Puff plus

photo by Omgayeo

All I can say is that I am so swollen this weekend!

Granted, the fact that this is my number one complaint is an improvement over other weeks, when I've been unable to keep down nourishment or have been in excruciating pain, but still. Rampant discomfort is no picnic either.

It started toward the end of last week and it started where it always does: in my hands. Even before I was pregnant, my hands have swollen in response to heat and/or exercise. So it's no surprise that at 7 months pregnant and with the thermometer tipping 90 degrees this weekend, I finally had to take my wedding ring off (or face the idea of having someone cut it off).

By Saturday, my feet had joined in the party and I was rocking full-on cankles. There are those who would say that a hotdogfest around an open fire probably didn't help things any, but as this article aptly points out, too little salt can actually prevent your body from being able to keep fluids in your bloodstream and contribute to swelling as well. In general, my salt intake is pretty moderate, so I'm not too worried that this is my problem. It also felt like everything I drank just stayed on board, despite my best efforts to flush my system with water, cranberry juice, and decaf iced tea. I can see it in my face, too, in the pictures we took on our camping trip this weekend. Uff. Few things leave a person feeling less sexy (or even particularly mobile) than feeling like you've bloated up with a few extra pounds of water weight...

And summer hasn't even begun yet. So, the game plan: acupuncture (which I got yesterday, after skipping a week due to working nights last week), regular swimming, forcing myself to drink more fluids, and staying as cool as I possibly can, since I know that heat is always a trigger for me.

A few new weapons in the arsenal

The thing about aches and pains when you're pregnant is that there's really no throwing in the towel and just taking a pill. Your commitment to natural and alternative means of pain relief is all you have.

So I've been forced to continue my quest to cope with or eradicate my pubic bone pain as best I can, without the aid of traditional pharmaceuticals. In addition to those I've already mentioned, here are a few I'm currently trying:

http://www.inspiredliving.com/body-pillows/pillow-pregnancy.htm

A maternity body pillow. This is one of those things I'd always dismissed as kind of silly and unnecessary, but which really seems to be a lifesaver in my current situation. I was prepared to shell out for one, but first put out a call on my local Freecycle instead--and boy, was I glad I did. Within hours I had a high-quality, full-length down one in a washable pillow case. I slept with it last night and didn't wake up once, not even to pee.

http://www.twin-pregnancy-and-beyond.com/exercise-during-twin-pregnancy.html

Swimming. You hear a lot about the benefits of swimming during pregnancy--relief from gravity, decreased swelling, low impact on the joints--but it really hits home once even walking becomes too painful an exercise to bear. Matt and I are lucky enough to live in a community where we have a wonderful indoor pool (discovered last night) as well as 14 community outdoor pools, all of which are well-maintained and very affordable. For $3 apiece last night, we spent about half an hour swimming laps in a just-comfortably-warm and nice-sized pool (the only caveat for those with symphysis pubis dysfunction is to avoid breaststroke and sidestroke), then spent 5-10 minutes loosening up in their hot tub--which was huge, not hot enough to have me concerned, and which had steps that allowed me to sit with my pelvis submerged but my belly and upper body out of the water.

http://www.gaiaherbs.com/product.php?id=168

Arnica oil. Known for its anti-inflammatory, healing, and pain-relieving qualities when taken internally (homeopathically) or topically (as an oil or gel). It has been shown to be as effective as an ibuprofen gel for reducing soreness and stiffness. I'm using arnica oil directly on the painful area, as well as taking internal homeopathic arnica.

http://www.householdgoods.com/tens-unit-two-channel-machine-pads.html

A TENS unit. In other countries, TENS is one of the first modalities used for back and labor pain. It works by blocking the transmission of pain signals from the spinal cord to the brain, and also results in endorphin release. Here's a link to an article from Australia discussing TENS unit use for SPD.

The only thing I'm not yet currently using is the TENS unit--my parents are mailing me one that my dad used to use for back pain. I am, however, using the body pillow at night, applying the arnica oil before bed, taking the arnica internally 1-4x a day, utilizing hot and cold packs as necessary, sitting on my exercise ball whenever possible, and planning to swim a couple of times a week for exercise and buoyancy. I'm also continuing with chiropractic and acupuncture at least 1x a week, each.

What's the cost of all these things? The TENS unit and body pillow were free for the asking, and both could probably be obtained used for $20-50. I already had the exercise ball. The arnica preparations were each around $8-11 and will last quite awhile. Acupuncture costs a minimum of $15 a session, except that Matt and I have been doing a few hours of a volunteer work at the clinic per week and have thereby earned a number of free sessions. My chiropractic co-pay is $30. Swimming is $3 a day. So on a weekly basis, I probably spend an average of:

$30 chiropractic
$15 acupuncture
$6 swimming
$1 arnica preparations
______
$52

Which is not cheap. Neither, however, would medication or physical therapy be, nor would allowing myself to become debilitated so that I'm unable to work for the duration of my pregnancy. And there are certain things in live you just aren't given a choice about; in terms of maintaining a healthy body and a healthy pregnancy, as my dad would say, "Those are the things your money is for." We'll make up for the cost by cutting corners in other ways.

Like I've done before...

photo by X-it

I spoke too soon. After working three days last week, by Friday night, my pelvic pain was back with a vengeance. We went for acupuncture Saturday morning, and I was suffering enough even after that to call my chiropractor and ask her to stay late to see me that day--which she did. But while last time it seemed like everything I tried helped at least a little bit, this time, nothing seemed to help at all. Not the acupuncture, not the chiropractic, not a hot shower or two hot baths, not ice packs. No position was any more comfortable than any other and the only thing that made it more excruciating than it already was was trying to ride in the car--I don't know if it was the vibrations or the position or what, but it was just intolerable. I spent a decent portion of Saturday afternoon literally writhing on the couch and crying, until I feel into an exhausted sleep for about half an hour. When I woke up, it seems like things had quieted down to a dull roar. I slept OK last night, and much of today was fine, but late afternoon found me back on the couch in the same state I was in yesterday.

One more thing I've found that does seem to lend a little relief is sitting on an exercise ball. It seems to offer the right mix of stability and "give," and I think is also helpful because it's not a static sitting position--I'm constantly shifting around. And that's sort of what I've found to be the most helpful thing--just constantly changing positions, because no one position is very comfortable, and especially not for very long. Unfortunately, that's kind of exhausting. It's discouraging because my pelvis feels too painful and unstable for any real activity--like walking or hiking--but at the same time, I feel exhausted and drained, just from dealing with the pain. Needless to say, this is a huge setback and disappointment for me right now. I'm hoping that maybe things were just stirred up by the acupuncture and chiropractic, and that by mid-week I'll be feeling better again, but it seems like by then going to work, I get myself into a vicious cycle that's hard to break. Though again--resting it doesn't seem to help substantially either, and it's really way too early for me to be off work anyway. Matt has been wonderful, quick to draw me a bath or help with massage or suggest something he's read about, and most of all, just lots of moral support during this very trying time for me. And that helps. In the meantime--we'll just keep our fingers crossed, and keep trying.

Me & my belly