Angeline's story- chronic pain, pregnancy and PGP

In this story: Chronic pain /

"I was in pain every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every single day. I didn’t enjoy a moment of my pregnancy at all.”

“It was my second pregnancy where my Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) got really bad. This time it kicked in at 14 weeks. I got referred to physio, and it wasn’t helpful at all. I was told to “go home and do some exercises.”

I went home thinking, “how am I gonna cope?” It was horrendous, I remember trying to turn in bed that night. Night-time was the worst because my body would seize up. It would take 15 minutes to turn in bed and get up, and my husband would try and help. I was in so much pain I just didn’t want him to touch me. I could hear my bones crunching and grinding. It was vile. I had to wall-walk to the bathroom and back, and then go through the rigmarole of getting back into bed.

I was in pain every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every single day. I didn’t enjoy a moment of my pregnancy at all. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Nothing helped.

After my son was born, I went to a private physio. I turned up to my first session in tears- we had a lot of work to do. My rib cage was twisted. My coccyx bone was almost horizontal. I was seeing her every week, then fortnightly, then monthly. My youngest is five, and I still see her every two months.

I don’t know how I would have got through without her. I also see a chiropractor on a weekly basis. I’m in a lucky position where I can pay for private treatment, but majority of woman can’t. They are stuck on the sofa without any support for their pain. People can be quite naïve and say you can sacrifice this for that. That isn’t an option with the cost of living rising. I truly don’t think medical professionals realise how much of an impact PGP can have on women. If they don’t understand the experience, how can they be expected to help?

Things need to change for the next generation, and then my work is done.”

Find out more information about PGP, and access support on the Pelvic Partnership’s website (this link will take you away from our website).

Listen to Angeline’s story in more detail on the podcast Let’s Talk About Pelvic Girdle Pain on Spotify (this link will take you away from our website).