Tennis Balls And TENS Units...That's Where It's At

Yesterday I wrote about getting pregnant, a short history of my conception, and about how I was aware even before pregnancy that I'd need some serious intervention in order to carry a child. I briefly mentioned I'd been doing prenatal yoga and trying to walk when I had the time and energy. I have also been biking around the neighborhood, sporadically. Funny enough, I use the Ovia app, and it allows you to log your exercise each day, but it doesn't give an outdoor bike option, only a stationary bike. I guess that's a precaution as biking outdoors can be dangerous. Anyway, the last two days I've done no exercise. Today I woke up with a very scratchy and swollen throat as well as a low grade fever, so I cancelled my plans and made an appointment with my general physician. My strep test was negative, but I'm definitely having those flu like symptoms...fatigue, sore muscles, etc. If you have back issues you know how quickly other illnesses can cause your trouble to be exaggerated. I worked from home most of the day, either sitting at the dining room table on conference calls or at my computer, or lying on the couch with my Macbook on my lap. Lack of movement isn't great, but when you aren't feeling well, what are you supposed to do? My back has progressively started hurting worse and worse, and my sciatic issues have been flaring up too. Other than stretching for the latter, I find there is little I can do, but for the back pain, I have three go to systems for relief.

First, I lathered in my all time favorite lotion, Aloe Heat Lotion. This is an incredible item that I discovered about two years ago after I moved home from China. It's like a Biofreeze or Icy Hot, but I personally think it's more intense, and it's made from organic aloe so it's got fewer toxins than the alternatives. It's not only great for achy muscles, but also for anxiety or congestion if you lather it on the chest, and feels amazing on the bottom of your feet at night to help you relax and drift off to sleep. You can click the hyperlink above to see about ordering if you're interested.

The second at home remedy is an easy and inexpensive one. My mother and husband were both here visiting with me when I pulled the tennis ball out of my purse a few minutes ago and put it between my back and the wall. Usually, I'd lie on the floor with it, but I am wearing a dress today, and as I said, I had "company." Mom and the hubs both watched as I made faces and strange noises while the ball kneaded the muscles on either side of my spine. It's the best feeling, one of those "hurts so good" feelings, because you can push as hard as you want against the wall to get the tension out, or when you are lying on the floor, you can use your body weight to allow the ball to do its work. If you don't have a tennis ball and you do have back issues, I highly recommend you go out and get one.

The third "trick" I use when needed is my TENS unit, but as I'm 15 weeks pregnant today, I was't sure if this was safe for me and I hadn't even thought to use it up until this point. I texted my chiropractor (thank goodness she's awesome and responds to patients on a Friday night) and asked her opinion. While waiting on her response, I also used trusty old Google to do some research. The verdict, yes, it's safe, but it's totally a personal decision. The doc said that American Obstetrics would probably say no to using the STEM while pregnant, but that there is a lot of research in Australia showing the benefits. The internet searches I found also said it was ok, if used in certain parts of the back and not on the pelvis or near the uterus. I chose to attempt the electrical stimulation, and am currently hooked up to my small unit, which my husband bought ages ago from a local pharmacy. For more information on using the TENS while pregnant, read the article here. I really like my particular unit, which cost around $70, maybe less. It has several settings for how the electric current can be conveyed, and it also has a heating portion. Both feel phenomenal. Check out OMRON online for options.

The bottom line here is that back pain can be debilitating, but it doesn't have to keep you down. I could (if I weren't pregnant) pop a muscle relaxer, but I stopped taking prescriptions nearly three years ago and I don't even like to take Tylenol or Aleve anymore. I would much prefer to use physical therapy or other natural approaches to the pain, especially now that I'm with child. I hope this information is helpful, and perhaps will save you some research. I ask a lot of questions in general, so when I get those answers, I'm happy to share them with you. For now, I'm going to draw a hot bath, a fourth mode of relaxation, and call it a night.

I'm Pregnant...Now What?

My husband and I knew we wanted to have children, but in our first year of marriage, we were faced with some medical issues (on his part) and spent much of the year in and out of the hospital. He wasn't well, and it wasn't time for us to bring a child into the world. After his recovery, we thought, I felt, that it would be difficult to conceive. He had been on so many medications the previous year, and was still on quite a few. I had moved away from prescriptions and tried to take a more eastern approach to my health, but his body was full of toxins (my opinion) because of his medications.

Although we hoped for a child, I didn't expect it to happen quickly or easily. I had friends my age, I just turned 36, who had gone through fertility challenges, and I sort of imagined we would need assistance with conception; still, I had faith it would happen when and how it was supposed to.

I'm a globe trotter. Before marriage, I'd lived abroad in Europe and Asia and I'd traveled the world rather extensively. My husband hadn't seen much outside of the US; he'd never been to Europe, and it was my intention to show him as much of the world as I could, when he was able. Almost one year after his extremely invasive surgery, I was able to take him to Ireland and England for two weeks. It was there, unbeknownst to us, that we created a baby.

When we came home from the trip in late June, I took a couple of at home pregnancy tests because I noticed my cycle was late, but they both were negative. Still, I needed to see the OBGYN for my yearly, so I quickly scheduled my appointment and went in to see the doctor. The test they gave me in the office showed a possibility of pregnancy, but was so faint there was really no way to be 100% sure without blood-work. I went next door to the lab, gave a sample of my blood, and got a call a little later stating that my hCG levels were elevated. The doctor said I would need to come back two days later to give another sample of blood. I did this, and got the call one Tuesday afternoon soon after. It was July 10. I sat in the parking lot outside a home store and the doctor explained everything to me, very vaguely. He said, "You're pregnant, but not very...you have to walk before you can crawl." I was partially in shock. I called my sister, who knew I was possibly with child, and I called my husband. I told them both on the phone, then ran in the store to find something grandmotherly so I could tell my mom.

A set of cocktail napkins which read, "Things are about to get awesome," was all I could find. It would have to do. I was on a time crunch. I drove to my sister's office where my mom and sis were both at work, told my mom while my sister videoed, and then headed home to a meeting. I couldn't believe it, and when my husband got home from work, I don't think he believed it either.

A lot of things go through your head, at least they did mine, when getting news like that. I was excited, a bit shocked, and also a bit nervous. I assume it's normal to get nervous about being pregnant, but my nerves were not because I was having a child. I'd always wanted to be a mom and I believed I'd be a really good one. I'd been an educator for years, had babysat since I was ten, had nannied, au paired, etc. so I felt comfortable with being a mom (even though I realized it would be very different with my own baby.) My nerves were about my condition, and I wasn't sure what I needed to do to ensure both baby and I would be healthy throughout the pregnancy.

When you have limited flexibility, little core strength, and already have a lot of back pain as well as sciatica issues, you worry about adding on weight, carrying a child to term, etc., at least I worried.

When I went to the OB again and told him I had "a bad back," he handed me a pamphlet of back exercises and sort of excused me. I thought, "Next time, I'll bring my x rays so he knows what he's dealing with." I went home, and for some reason it occurred to me that Facebook had lots of groups, so probably there would be a scoliosis group or a back issue group that I could join...maybe even get advice from. I found three and introduced myself.

I kept thinking about a friend who had had the same surgery as me, double rod fixation, and how she had three kids. I remember her saying her first pregnancy was awful, and I felt I needed to get to the bottom of why. I reached out to her one day, about 13 weeks into my pregnancy, and had an amazing conversation with her. It was at that time I felt like I could really begin preparing for what I might face, and doing everything in my power to ensure my body was ready to carry this child.

My friend had endured a terrible situation in her first delivery. She said she'd gained 60 pounds on her petite frame, her doctor often dismissed her concerns about her back, and her fears came true in the delivery room when her epidural didn't work. She felt it all.  Her anesthesiologist apparently stood over her in tears because he was so bothered by his inability to do more for her. She swore she'd never have another child.

Fortunately, she learned a lot through that pregnancy, and when she got pregnant again, she sought a new doctor who recommended she find a doula. When she told me this on the phone the afternoon we spoke, it sort of clicked with me...I'd only heard the term "doula" once before, but it was the week prior. I believe in signs and this was one for me. When my friend and I got off the phone, I started my research.

I posted a query on a Facebook group of moms in my area. I started googling doulas in Charleston, my hometown. I quickly got information regarding 5 or 6 doulas nearby, and I set out to contact each of them.

My friend had also told me that, during her second pregnancy, she did prenatal yoga for 40 minutes each day. When I said goodbye to her that day, I hopped on Amazon and ordered a prenatal yoga video. It arrived two days later and I started my daily practice.

I had overdone it the week before starting the yoga. On Sunday, I walked five miles. I came home and for the next three days, I iced my lower back. I made an appointment for a prenatal massage at a local spa, but I was terribly disappointed with it because it really didn't help relieve any of my tension...I am used to deep tissue massages, and the therapist wouldn't do anything like that because of the pregnancy. I'd been suffering from terrible headaches that week and I knew I needed a chiropractic adjustment, but I hadn't made the appointment because my insurance had recently changed and I wasn't sure of the out of pocket expense. Fortunately, when the video came for the yoga, I was smart enough to go a bit easier on myself, and that morning I only walked 3 miles before the 30 minute at-home practice. I felt pretty good that week, and so yoga each morning became a wonderful start the day routine.

Excited to have something in place, and to have meetings scheduled with 4 doulas, I felt pretty confident I was doing what I needed to to prepare for weight gain and other pregnancy conditions. It was only a start, but I felt like it was a really good one.

Scoliosis Strikes: When My Back Issues Began

When I was in middle school, in the seventh grade actually, I came down with a case of Mono. I was at the pediatrician during that time and my doctor noticed a curvature in my spine. I'm not sure how long after that realization it was, but my parents soon after took me to see an orthopedic doctor. Since I was just 12 years old, my memory of that time is quite vague, but I do recall learning about two major curves in my spine, and I vividly remember the pink back brace I had to have custom made. I recall going to the brace center, Floyd Brace Company in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, and being wrapped in some sort of cloth cast that would later set and form the mold of my brace. I remember later sleeping in that terribly uncomfortable thing, even taking it to sleepovers, and having one particular father tease me asking if it was a "my size Barbie." I remember wigging out of the brace at night, and no one can blame me for that as it was the most bulky and strangely shaped thing you could imagine. I don't have pictures of it anymore, to my knowledge, but I'll do my best to describe it to you so that you have some image in your mind. It was a hard plastic on the outside, in a light pink color, lined by a "soft" foam on the inside, maybe an inch thick. It had three large fasteners on the front and down the middle, where velcro would tighten to "lock" me into place at night. Because I had two curves, it curved me back the opposite direction in both places I needed support. I remember lying on the table at the brace maker and having them manipulate me into an S shape, moving my hips one way and my ribs another. To sleep, I'd be helped into the brace and then I would "rest" on my back, my right arm having to always lie above my head because of the way I was being reshaped. The hope was that I was young enough that my spine would straighten out, but this wasn't the case. Because of the brace being so uncomfortable, and because I was growing quickly, not a year after discovering my condition, my parents had to make the decision to schedule surgery.

It was May of my 8th grade year of school when I went under the knife. What was supposed to be a 5 hour surgery ended up being over 8 hours. The doctor had to carefully separate each vertebrate and then install hooks, wires, pins, and rods to straighten my spine. My parents, and if I recall correctly, my sister and grandmother, all waited for me the entire 8 hours. Of course they received updates, but what a terrifying experience that must have been for them. Even the letter sent out prior to the surgery was terrifying:

Your child will soon be undergoing a rather extensive operation of the spine. The purpose of this will be to gain some straightening of the spine, obtain a fusion or solidification of a portion that is curved with the additional use of metal rods and special hooks and wires to provide support the spine while the bone is fusing...

Correction is never complete and some of the cosmetic deformities will remain after surgery...

The spine is fused by taking bone either from the hip area or from a bank supply and encouraging your child's own bone to form around the corrected spine...

Can you imagine? Reading back through the paperwork years later, I sat in tears when I realized what I had gone through, and what my parents must have gone through. The doctor's notes were incredible, and on several occasions he stated he didn't think my parents nor I knew the severity of my case or what surgery entailed. I now know he was right.

To be clear, not only did I have all that hardware installed, but the doctors had to go through my back to my hip bones, scrape to remove some bone, reshape and remold that bone, secure it around my new rods and hope that it would form and fuse to my spine.

Thankfully, the surgery was a success and I was walking within 5 days, home on homebound for the remainder of my middle school career and then "back to normal" soon after. I wore a smaller brace under my clothes for several months until I was fully healed, and most of my memories of that time are pleasant ones. I remember phone calls, cards, and visits from friends. I remember lots of milk shakes and balloons, and I have no memories of pain. NONE AT ALL. It's amazing how the mind works, and how powerful prayer is.

Fast forward to my adult life and I've had very few problems arise, but I have dealt with pain since about 2005, and the older I get, the more aware of it I become. I was put on pain meds for a while but I didn't always see the benefit of them. My prescription was for Flexiril but again, I never really felt it was much help. I started seeing a chiropractor in 2005 or 2006. Later I found a better one, one who was attentive to everything, and who took a holistic approach to my needs rather than offering a quick fix. I've always gotten therapeutic massages to help maintain my mobility. While living in Ireland, I sought massage therapists help and while in Italy I received physiotherapy. When I moved to China, I tried different massage techniques, began getting cupping, and enjoyed acupuncture to help with the pain in my lower back and the tension around my shoulders and neck.

With all this help, and with a more Eastern approach to my body's needs, I've become very intuitive about my health. I knew long before getting pregnant that I'd have more trouble than some with carrying a child...the added weight on an already weak core has frightened me for years. I can say now though, that through research and talking to others, I'm becoming more and more comfortable with my "situation" and am looking forward to being a success story so that others who may have fear of carrying child because of their own issues, will understand and trust that they too can have a successful pregnancy.