Sedation for hysteroscopy

[thaneofglamour]

It has been put off for a while but the latest gynae I have seen is now saying I have to have a hysteroscopy (and a coil fitting) so I am resigned to this.

She was very gung ho and wanted to do the procedure there and then on the couch when I had no one to take me home, had not expected it, taken zero pre emptive painkillers, and was due an op in two days!

After I demurred, she said she would put me on a list for sedation, a new thing in the trust.

I have never been sedated. Can anyone tell me what the experience will be like? Will I still feel the pain? What will recovery be like?

They don't do GA at my trust and, having just had a GA, I don't want another one anyway as it made me very sick.

The thought of the whole thing is making me really miserable tbh.

I had a hysteroscopy recently during an outpatient appointment and had no pain whatsoever during the procedure. I did get a local in the cervix as the camera wasn’t going in as easy as the dr liked, I didn’t feel the local at all. I did take paracetamol and ibuprofen about an hour beforehand though and then felt a bit crampy afterwards. I also drove home no problem. Absolutely fine though and much preferred it than a visit to the dentist.

Not had sedation but local anaesthetic. Didn't feel a thing but did afterwards but nothing too bad. Insist on local

Just have it done without sedation. I've had 2 hysteroscopies with biopsies, the first was unexpected so had no painkillers or anything, second I took an ibuprofen beforehand, drove myself home alone on both occasions.
They were fine, uncomfortable for a very short while but absolutely fine.

I recently had a local, removal of a polyp and other tissue plus coil fitting. All was fine and afterwards too, didn’t feel a thing apart from when they took the biopsies a little weird sensation but no pain at all

I'm a bit surprised by this as so many posters on MN say the procedure is barbaric?

I have already been offered the sedation as I think they recognise I'm anxious.

The problem is it varies and until it's you and your cervix you don't know. I had a hysteroscopy, biopsy and coil last year and biopsy and new coil this year. Old one fell out (rude)
Walk in the park tbh. About twenty unpleasant seconds each time where I just did a bit of breathing but the rest was fine. The really important thing is that you trust the staff and know they'll stop if you need that. It's actually very quick, the second time I genuinely thought she was kidding when she said it's done. I've had much worse at the dentists.
I went back to work after the second one.

I wouldn't personally have sedation. I know I can hack it. But that's me.

I had this done last November , I didn't have the procedure explained to me or t actually know what I was having done .
I was told I was being sent for a scan for menopausal bleeding , i found the whole experience traumatic and overwhelming as I expected an external scan , I accepted the internal scan as I was there and was told I'd have a biopsy if the lining was too thick which it obviously was as I had the procedure done . I believe the lack of knowledge of what was happening made the unpleasant experience even worse , the nurses couldn't believe I was on my own and wouldn't let me leave until they were happy I'd recovered enough to drive myself .
Don't let anyone kid you that it's a doddle , we are all different and not every practitioner is as skilled as others may be .
Make sure you have someone with you for support and be aware you can stop at any point .
I was given injections into the cervix and gas and air throughout but until you've had it done you have no idea how it feels which is probably why your gynaecologist was rather gung-ho .

There must be many many more women who find it a perfectly bearable procedure than those who find it barbaric.
In the leaflet from my health trust it said that a very few women find they have to stop the procedure( it gave numbers, I can't remember but it was very small proportion), did not say you should be driven home etc. At my appointment I was early and saw 2 women go in and out before me and they were alone and fine.
Don't worry about it, it will be perfectly fine and afterwards you'll be wondering what you were anxious about.

Wasn't there a report out recently about how awful this procedure can be, I think it was on BBC website. Someone may remember.

To answer your question about sedation OP, it is probably similar to that given for colonoscopy and endoscopy. It's usually a mix of a "happy" drug (benzodiazapine) - midazolam and a painkiller, usually fentanyl. I've had it many times for the above procedures but I haven't had a hysteroscopy. Some people are aware but very relaxed and pain free, others, like me don't remember anything! It's a great way to get unpleasant procedures done, and if offered I'd take it for everything I could. You will probably feel a bit woozy for a little while afterwards, but that doesn't last long. You will not be able to travel alone from the hospital or drive so you must be collected.

Hope it goes smoothly for you.

I found it incredibly painful and uncomfortable. I had a local but was still awful. The Dr actually said that there is no way I could have a coil fitted without a general because of the placement of my cervix.

Found the article on BBC. Take the sedation and pain relief OP....

Like ripping my insides - fears hysteroscopy guidelines not enough (bbc.com)

15 % apparently find it extremely painful. That's a high proportion. I certainly had to drive DH home after prostate biopsy.

Anyway, die is cast. I am on sedation list . Just wanted to know more.

Thanks for the info.

I'm one of the ones who found the hysteroscopy absolutely brutal and the most painful medical procedure I've ever had. I would definitely go for the sedation.

Why do you HAVE to have a coil?

Bleeding needs bringing under control. It's the main solution as it's very painful.

I may back out as I did feel railroaded.

I'm one of those weird people who has never even had a filling so comparisons to dentists don't quite work for me!

Jesus

I miss read that as an impromptu hysterectomy on the couch 🫣

If you are being offered sedation, take it!! Many women have to fight quite hard for that option.
If GA makes you feel sick (as in nausea) and that’s what you are worried about, you can be pre medicated to help with that.

In my opinion, it’s always better to be sedated and not need it, than not sedated and need it.

best of luck with it all!

Now that would be a concern.

Thank you!

But it might not be perfectly fine, really how can you tell someone not to worry when you don't have information about them? I think this is just another way of saying 'grin and bear it'
Our bodies are all different.I had a hysteroscopy a few months ago and opted for a GA, after being told how barbaric they can be by a medic friend. There has been lots in the news about this recently.

I would tell someone not to worry because in the event that it is extremely painful( more unlikely than likely)a woman can ask for the procedure to be stopped and have it another time with sedation or general anaesthetic.

In the more common event of it being ok then the procedure has been done and the patient can drive herself home and get on with her day, without having to have the after effects of a GA.

In my health trust the hysteroscopist tells you what they have found( excluding biopsy results) as soon as you've got dressed before you leave the room, which I found a great help, I presume they couldn't do that if you had had a GA.

You may think that's grinning and bearing it, but for my part, I'd far rather do that than subject myself to an unnecessary GA. Others may wish to do things differently of course. The OP has chosen to have sedation anyway.

I had to tell my Gynae to stop as they tried to do one there and then during examination for bleeding! He was nowhere near done and I was nearly passing out.

Was referred to hospital for a GA but I asked for sedation instead... it was great. In fact the anaesthetist gave me a little bit while they were preparing in theatre as I was so nervous. Well I felt bloody amazing ha ha, the best high ever. then he topped it up and it was as if I was asleep - remember nothing. Woke up in bed feeling so relaxed and left an hour later... whereas two other ladies in the ward had GAs and were way more groggy. Don't worry about sedation op, good luck!

I remember being really anxious ahead of coil fitting and hysteroscopy. My cervix was very tilted and original doctor tried for a while and had to call another doctor in. However I had no pain it was more akin to a smear for me , the team in the room were really supportive and made it clear I was in control and could stop it any time. No sedation or GA. Best 15 minutes with I did, after a few months of spotting I've had no bleeding after suffering horrific heavy periods for years. Good luck with it all.