Pelvic ultrasound.

[flourella]

I have a pelvic ultrasound booked for Saturday, due to pretty vague intermittent symptoms in my left lower abdomen over the last six months: mild pain in what I think is my ovary, sometimes accompanied by mild pain in possibly my bladder; slight increase in size of lower abdomen (have put on some weight but it always goes straight to my thighs and arse and my waist size has not changed, but below the belly button is now always sticking out a bit); sciatic pain in left hip and down leg.

I've been told to drink two pints of water an hour beforehand. I have severe OCD and struggle with anything that goes into my body, plus autism so struggle with any changes to my routine, and I don't drink water at all. Haven't for at least 15 years. Can it be fruit juice instead? I can't imagine the clarity of the fluid makes a difference to this type of imaging. Or does it?

The OCD means I will also find an internal ultrasound all but impossible, because the equipment is not single-use. I believe the wand or whatever you call it is covered in a disposable sheath, but the sheaths can have microscopic holes in them (I've read a study on this) so that's not going to be good enough for a scan which may well show nothing of note, resulting in me having put myself at risk of contamination for no reason. Has anyone had a pelvic ultrasound for similar symptoms and an external one been enough to discern what is going on, if anything? Or should an internal one be expected? I don't know what I'm going to do if the latter.

The drinking beforehand is so you have a full bladder to help them get a better image, this is for external scans. Internal scans need an empty bladder. I have had a lot of both so sounds like they’re planning external, always a chance they’ll want to do both when you’re there but you can talk that through with them. The internal ones they use a condom over the wand so not sure if that helps you? My PCOS diagnosis was external only and that was enough for me so hopefully you won’t need the internal one. Hope it goes well for you

I went for an internal and did not need a full bladder. They also did an external and the lack of full bladder did not seem to make a difference. If you’re unsure call and ask which type you’re having, my letter said full bladder for external but not the type of scan I was having. I called the unit and asked and they said I was on for internal so did not need to drink.

Thanks both for replying. In offering the appointment they've said they give everyone an external scan and a decision about giving an internal one is made on the back of that. I thought I just needed a full bladder, but they've specified water so I suppose I need to call them to clarify. If it is water only I'll have to try and find some bottled water that I'm happy to drink.

I've had three urgent referrals to the breast clinic for lumps that have all turned out to be cysts, and I'm mostly of the mindset that this will also all be fine and the only danger comes from the tests themselves. That's kind of fucked up because I know there's a chance this is something sinister, but anything medical and even just eating and drinking really is a problem for me.

Anything is fine it doesn't have to specifically be water. I drank 3 pints of orange juice for one of my Pelvic scans the images were absolutely fine. I think they probably just say water as it's quicker to type out in a letter than adding tea coffee milk juice etc

@Alexis7890 Internal scans can require a full bladder, Ive had several transvaginal and have always been told to drink before.

They just want a gull bladder as bladder then acts as an internal light to help them see. Doesn't matter what you drink to achieve this. If they then want to do internal they will ask you to have a wee. The wand is cleaned and has a condom type thing put on it so you are at no risk of being contaminated by anything. Unfortunately if you want to get to bottom of pain this is a scan you need. No one enjoys them.

They just want you to have a full bladder.

The instruction for water is to stop idiots drinking 2 pints of vodka or 2 pints of espresso.

Thanks a lot. That's what I'd read online, that the bladder just had to be full, but their instruction made me worry it did for some reason need to be water. But I know how ultrasound imaging works and that didn't make much sense... I'll just drink something I usually drink.

The bladder had to be full for external scans to put the reproductive organs up so it's easier to see, if you are a normal weight then external scan should be fine.

If it isn't they will ask you to empty your bladder and then do an internal because the bladder will then be in the way if full.

Also, I'm sure that no one enjoys that sort of procedure. But most of my life so far has been governed and severely restricted by a specific fear of contamination (vCJD/prions) and I seem to be in a tiny minority regarding that. I also have BDD, including regarding that part of my body, and no one has ever examined or even seen me as an adult with the bottom half undressed. I have never had sex or a smear test or even used a tampon. I'm worried that this means I'd be likely to bleed which opens another route by which I can be infected with something that is on the equipment.

Really hoping the external one is enough. I am still within the healthy BMI range so it's good if that helps with it.

An internal scan missed my almost 6kg ovarian cyst that was discovered by an abdominal scan 3 days later.

After my experience I would now always ask for both type of ultrasound scans and if that wasn’t possible I’d ask for an abdominal one.

You can refuse an internal scan. It’s entirely up to you and how you feel on the day. I have always refused them with no issues and no arguments from the hcp.

If you have never had sex or used a tampon, I think you will find an internal scan very difficult, especially as your OCD makes you anxious already. I'd suggest asking your radiographer but the internal scan is probably not going to happen.

If it helps with your general contamination worries, we don't see anyone with vCJD anymore. The National Centre for CJD publishes annual cases and there have been none since 2016.

I had an external scan and the radiographer told me that she'd got everything but when it came back it said she hadn't seen my right ovary and so I had to go back again. Though she did say she got good pictures because my bladder was so full because they kept me waiting half an hour so I think it's possible they can see all on a external.

In terms of the internal she was very discreet, I wore a skirt so covered myself as long as possible but she gave me a large paper towel to cover me and she didn't seem to need to look, just guided it in by feeling. It wasn't great but it wasn't awful.

Good luck whatever you do. As a survivor of sexual abuse I wasn't keen but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

External scans can be more tricky if you have loads of gas in your bowel so May be helpful to watch what you eat the day before to reduce any gas.

Thanks for the further replies. Good tip about being mindful of what I eat in the run up to the scan.

AnnaMagnani I know that there have been no new cases of vCJD for a while now, but I also know about the possibility of future waves affecting new cohorts for whom there has been a longer incubation period, and the ongoing risk of iatrogenic infection. As a lay person I've read a lot (too much!) about the NHS's protocols regarding use of disposable instruments for certain procedures, and the cleaning (and potentially quarantining and destroying, depending on risk) of reusable instruments, including those that can't be autoclaved. The fact that protocols exist to minimise risk around blood transfusions and use of instruments proves the danger is still present. I wish I could let go of my fear of it but I can't.