Hello, I'm new here - please be gentle if I'm getting protocols wrong.
I started this account on advice of a friend who suggested it might be the best place to share my issue.
I'm not a 'mum' (no children). I've not begun the menopause yet but am over 50 and have many gynae issues over the last 20+ years, been under monitoring and regular testing.
Last year, the scanning person told me I have: adenomyosis, several large fibroids inside my uterus and in the muscle wall, PCOS on my left ovary, and a fast growing polyp. She said why isn't your GP or the hospital doing anything about this?
My GP agreed action needed taking and that hysterectomy was the only solution as adenomyosis doesn't resolve with menopause. I was keen to go ahead quickly. But then the Royal Free Hospital discharged me on false grounds that I have elected 'private gynaecology'. I have never had private health care of any type and can't afford that. They then refused my re-referral from GP when she pointed out this error, repeating that they have 'information' I have private healthcare (not true).
So, GP referred me to the UCLH. They scanned and double checked and agreed all the same known issues. They also agreed I need a fairly urgent hysterectomy. But they asked me to come in for the large polyp (approx the size of a large grape 2cm x 3cm) to be removed by hysteroscopy procedure first. I couldn't understand why and argued why, asking if you're taking my whole uterus what's the point of removing the one polyp?
Anyway this is where it gets dark and twisted. The UCLH gynaes lied to me and informed me that a quick walk-in hysteroscopy procedure with no sedation, no anaesthesia, no pain management, to whip out the polyp and send it for biopsy was the first thing to do. They literally mocked me when I requested this to be done under General Anaesthetic (GA) and implied I was being completely unreasonable and advised that GA would needlessly put my life at risk for a minor issue and so they weren't prepared to offer GA. They booked me in for a walk in hysteroscopy and I was advised just to take ibuprofen and paracetamol beforehand.
During the hysteroscopy I was severely injured. It was conducted by only one of the gynaecologists working alone and a technician supplying saline solution, with one chaperone just observing watching me from the other side of the room.
I felt my cervix being opened up and it was uncomfortable but not too bad. I also felt 'rummaging around' feelings that were definitely painful but not horrific. Then, the gynaecologist told the saline person that she 'couldn't see' and to supply more solution, at the same time, I felt the most horrific searing burning stabbing and wrenching pain in my upper left uterus area. I felt as if I was being stabbed by a red hot poker at the same time as there was a tugging and pulling feeling. My uterus started to involuntarily contract and at that point I was unable to breathe. It was the worst pain I've ever experienced at 10 out of 10 (and I've 'been through' a lot). At this point I put my hands on my head in desperation and agony and the chaperone asked 'are you OK?'. Seemingly her asking that had the whole thing called off - as then I immediately felt the stabbing stop and the gynaecologist withdrew all the equipment from my cervix / vagina.
Afterwards I went into total shock and PTSD symptoms, my whole left side and abdomen was numb.
I asked the gynaecologist what happened and she said everything went fine and she had taken some small tissue samples for biopsy. I asked 'what about the polyp?' and she told me 'there is no polyp' and I was confused as it had shown on all the scans. She said there is definitely no polyp to be seen. I had such a bad feeling about her and I also had during the prior consultation, so I just kept quiet and left.
After this incident I went straight home and became chronically unwell and in an emergency health situation. I won't bore all the details but I believe my upper left uterus was stabbed and punctured, that my left ovary and left ureter and other adjacent tissues were injured in this. I was unable to feel any sensation when passing urine as my bladder / urethra nerves must have been affected somehow. I was in chronic pain all around my left flank, heavily bleeding, and was passing a lot of blood in urine. I had also aquired 'klebsiella' a hopsital acquired infection.
I was thrown out of A&E who refused to treat me and said I was lying about the whole incident, that they had spoken to the gynaecologist and she assured them I have no gynae issues whatsoever and she had given me the images to prove it (obv not true). They claimed I was a drug seeker and quite literally threw me out.
Subsequently had to fight for my GP refer me back to the Royal Free where following scans and checks, I had a 1 hour 45 minute sugery under GA to remove the polyp and scar tissues from inside my uterus. But had to wait many months in horrific pain for that surgery and am still now left in chronic pain and daily uterine bleeding (I've now been bleeding every day since July 2022). I'm being medicated with daily doses of mefenamic acid, tranexamic acid, and 30mg per day of Provera, none of which are stopping the bleeding. I'm repeatedly incurring internal infections - kidney / ureter, on the same side as the injury was. But my GP and every single person involved is downplaying it, minimising, and gaslighting me. If I wasn't managing my own iron treatment (high daily doses of iron, folate, Vit C, B12), I would already be dead from blood loss by now.
Am now waiting for an 'urgent' full hysterectomy, with lots of add on issues that would be in line with having been severely injured in the hysteroscopy. MRI scans have shown that my left ovary, ureter, pouch of douglas, part of colon, and internal spaces are all bonded and meshed together with scar tissue. None of that was the case before. But it is being explained away as 'endometriosis' even though it isn't. It's scar tissue and adhesions. My current consultant surgeon will not discuss anything whatsoever with me, including the surgery she already did, and I've not been able to have a single consultation with her - she's very clearly avoiding me to the point that it's laughable and absurd. I mean she is obliged to have appointments with me but she literally doesn't attend them and is playing such silly games. I'm obviously in a 'cover up' situation and so I assume she literally can't speak to me about the harm / injury but she has to do the surgery.
Even worse, other Royal Free staff have told me that there is 'no way' that I was injured during the hysteroscopy to remove the large polyp as this is not a procedure that can possibly happen as it's not part of any form of medical or gynae treatment and that no gynaecologist would attempt to remove the large polyp in a walk in non sedated procedure. They also say if that did happen then it's my fault for consenting.
I feel like I've been totally abused and violated. It's been barbaric and medieval. I feel my life has been put at risk and the whole thing was like one of those old backstreet abortions using coat hangers where women went home and died of infection or blood loss. I've got a solicitor looking into this but he hasn't actually taken my case yet. When they tried to remove the large polyp during walk in hysteroscopy, the UCLH gynaecologists a) lied to me; b) coerced me into something not quite lawful; c) botched it up; d) severely injured me; and now the whole of the NHS is trying to cover up what has happened to me, including my current surgeon. I feel conned and scammed.
Now I need to have this horrific extensive surgery that is way over and above a regular hysterectomy and in the meantime I'm really really ill and in pain and traumatised.
My question to anyone here is - please feedback any thoughts - have you ever heard of such a thing? Is it true that a large polyp would never be attempted to be removed by walk in non sedated hysteroscopy? If my solicitor doesn't take this case, does anyone know a firm that is likely to? Where do I get support for the trauma this incident has caused me (I feel quite literally far far worse than having been raped)?
Also I want to share my story as widely as possible to warn everyone. I think the NHS took a gamble on my life to use me as a guinea pig and see if they can cut costs and cut corners by doing gynae surgical procedures as walk ins with no medication or anaesthesia. I am so ill at the moment, I can't function, but I want to share my story and warn people.