9 weeks Pregnant Again!!
 

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to tell you guys that we are preggers again. The remission is in full force. NO MORE PAIN for 7 more months. YaY! I just wish it would stay this way, but I am so thankful for this time that have pain free.

Just wanted to let you guys know. If anyone has any questions, let me know!

Huggs to everyone:grouphug:,
Heather

What fantastic news!!!

I'm soooo happy for you and your family. Congtradulations!!!:hug:

MsL

Wow!!!! Congratulations Heather!!!

I hope the the whole time you are pain free, and the baby is healthy as can be!

Too bad us guys cant find a way to lose the pain for a few months. Although this wouldnt be my choice of getting a little relief because the next 18 years would not be soo pain free LOL. :D

Does pregnancy cause remission? Really? I had no idea! Or does it just cause remission for you? In any case, what wonderful news! I am very happy for you.

Hi Sandy
 

Yes it does. Not always does it take all the pain away. but it is drastically better. I am sure there are a few cases when it hasn't, but it is triggered by an an autoimmune response.

So, like Rheumatoid Arthritis it goes into remission. Mine started at 8 weeks pregnant with each of my babies and it returns exactly 8 weeks after birth, but way worse. This has been my experiences. All women are different. But, I know quite a few that have been through the exact same thing..

Hope this helps!

Huggs,
Heather:hug:

Do you think there is a hormonal connection with this?

Oh Heather, I am SO happy for you - Congratulations!!!

I'm SO happy that you will be pain-free during the pregnancy and really hope that this time, it will stay that way after the birth!!

I'm sure you are all so thrilled with the wonderful news and that your beautiful daughter can't wait to get a little brother or sister!!!:hug:

Congratulations and I hope all goes well for you and we all want to see lots of baby pics once he/she arrives!!

http://dl4.glitter-graphics.net/pub/...azg37ws6rj.jpg

Take care of yourself and please keep us updated when you can!!

Mslday
 

Hi there. I get asked that a lot. All my family and friends wonder if it's hormones, why can't dr's prescribe them for pregnant women so that they will stay in remission.

So, I researched it on my own and discovered that it's an auto-immune response and not hormones. Otherwise, we would have a cure. My PM says that the increased progesterone helps, but isn't making all the pain go away.

It is still confusing to me, but enough to understand...

Heather

Ali
 

Thanks hun for all the kind words! You know I will have his/her photos everywhere, jus like Skyler's!

Good Luck sweetie!

Love,
Heather

CONGRATS!!!!! i m gald that you get remission with the pregnancy. i wasnt so lucky both times the pain was alot less but after being pregnant it came back worse but i also had to have c sections . my kids now are 8 and 5. i am so happy that you guys are pregnant again congrats again

carrie

Congrats!! Another lovely little one on the way! I know it's a while off but I can't wait to see pics of this one. LOL Here's to an awesome pregnancy for you again and a easy birth as well! :D

Hugs,

Karen

Congratulations to you and your family!!! I am so elated for you.....a new baby
AND pain free for a season (and hopefully longer this time)!! Best wishes to you for a healthy, happy pregnancy and birth!!

Please keep us all posted on how things go for you! It is SO enlightening to hear of someone else's joy when there is such pain to deal with in our own lives. My four children are MY reason to keep going!!

Thanks everyone
 

AngelRSD - my RSD came back so BAD the 1st time. Now, my RSD is full-body and in my uterus, so its gonna be crazy to see what happens. C-sections here also! It is nice to have the birth scheduled. Good Luck and Thanks!

Karen - So, glad to talk to you again. Hope you are doing okay! Thanks for the kind words.

Heather

yea it did come back both times horrible like a freight train , i went into pregnancy full body and came out with organ involvent all female organs bladder stomach bowel and heart problems now . but its worth it !!! im so happy for you congrats again:Good-Luck:

but like you said it is a hormone thing that knocks the rsd down while pregnant. just wish they could figure out how to use it as treatment

Heather, Much congrats to you!

I have read your previous posts and I have to say you gave me much courage to try for another baby. I have 1 child, a son, who is 3-years-old, that I had pre-Rsd. I developed Rsd in my lower left leg and foot about a year ago and it has spread to my upper left arm. Because of the progression and worry that I will only get worse, my hubby and I have decided to try for our second child now, with the blessings of my Ob/Gyn and pain mgmt dr. We are trying, so Im not sure if we are prego yet, but I will let you know! I was reading your posts because u said you used the pain patches during pregnancy and that was what I was going to switch too, however, I am on a lower dose of methadone and both the ob and pain mgmt dr have had good experiences with this drug during pregnancy, so no switching here. I have titrated off all the other drugs but methadone 10mg 3 times a day and norco for breakthrough. Also, I have a spinal cord stim for my lower leg and apparently there is research that I can still use it during pregnancy.
I hate that I have to consider using meds but Ive read the trials and I have consulted with 2 different obs and my pain mgmt dr and they had no worries. Much congrats, did both of you have c-sections? I read on the Rsddsa site that we should have c-sections to prevent spreading to the female organs, but it sounds like it is pretty unavoidable, but well worth it to complete our families.
Is anyone else on social security disability? If so, were you able to use medicare for pregnancy?

Much luck Heather!
Hugs,
Shannon

Yep, chugging right along! :) I'm anxiously waiting on the birth of my 1st grandbaby around the end of June-beginning of July. I'm so excited and now have 2 babies to look forward to! LOL We know it's a boy and his name is Tristan Lee Wayne. The 1st name is one my daughter likes and 2 middle names are family, Lee is my oldest son's middle name and Wayne is my dad's and the baby's father middle name.

Hugs,

Karen

shannon
i had to have c section due to problems not from RSD, but it did spread internally after 1st c section.

Congrats on trying for another child i wish you luck. depending on the lack there of RSD while pregnant it all depends on the person and how bad your rsd is. mine wasnt that bad durning the first the second one was alot worse i had alot of complications tho with the pregnancy and by the grace of god she drives me nuts daily. i hop that everything goes well for you


carrie

Carrie,

Thanks so much, Im hoping that I will be lucky enough to get pregnant again. I know how hard it will be but you know they say we are supposed to keep moving and how can you not keep moving with 2 kids? lol So hopefully they will both be my lifesavers! I will keep you posted and hopefully I can pm you and Heather if I have any questions.

Hugs
Shan

Congratulations!
 

Congratulations! This is the kind of news I love to hear! This connection between the pregnancy and being painfree, well that is a new one on me. I think that is amazing. I wonder... hormones, whatever,... what a blessing. Actually, two blessings. I couldn't be happier. Thank you for sharing this wonderful news with us. I can always use a boost to the today! Great news! Thanks again, for sharing. Lots of Hugs. Di

shannon
yea i have two girls and it is what has saved me from being in a wheelchair (was in one before girls). that is one life line with the rsd. you cant just lay down with the kids. there is alot of times that i am not able to do somethings but they havent known me any differnt so it doesnt really effect them yet . i hope that you are able to get pregnant again it is a blessing for sure they may drive me nuts but i still am blessed for everyday that they are here

-carrie

CONGRATULATIONS!!

I hope the pain stays away for the whole pregnancy and you can really enjoy it!

To SandyRI and others that asked- I just to clear something up, it's not a given that you get a remission during pregnancy. Some people do, some people don't. Yes, there is a hormone and autoimmune response, but not everyone gets it. I, for one, had a remission with one pregnancy but not with the next. My rsd actually spread during the second pregnancy because of an injury. A friend of mine also hoped for a remission but went through the whole pregnancy with MORE pain than she'd had before. :(

Shannon- I had a c/section with my second RSD pregnancy, but not with my first. I had a normal labour and delivery with my son. But even though I'd had the remission during his pregnancy, it came back within an hour of his birth. I thought maybe I'd tensed up too much during the contractions but I soon realised it was the full blown rsd back straight away. With my c/section with Hannah they had me on more pain meds so that helped in the first few days. But I've posted my stories on here a few times so won't go into all the details again, you can search for them or ask me if there's anything else you'd like to know.

I just wanted to advise those of you who are thinking of falling pregnant that you can't guarantee a remission, there's a chance it won't happen (or might only be there for a little while) so you have to be prepared for that. I went into my 2nd one so sure that my rsd wouldn't be a problem, so was devastated when it didn't go away. :(

But of course I wish you girls ALL THE BEST and that you do all get a wonderful remission of rsd symptoms while you're pregnant :) I'll keep everything crossed for you that it all goes smoothly!

x Kate

Congrats to you!

kate
like you i had the same thing kinda remission wasnt any where bad could tolerate second was a disaster had to have surgery while pregnant and that just made it worse was in bed alot but its true its a 50/50 thing and i hope heather does this time around too

CONGRATS TO YOU AND DADDY TO BE THIS IS AWESOME NEWS.....A baby is always such welcome news with all the pain we suffer...I hope you have a pain free pregnancy and a very healthly little one....:grouphug:

MominPain
 

Thanks so much! They are my reason to keep going too. I couldn't imagine dealing with RSD without them. I would probably be in bed all the time and be giving up. They keep me on my toes!

Love,
H

Shannon and CAKE
 

Thanks so much! I am glad that you are trying for your second. I pray that you get pregnant and that you have some kind of remission.

I had a c-section first because my PM didn't want me to have an episiotomy...If I tore in my vaginal area, I could have RSD spread there. I would rather have it where the c-section is than in my girly area. I have flared a few times down there and it's the WORST!!! So, now after you have one c-section all the future have to be too.

Also, I am on SSDI. Medicare takes care of 80% and I have Medical as a secondary that will take care of the remaining 20%.

PM as much as you want. I am always here to answer your questions!

KATE - I am so glad you were here when I got pregnant first. You taught me most of this! You got me through it and I will never forget you! Thanks so much!

Heather:grouphug:

I'm glad my experiences helped you, Heather! When I was pregnant with Dayne in 2001 there was hardly any info on the net about RSD and pregnancy- only a section on Dr Hooshmand's puzzle pages about GETTING rsd when you're pregnant.

I'm totally with you on the "Kids keeping you moving" thing. Every morning I get up and make my three school kids' lunches and breakfasts. I could let my husband do it, but I think it's important I do, otherwise I'd never get out of bed in the mornings.

Sometimes it's hard being a parent with this monster on your back- especially when they need you to do something- but I totally agree that if it wasn't for them I wouldn't get out of bed, I wouldn't have the drive to keep exercising and moving.

As hard as it is to say though, I don't think we would have had #4 if we knew the rsd was going to spread to my leg. I could handle it in one arm- I could still walk around, pick the kids up one handed, do everything for them one handed, but once I progressed to needing crutches it go SO DIfficult. When Hannah was little I couldn't walk without both crutches at all, so I'd have to put her in the stroller to move her from one room in the house to another. I couldn't carry her and walk. I couldn't get her out of the cot and put her in her bouncer. I definitely couldn't bath her. And getting her in and out of the car was near impossible, when I couldn't even walk to the car in the driveway. Of course she's worth all of that and I wouldn't change a thing, but it was very different having a newborn with just one of my arms and hands out of action, compared to having a newborn and no use of my right side at all.

But once you get past that and they get a bit bigger, it's surprising how quickly and easily the kids accept how you are. When my RSD first started, Bailey was 2 years old and Olivia was 7 months old, so they've all only ever known me like this (Except for the "remissions" I had thanks to the ketamine infusions), even though I had them pre-rsd and Dayne and Hannah afterwards.

Hannah's 2.5 years old (she'll be three in June, god that's gone quickly! :eek: ) and now if she tries to pull me off the lounge and I say I'm too sore, she just accepts that and works around it, whereas before she'd just keep yanking on my arm. She knows I have a "sore leg" and she's fine with that.

She was so gorgeous the other day yet it also broke my heart- I took her to the Drs and when I sat down in the waiting room, she got one of the small plastic chairs (kids size) and put it in front of me, to rest my sore foot up on! :o It sucks that she's so aware of it, but it was also such a sweet thing for her to do.

One big motivation I have right now is because of Hannah. She's at the age now that she doesn't want to be in the stroller, she wants to walk on her own. But I rely on the stroller to be like a walking frame for me, I can't walk far without either my crutches or the stroller/a shopping trolley to lean on. So the thought of her being totally stroller-free in a few months is very scary for me, and that motivates me to work even harder at perfecting this walking business ;)

Having kids and RSD can be a very frustrating thing (I'm constantly cranky at myself about how my RSD Affects their lives) but it's also such a blessing. It's like sticking your finger up at your rsd and saying it doesn't get to control everything like it wants to! :p You feel such a victory in yourself and every time you look at your child you feel that you can do anything, your rsd can't stop you. There's nothing like it!

I wish all of you who are pregnant or hoping to fall pregnant the BEST of luck with it! xx

Great news!
 

Congratulations Heather!!
I hope things go very well for you hon.
I now have a new grand-daughter who just scared herself with her first giggle today, Ava-Lynne.. And she has given me a new lease on life.. such a precious angel.
They now live with me and I find I have been much more active since her birth and I have no doubt that the future will see me even more hands on..
It is worth the pain in my arms to see that cute little quirk smile she makes when we play pat a cake, and if I am careful it is good physio.

Big hugs Heather.:hug:

Congratulations on your pregnancy
 

I am new to the site, but unfortunately not new to RSD. I have had RSD in my left leg and foot since 2004. I had a remission off all meds from 2005-2006 but was in a fender bender which aggrivated the RSD, to where I am back on perc and oxy. I have a beautiful son 21 months old (post rsd), my doctors were hoping for the pregnancy remission, but that didn't happen. Fortunately we didn't have to change my meds when I was pregnant. The Neurontins of the world have never done anything. The narcotics are the only thing that takes a litle of the edge off, and allows for me to get out of bed and behave somewhat normally.

Also, had a C-Section, but more for the Drs fear of me further aggrivating the rsd or spreading it, becausing of the pushing..

My docs keep telling me I should go for the next one soon, since they don't know how long I will be stable, but my finances are a wreck since RSD came back...don't know what to do. I def want at least 1 more.

Since my remergence of the RSD, I have had to stop teaching and now do real estate since I can work from home and make my own hours. I hesitate to apply for disability in the hopes that some day I will once again be able to return to teaching...any thoughts in claims SSDI??

Docs pushing for me to get Spinal stimualtor...any thoughts. I am not sold on it though.

It all just sucks! But I try to count my blessings with my husband and son...

Congrats to all...and thanks for listening to me vent!!!

Hi Heather!
Two orders of congratulations! :)

First, on being blessed with your pregnancy and the wonderul miracle of life!!.

..and second, on being victorious in living your life on your terms, despite the RSD !!!

Many best wishes to you and your family!!
Hope4thebest:hug:

CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy for you! This is such wonderful news, and like you said, pain free for 7 months!

I just want to tell you that you put my mind at ease right now- my fiance and I have had many talks about having children, and have many concerns about it. I had heard that pregnancy causes remission, but no one in my family would believe me. Just wanted to let you know you are a shining star and a beacon of hope to someone else out there. Thank you for being that for me.

If you get a chance, and possibly have any of those links saved about pregnancy and remission, could you post them? I know I have tried to research it, but have had not very good luck finding info about it. You saying it literally made my heart soar, and I woke my sleeping fiance at 4:50 am to tell him, with a giddy smile on my face!

So, again, CONGRATULATIONS!!! And thank you!

Rottenrsd first welcome to the boards. This is a warm and very educated community. Next time or even now you may want to make a seperate post so you get more replies. Anyhow I am a little confused. Your doctor is pushing you to have another child now? The SCS is a very hard choice to make. I was going to have the trial done but I had 2 prior procedures that increased my pain level so my pain doc felt that the scs may as weel so right now it is on hold and I am back trying different and increasing med combo non narcotic. With this condition from the people I have met etc finding the right treatment which is different for everyone can really give you a more functioning life. I know people who have though it took time one lady after 5 years and finally the right comb of meds went back to work,another girl with a scs who pre was in a wheel chair and had to stop high school is out of the wheel chair and back in school. I know how hard it is to be hopeful. I guess on the child front you have 1 and that is a blessing. I wonder if right now you can take 1 day at a time and when in a better place make that choice. I know you fear it may not get better but it may. Many thoughts