Hysteroscopy experiences AT MAYO specifically
I’m coming to Mayo tomorrow for the second time since August, though this will be my first appointment with OBGYN dept.
I am scheduled for a vaginal ultrasound and a hysteroscopy as an in-office procedure.
Some background as it may matter…
I’m 42. No pregnancies/fertility anything, never tried to conceive. No history of irregular paps or anything.
I have SEVERE PMDD, for this reason, for the last 10+ years I’ve been on oral BC skipping all periods to prevent hormone fluctuations as much as possible.
In March, I had a heart attack out of nowhere. That means estrogen is now off the table. I was switched to a progesterone only oral bc. I was warned I may have a mild period when switching, which I did. However, I’ve had several periods, all over the place, randomly occurring. Some have even had as little as 5-10 days between the end of one and start of the next.
I do NOT miss or skip pills. Never.
The bleeding is not as heavy as my regular periods were, however, the cramping is awful and now it radiates into my chest, with really screws with you after a heart attack.
There is no placebo week. I should NOT be having periods at all. That’s why I’m being seen.
As I’ve been getting more info on the procedure, it’s come to my attention that this is often extremely painful. They advise taking non-asprin pain relievers even starting the night before. Tylenol does nothing for me and I can’t take NSAIDS due to the cardiac stuff.
I know they will not sedate me, especially as I’m coming to MN alone. I inquired about local anesthetic and honestly was treated pretty rudely. This is not an option. This is an in-office procedure. If I’m “one of the people that is unable to tolerate the pain” it will need to be rescheduled in the OR at a later date. Obviously this isn’t an unusual occurrence. I read a medical journal that talks about women being forced to endure these without any anesthetic when it’s completely unnecessary as there’s no reason local anesthetic can’t be given in office.
I do have Fibromyalgia, but overall, I have a fairly high pain tolerance most of the time. However, when I had my angiogram, for which I was sedated, it was excruciating and I was screaming. I’m told this isn’t normal and most people just feel pressure. They tried to keep telling me it didn’t hurt…like hell it didn’t! Two other cardiologists since then have told me it’s common for patients with Fibro to find the angiogram painful. I’m very worried I will have the same experience with this.
I’m especially worried as my cervix has NEVER dilated or anything.
Obviously it’s not uncommon for people to have issues with the procedure or rescheduling for the OR wouldn’t be so casually mentioned.
I’ve seen lots of people comment on hysteroscopies done elsewhere, elsewhere doesn’t matter, different place, different practices. I want to know specifically about those that have had this procedure AT MAYO (I’ll be in Rochester). Did anyone think it was fairly painless?
If you did find it painful and need to have it rescheduled, were they able to do it within the next day or two? My appointment is Wednesday afternoon. They don’t do appointments on weekends. I CANNOT extend my stay, I’m leaving Saturday morning. So if I need to do it in the OR, it needs to be Weds eve, Thurs or Fri…
I’m worried they won’t do the OR with me being alone though, has anybody done this?
Because of my heart I’m limited in what meds can be used.
It’s also a concern because when I’m in pain my blood pressure spikes…again, recent heart attack, so I need to avoid these spikes as much as possible. I’m also a very anxious person which doesn’t help the matter.
The person I spoke with was very condescending and very dismissive of my concerns. I don’t want to risk going into a huge panic or dealing with intense pain and putting extra strain on my heart. I tried to explain this and she just kept repeating “you must come to your consult, and then the procedure will be done in office”…yes. I get it.
Why don’t they listen to patients?! I’m not asking for like NORCO or something, literally just numb it or something. I can’t handle any additional medical trauma but also need to get to the bottom of the issue I’m having.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Women's Health Support Group.
Thanks 😊
My hysteroscopy did not go well, very painful, so we ended up with a pipelle biopsy.
Bad news for me. Was searching for information on my last colonoscopy and found my lab results for the pipelle biopsy.
The tumor cells demonstrate morphology consistent with endometrial
serous carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry for p53 shows diffusely
positive (aberrant) staining. p16 is also diffusely positive,
consistent with the diagnosis. Prognostic immunohistochemistry shows
weak positive staining for estrogen receptor (ER) estimated at 20%.
Progesterone receptor (PR) is negative. Her2 is 0+ (0-3+ scale).
I think this means I need a hysterectomy where they will stage the cancer and determine my fate. My Doctor must be on vacation as I have not heard from her and the lab results were posted Dec 20th, the same day as the procedure. I think I will fill out the Mayo clinic self referral information and not wait for my Doctor's referral.
@beebe
It is a shame that the doctor or someone from their office has not responded to you. Hopefully you will get an update after holidays.
Yes, you can definitely self-refer yourself to Mayo in addition to provider referring you. Once you talk to someone at Mayo, they can assist you with how to send medical records.
Here is link to request an appointment:
http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
Do you know what location you will be requesting appointment at?
Thanks for the link Laurie. I just completed the on-line appointment request and have a time on Monday, Jan 6th that I should receive a call. I live close to Phoenix so have selected that location.