
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