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Christy - roberts0411@gmail.com
Posted 2009-09-06
At 20, while pregnant with my first child, my sciatic nerve bothered me some. I had to have a C-section. My bladder and kidneys were very weak for years. I had a bladder distention surgery in 2005. While pregnant with my second child in 2007, my sciatic nerve began bothering me again. My OBG-YN referred me to physical therapy. While the physical therapist worked on me, my right hip began grinding and popping. The pain was unbearable. The PT worked my hip back into joint, and conferred with my doctor, who told me to go home and wait for the baby to arrive. So I did, for 4 ½ months. All the while in unbearable tailbone and right hip pain. After my son was born, I took strong pain medicine, which gave me the appearance of not hurting, but I did. I hurt all the time, especially when going from a sitting to a standing position.
I made an appointment with the local sport medicine clinic, and the Range of Motion examination was so hard on me physically (started having numbness, tingling and pain in legs, toes, upper back, neck and right side of head/face), I decided to get a 2nd opinion, although they suggested surgery on my hip – loose cartilage and a tear in the labrum. The second opinion doctor gave me a round of steroids and told me the tear had healed itself and the loose cartilage wasn't visible to him.
Finally, my general practitioner x-rayed my tailbone, and discovered I sit on my TB. It's very long, and curves in toward my bladder. She decided to put me on an anti-depressant, and it helped for a couple of months, although I always had pain. My GP told me I'd have to live with the pain; but I recently found a doctor at the University experienced in coccxyectomy. I'm supposed to see my GP this afternoon; hopefully she'll give me a referral.
Some days the pain is unbearable, some days I can function. Every time I move my tailbone grinds and pops. I can feel the 'break' on the outside. Sometimes massaging it helps, heat helps, soft cushion chairs help. I have muscle pain in my entire pelvic area, and most of the time I have to sit on a towel to take a bath. I'm 31 years old and I feel like I'm broken.
After driving an hour one way to work everyday, I'm usually too wiped out to do much around the house, other than the basics. My daughter and husband help as much as they can, but she's a 10 year old and my husband works out of town during the week. My prayer is that my 18 month old son can one day know the 'mommy' I was before this terrible pain came into our lives 3 years ago.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Christy
Update, 2009-09-27
Hello all. Since I first wrote, a lot has happened. My GP wouldn't give me a referral, and basically told me she thought I was looking for medications. So I called the GP I had since childhood, who just happened to retire a couple of years ago. He came out of retirement to treat me!! A nerve conduction study test was done on my right leg, then I was sent to Pain Management. There Dr. Lasseter did a sit x-ray and discovered that when I sit my tailbone dislocates and the top coccyx bone rubs the sacrum. PRAISE THE LORD!! There is something real wrong with me and it's not all in my head!!!
Now the cortisone injection lasted 100% for about 48 hours; down to 50% after 4 days, and it wasn't helping at all by day 9. I'm back on pain meds, again. Another two weeks before my next scheduled cortizone injection. Dr. L was supposed to consult with some doctors, because I told him I am NOT opposed to taking the tailbone out. He sadly said, 'that might be what this comes to.' I laughed and said, 'hey don't look so sad, this has been a pain in my butt for three years!!'
Will update as I find out more.
One thing I must vent about is how other people treat you when they don't understand what you are going through. Please always consider others, you never know what illness they might be trying to hide, be kind to one another.
Update, 2009-10-11
Yesterday the pain management doc decided to send me on to an Orthopedic Surgeon, and not do a repeat injection. So now I'm waiting on the appointment. Thanks Jon for the updates. And to my TBones Posse - keep your head up. :-)