Amount of pain with pipelle biopsy?

[KatyMac]

I had one on Monday - the pain was severe

All the way through they were saying it wasn't/couldn't be hurting me - that it was like mild period pains

If my periods were like that I honestly Would have considered suicide - the pain was more akin to when my tube burst during an ectopic

I was led to believe I was unusual for the amount of pain - am i?

Immediately afterwards they started talking to be about my options, while I was lying down/undressed/still visibly shaking,sweating and to some extent in shock - which I think was poor practise

Of course the whole thing was made worse by the fact I was supposed to ride home on my bike - DH had to come and collect both me and the bike!

Am I right in thinking this was unplanned and you weren't given any advice?

I have had 2. One on its own, the 2nd as part of a hysteroscopy.

The first was fine. I was in fact offered it 'on the spot' but as I wasn't expecting that, deferred to an arranged date (this is privately.)

I didn't find it painful, no. I felt a slight nip as the sample was taken.

The 2nd biopsy was during a hysteroscopy. I experienced cervical shock afterwards (which is a reflex action- nothing to do with being 'shocked' emotionally.) I had to stay in the hospital for a couple of hours to recover.

A lot depends on your cervix. Mine was quite closed for the 2nd one which is why it took a while to access it all.

If they gained access in your case quite quickly, the pain ought not to have been severe but everyone is different.

Anyway- no point dwelling on it now- it's over and done with.

What's happened with your decision over ovary removal and the lump yet to be diagnosed? (and why did your MRI not show what it was?)

Hi Katy, you poor thing. I hope that you are feeling a little better now. I had a hysteroscopy last Thursday with no anaesthetic, so basically I was filled up with saline solution which instantly brought on huge cramps. They told me the cramps would be mild. They were definitely not mild and it was ten minutes of agony. I had a biopsy but I didn't feel that because the cramps were causing me so much pain. I'm having a polyp removed but I'm having a general anaesthetic for that in a couple of weeks. I'm very frightened.

cherry sorry to hear of your experience.
All I can say- so as not to worry other women reading- is that not everyone has the same experience. I had no GA for mine and although it took some time, it was painless. The amount of water used in minute - or should be- and my gynae (who is brilliant) - only left the water in for literally seconds. I was watching it on the screen and he let the water out and withdrew the scope in under 10 seconds. It sounds unusual for them to look for 10 minutes- have never heard of that with anyone (unless you mean you had cramps after they had finished?)
Don't worry about the next one- you're having a GA so won't feel a thing!

Thanks queen, I guess everyone is different. I did do a lot of reading up before the procedure and like you say most women say it was painless or very little pain. I wouldn't be worried if I had to do it again as the pain was bearable but not the best thing to be doing on a Friday morning. I just wasn't expecting to go from no pain to fairly high pain within a couple of seconds. Now I know what to expect it's not so frightening. Saying that I am a total wimp. Now I'm frightened about having a general anaesthetic, mainly what it's like being out to sleep and I'm worried how bad I will feel after the operation. Never had a GA before. Like I said, I'm not a very brave person.

My friend had the same as you are having- polyp removal with a GA at the same hospital with the same dr(I was offered a GA for the hysteroscopy but refused it.)

The GA for the polyp removal is very light. My friend was out around an hour or so afterwards. She felt fine. It's not like a GA for a longer operation. You may feel a bit dozy and they won't let you drive that day but in all honesty you ought to feel fine. She felt nothing - pain wise- and was back to normal in hours.
Good luck!

Thanks queen, I really hope that I don't suffer too much pain afterwards. When I had my hysteroscopy I was told that I will experience cramping for a couple of days but I didn't experience anything afterwards. I drove home straight away and got on with the housework, not even a twinge. Everything just completely normal as if nothing had happened.

I was advised to take painkillers an hour before the procedure and that made a huge difference despite my cervix being closed. The after pains were something though.

Mamia it's strange how different people react differently to the same situation. I had a root filling done the other day and I didn't feel a thing during or afterwards but I had read some real horror stories

The lump is apparently muscle the Gallbladder person isn't happy with that and wants it looked at while they are inside the gynae isn't sure they can do that, the admissions person today was visibly shoked at the size of it (12.5cms by 8cms) and it will be looked at

I wasn't expecting the biopsy and the admissions person was shocked it wasn't done in a specific room with a local, and shocked again that they went in for a second one after I had expressed how much the first one had hurt & she totally got about being prepared for it and not arriving by bike!!

She was also concerned about the information the people speaking to be didn't have (particularly as it was on my hospital notes) & that I had felt uncomfortable about the way I was spoken to

To be honest everything I told her she was unhappy with and she is looking in to it as I seem to have slipped between the oncology (which I thankfully don't need) and the gynae without anyone reading my notes or registering my symptoms

She would be very unhappy with me only having one ovary out 'at my age, considering the speed of growth of the other one' but that it is likely to be assessed depending on how much scarring/adhesions and inflammation there is at the time of the op

She wants me to start HRT the night of the operation (unless I am kept in in which case as soon as I get out - I may well be kept in because of the length of the op wrt scar tissue & adhesions)

I really felt confident with this lady - she answered my questions offered up facts and opinions (and differentiated between them) and gave me stats I could understand

She is also concerned that I am putting on weight despite eating considerably less (over 4-7 months) and insisted that I see my GP after the op if that continues but that she hopes the ovaries gone will help with weight loss (it might be fluid?) and that it might make my lump go too as it looks like fluid to her

She commented that I must be confused and overwhealmed with all these appointments and that the hospital hadn't handled it at all well

what's an admissions person @KatyMac? Is this not the surgeon who will do your operation? (I assumed an admissions person was an admin clerk but have no idea.) Why aren't you seeing the dr who saw you in the first place and getting some continuity? I honestly think in your shoes I'd beg, steal or borrow to see a private consultant and not have this terrible to-ing and fro-ing and very weird situation. BTW your earlier posts about frequency and issues around IBS and prolapse are likely to be low estrogen (nearing menopause.) be aware that loss of your ovaries may well make your prolapse worse because estrogen provides support for the tissues- make sure you get onto HRT quickly.

I really don't understand this katy and feel very worried for you

You've had an MRI scan but the consultant and the admissions person ( a dr?) cannot agree on what the lump is? An MRI shows what things are , in detail. How didn't they find what it was? It's unheard of for a dr to ask another dr to look at a lump when they do ovary removal(which will be keyhole- laparoscopy surely?)

If it's either muscle or fluid, the MRI and all the other scans would have shown it.

Why did you have a biopsy anyway? You aren't having any odd bleeding. why did they do two biopsies ' going in twice'? When a biopsy is done, they usually twiddle the instrument to take 2 or 3 samples at the same time; you'd normally feel a couple of nips. They can't go in twice with the same pipelle as it could introduce infection.

admissions person was a nurse practitioner and quite senior by her uniform

i've had another opinion on the ama thread form a gynae consultant
"
KatyMac - I think most surgeons would offer you the option of both ovaries being removed:
If the ovary turns out to have any malignancy or borderline cells, then higher chance of happening in other ovary too - you would need another procedure even if you decided to have that done as soon as results back, or be worried and continue to have screening which isn’t actually diagnostic, for an unspecified period of time.
Even if your ovary they remove is normal (most likely to be), then keeping the other means you are at risk of future cancer in it.

Your ovaries will stop working by 55y if they already have not, so not impacting greatly on your need for HRT or quality of life - although you may require some temporary HRT as hypo-oestrogenic symptoms post-op can be troublesome.

Good that it is a simple cyst, but if it’s growing fast, at 50y I would certainly choose to have both removed. Hope all goes well."

KatyMac, I've known you here for 16ish years - big hug from me!

I had a failed hysteroscopy - I was neArly through the ceiling with pain, have had a cancer scare - it's so stressful

Thanks random - was not a happy bunny at the time.....but I have new photos of DD so I'm better now

Seriously tho I was in such pain as bad as the ectopic tube burst and when they went in again - well shit I thought I was dying

I'm not surprised

Sometimes I think because we're mere women this stuff doesn't cause THAT much pain....

Are You accustomed to her new name now?

Getting there - does she sign contracts in it or her real name?

We do seem to be treated 'lesser' I think, and the number of times by 'depressions' turned out to be something physical (notably by tennis elbow!)

No idea about contracts...

Sounds like you've had a rough ride with your allocated medics!

Your ovaries will stop working by 55y if they already have not, so not impacting greatly on your need for HRT or quality of life - although you may require some temporary HRT as hypo-oestrogenic symptoms post-op can be troublesome.

Sadly many gynaes underestimate the effects of removing both ovaries AND the fact that around 20% of women have menopause symptoms for life (my mum has hot flushes etc in her 80s.)

I made the suggestion before and will do again- think about joining the forum on Menopause Matters. (I'm not on it by the way!) But there are women there who have ad their ovaries removed - far more than here on mumsnet- and you will get some real life experiences.

I wasn't expecting the biopsy and the admissions person was shocked it wasn't done in a specific room with a local, and shocked again that they went in for a second one after I had expressed how much the first one had hurt & she totally got about being prepared for it and not arriving by bike!!

Why did they do a biopsy @KatyMac?

What do you mean by a 'specific room'?

She though a procedure room rather than a consulting room
Because I suddenly sprung new symptoms on them (I hadn't they were documented in my notes and a letter from the hospital consultant I saw before to the GP)

It's actually quite common to do the biopsy (on its own) in a consulting room. It was offered to me on that basis but due to circumstances on the day, i declined but had it in a consulting room eventually. I still find it bizarre that they 'went in twice'. The procedure involves taking a couple of samples with a couple of twists . It's very odd to have to have them start all over again and do it twice. Still, if you're sure that's what happened, no one can argue :)