SDP ????
Most of you have probably never heard of SDP , I unfortunately know it intimately…
I gave birth to the most amazing baby girl on 9th March 2000 after being destroyed emotionally and drained physically.
I remember being stood in work in December, I was by the printer and the only way to describe what it felt like was that my body was splitting in two. The pain was excruciating. You know when the Dr asks you How your pain is ,if 1 is pain and 10 is the worst pain you have ever had in your life , what would your score be??? Well mine was off the chart ..
I called the midwife and went in to see her and told her all about it. She advised me to see the consultant. After listening to me and examining me he advised me that I was suffering with SDP . He told me to rest as much as possible and sent me to have a band fitted.
Back then SDP was believed to be hormonal . It was always known to be a problem with the pelvis bone . It literally meant your body was splitting in half . I know a bit dramatic. When women give birth your pelvis bone does move to allow the baby to travel down the birth canal but this isn’t supposed to happen until you are in labour.
Mine was happening 3 months early . So armed with my super sexy band I went home to start putting my feet up .
The band was like a big bandage with elastic and Velcro to grip , the band would lift the baby bump taking the weight from the pelvic bones taking the pressure off .
Over the weeks it got worse and I had to leave work early and stay off my feet completely!
My birth plan was decided by my Consultant, it included my labour being induced and given an Epidural straight away as any pushing without medical intervention could lead to problems including permanent damage .
To be honest the birth was scary but not because of the pain . It didn’t last too long about 6 hours .
I was moved to a ward and told to stay off my feet completely. After a night in hospital I was allowed home .
Next day I was desperate to be up and out with my new pram . I loved my pram . I had it shipped from Italy , it was a Mamas and Papas and back then they were expensive but this pram had everything . You could sit the baby every way , facing you , facing away from you . It even had Alloy wheels.
So I took a walk to the train station , the pain was starting before I even got on the train but after so long being in bed I needed to be out . I got off the train and must have walked 50 yards when I felt a click and the pain was too much to take . I got in a taxi and went straight home. When saw the midwife the next day I told her all about it . Again I was advised to rest , I shouldn’t pick the baby up and getting out of bed had to be done by rolling onto my side to the edge of the bed and then slowly lowering my legs to the floor before standing . I was always advised that it would not last long . This was purely something that happened in pregnancy.
Back to 2017 . I have ME . I have a suspected Prolapse . Endometriosis. Problems with my Liver . Potentially something wrong with my insides too but I am terrified of having a colonoscopy.
I have had problems walking for a long time . Distances are too much . I have had problems with my pelvis ever since . We were in Florida about 10 years ago now and I felt that click again and I couldn’t take another step . Even siting down hurt , I had the problems getting out of bed again the all to familiar pain that the Drs said would not last.
I have talked to so many Drs and Consultants over the year and have brought up the SDP and have always had this ignored . I have brought up the connections with the prolapse ? My problems walking ? It has always just been ignored . They have carried on making notes yet no one has ever answered my questions.
So after looking into it more because of the prolapse and the pain I have suffered recently, I finally found a charity who read my long email , I explained how I felt like I was crazy , is there a chance that it has never gone away?
An Angel from The Pelvic Partnership came back to me . She advised me that lots of people do suffer for years after.
SDP is now PGP , she told me that like me others were given belts and how it was hormones. Once the hormones settled the symptoms would stop. Obviously that didn’t happen .
Current research shows that PGP is caused by a joint problem affecting one or more of the pelvis joints , not just The Symphysis Pubis as once thought , hence the name change .
The reason for the pain and immobility is that one of more of the pelvis joints become stiff or stuck and the muscles surrounding the pelvis start working incorrectly and often go into spasm. It should be treated by a specialist in manual therapy . The will help restore normal movement which will in time help reduce and eventually stop the pain .
My problems are unique because I have other issues which may or may not be linked but at least I am on the right track and thanks to the charity I now have the evidence to show that I could be right in what I have been saying for the last few years .
If you have or suspect that anything that I have talked about could affect you then contact supports groups or charities they really are there to help.
Endometriosis
PGP
ME
If anyone wants a friend to talk to then I am here , I can’t do much but I can listen x