Hysteroscopy

[HotTopicsWithImogen]

AIBU to think the NHS should offer realistic pain relief for this?

I am currently going through Benenden to get my hysterectomy because after 18 months the NHS is still failing to sort it. Had an appointment with a private consultant and first evaluative step is hysteroscopy.

Now I had this done on the NHS previously and it was barbaric. When I left the room my knees buckled. Staff were obviously all geared up for this to happen because there was a handy wee trolley there, just for all of us ladies leaving that room to lie down on when we collapsed.

So when the private consultant said I needed hysteroscopy, I asked if I could have some decent pain relief. And she said it would be small general anaesthetic as a matter of course. They wouldn't expect anyone to have this without it. If I didn't want it that's fine, but recommendation is to have it.

This is a different world! But why doesn't our health service do this? If you have a procedure with effects so horrendous that women routinely buckle after having it, why would you just persist with the same method? Why is women's pain baked in as an expectation?

In my area it's offered under general if not possible otherwise, but not as a matter of course as not everyone needs it, and the risks and costs of general anaesthetic outweigh the benefits most of the time. It's not a given that it is always horrendously painful. Mine was almost painless.

I totally agree. I had one without anaesthetic and I still feel violated when I think about it a year and a half later. The pain was so great they had to stop and I had it with a GA a while later. Absolutely no problem with that. I believe you can insist on a GA as an NHS patient, but I didn’t want to make a fuss. If it ever needs to be done again, I’ll be insisting! I hope all goes well for you.

💯 agree, OP - there was a thread a little while ago with lots and lots of horrific experiences on it.

I've just linked to it,

I need a gynae biopsy - "Take some painkillers before you come" www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/5079614-i-need-a-gynae-biopsy-take-some-painkillers-before-you-come

I had mine under general last year on nhs. Was asked my preference.

@Adelstrop anaesthetic wasn't presented as an option, for me. But they obviously know that women can't cope with it, because they set up a trolley outside the room for us. This boggles my mind! Don't give us a trolley, give us pain relief so we don't need the trolley! If what you are doing hurts women, the solution is to stop hurting them, not to give them something to lie down on once you've hurt them.

Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy has now collated 7500 cases of women undergoing painful hysteroscopies without anasthetic and in some cases told to put up and shut up. One medic even admitted that they would not be attempting the equivilant procedure without GA on a man.
Video
https://x.com/HysteroscopyA/status/1850447745506525290

It seems insane they expect women to just have a paracetamol for the pain. I was mildly sedated for my endoscopy a few years ago, so why not offer that? I had an hour recovery time to come round and went home (assisted by DH as I was rather happy!)

I was offered a general (9 month wait) but took the local option each time. The general option was mentioned in the appointment letter that my hospital sent but I was warned that my appointment would be delayed because waiting lists for the anesthesiologist.

It should definitely be offered I agree, however some people don't want a general. (childcare, can't drive after etc).

Ive had 2 with local anaesthetic and one without. I did ask for local for the third one and was told the local is more painful than the actual procedure. The procedure was ok, but she removed a polpy and took a biopsy, afterwards I got dressed and left, feeling absolutely fine.

However literally 4/5 minutes later on was back to my car to pay the parking and I a huge wave of crampy pain came over me and I was shivering and was so desperate to get home I started driving. The pain spread down my thighs and was really bad, lasted only about 30 mins.

I really think they should have made me sit outside for 10/15 mins afterwards.

I had one without anaesthetic and it was truly horrific, I was utterly shocked afterwards, I've never felt pain like it.
When I had to have another, I had general anaesthetic, I would never have another without it 😔

I honestly found my local anaesthetic hysteroscopy totally fine. I walked home from the hospital after (about 5km). I had a similar procedure under GA and felt groggy for days after. General is not the best for everyone.

@TheDuck2018 shocked is about right. I couldn't quite believe what they were doing to me, with paracetamol only.

Yer i had this with biopsies taken and it was horrendous and the doctor was very unsympathetic and clearly was annoyed with me for not being able to ‘ breath through the pain’

I had one without anaesthetic - just ibuprofen an hour before. They had to stop part way through because I almost passed out and reschedule with anaesthetic. And I don't even live in the UK!! I recently had another one and as soon as the subject was mentioned I said with anaesthetic please!

Breathe through the pain is bullshit and I am glad there is a campaign now.
After experiencing just a brief and painful investigation, after which I had dreadful cramps, I insisted on having my hysteroscopy and biopsy with a spinal.
i hope all women do that now, it is unbelievably misogynistic to prod about inside us without pain relief.

Co-codamol an hour before and a local in cervix, not pleasant, but no pain. I don't know if I was just lucky or the local was adequate.

I agree. I had one with a local but I had done my research and knew there was a possibility it would be bad before I went in. I got through it but only with the support of the amazing nursing staff. I was extremely close to asking them to stop on more than one occasion and had to be taken to lie down to recover afterwards as I couldn't stop shaking.

A friend of mine had no idea what it involved and she found the whole experience traumatic.

@JenniferBooth thank you so much for sharing that link! I will definitely add my voice to it. I'm so glad that someone is campaigning on this. I felt like I'd done something wrong, even though I knew they had the trolley set up ready as it was expected I would collapse. It was only when I had my private medical consultation today that I started to think hang on, what happened to me before wasn't right.

@HotTopicsWithImogen Its the reason i wont have one even though they want me to. Even with GA some women have experienced permanent damage including incontinence and damage to sexual function.
Womens anatomy is not studied enough by the medical profession

I had a local anaesthetic for an NHS hysteroscopy, and removal of a polyp. The gynaecologist and nurse were lovely. There was strong cramping, quite painful but not unbearable, and I did find that using relaxation techniques helped me. Afterwards I went to a recovery lounge and had tea and biscuits. All the staff were professional and kind. I would always choose local anaesthetic over a general, the recovery is so much quicker. I didn't feel violated, the team were all female and the surgery was necessary.

I had a hystoscopy with a spinal anaesthetic in the NHS. Absolutely refused to have it done without that or a general (complex health issues, ptsd from birth trauma etc). They were - thankfully - very understanding and booked me in with no issue. But I do feel it should be routinely offered; without women having to ask for it.

I had one … the consultant offered me the choice of having it done there and then in out-patients, or, having it done under a general. There was no pressure from him, and I decided in the anaesthetic.

As it was, I ended up with a spinal and sedation. Didn’t feel a thing.

I’ve had four, all with a general, three privately and one on the NHS.

@ExtraOnions I think I must be living in a parallel universe. Mine was presented as being like a smear. It was nothing like a smear! Why was my experience so different?

Thank you for starting this thread. Am currently on the fast track pathway. Discussed concerns about the endometrial biopsy with the referring GP as smears are really hard as my cervix is in a difficult position and hard to find, even by specialist staff, have become more painful post-menopause. I turned up expecting a hysteroscopy, but they attempted the biopsy without the camera. However clinician A couldn't find my cervix. They summoned clinician B who found it but couldn't force their way into my cervix, even with one of them pressing on my stomach, whilst the other pushed. They abandoned the procedure. I have now been summoned back for a hysteroscopy. I phoned to try and arrange sedation, but was told this was not available. I asked about a GA but was told to keep the original appointment. I said I was concerned this was just adding to the lead time. It's not a great position to be in.