It wasn’t enough that I kept active by walking the dog every morning, practicing yoga 4 x 45 mins a week, occasionally running the dog a little at the park in the afternoon to break up the day, walking to Fitzroy, Richmond, the City, Carlton, local cafes, dinners, outings, long drives and worked by day and was in the studio by night (whenever we weren’t socialising), I thought I sat too long… so I bought a fitball to make sure my chore stability was being cared for while I was sitting. Hmmm. All was going well until my (antiburst) fitball burst! I fell to concrete flooring in a split second (or as my husband, Theo says, I seemed to hover for a split second before going down).
This was the ‘major’ event that changed my life and 5 years later led me to putting this site together. Still to this day, I can’t believe that ‘bang’ was severe enough to have actually stopped me. I seemed to think I was a little invincible, well I never had any issues before, not one sick day, I was convinced I’d be fine in 8 weeks after having an x-ray that even though looked awfully cloudy to me, came back with fractureless results. But that’s all that was checked. No MRI, no pelvic scan, no SI Joints… after all, it didn’t seem like such a bad accident.
I went back to my Doctor when the 8 weeks were up still complaining of pain and that I could feel something about 2 inches behind me into the right buttock, as if someone had put a thick needle in there and my doctor thought I should be checked out by a rectal surgeon. All clear again, nothing wrong with the coccyx but mind you, hellish pain when I got home and for the next 24 hours. The examination sent me into, what I recognise now, is a flare up. I was confused… how can ‘nothing’ be causing so much pain.
I continued trying to work, deteriorating while my pain increased and with my aids building up around me. I stood on towels to minimise the sensitivity that was getting worse every month, I lay down more, The flare ups were increasing, I tried Massage, Acupuncture, Feldenkrais, Hydrotherapy, a Chiropractor, Pain Management Centres, Psychology, I found an Orthopaedic Surgeon who did extensive x-rays finally and they came back pretty perfect (minor disc bulge)… I was at my witts end. All I was stuck with was a tremendously impressive medical CV!!!
I reached the point where I could no longer stand bare foot, could not lay on my back, had to sleep every day for 1-3 hours to calm the nervous system which was the only way to lower the pain, everything hurt. I stopped working..
In May 2009 I had a follow-up MRI that showed I had a retroverted uterus. This doesn’t mean much more than I have a retroverted uterus, apparently women have either retro or antiverted and actually both as it should move with our motion, but I remembered that I had an antiverted uterus and thought to check it out. My brilliant gynecologist, Professor Michael Quinn (Lifesaver: Ovarian Cancer Testing) who felt things were just a little too tender, whipped me in for a laparoscopy the following Monday.
Of course I thought I was going to be cured. Had to be something simple…
Findings: A very thickened rectovaginal septum and a thickened left uterosacral ligament also. The septum was resected.
I woke up on my back. And strangely extremely relieved to hear that there was something wrong and it was dealt with. The laparoscopic procedure had me in recovery mode for about 5 weeks but I lost the feeling that a 2 inch needle was inside me, I was sitting, I had very little pain, still tender when I sat, but my heel sensitivity was gone and by 7 weeks I could shake myself and it felt wonderful. I went back to Professor Michael Quinn, I told him he cured me to which he obviously replied, I couldn’t have cured your back pain.
I had 3 blissful months before some serious pain began again. Seemed as I increased my capacity another onion layer surfaced. By January 2011 I didn’t know what to do with myself again.
Continue reading: The way relief started…
Download the full story: My story of my struggle with Pelvic Chronic Pain (since March 2007)
Related Posts
My pre pain life…
My family, Theo, Origin of Image & Zephyr…
The way relief started…
The way relief continued…
Diagnosis: Physiotherapy at The Women’s…
Building Blocks…
Next stop: Traditional Chinese Medicine…
Soula’s PN Weather Update…
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Hi there, I log on to your blog like every week. Your humoristic style is awesome, keep up
the good work!
My MRI shows desiccation of the disc through out my spine amongst other unnatural things.With that comes severe suffering, so I live with it the best I can. This all is a result from the roof of my car collapsing on the top of my head compressing my spine 20 years ago. That blind spot I was in next to a cement truck proved to be in the hazard zone.
10 years later the never ending suffering started and I deal with it the best I can.
Walking 3 miles 5 days a week keeping my mind busy and off the inedible ongoing feeling of you know what. I try to stay away from writing the words chronic pain. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve written it I would be not so poor.
Mark that is such terrible timing… I’m so sad to read your story. you sound so positive though… great that you can walk. I have no evidence on my scan, if you ask the Western Medical Profession but the Chinese Medical Practiioners see otherwise. Of course they are not quite invited into the inusrance assessments… We carry on. And we smile. Thank you for your comments and contact.