I was a bit nervous about it. I'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to doing anything medically-related. I was already on edge because I had to have my blood drawn on both Monday and Tuesday. And then today I had to go have this procedure done. So much fun.
It turned out to be just fine. It certainly wasn't pleasant, but it was relatively quick and bearable. Allow me to explain how things went in case you are interested or get to endure one of these for yourself.
I was scheduled to have the SHG, as well as a trial embryo transfer. The trial embryo transfer helps the doctor figure out the how to place the catheter that will transfer the embryos to your uterus if you end up doing IVF. Since IVF is on the table for us, I decided to go ahead and have the trial embryo transfer done along with the SHG. In order to do this, you have to have a full bladder. If you show up and your bladder isn't full, then the doctor will have to catheterize your bladder to fill it up. I didn't want to have that happen, so I made sure to drink lots of water prior to the appointment. I must say, both the doctor and nurse were quite impressed with my full bladder.
I was also told to eat a small meal and take ibuprofen 1-2 hours prior to the procedure. My appointment was at 1:00, so I had a small lunch around noon and took some ibuprofen right afterwards. The ibuprofen is to help take the edge off of the cramping that will happen.
When I arrived for my appointment, I told the doctor and nurse that I am a big wimp and was very nervous. My doctor took my hands in her hands and thanked me for letting her know. She said letting her know exactly how I'm feeling helps them help me. I almost started crying right then and there. She is such a nice change from my other experiences with fertility doctors. The nurse was also kind enough to give me a head's up with what to expect and reminded me to keep breathing throughout the procedure.
The first thing they did was the trial embryo transfer since that was the part that needed the full bladder. It only took about 3 minutes and was mildly uncomfortable. The doctor put in a speculum, then threaded different catheters through my cervix and got them positioned correctly in my uterus. While this was going on, the nurse did an ultrasound on my stomach to help guide the doctor. So now, if we end up doing IVF, she'll know exactly which catheter to use and how to position it when it comes time for the embryo transfer. I did have some cramping, but it wasn't too awful. They both kept telling me to breathe and that I was doing a great job.
Once that was finished, I got to go empty my bladder, which was greatly appreciated. Then the doctor did a vaginal ultrasound in preparation for the SHG. A vaginal ultrasound involves putting this wand thing inside of you and moving it around a bit to get different views. This didn't hurt at all.
Then it was time for the SHG. The doctor started by putting in a speculum and then putting a catheter through my cervix. From there, saline is run through the catheter into my uterus. Then, a little balloon is inflated to help keep the saline from running out of your cervix. This part hurt and there was some cramping. It helps if you try not to clench all your muscles, which is difficult not to do. Breathing also helped, especially taking nice deep breaths and exhaling for a long time. The nurse clued me into this, while rubbing my knee and telling me I was doing a fantastic job. Then the doctor takes the speculum out and does another vaginal ultrasound. This only lasted a few minutes, as well.
When it was all said and done, the nurse had me lie down for awhile before I sat up. Then she had me sit up for awhile before standing up. She said it's not uncommon for women to get light-headed or pass out when you are messing with the cervix. Taking everything slowly helped me out and I didn't feel like fainting like I did when I had a HSG done.
After I was all dressed again, I met with the doctor to tell me what she saw. She told me that there is a little polyp that measures about 1 cm on my uterus. She said it's not hugely concerning and is not the reason I haven't gotten pregnant yet. But she did recommend operative hysteroscopy, which is a surgery to remove it. She said I would be put under and they could do the surgery vaginally. It's a short surgery that only takes about 10 minutes and I would go home the same day. The surgery would ensure that my uterus is the best environment in can be to hopefully house a baby someday.
All in all, it went well. It wasn't as traumatic as I was anticipating. And my doctor and nurse were so sweet and comforting. I don't have any pain or cramps now and I even treated myself to some frozen custard for having to go through the whole ordeal.
More than likely, I'll have the surgery to remove the polyp and then go from there. Until then, I'll enjoy things like frozen custard on a beautiful, sunny, summer day.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I welcome your thoughts!