Oh, That Tingles

Yay! Another fun pregnancy symptom has found its way to me. Although I've been dealing with sciatica issues for years, and the pain has certainly increased since I got pregnant, I have another issue that recently developed, and one article says, it's related to sciatica.

The pain in my left leg due to the sciatic nerve has been crippling at times. I am on my feet a lot even though I quit teaching full time; I have been subbing at a private school now and again and that's kept me on the go. Those days are hard, because I'm with kids under the age of five, and my back and legs constantly hurt while there. You'd think there would be a release when I sit in the car to drive away, but I get none. To be honest, it almost hurts worse to sit in the car. I usually have to bring my left leg up in the seat with me and drive home like that. I try to stretch a lot throughout the day, but it is only a temporary relief. The sciatic nerve definitely causes me to lose feeling in my left foot from time to time. I've gotten used to that, even if it's not pleasant. 

As usual, walking any length after a long day really causes me trouble. Leaving the early childhood center and walking to my car in one of the school's parking lots is a bit of a challenge, even though it's only equivalent to about a block. I went shopping on Monday to find a small gift for my husband, and I was in so much pain that my face flushed and I honestly thought I'd have to have someone drive me back to my car...I literally contemplated asking the security guards at the mall to help. I bent over in Belk's, one foot in front of the other, stretching as best I could, but I was embarrassed that other shoppers might wonder what in the world I was doing. I pushed through my excursion, taking deep breaths often, self consciously thinking others noticed, finally made it to the shop I needed, got a gift, and was able to get home.

On top of the sciatic issues, for the last few mornings, I've woken up with tingling hands. I thought I might need to look into what was causing this new phenomenon since it has occurred multiple times. I remembered stories of my best friend having trouble with her wrists (6 years ago when she was pregnant) and I texted her asking what it was. The tingling was an issue for her too, and it turned into carpel tunnel syndrome. My hands weren't tingling all the time, but waking up with the numbness has been troublesome. It's been harder to open the bedroom door, and when I've gone to dry my hair in the morning, it's been more difficult to blow out with my dysfunctional fingers. My friend assured me that she'd dealt with it too, but unfortunately she said there's not much you can do other than wear braces. I'm not sure I agree with that, as I'm more open to acupuncture and chiropractic than she is, so I'm determined to find something to help.

I went ahead and googled "tingling hands while pregnant" and found a good article. Click here to read more. The article is what alerted me to the tingling being associated with sciatica, and that it was really common during pregnancy. Although there wasn't much in the article on how to treat it, it did assure me that it's not a problem with which to be overly concerned. When I visit the OB next week for my anatomy check, I will mention it to him, and I'll certainly let my chiropractor know when I see her next time, but for now, I guess I'll keep reading up on the subject and see what I might can do on my own. It's not something that worries me a great deal, since I've had a rather "easy" pregnancy so far, but I do wonder, since I have all these back issues, how much worse will it get? I guess I'll go back to mindset and keep telling myself "I am healthy. I feel good. My body functions without pain." We shall see how far that gets me! 

Prenatal Adjustments...Why I Say "Yay"

When I started my search for ways to deal with back pain during pregnancy a few weeks back, I joined a couple of Facebook groups and I started Googling information to determine what might be my best bet for strengthening my back and having a pain free pregnancy. I was surprised with the responses on the Facebook groups, as some were very "close minded," in my opinion, and seemed to try and steer me away from anything that might not be a Western approach. I literally had people tell me to "never get adjusted," to never let a chiropractor touch my neck, to never get massages, and so on. I was shocked, honestly, because all of these things, if done correctly, can be extremely beneficial.

I've told the story twice now of texting my chiropractor one Friday night and asking if I could use my at home TENS unit. Her response was that American docs might not approve, but studies elsewhere show the benefits. I used it that night, and have used it probably three more times since. Guess what? It helps me feel better and the baby is doing great!

Finally, at 17 weeks of pregnancy, I went to have my first prenatal adjustment at the chiropractor. I will be perfectly honest with you. I didn't wait to go because I was scared, or because I wasn't sure if it was safe in the first trimester. I waited because I changed insurance recently and quite frankly, I didn't want to pay out of pocket for my visit, but after having several terrible headaches for a week or so, after feeling a lot of tightness in my neck (which I'm sure contributed to the headaches), and after getting in my car several afternoons in a row and having such unbearable pain in my left leg due to sciatica, I bit the bullet so to speak, and I made an appointment.

On Friday afternoon of last week, I saw my doc for the first time in months, like, probably six months or more. She and I chatted for a few minutes and then she started her work. First, she adjusted my neck. Holy cow, I needed that. Then, she adjusted a part of me I'd never had done before, but as I'll be birthing a child, she wanted to make sure my pelvic bones were all in order. They were not, so she set me straight. Next, I lay face down on the table and she adjusted my back a little (never manually along my spine and very little gets done between my waist and my neck). She strapped my legs to the table for one of my favorite moves. Her table rotates, so it gives the lower back and incredible stretch and I have to tell you, it feels amazing. She lay me on my side and rubbed down each leg which also felt incredible as the pressure moved right over the area where the sciatica gives me trouble. It's funny how one tiny amount of pressure in the right place makes you almost melt. We joked about my pitiful prenatal massage and she said, "my therapists don't mess around," and since I know she's right, I may have to book to see one of hers soon. A true deep tissue, with a mindful therapist who knows what is safe for baby, will be best for me...none of that froufrou stuff.

After leaving the doctor, I went home and enjoyed a rather quiet evening with my husband. I slept so soundly that night, for the first time in a while. I had asked her, before leaving, how often I should see her, ideally, while pregnant. What I love about her is that she said, "however often you feel you need to see me." Many chiropractors will schedule you weekly or biweekly just to get their numbers up. They aren't attentive to you holisitcally and tend to treat you on a "wham bam thank you ma'am" kind of basis, but not my doc. She's in it for treatment, which is what really matters. I don't know how soon I'll reschedule, but I know I'll make it a point to see her throughout my pregnancy because I believe it's another way to ensure my body is in the best physical condition it can be, considering my "hardware," and I know that will make me stronger which in turn will make the delivery that much "easier." Some people say "nay" to chiropractors, but clearly, I say "yay."

Why Does It Hurt So Bad?

I have a few ideas of why...and I think, to be honest, it's mostly self inflicted. Granted, I've had rods in my spine for 23 years, and that can cause issues, but I know what I am able to do and what will most definitely cause me to have pain in the aftermath. You become pretty intuitive, I think, when you have a condition like mine, and you learn to listen to your body.

As a young person, I don't remember pain. Not long after my surgery, I went to try out for junior varsity softball. I was physically ready, but mentally, I chickened out. I was so scared I was going to twist and do something detrimental to my spine. I left tryouts early one day and never went back. Instead of playing softball, I became a bat girl for the baseball team, and I rather enjoyed helping those cute guys! It was a pretty good alternative to playing, for me.

Through high school and college, I walked, jogged, or chased kids around while babysitting. I never had any real trouble with pain.

Then, I began teaching in 2004 after I graduated from the College of Charleston. The more I taught, leaning over desks, sitting on the floor, and standing on that hard surface, well, it took a toll on me. The older I got, the more "expensive" the toll. I began seeing a chiropractor in 2005 or 2006. I got massages. When I moved to China, I tried acupuncture and cupping. All of these things, I did on a needs basis...when I felt poorly, I sought help. 

When I quit teaching in June of this year, so much of my stress, and therefore tension and backaches, dissipated. I felt great most of the summer, but I very vividly remembered the pain from the past two years, for that was when I really started hurting the most, because that's when my sciatica started to bother me. And even though I wasn't teaching anymore, when my husband and I were on holiday in Europe this summer, those long days of walking all over London and other cities in the UK and Ireland caused me to have pain. We were in Chinatown one day and I insisted we go for reflexology. My husband wasn't keen on the idea, but anytime I'm in the city, I stop in Chinatown for some bodywork. The reflexology was a Godsend after we had walked 12 miles or so all over town. 

In the years prior to the last two, I had lower back pain, and I often had tightness in my shoulders. Those are the two places I get the most movement and thus they are the areas which give me the most trouble. You see, my rods run from the bottom of my neck to the base of my spine. I don't get a lot of flexibility in the back, and although I like yoga and pilates, they are quite difficult for me because there are poses I simply can not do. I find it difficult to build necessary core strength, however I have a friend who had the same surgery, and she tends to be quite active; she spends a great deal of her time exercising. I admire her for her commitment to her health. I will say, however, that you can't compare apples and oranges, and although we both have Harrington rods, we do have very different bodies, and so we have different physical abilities. 

It was only in the last few years of my life that I began to have the pain in my left leg, the shooting, burning, awful pain that is associated with sciatica. I recall standing at carpool duty with the pain and just wishing away the minutes until I could stretch, because stretching seems to be the only thing that helps. Lying down doesn't take it away, sitting is no help, but certain stretches will alleviate the discomfort. 

My go-to sciatica relief, because I have the pain in my left leg, is to cross my right leg in front of my left, and to bend down and touch the floor with both hands. If the pain were in my right leg, I'd cross my left in front of my right and do the same stretch. This particular movement is the most beneficial thing for me. It alleviates the pain, but I will say it does hurt while in the moment...one of those hurts so good feelings. It burns, but it relieves something, and somehow, it takes away that nerve pain for the time being.

Another thing I use sporadically is my at home tens unit. I usually use it for my back, but recently when my sciatica was acting up, I messaged my chiropractor and asked her opinion on using it while pregnant. She said that the American School of Obstetrics would probably frown on it, but that there were many studies out of Australia which said it was safe and beneficial. I googled what I could on the subject and I found many other studies that said it was safe. Of course I'd not use the tens near my tummy, but I have used it twice now on my lower back and twice on my leg to help reduce the pain. I never use it for longer than 30 minutes at a time (that's when my timer shuts off), but I think in small amounts and on a rather low setting, it is safe and it has been helping. I shared the tens information in the last post, so find the link there on which unit I use.

I had been trying to determine what was causing the pain here recently, especially since I hadn't hurt in a long while, and it dawned on me...it was teaching. Recently, I have been helping with two private schools in my area when their teachers have been unable to attend class. I don't want to full time teach anymore, but substituting at the private schools was an option for me to keep me involved in education. I have gone for two or three weeks now, as needed, and I have noticed a significant increase in my pain levels. It is incredible how just standing in front of a class can cause me so much pain. Even sitting on those hard kiddie chairs hurts me, and I'm sure you can guess what a criss-cross applesauce pose does for my back!

So this post is a reminder that there are things we do to ourselves, sometimes unknowingly, which can cause us great pain. We know we are what we eat, the saying has been around a longtime, but somehow we must also realize that we feel what we do, or however else you might word it. Take care, pay attention to your daily habits, and try to be mindful of how you treat your body. I'm 16 weeks pregnant, and I refuse to go through my third trimester completely bedridden. Yoga, stretches, and other forms of self care will be my refuge.