Man, I am so broken. Having kids has done wonders to my body and not in good ways. I think things are worse because I wasn't totally in shape when I started to have kids. I mean I wasn't out of shape but I just wasn't in the regular habit of good exercise. Now I am an almost 27 yr old with a body of a menopausal 50 yr old.
Last week I admitted reality and made the appointment with the physical therapist for my hips. I had been referred to go to one for several weeks now by the OB who said I shouldn't still be having issues 3 months out but I was sort of in denial - thinking things would just get better on its own and that I could just google solutions to my problem. But it wasn't getting better and the exercises I googled didn't seem to help anything. So today I went to my first appointment. I thought this is going to probably be useless and they will probably not really take me serious.
I explained all my hip pain and when it hurt worst and with which activities. She did some test movements with me to figure somethings out and then needed to consult with another therapist for the right thing to do. Prognosis - a few more weeks of PT.
In the end the diagnosis is that my hip problem is two fold. One, I have a 2 inch gap in my abdominal muscles in the middle from the pregnancies. Apparently unless you do certain types of exercises it wont close back up after pregnancies and regular ab exercises make it worse. Good to know - would have been better to know 5 yrs ago when I delivered Lyman so I could correct it then -sigh. This gap is in the ab muscles that are long and vertical right in the middle of your stomach - they attach to your pelvic region (explaining my pelvic symphasis pain because that area isn't being supported like it should by these muscles). This problem is called diastasis recti.
Second, I have too much movement in my sacroiliac joint (tailbone region). This is causing my hips to be allowed to move in angles that they aren't allowed to usually. The region is mostly moving too much because of the pregnancy hormones and because of weakness in the hip flexers. So I have exercises to do there too. Here is the exciting part - the part that put the straw on the pile that finally led me to break down and cry on the way home from the PT appointment because I am so broken. Ready for it: I have to wear a SI belt (sacroiliac belt) for potentially months. Yeah - cool to have a therapeutic belt on to hold my hips in place - yeah cool to be 27 and falling apart. Next Ill get a walker and put tennis balls on the ends of it.
The worst part is the catch 22 that this whole mess puts me in. My body has been usurped to meet the needs of my children. I am still going though this mess and hate that I can barely get up my stairs sometimes because of all this (oh right - have to avoid stairs as much as I can - right!). However, I have three seriously beautiful, lovable, brilliant children I cannot live without and that I would go through all this again for. I wouldn't go back to get my curvy body without stretch marks, cool grandma belts, and wonky eyed breasts if it meant I couldn't have my babies. In the end I am left just jealous of women whose bodies apparently were meant to have children because they loose all the weight and leave the geriatrics to the old people. Anybody wanna share a can of Ensure with me?
15 years ago
5 Comments:
Oh no :( What a bummer. Sheesh, I don't even know what to say in way of comfort....
But I can say that you are SUPER inside and out! Tennis balls, Ensure = HILARIOUS!
I think the problem is this. You are three months postpartum and your body is not back at all. I know that feeling. THere is an unspoken expectation that after being pregnant and fat (including the pains and limitations) that it will somehow not take long to get back to yourself. I bet you will feel so much better after your PT. Then just keep exercising. I had SI joint problems in HS and I am doing better now, so don't worry, this isn't the end. But if there is one thing to sacrifice for, it is your children! You will be blessed!
you are a trooper! here's to a steady speedy recovery!
Hey baby girl. I know nothing makes you feel quite as good as a bunch of people telling you your problem is actually common (I'm being sarcastic), but in reality the hip thing IS common. I promise. I know, because every Thursday at 2 o'clock I have to go to PT for my SI joint (sacroiliac) pain. And my tailbone has been wiggling around for the last few months, so I get treated for that, too.
Oh, and I don't have any babies to show for it, because mine is from kickboxing, not childbirth. The good news is that PT helps A TON. You'll feel better in no time.
Love you and you're gorgeous.
Hang in there! You just had a baby! Remember...it took 9 months to get there and give yourself 9 months to get back to normal! My tummy is split down the middle too and has been since I had Colby, goodbye abs of steel. Hello stretch marks and sagginess!
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