Hysterscopy...

Hi MrsHutch24 welcome to the forum..Can you ask for this to be done under general anaesthetic at all? It can be quite challenging and on occassion painful to have a Hysteroscopy done under local anaesthetic.. that said I'm sure some folk are able to tolerate that. I personally had mine done under a general but maybe worth asking..  

Hello Mrs Hutch.  I wrote in today on the forum on a similar thread.  My hysteroscopy was on Saturday.  I spoke to the Dr first before getting undressed and he offered me the option of going home and being booked in to have it done with a general anaesthetic. I'm post menopausal  and had s previous bad experience with a cervical biopsy, which might be a factor.  I opted to try and see how the local hysteroscopy  went.  There were three nurses and the doctor in the treatment room.  I had to strip waist down in the cubicle and wrap the paper towel around me ( a long floppy skirt is useful at this point)  then you get in the chair - like for the intra vaginal ultrasound.  The dr numbs you wth anaesthetic gel and you don't feel much really, the nurses distract you. At this point  it is more like a better  than usual cervical smear.  I did feel the anaesthetic needle which was unpleasant but short lived - bit like the injection at the dentist.  Also a second needle  which I didn't expect.  You get a slightly weird sensation when they put saline solution into your womb so they can look around. They showed me the screen with the colour picture of inside my womb - they found polyps. They were huge on screen ( rather wish I could unsee that image actually!) but  they are apparently more like the size of a small baked bean in reality.  

At that point they can take a similar biopsy with the smaller hysteroscope to the one they do during ultrasound and that's not too bad.  Uncomfortable rather than unbearable for me.   The doctor and I agreed that he would stop at that point on mine,  he said it would be my choice though, because he wanted to remove the polyps which would need a larger hysteroscope and it would be more painful - he said up to about eight out of ten.  So we agreed that he would stop at that point and I will get a phone call to book onto hospital for another hysteroscopy with a general anaesthetic to remove my polyps for testing.  Plus removing the polyps might stop the light bleeding I'm having anyway. 

Having heard what people have said on here, and what the nurses said in the treatment room that they would have it done under a general themselves, I'm happy about that decision now.

I've been a bit uncomfortable for a couple days since, stomach feels a bit bloated and achey - bit like having a period - and the whole thing was a bit of a shock, as I was just expecting the biopsy result from the ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. ( I got the phonecall Friday and went in on the Saturday for the hysteroscopy) I've had a slight watery pink discharge since, so am wearing a pad, but it seems to be stopping this evening.  

Hope that helps x

Thank you for your reply. Yes, this is what I'm thinking now I've left, maybe general is the way to go. I'm now not sure how I tell them that I may have changed my mind.

This is really helpful, thank you for taking the time to reply in such detail. I wonder if I would be better off going for general in the first place? I am not the best with injections etc... I do hope you are feeling better and that the polyp removal is soon and goes smoothly for you. 

Thank you, I hope you go on ok too.  Can you ring your consultant's secretary on your hospital letter and ask about being booked in for a general? 

But yes, a hysteroscopy not the most comfortable experience ever - it doesn't take that long though - about 15-20 minutes, and all the nurses  and the dr are really lovely to you, which helps a lot.  A cross between an easy pap ( smear) test and the dentist for me, so not that bad in all honesty - whereas it appears from the replies on here that the general anaesthetic hysteroscopy is a good option and also very quick, as you're out of hospital the same day, I suppose  you have to starve beforehand though, so it probably uses the day up?

I do rather feel that I could have avoided having  the discomfort post hysteroscopy twice if I'd opted for just the general in the first place, but I'd already got to the clinic at that point, and thought it would get it all over with quickly  - but the hospital team seemed quite cheery that they'd found polyps, so that was good to know. (They said that polyps on an ultrasound can look like a thick womb lining and that taking the polyps out can just stop the bleeding symptom)

I think on balance I'm very glad the next bit is being done under a general though, even if I've got to wait longer for a biopsy result.  

(Still feel a bit stomach achey today but I've gone down with a grotty cold as well so just not feeling 100% generally yet) 

This is what I'm wondering do I go for general straight away or try and get it over with under local. Thank you for your information, it helps a lot. I think for you having your polyps done under general is a sensible idea. Interesting that the polyps could be appearing like a thick lining. I hope you are feeling better soon. Horrible, uncomfortable time, especially on top of Christmas. 

Thank you.  Yes feel quite  comfortable with the idea of the general anaesthetic now.  Feel a lot better in myself this evening as well actually.

• I suppose if you ask for the general anaesthetic option then the examination and biopsy and any polyps are all going to be done in one go, and with only having one recovery time. I feel a bit daft that I opted for the local anaesthetic first when offered the general anaesthetic option at my appointment - but I think as I had only been booked in for the hysteroscopy the day before, I was anxious to get it sorted out quickly.  A friend pointed out that it would have been worse if they'd started taking out the polyps with a local and had to stop, and still had to go for a general anaesthetic.  Though it is a consideration that they are very happy to stop at any pont that you don't feel you're coping.

I happened to get a message from a friend today and she mentioned taking paracetamol for my stomach  cramps ( just feels a bit like having a mild period at the moment) which makes perfect sense and I can't think why I didn't do that in the first place,  I only took it on the first day - I think probably because I felt it should be sorted by now, as I  didn't have a biopsy, but recovery time is possibly a bit longer as I'm 66. 

In some way I do feel ok about the hysteroscopy under the general because I know what's involved now, and that it won't take very long - and I'm  pretty squeamish generally, so really wouldn't want to be watching on the screen! Just heard that my brother in law regularly has colon polyps taken out under general anaesthetic on a day case basis and it's no big deal at all, which was interesting.   

I hope you get on ok too xx

Thank you. I think you're right, makes sense to maybe ask for the general and then if anything is removed it is done in one hit, one recovery time. Yes, paracetamol should help your cramping. The consultant said I should take some before my procedure too. I hope you get the polyps removed soon and have some more answers very soon. Thanks for taking the time to reply xx 

As far as I'm aware they didn't give me gave me anything for my hysterscopy a few week ago although I was advised to take a paracetamol an hour beforehand and was offered gas and air during the procedure.

It was uncomfortable (very at times) but not overly painful. I think I have a pretty high pain threshold. I had a bit of cramping and bleeding for a few days afterwards ,whcih I'd been told to expect. 

One thing to be aware of if you plump for a general anesthetic is that you won;t be allowed to drive for 24 hours afterwards, so you'll need someone to get you home afterwards. 

Gas and air is  quite a good option, I can remember that when I was in labour, the contractions just disappeared.  

In the appointment on Saturday they gave me anaesthetic gel before they started, and at least  two injections of local anaesthetic - that I felt anyway. Without a biopsy it was just uncomfortable perhaps 3/10.  The Dr stopped before doing the polyp removal because he said it could go up to 8/10. Which I didn't fancy.  I'm just uncomfortable this week, like mild period pain - paracetamol took it away.

Thank you for taking it through here, it is really helpful x