It’s time to tackle my tailbone, I guess.  Wearing socks on carpeted stairs, I slipped down my stairs last November and fractured my tailbone on the metal baby gate at the bottom.  It was horrible to say the least.  I couldn’t lift a gallon of milk, let alone my year old baby.  It didn’t heal for two months, and all that time I had to rely on gracious relatives for…everything.  It was a complete nightmare: not being able to care for my children, and having to ask for help. And, of course, I was in a lot of pain.

I counted the days till I could get back in the saddle, and I’ve been pushing it ever since.  Biking my children up that hill in Alameda on a seven speed bike.  Stacking a cord of firewood.  Going ice skating for  lords sakes.  It’s been seven months and I can’t sit properly on a chair.

I counted: I’ve taken my children to a total of TWELVE doctor appointments in that time. I, um, never managed to go see if my tailbone even healed. I hadn’t wanted to go to my family Dr. because I knew what she would say: “Yep, you have a messed up tailbone. Sorry.  Want a refill on your Oxycontin? Have you tried sitting on the donut?”  The donut didn’t do squat for me and Oxycontin makes me freak out, so why bother, I thought.

So, in the last two weeks, my coccyx got some serious attention.  First I went to see Dr. Wallace, again at the incomparable Zenana Spa.  Turns out, Dr. Wallace is a pelvic specialist and I got a serious schooling on what my pelvis means to me.  What’s more, she gave me something I could do.  I had done a lot of internet homework on broken coccyx’s and I was shocked to hear I could do something besides the donut.  My new list of things I can do: Ice it/heat it (circulation is good), acupuncture (why didn’t I think of that?!) and physical pelvic work.  The last is really interesting.

During my second pregnancy, I planned on getting this work done after I gave birth.  Physical pelvic work sounded a little scary, but on second thought, not really.  After all, I’d some plenty of extremely unpleasant “physical pelvic work” by over interested OB’s and residents during my pregnancies.  After reading up on it, it didn’t seem like it would be nearly so uncomfortable.  What’s more- the benefits are really appealing.  Especially to a mom living with extreme coccyx pain.  I didn’t get it done at my appointment, but it’s on my agenda.

What I did have done was extremely gentle and intuitive acupuncture to bring circulation to the area.  I am extremely sensitive to acupuncture, and Dr. Wallace didn’t over do it.  I could feel an immediate buzz. I could not believe I hadn’t taken care of this sooner.  Ok, I could believe it. I was pissed I hadn’t taken care of this sooner.

After an grounding conversation about why I need to start taking care of these things sooner (remember my nightmare of not being able to care for my children or myself?),  I biked home inspired, and in a lot less pain.