"Traumatic Hysteroscopy"

Mine happened a year or so ago now. I did call Pals but I couldn’t face talking about it in the end. I had no idea what to expect, I trusted the two nurses and two doctors. The pain was excruciating, I was yelling, absolutely rigid because I was in so much pain. I have had 2 sections and one followed an 18 hour labour, this was worse than that. I was having a mirena retrieval and replacement and I had no idea that it would feel like someone was stabbing my womb from the inside. I felt the Dr ignored my obvious pain, full body sweat and shouting, I couldn’t help but shout because the pain was so bad. I was informed that I have a tight cervix, as though it was my fault? Well yes I do, if the doctor had checked my notes they would have seen that I have had 2 sections (1 emergency leading to a lot of scarring and one elective, where I was informed of the severe scarring inside) considered my age and that I am peri menopausal. 

I didn’t know that the procedure could have been stopped, I couldn’t speak, when the doctor said I am nearly done now so can I finish - I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to respond. I thought by nearly done this meant a couple more seconds. But it went on and on. I didn’t know that I could have a General Anaesthetic, I didn’t know it could be so painful. The leaflet just mentioned 2 paracetamol for some mild cramping. When the procedure was over, the Dr just turned around to write up the notes, the nurses had to help me get out of the chair because I was so rigid they had to help me bend my knees. I was then sent to a little room to clean up, that’s when I realised that I was covered in blood. I was shaking and sweating, it took ages to get dressed but I managed it. When I left the room the nurses were concerned, but there was nowhere for me to lay down/sit so they asked me to have a cup of tea in the main reception before I left the hospital. 

I left the room and was facing the full waiting area, where each person was staring at me. I could only go as far as the loo just past the waiting area before I had to sit down as I felt faint. It took me about 30 mins to get to the reception area, after having to stop because I bled through my clothes. Because I didn’t know what to expect, I drove myself to hospital, so it was a real challenge to get home, I had to stop driving several times because I was in so much pain. 

A few days later I had to go to my GP for an examination as I had developed an infection. My GP was horrified at the state of me and showed me the letter they had been sent, mine was in the post. The letter stated that it was a normal procedure, no mention of me finding it excruciating, suggesting that future procedures would need to be under a General. The pain I experienced was completely ignored, it didn’t matter so long as the target is met to have X amount of procedures in the outpatient clinic. 

Even writing about this has upset me, I couldn’t face Pals because I knew that the Dr’s and nurses would dismiss what happened. I am an NHS employee and I am horrified that this procedure was carried out in an outpatient setting, with no acknowledgement at any time of the level of pain I was in, no where for me to recover before leaving the ward. That the nurses were concerned enough to tell me to spend half an hour in the reception area drinking tea, but not concerned enough to find me somewhere to recover. Walking out to face a waiting room of people was humiliating, there was no evidence of dignity, respect or privacy for me.