Update on surgery
Laura, Australia - LauraVizza@hotmail.com
Posted 2023-09-03
I started having coccyx pain after giving birth to my daughter in December 2021, it was a traumatic birth experience. I remember feeling a crack but thinking nothing of it at the time. I was in pain for a good 6 weeks and believed it was just related to the stitches I had to get due to having tears from a natural birth. I started wondering if it was possible that I injured my coccyx during labour and started researching if it was a thing. Indeed it was as I kept reading that common causes for tailbone injuries was pregnancy and child birth. I also read that it was best to give it a chance to see if it will heal before seeking professional help or before someone would take it seriously. That is exactly what I did, I went to my GP who wasn't sure about my situation and I asked for a referral to a specialist that I found online. I managed to get an appointment with a specialist 12 months later who did not take me seriously and advised to go to a Physio and seek lifestyle changes (His words – learn to sit on your thighs and get a stand up desk).
I joined a facebook group called "Coccygectomy Surgery Support Group" where I learnt so much. I asked the group if it took a while for a specialist to take their case seriously and was surprised with the responses and how it took years and second opinions to reach their conclusion. This is what made me move forward and seek a second opinion. The second specialist I went to advised against it and said if I was his family member he would advise not to have surgery however at the end he confirmed that in his professional experience I was the second person he had seen with the type of damage so that pretty much confirmed to me that he did not want to go near it.
Someone in the group who also had the surgery saw that I was from the same location and let me know of her surgeon Dr Renata Abrazsko (see Doctors and specialists in Australia, New South Wales). She advised that her surgery was a success and that this specialist was to the point which I liked and would be blunt if I needed surgery or not. I went to see this specialist and after reviewing my X-rays and Scans confirmed there was anterior angulation (I knew I was sitting on the bone and could feel it!) dorsal displacement and degenerative facet joint changes at the lumbosacaral junction. She confirmed partial Coccygectomy surgery was required and if I wanted to go down that path to let her know. Surgery was booked in for 1 month later and completed in July 2023.
The specialist previously advised that the X-rays didn't show that my coccyx was hypermobile however during surgery once inside she advised that it was hypermobile (scans & x-rays will not always pick up everything correctly). Only an overnight stay was required and I was sent home the next night. I took normal painkillers for two days as this was the advice and then after that take what was needed but I tend to have high pain threshold so did not feel like I needed to take more. I was also given antibiotics for 5 days once home.
The hospital gave me strong medication for home also but when they gave me this medicine in hospital it made me feel sick and nauseous so I did not want to take that medicine, it can also cause constipation which luckily in my case it did not.
I was able to go to the bathroom normally at the hospital so I never bought a toilet riser as I was waiting to see if I actually needed one. I found my hips hurt a lot from lying down on my sides so the more I was on my feet the better I felt which is what I did and probably why I wasn't in terrible pain. This made me walk around the house more and not feel the pain but I did not look forward to nights and going to sleep because of having to lie down and put pressure on my hips and legs.
It has been 3 weeks since surgery and so far so good. I still haven't attempted to sit and haven't carried anything heavy as recommended not to do so but have been walking a lot and doing a lot around the house with a grabber. My follow up appointment will be 7 weeks post surgery as my specialist is currently away and I am unable to have the 4 week post surgery appointment. This is fine as I haven't had any infection and I was given internal stitches and glue so I do not need to go have stitches out but I cannot even tell there is a scar? Such a good job! It is still too early to tell but I do feel this surgery was required and will do the trick. I am happy that I went through with it as I would love to ride a bike and do fun activities like that one day with my daughter.
Update, 2026-06-07
I’m happy to share that I’m currently doing well and since my surgery I’ve gone on to have another child. Looking back, I do have some regrets about not pushing harder for a full coccyx removal. I was aware that leaving part of the coccyx could still carry some risk. I had spoken with many people who initially underwent partial removal and later required a second surgery for full removal. At the time, I did try to advocate for a full removal, but this approach wasn't supported.
When I became pregnant again, my second baby's measurements were very similar to my first. I understood that a natural birth could potentially cause further injury, a possibility that was also acknowledged by my doctors and nurses. We decided to not proceed with a natural birth due to the risks and baby's measurements.
Unfortunately, I continue to experience some discomfort due to the remaining portion of the coccyx, which reinforces my belief that a full removal may have been a better option in my case.
That said, the surgery I did have was absolutely necessary for me. The pain I was experiencing beforehand was unbearable, and the discomfort I have now is more manageable. Choosing to proceed with surgery was definitely one of the best decisions I made and glad I insisted for it.
One of the most difficult aspects of this journey was the lack of support. I was dismissed multiple times, both in terms of my pain and the option of surgery. However, through my own research and by connecting with others in similar situations, I realised that this was a common experience and pattern. That gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward and advocating for myself, which proved to be incredibly important.
I do wish I had been even more persistent in pushing for a full removal. Ultimately, the true extent of the damage wasn't discovered until surgery and it was far worse than what any scans or tests had indicated. As I was under anaesthetic and the agreed plan was only for a partial removal, a full coccyx removal could not be carried out at that time. Given what was found during surgery, I still strongly believe that a full removal would have been required in my case and wish it had been done like I was trying to request for at the time.
