Hysteroscopy & biopsy with anaesthetic. What to expect?

[Sunlov]

I've been referred for these.

I know what it is, a camera up into my womb etc.
Anything I might not think of to warn me about?

After a GA you have to say you have a responsible adult with you for 24 hours. Obviously they cannot make you do this and some people will lie.
It is a very light GA- the procedure itself takes less than 10 minutes.

You can always opt for no GA.

Personally, I don't know why anyone would have a GA for this. Dental treatment is often far more tricky!

You can also have a local in your cervix if the pain is bad.

But in all honesty- my cervix was tight and it took my dr some time to get in there- but there was no pain.

I'd def not want all the hassle of a GA for something very minor if I was allowed to choose.

If there is no overnight bed for you after a general you will be cancelled.
Beds are in desperately short supply.

Another thread that you are on where you fail to see the reality of the nhs.

@crosser62
You don't necessarily have to stay in overnight. My friend had this done at a top private hospital in London. She was kept in for around 2 hrs after the op. It's a 5-minute procedure.

You can be allowed home. It depends on the time of day when the op is done partly- if it's late evening they might keep you in, but if it's done in the morning, there is no need for an overnight stay.

i don’t know why anybody would have a GA for this

Because some people find it excruciatingly painful and others find it completely fine. I would not have a hysteroscopy without a GA, but then I find internals excruciating and once had a colposcopy and biopsy without any local anaesthetic and it was truly awful.

What are your symptoms OP?

If there’s no one who can stay with you then you definitely need to talk to them - they may be able to keep you in.

I’ve had two hysteroscopies and two laparoscopies with hysteroscopies - the recovery afterwards is really not comparable, hysteroscopies even with biopsies should be very quick to recover from, you may have some pain initially when you wake up but shouldn’t last long.

This article came out earlier this year
www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjAgN7CqO3hAhVEOhoKHUMXAy4QzPwBegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbroadly.vice.com%2Fen_us%2Farticle%2Fzmdday%2Fis-hysteroscopy-painful-womens-health&psig=AOvVaw3L5aNZn87TDw2ueByUOB4Q&ust=1556352907283503

Not all hysteroscopies are the same and some are more suitable for a GA than others. They don’t all take 10 mins either. My consultant gave me no choice.

Absolutely - it’s like a diagnostic laparoscopy vs a laparoscopy with excision, ablation etc. Completely different. If The hysteroscopy is just an examination / biopsy then usually recovery won’t be too bad but if they’re doing more or there are existing issues such as anatomical issues or factors such as adenomyosis, it’s totally different and you may not know this in advance.

Not all hysteroscopies are the same and some are more suitable for a GA than others.

Can you elaborate?

I am unaware of any difference! It's a camera plus a biopsy.

Well my consultant told me there were an awful lot of polyps to remove in my circumstance.

NHS website quote below,
It seems if you are just having the 10 min look around, non GA may be appropriate but if they are doing a bit more, GA might be advised.

^It may not be necessary to use anaesthetic for the procedure, although local anaesthetic (where medication is used to numb your cervix) is sometimes used.
General anaesthetic may be used if you're having treatment during the procedure or you would prefer to be asleep while it's carried out.
A hysteroscopy can take up to 30 minutes in total, although it may only last around 5 to 10 minutes if it's just being done to diagnose a condition or investigate symptoms.^

For some reason it’s rarely differentiated whether a hysteroscopy (or laparoscopy) investigative / diagnostic or involves actual treatment. IME the difference is vast.

Having said that, some women will find cervical / uterine biopsies painless while others will find them excruciating. Same with passing a camera through the cervix. Much like smears really - for me they have always been intensely painful, others feel almost nothing.

@Chewbecca

A hysteroscopy is a hysteroscopy! I don't need a lecture from the NHS site but thanks all the same. I had a full discussion about it with my consultant gynae at the time.

Mine actually took 30 minutes because my cervix was tight. I explained some of this in my previous posts.
But it was still painless.

If women need a polyp removed they may be offered a GA, depending on size of polyp.

The thing is, these threads seem to attract people who have found it painful so it's important to show the other side to it.

Hi I had this done a couple of years ago. It was a bit like experiencing period pain, and I was glad that I took painkillers as advised beforehand. A nurse sat chatting to me while the doctor did the procedure.

I’ve had 5 hysteroscopies, 3 awake and two under general aneasthetic. Of the 3 conscious ones, one was a walk in the park and two were absolutely excruciating. The (female) dr laughed at me at one point for complaining - I was crying with pain. I will never have one without GA again.
I’m not saying this to alarm anyone but to show that even for the same person pain levels can differ by procedure. There’s not much point being adamant that it’s all hunky dory because it was fine for you.
The two under general were fine, no pain apart from light cramping afterwards. For both I did have to say that DP would be with me for the next 24 hours though.
Good luck OP.

jingling you're welcome.

I am just telling my own experience, as you are.

I am having a GA. I was asked whether I wanted to or not. I said that I 100% wanted to. I just had to sign a consent form there and then. The risks of the procedure were outlined to me i.e. small chance of infection, 1/1000 chance of a puncture/tear in the womb (can't recall exact word).

So it's done. I'm having a GA. Whether you all like that or not. The consultant in no way tried to dissuade me, in fact if anything, he nodded almost in agreement when I said I wanted a GA.

I think he had examined me internally first, and as I have never dilated, perhaps he felt it might be painful for me.

My other reasoning, apart from fear of pain, is that whenever I've undergone procedures that I find uncomfortable/painful/difficult, they end up not being able to actually do anything at all! It's better all round if it's under GA.

My thread wasn't about the ins and outs of GA, it was about what to expect from a hysteroscopy.

I had this done privately so assuming same as nhs. I had anaesthetic. Wasn't given the option to not have it. I had minimal bleeding and very little pain. The consultant cane to talk to me afterwards but not sure if they will in nhs hospital. I was woozy and nauseous for a good while after so you will need someone to escort you home.

I've a care-coordinator, so maybe they could accompany me home? They're not a carer. More like an occupational therapist.

Did you all have to wait 2 weeks afterwards for results of any kind?

And if nothing was found 'wrong' and it was put down to being hormonal, was anything offered?

Could I lie (a much loathed MN thing to do I know), and say that I had a friend waiting downstairs in a car for me or something? I don't mind being kept in for a while at all, but if they postpone it as I've no-one at home, well, that's a bit shit really isn't it?

The care coordinator should be fine. I was meant to have someone with me after a GA for surgery in my armpit and I didn't. I embellished the truth a little, got a taxi home and left my door open and my neighbour popped over a couple of times to make me a brew and check I was ok

I don't think they'd postpone it actually, thinking back. The consultant went through my entire history and knows exactly all there is to know about me. So he knows that I have no-one at home.