So what's new?

I haven't posted on here in a while, mostly because I am doing much better! Yay! :)

So, you may be wondering, what's new? Not much. As of right now, I am still going to therapy twice a week. I'm going to my OB every two weeks. My last visit with my OB was a good one. Surprisingly, she told us that Jackson was a little small compared to how big most babies are at that point. He measured to be 2lbs 4oz. I'm sure with my next appointment he will be much bigger though. I'm also having ultra sounds at every other appointment. They want to monitor him closely since I'm still on the prednisone.

I've come to the conclusion that there are a few different reasons why I could have had my flare.

1. Medicine. The medication that I took on a regular basis before I was pregnant finally wore off.
2. Stress. Even though I did not feel stressed I had a lot going on at that time. I was working all the time, planning for a wedding, and had just bought my first car.
3. Weight gain. My back couldn't handle the pressure from the weight I was gaining. I've always been pretty small and this is by far the most I've ever weighed.
4. Gender. I read somewhere that pregnant women with
   Ankylosing Spondylitis have worse flares when they are having a boy. I don't know how much truth there is to this though.
5. Combination. Any and/or all of the above could have been contributing factors.

I definitely think the prednisone has made a huge difference in how I manage my days. Some days I feel great, but there are still days that I don't do as well. So I'm still taking each day one at a time! Just because I feel good today, doesn't mean that reflects how I'll feel tomorrow. I won't know until I wake up. I still struggle with the stiffness in my back. I've learned that walking usually helps with this. The more I move the more I am able to loosen up. It just takes me a while to get going sometimes. There are finally more good days then bad ones so I'll take it.

I'm happy to say that once I get past being stiff in the morning usually my biggest problem now is just heartburn. But that is just something that can be expected/normal like any other pregnancy. 

(Picture source)

 

Other than my flares, I have been pretty lucky. If I didn't have my disease, I'd say pregnancy has been pretty easy. Although I haven't gotten to the labor part yet so I won't completely jump to that conclusion!





  

Is the Honeymoon over?

I've heard people call the Second Trimester the "Honeymoon Stage" and this is supposed to be the easiest part of the pregnancy. Ironically, this has by far been the hardest part for me!

I'm happy to say that I think my Honeymoon stage is over! Although it is still a daily struggle with how my body wants to compensate with my disease. This past week my mid back has been the target. Since the prednisone is easing away my pain in my low back my mid back doesn't seem to know how to handle it, I guess.

It's almost always my left side that's causing all the problems. My muscles in my mid back have been extremely tight lately. They get so tight that the slightest bend, turn, or movement can trigger a muscle spasm. These muscle spasms are the worst in morning. When you sleep there's little movement so my back has plenty of time to get very stiff by the time I wake up. The spasms feel like the ones I was getting in my leg with my first flare, but in the middle of my back instead. My stomach has gotten really sore from my whole body tensing up when my back has a spasm. I have also only been able to lay on my right side because of the pain and spasms. This is causing my hip and thigh to start bruising from only laying on that side. 

When I went to therapy, he asked how I was feeling. I told him my lower back is starting to feel better, but my mid back has been very tight. He said the best way to help my mid back is to walk, but only if I feel alright. Usually, everyone can tell when I'm not feeling alright because I walk very slow and I walk with a limp/waddle. He said as long as I'm not walking funny I will be able to loosen up my mid back. But if I try to walk too much and I'm already walking funny it will make everything worse because I will only walk to accommodate the pain, which is the wrong way.

Luckily, I have been feeling better so I have been able to go for walks around the neighborhood Thursday evening, to run a few errands Friday and Saturday, and even walked around the mall yesterday. The walk around the neighborhood was a little rough as it was the start of trying to loosen up my back.

I've definitely had to pick and chose my battles and decide when I want to fight through the spasms. Some were so bad that it hurt my whole body from tensing up so I wouldn't be up long and would lay back in bed. Some were manageable so I would just walk laps around the house. Once I got past the really bad ones I was able to build up confidence to get out of the house to walk. I've definitely had to work at it and fight through it, but I can definitely tell pushing myself through it has been worth it. Today is honestly the first day I can say I almost feel back to my normal self. This is the least amount of pain I have been in in almost 2 months!

Supposedly, the Third Trimester is supposed to be the worst. Well, with what I have been through already and have overcome I say...

Bring it on!

 

Here's to already making it through a week and half of the Third Trimester :)