Awaiting biopsies

Hi May, when I arrived for my hysteroscopy I told the consultant I was very anxious - he offered there and then to refer me for one under a light general anaesthetic a few weeks later but I said I wanted to try in order to get it done, The hysteroscopy was attempted but was too painful for me (even having taken paracetamol beforehand and having a pain relief injection during the procedure) and the consultant wasn’t willing to proceed, so he referred me for one under a light general anaesthetic which I had about 5 weeks later, and it was a breeze! I personally wouldn’t have wanted a sedative as I prefer to feel in control of my faculties.

Hi

Welcome to the Womb group. I am sorry to hear that you have had some bleeding and need further tests. 

I had endometrial cancer in 2022 and I am someone who doesn't like hospitals/doctors/procedures. I can appreciate it is scary. 

I was phoned by the nurse who was doing my biopsy and we talked through what would happen. That helped to know what to expect. I was told to take some paracetamol around an hour before. 

On the day I was nervous but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I had 2 nurses with me, one who performed the biopsies and the other supported me. For me it was uncomfortable but tolerable. The ouch moment was when the instruments passed through the cervix but I counted to 10 and after that it was a bit like period cramps. I felt listened to and well supported and had no doubt that if I wanted to stop- I could. 

After the procedure I did bleed a fair bit but it settled down the following day and other than feeling a bit washed out- probably a lot to do with being so anxious- I felt ok. 

When you get the letter through, there should be a phone number to call and perhaps ask to speak to one of the nurses who will be there. It did help me. For some ladies the procedure is done under general anaesthetic and if that is something you would prefer- it is worth talking to them about it. 

Jane

I'm sorry to hear you are so anxious. I was exactly the same. I couldn't even manage the internal scan. I opted for the hysteroscopy under a general. I had no pain afterwards, just sore for a couple of days. If course, if you choose to have it done under a general then you will have to wait a bit longer. Only you can make that decision. My daughter has PCOS and has unfortunately had several. She found the first one too difficult and then had to come back for a general. For her subsequent hysteroscopies she made sure she had the maximum allowable dose of a strong painkiller an hour before, and was able to manage without any problems.  I hope all goes well for you. 

I'd heard a lot of horror stories too and was scared. It was not as bad as I'd feared. My second one was a lot easier. First time I was terrified because I have another problem that I feared would make me one of the unlucky ones who find it very painful.

I had 2 nurses and a nursing assistant ( I think) with me, one nurse doing the procedure and the other reassurng me and managing the gas and air. I turned out to have a very large polyp and the nurse immediately said I could wait for a general anaesthetic if I wanted. I opted to have it removed with just local anaesthetic and gas and air. I'd already taken my dose of paracetamol an hour before. The injection of local anaesthetic was the worst part but it didnt take long. The whole procedure took at most 20 minutes from a 45 minute appointment with the rest spent explaining the procedure and cleaning up afterwards. I was then taken to a waiting area, provided with a drink and told to stay as long as I wanted to, I think they said at least 30 minutes. You will need someone to drive you home. I can honestly say I've had worse period pain, although that is because I used to get some really bad periods. Some bleeding afterwards but the next day I actually felt well enough to want to go running - and I normally have no energy. I had to keep reminding myself I'd been instructed to take it easy. 

My second hysteroscopy was monitoring as there were some cells in the polyp they didnt like and I had a mirena coil fitted. I did that one with just gas and air and the paracetamol an hour before. I was ready to leave before the 15 minutes I was supposed to wait. I got terrible back ache the next day from their new chair which was an instrument of torture. 

Ask for gas and air before they do anything. Dont use it continuously or you may be a bit light headed afterwards. I suck several good deep breaths and then ease off.