I titled this blog entry GUNSLINGER. Why? Well, that became my nickname, per DH, following Skittles birth. I'd like to write about what lousy pelvic pain I have, yes even now almost 7 weeks later.
As a nurse wheeled me from my hospital room to the car the day after Skittle's delivery, she asked if I had had a c-section. I said NO, I gave birth vaginally but man my pelvis sure hurt. (I couldn't lift my feet to put them onto the wheelchair holds.) That was the beginning of utter HELL for the next two weeks. I started out not being able to get into bed (Dh had to lift my legs and slide me over.), walk to the bathroom without holding on to anything I could get my hands on (walls, bed, pack-n-play), step into our walk-in shower, put my pants on, or even hold Skittle while I was not sitting down (Dh had to do everything for me...picking up each one of my feet one at a time so I could walk somewhere). I literally could not pick my foot up (my right being worse than my left) one inch from the ground. Something down yonder was stopping me and I cried out in pain every time I had to move. Once I thought I'd be brave and give Dh a break (he was basically Skittle's single parent and my nurse) and get myself something to eat from the refrigerator. BIG MISTAKE. I got stuck. No really, I got stuck (think cement plastered up your leg) right before getting there as I couldn't even slide one foot along the ground to turn around to get back to bed. That is when I decided to call my OB. Being a Sunday, the on call OB told me to go to the emergency room as the pain I was experiencing wasn't normal.
There I was, alone in the ER, (as I refused to let my four day old Skittle be there), leaking milk all over myself in my hospital bed, paralyzed by my pelvis, (And because they had pumped me FULL of fluid from an IV for an u/s, my bladder was about to erupt all over that uncomfortable bed but to make matters worse, I couldn't even get to the bathroom as my nurse call button had fallen on the floor and I couldn't reach it. ) and the doc wanted me to have a catheter for a urine sample so he could make sure I didn't have an infection. Talk about HORRENDOUS unnecessary pain in a place where I wanted absolutely NO ONE to touch me. Before going to the ER I had done some research and it looked to me like my pelvis had separated....and the doc wanted to run tests to see if I had an infection!? Turns out the ER doc would not listen to anything I had to say and sent me home 8 hrs later with pain meds-with no sign of infection.
The next morning-working off of 3 hrs of sleep-Skittle had a Ped appt and since her doc was right down the hall from mine, I begged to be seen by my OB. I got in and he confirmed what I had thought all along. My pelvis had separated and wasn't going back (and the ligaments around my pelvis had torn from pushing). All Dr. K could say was, "I'm so sorry..." He did tell me that it has only happened to three other patients in his 30 years of practice. What can I say? I'm special.
Two weeks and an incredible amount of Vicodin later, I could walk-though as Dh would say, just like a gunslinger. Personally, I thought I looked more like a gunslinger mixed with Igor from Young Frankenstein (hips spread like I had been riding a horse for days and they got stuck that way, dragging my right foot behind me-no joke). Picture that walking the isles of Wal-Mart. I was a freak show toting a beautiful healthy baby girl.
I still have pelvic pain but I'd say I'm 80% better (though I do feel like progress has stalled).
Now about Skittle...she's amazing and beautiful and wonderful! She's been such a joy that again I will say, she was/is worth all the pain in the world. Here are a couple of random pictures :)
My last belly shot: 39 weeks!
Her first cloth diaper at exactly 2 weeks old! A Bumgenius AIO
Ahhh, cloth diapers! So cute!
Tummy time!
