December 2009 - Cycle #13 (cont'd)
After 21 years of close encounters with speculums (speculi? specula?), my HSG was the first time I was ever tempted to pick my foot up out of the stirrup and kick the practitioner in the teeth!
It was my misfortune that my fertility clinic isn't permitted to perform the HSG in their facility, but instead must send their patients to the hospital to which the clinic is attached. So, rather than sitting in the plush, cozy clinic waiting room with the gourmet coffee and the original artwork, the Professor and I sat in hard plastic chairs in a narrow hallway in the hospital basement. And instead of the usual middle aged, well-practiced nurse confidently wielding a pre-warmed speculum, I was confronted by a somewhat awkward 16 year old boy (OK maybe he wasn't 16, but he was WAY younger than me) who may well never have held a speculum before in his life and certainly had no idea what to do with the one he was trying to use on me.
OMG. OUCH.
He eventually called a nurse over and she gave him some pointers, but I kept wishing she would just take over for him. At any rate, speculum finally in place (if not comfortable), he then proceeded to experience the same difficulty with the cervical catheter.
OMFG. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH.
More advice from Nurse Sidelines and a call for delivery of a different type of catheter, and lo and behold! I'm curvy on the inside as well as the outside! You gotta bend that thing before it will go anywhere!
I suppose in the end it was all worth it, because Dr. Babyface did at least know how to read the images - all clear, structurally speaking. One more hurdle cleared!
1. This post made me cross my legs and prompted me to take an Advil.
ReplyDelete2. Dr. Babyface is such a cute name. I may start calling ALL my doctor's that... even the ugly ones.
Since I never intend to visit that particular practitioner again - you are welcome to the pseudonym, may it serve you well :)
ReplyDeleteYup, HSGs hurt. I'm glad you made it to the other side with flying colors. So what's next?
ReplyDeleteOh my god, I have to get my hsg done whenever my cycle starts again and this made me cross my legs in pain.
ReplyDeleteIck!
Jenny - I suspect mine was unusually bad because the child-doctor who performed it was so unskilled. It really didn't hurt at all once he got the equipment in place correctly, it was just uncomfortable. As long as you get someone who knows what to do with a speculum and catheter, you'll be fine.
ReplyDeletehad the guy who inserted my speculum told me to relax it's like a smear pushed it in any further, i was going to see how he liked the aforementioned speculum inserted into him ... i swear my teeth were chattering he pushed it up so high ...
ReplyDelete