Hysteroscopy

[MrBallensWife]

I am due to have a Hysteroscopy tomorrow and to be honest I'm shitting myself.Does anyone here have any experience of having the procedure done and how was it?.

Mine was the same as this.

Well I'm out!,I've opted for a GA in the end as the doctor said that the lining on my womb is quite thick so it's inevitable there's Polyps there at the very least,but either way they're going to have to do a Biopsy to make sure there's nothing sinister going on so I felt GA was my best option.
I feel disappointed in myself for not trying to have it done but I also feel like I made the right decision for me,at the time.I was 95% sure I was going to try and have it done there and then but when she mentioned Polyp removal and biopsies I chickened out and said I wanted a GA. At least if I'm asleep they can have a good mooch round up there lol 😆

You've done the right thing for you OP. Nothing to feel disappointed about, you advocated for yourself and should be proud of that.

I’ve had three of these procedures. The first was under a GA. The second if I’m being completely honest was very unpleasant.

I’ve had a lot of medical procedures done and apart from one other occasion (catheter was removed when it shouldn’t have been and left me screaming in agony in the middle of the maternity ward while the nurses looked on passively as if I was just being a drama queen 🙄) this was the next painful.

The third time around I was extremely nervous for obvious reasons but I explained to them what had happened last time and they went out of their way to try and make me as comfortable as possible.

I think it’s down to the skill of the person carrying out the procedure. I think my cervix went into spasm the second time around. The nurse who was in the room was cold and uncaring. I honestly don’t know why some people bother joining the medical profession when they clearly don’t give a shit about their patients.

You've absolutely done the right thing OP, nothing to feel disappointed in yourself for at all. I have had that done under general and don't regret that for a moment.

I was worried about problems with my cervix as when I had my daughter 26years ago,my cervix tore and had to be stitched back together.Everytime I have a smear they comment that it's an 'M' shape as opposed to a doughnut shape as its meant to be.Sometimes when having smears they have problems getting a sample because of its funny shape so I didn't want them poking around for the entry point while I'm awake really!.
That sounds awful what you went through with your catheter,I agree that some staff aren't the most compassionate,most of them are but it only takes 1 bad one to put you off for life.Especially when they're poking around your nether regions.

Thankyou so much,yes you're right and I feel quite proud of myself for not agreeing to try there and then.The doctor was trying to persuade me to give it a go and I'm normally quite a people pleaser but I just couldn't face it when she explained what they were going to do so I stood my ground and said I'd much rather have a GA.

Thankyou,I'm just waiting now for a date to go in x

That's the right decision OP. If I were having a biopsy I'm pretty sure I'd want something more than paracetamol!

Good decision, OP. I'm having this done tomorrow but also opted for a GA. I know two women who found the procedure incredibly painful, so I wasn't willing to risk trying without the anaesthetic.

There is an action group of women pushing for better information and more pain relief for hysteroscopy. Apparently, a third of women find it very painful. I'm not willing to see if I'm one of them!

I've had one 4 times, and had no pain at all, just pressure on my bladder, wanting to wee, because they pump a lot of fluid in. I do know they offer a G.A. if you find it painful.
We are all different.
Hope it all goes well.

No me neither!
I just couldn't bring myself to even try to have it done on the day,even with local anaesthetic,I think the women who do are really brave but my anxiety was through the roof and I was getting so worked up about it.I think if they offer a GA then there must be a good reason for it as usually they don't offer GA lightly.
I'm still waiting for a call to give me a date for mine but let me know how you get on! 💐

I think they only offer a GA if you are worried or anxious that the procedure will be painful. They won’t be able to tell you if they have significant concerns before doing the hysteroscopy / biopsy. My results have come back negative thankfully.

@lissie123 my gynae won't do them without a GA. Presumably he has seen the impact on some women who have them without an anaesthetic.

@Droolylabradors its probably a good strategy. Don’t disagree with that approach.

I had the hysteroscopy under GA this morning. Interestingly, the anaesthetist told me they can often do a more thorough job if the woman is under a GA because they can pump more liquid into the uterus and have a better look around!

Anyway, just to reassure you, OP - I didn't experience any pain at all and even now, after the procedure, I'm feeling fine. I'm not even feeling crampy or sore. I'm on paracetamol so that's probably helping a little, but I definitely don't need anything stronger.

The surgeon was able to reassure me that the polyp looked benign, but it'll be tested to be certain.

My first biopsy is clear, so that's good.

I'm sure your procedure will go just as well, OP. Let us know.

@Droolylabradors - that's interesting to know.

Definitely the right decision to go with GA.

I had one with just gas & air, and it was the most unbelievably painful and unpleasant experience. They managed (just) to do a biopsy and have a brief look around before I made them stop.

I did recover very quickly, though....just some lingering period-type pains for an hour or two afterwards.

Oh that's good!,glad to hear it went well for you and you're pain free.I did think that if I'm under a GA then they can have a better look around in there rather than them feeling rushed if I'm lying there wincing with pain or discomfort!.It takes the pressure off the doctor as well as the patient and they're less likely to miss anything by feeling rushed to get it over and done with.
That's great news they said the Polyp looks benign!,you must be so relieved.
I'll update when I've had mine done,I'm still waiting for the booking team to ring me so hopefully shouldn't be too much longer.
Thankyou for the update xx

Sorry to hear you had to experience that,this was exactly my concern that I'd get so far and have to ask them to stop.I just couldn't face it,I was petrified sat in the waiting room before seeing the doctor.
I'm so glad I made the decision for a GA,even though at the time I felt like such a wuss but after reading yours and other women's experiences I'm so glad I did now.Even after being offered a local anaesthetic to numb my cervix I still couldn't go through with it whilst being awake.The doctor did her best to persuade me to try and I felt quite pressured if I'm honest but I'm glad I said no.
I don't think any woman should have to go through what you did x

I would say it seems to be a very polarising experience. For every person like me who found it excruciating there's someone else who had no problems beyond slight discomfort! And I'm not too bad with pain generally.

The problem is you won't know which camp you fall into until you are in the chair. I hadn't really done any research, but I was also desperate to get the procedure done as early as possible, as it was an urgent referral for suspected cancer (and that's what it turned out to be - but coming up for five years clear now, so all good).

I had one done on Monday, I'd say to anyone worried, try it with local first, you can always stop at anytime and request GA. I'm glad I had it LA it's over and done with, I did take two codine an hour before, the LA injection gave me a slight wince 2/10 pain, not as bad as being at the dentist. I didn't realise when they put the camera through as the LA had numbed it, the biopsy again slight wince, it took 10 seconds, I was in and out in 20mins and was fine, no after pain. Two kind nurses spoke to me throughout the procedure to keep my mind off it.
Mine was straight forward though, no fibroids that needed removal.

That's fabulous news being 5 years Cancer free! 🥰💐.
I spent the whole day the day before reading other women's accounts and it was 50/50 so I was still no further forward in coming to a decision really but once I got in to see the doctor beforehand I just couldn't go ahead with it through fear.My smear a couple of weeks previous was a little uncomfortable so I was catastrophising in my head that this would be a lot worse!,I'm my own worst enemy sometimes 🤷‍♀️.

I genuinely wished I could have had it done on the day but when push came to shove,I chickened out!.When I arrived in the unit the nurse was lovely and asked me if I was OK,I said "no,not really!",I asked if it was any worse than having a coil put in and she sort of rolled her eyes (not in a nasty way) and said yes!,she said she had one done before but under a GA as she couldn't go through with it while being awake.I was glad of her honesty but like you she said some women are fine and some aren't.
The thought of having an injection in my cervix was probably a lot worse than what it would actually be and I think that was probably the deciding factor for me to opt for a GA.I think if I could have had sedation I'd have tried it on the day but the Dr said this wasn't an option☹️.

@MrBallensWife having injections in my cervix was one of the most traumatic things I've had done and I've pushed out a 8lb6 baby with no pain relief
I will also be opting for ga if I ever need one