Today was my first appointment with the physical therapist to begin treating my pelvic instability and back pain - which do indeed turn out to be two manifestations of the same problem. We'll skip the coughing fit I had when I choked on my chewing gum - I was a little nervous about finding the place in the rain in an unfamiliar town. Turns out the therapist is the same woman I had for pregnancy gym when I was pregnant with Nicky and Rowen, and that she had a strange twin experience herself during her last pregnancy. She kept insisting that she felt like she was carrying twins, but the midwife said there was only one baby ... then when her son was born, she delivered two placentas, indicating there had been a twin who didn't survive the first trimester. Her experience made her a lot easier to talk to, and for the first time in ages, I didn't feel the need to be on my guard with someone.
The first thing she had to check was how limited my mobility has become. I'm not immobilized, but I'm in a moderate amount of pain all the time and my range of motion is pretty confined. So she started with a massage which I thought was going to have me in tears it hurt so badly. After that, we tried the mobility thing again, and there was definate improvement. She showed me three very simple exercises I need to work on this week and lent me a pelvic band to wear during my 'busy hours' each day, when I put myself out more. I'll wear it today during the late afternoon while I chase around after Nicky and Rowen. ;) She was glad I came in now, rather than waiting, and said there's a good likelihood we'll get it under control before the birth and that I'll be able to rely on simple maintenance exercises after the birth rather than requiring long-term therapy. It was interesting to get into and out of the car after the appointment without wincing ... ;)
Thank you all very much for your support after my last post. I'm still really freaked out about encountering people (I couldn't even pick Rowen up from daycare on Friday for fear of the people), and unfortunately I take out my frustration/fear on the wrong people (like my poor Mom who called on Saturday, when I was still feeling very rattled). It's largely the language - I am made practically mute in Dutch when I get upset; when I'm speaking English I can let it all 'hang out' which is not always fair to the person on the receiving end. Niek and I tried to work out a stock reply (in Dutch) to use if the situation recurs, but I know my mind will just go blank again. So I'm hiding out a bit more than normal these days.
7 comments:
It's nice you found someone to talk. YOu get good exercise and you let go the bad feeling at the same time !!!
If you pratice your sentence, it will stay in your brain and may come out when you need it ;-)
Don't let the people mess those moments you need for yourself and your family ! They probably forget about you the minute you leave but you, you keep thinking about them. Have you tried yoga? You may even find yoga for pregnant woman. It's a great way to relax and smooth the tension.
The pelvic band should help you quite a bit, Barbara. I used one with my last two pregnancies. Carrying my babies way out front as I do, the band helped me feel better supported - it just felt good. :D
Good on you for getting the therapy before your pain increased to almost unbearable levels.
I hadn't even thought about the language barrier you face every day when reading your last post. My tendency would be to hide away a bit following a tragedy anyway, so I can sympathize even more with your need to back away from contact with people. It's good that you were able to relate to your therapist today. Are there any support groups for parents in your situation near you? Would you feel comfortable going to such a meeting, perhaps after some time. Oh if only I could just pop over and give you a little mothering, run errands for you and such! Hugs.
Glad your appointment with the physiotherapist went so well, and glad too that it's a woman! (Not like mine which we just won't talk about!)
I can imagine that you would find it difficult to talk about the situation and I think maybe you should just have a stock reply of 'op dit moment ik wil liever niet over het praten'. That's about all that needs to be said imo.
*hugs*
So glad the appointment went well and you are pleased with the physiotherapist. Pain to tears, goodness! Hope this will all help you.
Tanya
Your previous post left me so sad - feeling through your words how much these people are hurting you. They just have no idea what real life and true love is all about. Please, please don't let them spoil even one moment of your day. They are not worth it!! Ash's reply is an excellent one to use for any and every unwanted question or remark.
So thankful to read today that you have met someone with a very similar experience. Finally someone who knows exactly what you are going through.
Take good care of yourself Barbara.
I sometimes forget about this blog, but thanks for mentioning it, because I like coming over.
I'm glad your physical therapy is helping. Keep doing your exercises and wearing your band. : )
I'm glad you are getting help. Hopefully you will feel better soon, it's so much harder being pregnant when you have little ones keeping you busy.
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