Fibroid embolisation

[hopeishere]

Anyone had one? Am going in on Saturday. Am preparing for some pain but hoping to only have to take a week off work.

Yes!
The procedure itself was fine. I wasn't keen on the idea of being conscious but they gave me a truck load of sedatives and pain relief. I think it took just over an hour but half of that was probably spent trying to find a vein to get a canula in me!
The pain once they finished was like nothing I have experienced in my life though (how I'd imagine labour to be in waves of cramps). It was almost immediate and started while they were still waiting for a porter to take me back up to the ward. It wouldn't be so bad if you could curl up but you have to lie flat for at least an hour afterwards (info I'd read said 4 hours but they used a clip or something on my artery which meant I only had to do an hour). I had intravenous paracetamol back on the ward which barely touched the surface and whatever else they were topping me up with as often as I could take it. I threw up quite a lot of the water I drank afterwards but didn't sleep too badly and went home after breakfast the next morning.
I think I felt rough really due to bad sleep and not having had anything to eat or drink on the day of the procedure apart from an early breakfast and a small amount of water. I was fine once I got home but then suffered terrible constipation as a side effect of the pain killers so I'd recommend stocking up on a box of laxatives as the pain from that was worse than the cramps by then!
I was signed off work for the rest of that week and another 2 full weeks (had my procedure done on a Wed afternoon) but to be honest by the end of it I felt like I was skivving!

Thanks so much! I'm due to go in at 7.30am so I won't be waiting too long. Did you have a catheter? And did you shave your groin? Sorry for the personal questions!

I was waiting around more than normal because I had to travel quite a way to the hospital and it was arranged at fairly short notice so they did all my pre-op stuff in the morning and then procedure early afternoon.
I didn't have a catheter because I only had to lie flat for an hour afterwards (also I'd drunk so little water I was probably dehydrated). I hindsight I think they should have given me intravenous fluids afterwards as I had so little that day and it can't have helped with the subsequent constipation. I shaved round the edge of my bikini line but nothing particularly drastic.

Thanks again!