coccyx pain/injury

Submitted by flipse on February 18, 2007 - 8:52pm
Body: 

Hello,

I am so happy I found this website. I was wondering if any of you have advice or have experienced similiar problems. I am a 35 year-old mother of an adorable large sized boy, and I am suffering from coccyx pain, fibroids, and prolapsed problems.

Five years previous to my son's birth a car accident that injured my tailbone or coccyx. A year later, with some relief and confidence I became pregnant with my 3 year old son. The pregnancy and delivery had some minor difficulties: low lying placenta, over 50lb. weight gain, 9 lb. baby, and a delivery that included 2 hours of pushing. Since then I have suffered another major car accident, some prolapsed problems, fibroids, and occasional coccyx pain.

This past weekend, my prolapsed took a turn for the worst, when I felt my organs about falling out near the opening of my vagina. A day later or two my coccyx pain returned, I believe from the difficulty of passing my bowels. Frightened I booked an appointment with my Gyno. Who basically informed me that my uterus, rectum, and bladder were all prolapsed into my vagina and that I had two options: to schedule a hysterectomy (which he could do in a week) or deal with the condition, if I wanted to have another child. I have also been able to see a urogynecologist, who encouraged me to wait, on making my decision for the hysterectomy, and to consider wearing a pessary, and eating more fiber in the meantime. Yet, he gave me little insight or advice about my coccyx pain.

Since my appointments, my coccyx pain has worsened and at this point I see no end in sight, since humans generally have to pass their bowels daily. I am considering my options at this point. But, I am honestly feeling that with my coccyx pain, the sooner the better. At age 30, my mother had a hysterectomy, from prolapsed organs and fibroid problems. I know surgery is not an end all answer. But, I just don't think I am prepared for a lifetime of tailbone pain, it has disrupted so much of my life already.

Has anyone had a similiar experience?

Thanks for all your help.

my4sons

February 18, 2007 - 10:23pm

I'm new to the forum and just recently been diagnosed with a cystocele and rectocele from my delivery on Feb. 1, 2007. May I say...how traumatic!!! I was extremely constipated when my Dr. diagnosed my rectocele and cystocele a couple of weeks ago, and unable to have a bowel movement. I had to take stool softners (which I take 2 every night still), an enema, milk of magnesia, and laxatives just to clean my bowels out and get things moving right again. Since Feb. 12, 2007 the only thing I have to do is take my stool softners every night and I'm able to have a bowel movement on my own. I thought this day would never come!! I never had a problem having a bowel movement and it was very discomforting to know that I could have issues with this indefinitely!! I had severe pain in my coccyx area when I was constipated too. Since I've gotten the constipation under control I don't experience the back pain anymore. I've now developed problems with my cystocele. I feel like my bladder is full all the time and my urine output is very small when I do go! After taking my bath this evening I felt a little burning urinating, but I'm unsure if maybe the soap in the tub may have irritated the urethra. Anyway, I'm sceptical if I'm developing a complication from not emptying my bladder properly since Feb. 1. I also feel a fullness in the vaginal area more so lately, but don't notice any change!! Any comments welcome!

louiseds

February 19, 2007 - 3:31am

Hi Flipse

Welcome to the Forum. You have found a good place where you will find lots of resources, lots of encouragement and lots of female wisdom.

I can understand your feeling very distressed with a relapse of coccyx pain on top of sudden prolapses. Sometimes prolapse happens slowly with a gradual worsening of symptoms over a number of years, but sometimes the discovery is very sudden, like a straw has suddenly broken the camel's back, which can be very traumatic for a woman.

Coccyx pain is often a part of prolapse, but it is often something else like a car accident or a difficult pregnancy or birth. Of course when you have experienced all of these to a greater or lesser degree, so your coccyx is probably saying, "Stop". You may be also feeling more pain as you are worried about it. There may or may not be a connection between the prolapses and the car accidents.

One of the first things for you to do for your prolapses is to ensure that your posture is excellent, which means not tucking your butt under, but keeping your lumbar curve in your spine. This may be exactly opposite from what you have been previously taught. Relax your belly. Also, keep the bottom of your ribs out and high, so your breasts are carred higher. Also flex your knees ever so slightly and keep your feet slightly apart and straight ahead. Relax your shoulders and tuck your chin in a little. This is what we call Wholewoman posture and it will align your pelvic organs further forward than they probably are now. They will be sitting more over your pubic bone than your poor old pelvic floor muscles. With your belly relaxed they will not continually be pushed back over the pelvic floor, where they are at risk of descending further. This is a new posture for your body for everyday use. It is tall and very feminine. You can adopt a similar sitting posture, where you keep your lumbar curve and keep your upper body lifted. I rarely lean against the back of a chair these days. It is just too tempting to slump over again.

The second thing for you to do is to ensure that you are eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet, not too much animal protein and simple carbohydrates. There is nothing that worsens prolapses of pelvic organs like our arch-enemy, constipation. A diet rich in fibre, water, vitamins and minerals, with some good oils will feed your body well so it can heal and keep your bowel motions soft so you don't strain while on the toilet. You don't mention constipation in your post, but coccyx pain is often a problem with it.

These two measures, posture and diet, will almost definitely improve your prolapses from where they are now, and it may only be a couple of weeks till you see some improvement. The coccyx pain may not be with you for life. Give it time.

You don't say much about the fibroids, but I believe that it is not always necessary to remove the uterus or even the fibroids. You might need to ask your doctor if it really is necessary to lose your uterus, as there are a lot of benefits to retaining your uterus, as it is the hub of your whole pelvic region. Many other parts of your body can be affected when your uterus is removed, and the operation is not without its risks and complications, including worsening of prolapses. As if you need more pain! There may be another way.

Or just find another doctor.

Go to www.wholewoman.com and explore the main site. I would suggest that you check out the FAQ's section of the site.

Oh yes, the other really big helper for you will be Christine Kent's book, Saving the Wholewoman, which is chock full of detail on the things I have just listed and has a great, gently workout which will help you manage your prolapse just like so many of us in the Forum have chosen to do. You can buy the book from the online shop on the site.

You can put surgery on hold indefinitely, but once it is done there is no going back to how you were before. Give the Wholewoman way a go.

Cheers

Louise

mommynow

February 19, 2007 - 8:09am

After the started the posture my tailbone pain immediately got better and then went away completely. Lately I have not had a good posture because I feel so rotten (pregnant and sick again) and if my posture gets too bad I start to feel the pain again which I haven't felt for a year. So I know it is related. I bet if you try the posture, in time your tailbone pain will decrease.

AnneKane

February 25, 2007 - 8:07pm

hi

i'm studying acupcunture and in our recent japanese acupuncture classes we've been discussing the importance of tailbone injust from trauma childbirth etc.. mostly in terms of it's relationship to depression.

However we do have a treatment protocol for it. If you had a good japenese acupuncturist in you're area who is trained in Kiiko Matsumoto style then i think this would be helpfull for you.

(She is based in boston, and a few of her students work in toronto and london and i think germany.)

But even regular chinese acupuncture i think is really helpfull for pain of all kinds. If you go to a well trained person and not for example a chiropractic person or say masseuse who took a three month course.

Recently i was told that bowen therapists also pay a lot of attention to the importance of the tailbone, but i don't know much about this therapy, sorry.

Best Wishes
Anne