Removal of implant

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

Hello, posting here for traffic mainly.
I would like to know how implant removal went for other women to get an idea if my experience was normal or if I'm being a big baby.
I'm not one to complain but wondering if I should because not only was I messed about but I was in tears during the procedure due to the pain and they just got on with it. Due to comments made before I felt this was because they were in a rush and tbh didn't really give a shit despite me saying I'm feeling everything and it hurts.

Guess my main question is how much pain is normal to feel during the removal?

[blueluce85]

No pain whatsoever, couldn't feel a thing! Definitely wrong to feel pain

[Ashleighc01]

I didn't feel it whatsoever! Deffo something wrong there....

[EeeSheWasThin]

I’ve had them removed in the past with minimal pain - a momentary prick - but once it did have to be dug out (had been put in too deeply) which was very painful. The doctor and nurse were kind but quite practical about it, in that it was coming out somehow!

[namechangedforanon]

Didn't they numb it ?

I haven't had it but it wouldn't be the first time they treat women badly and just expect them to feel pain and get on with it .

Same with birth ! One of my close friends is doing her OBGYN training at the moment and she believes the system misleads women ...with biased "facts"

[keepingbees]

The local anaesthetic should've taken any pain away. When I had mine removed she checked I had no feeling there before she started. Definitely not normal to be painful

[MunchyMunchkin]

The anaesthetic injection is uncomfortable and stingy. The actual removal you may feel some pushing and pulling but shouldn’t feel pain.

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

I had the local. That was fine. The cut was also fine. But when they started pulling it out that's when it started hurting. It wasn't too bad at first and I asked if it should hurt and that I can feel it. They said it shouldn't be too bad. Then it got worse and I yelped and said it proper hurts. They said sorry and stopped for a few seconds and started again , which is when it got so bad I started crying.


All this coupled with the fact that they cancelled my appointment twice, no one told me I needed to pick up a prescription for the implant until the second cancelled appointment, the implant being out of stock when I went to pick it up(not their fault i know) and the doctor forgetting about my appointment, the nurse complaining the doctor is late and she needs to go in 10 mins left me feel like shit.

I sound like a massive whingebag I know, but at the moment I'm looking at alternative family planning places because I'm not going back to my GP. Don't know if it also warrants a complaint or I'm just sensitive as this is all so fresh .

[Chwaraeteg]

I could feel them cutting my skin, it burned like hell. I thought that was normal

[hula008]

It sounds like that was a lot of pain to be in - I had mine removed and replaced the other day and had not pain, although the i could feel a pulling sensation. Not super helpful now but go to a sexual health clinic next time - it's their specialism. Not all GP surgeries will do it often.

[hula008]

I've also never had to fuss about getting my own prescription??

[TheSubtleKnifeAndFork]

Mine hurt when it was removed, but I seem to be somewhat impervious to local anaesthetic injections... I have had stitches twice post birth, and both times the midwife wasn't able to get me sufficiently numb, so I felt everything. Ditto when I needed stitches in my arm, I felt it all despite the local.

Luckily I have quite a high pain threshold!

The only time I have had success with a local injection was for tooth removal (thank GOD!) but anything involving skin hasn't gone well.

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

Not super helpful now but go to a sexual health clinic next time - it's their specialism.

That's the plan. First thing I did when i was out was ask for the leaflet with the sexual health clinics. They involve a bit of a drive but hey ho. Will just have to double and triple check they have the actual implants in.

This GP actually runs the local sexual clinic in the surgery so she was the only choice for this to get it done swiftly,easily and close by. Or so I thought.

[AnotherPidgey]

I've had 3. The original implanon got a bit stuck and was a bit of a battle to pull out. The two nexplanons came out much more easily. There was more bruising and tenderness from them going in than having come out.

[BeanTownNancy]

The last time I had it taken out the nurse numbed it and then poked me and asked if it hurt and I said it did so she put some more anaesthetic in - when she tested again it still hurt a little but she said she couldn't put any more anaesthetic in or there would be too much fluid at the site and she wouldn't be able to get the implant out. Gave me the choice whether to crack on through the pain or give up and come back another time.

We cracked ok and it hurt a fair amount, but at least she gave me the choice.

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

It was the Nexplanon that I had taken out.

Thank you for your experiences . Still unsure on which side of "normal" this was, but feeling a bit better knowing I'm not alone on the pain side.

[BertyFlanter]

I've had one out and it was in too deep and had to dig around a fair bit but I didn't really feel anything and was fine straight afterwards. Wouldn't put me off another at all.
My daughter had hers put in by the same person who did mine but hers was way deeper, when it came to removing hers, it was very painful for her during, and for a good week afterwards. Hopefully the pic is attached of DDs arm.

Mine was removed by an experienced nurse at my GP, my daughters at a sexual health clinic.
It's likely swings and roundabouts as to who might be the best at removal 🤷🏻‍♀️

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

Ouch Berty your poor DD.

[username10001]

It shouldn't have hurt at all if you had anaesthetic. I didn't feel a thing and I'm really soft . I can't even look at a needle makes me feel ill . Perhaps the nurse hadn't put enough anaesthetic on .

[BertyFlanter]

@OP her entire arm was purple when it went in!
You said the nurse was in a rush, perhaps she didn't wait long enough for the anaesthetic to work. It took a good ten mins before the nurse was happy to proceed with me...

[FrowningFlamingo]

Mine was quite painful on two occassions but the third was fine.
I am fairly resistant to local anaesthetic though. Have you had local before and it work well? I didn't really twig that it didn't work for me until the last implanon I had out where the lady noticed me grimacing and used a different type of local. I just assumed that the pain I'd felt before was normal to be honest.

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

They did the whole thing from lidocaine to wrapping in less than 10 minutes. Which makes me sound like a baby because obviously I wasn't in pain for that long.

[YourSarcasmIsDripping]

What I'd like to know is if there was anything they could've done because I told them I could feel everything straight away, even the cut but that wasn't too bad. Mostly just grit my teeth and get on with it. Should they have waited or give me another shot? It was the GP that did it, the nurse just assisted.

Checked my messages and the whole thing with signing consent form, prep, shot, removal,bandaging and after care advice took 17 minutes.

[ShesAnEasyLlama]

I think they rushed it, OP. The last one I had done, they said it was in quite deep, but gave me 2 lots of anaesthetic (after the first lot I could still feel) and plenty of time for it to take effect (we did the paperwork/sexual health questions). I could feel her tugging, but it wasn't painful. Putting a new one in has always been the worst part for me, I bruise really easily.

[Coldhandscoldheart]

I took my own out, and it was fine.
I will say, I think doctors in particular can be bad for waiting a couple of minutes for local to ‘take’. And then if it hasn’t, they kind of go, oh well we’ll only be a moment, might as well carry on. And do that.

[iklboo]

I had mine replaced on Tuesday