Exonian

I’m so sorry that you have joined the ranks of those of us who were not given the correct information about hysteroscopy, and have suffered. The lack of care, respect, honesty and professionalism is truly shocking. You may be interested in The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy, which has a Facebook and web page, as well as @HysteroscopyA on Twitter. CAPH has a survey, completed by over 5,000 women,  detailing their awful experiences, and you may wish to complete one. If you feel up to it, put in a complaint. Another good way of highlighting your traumatic experience,  is to detail it on Care Opinion, which is an independent organisation that highlights people’s experiences of health care, unlike the NHS which marks its own homework. The hospital concerned will be highlighted, and you may post anonymously. Sadly, so many of us understand and are able to empathise. 

So sorry to read about your all too familiar, inexcusable experience, Cassandria. I echo everything that Ellie May has said. When you feel up to it, could I encourage you to also record your experience on Care Opinion? This is an independent organisation, unlike the NHS which marks its own homework. You can post anonymously and name the hospital, and they are unable to edit what you have written. Pardon my cynicism, but I was an NHS nurse for 37 years.

Excellent, thank you. Every bit of input helps.

Unfortunately, you are one of many, many women who have not given their informed consent to this procedure. I am one of them, and though my barbaric experience was in 2006, I am sorry to say thst things are only getting worse.  There is no reason whatsoever, in the 21st century, for anyone to be subjected to unnecessary pain, particularly on this level ( I passed out and was gaslighted and blamed for doing so. I was never a candidate for OPH, there were several red flags that, had anyone bothered to take a history, would have been obvious.). Pain relief was invented many decades ago, and should be given without a second thought. This torture is happening because of the arrogance and misogyny of gynaecologists, and because the NHS wants to save money. The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy has collected over 5,000 horror stories, and is campaigning for women to be given the options to which they are entitled, to be given information to enable them to give informed consent. Would you consider joining us, and if you feel able, also posting your experience on Care Opinion?

Thank you, Helen, and yes, it was horrendous. My experience was all the more shocking when I was gaslighted and it was inferred that my experience, which led to a vasovagal episode thanks to the unbearable degree of pain inflicted on me, was as rare as hen’s teeth. I was also treated as if it was my fault, and definitely as a nuisance.  Because the gaslighting was so successful, I didn’t complain. I didn't find out how common my experience was until I read an article in a national newspaper that mentioned CAPH, some years later. My barbaric procedure was in 2006 and I can never forget it. When I was nursing, my special interest was pain relief, and I was horrified by the fact that far too many patients did not have their pain dealt with effectively. I had to try and educate the idiots who came out with “ but they might get addicted ”, particularly regarding the use of opiates when folks were dying. Pain relief in palliative care has improved considerably, but in other areas it has clearly got far, far worse. I will never, ever consent to any medical or surgical procedure again without doing extensive research, because HCPs cannot be trusted to tell the truth or act in the patient’s best interests, which is an extremely sad indictment.

I’m so sorry to hear this. I, too have not had children, had a horrendous, traumatic OPH experience, and as far as I am concerned, this made OPH absolutely inappropriate, along with a few other contraindications. As a retired RN, I really don’t know how the perpetrators can sleep at night.

Don’t apologise. What your experience illustrates is the complete lack of respect, indeed I would say utter contempt with which women are treated when they “dare” to disagree with medical staff trying to railroad them into having office hysteroscopies, when they stand their ground. The gaslighting is appalling, but appears to be standard. Basically, medical staff are behaving unprofessionally, it seems on a daily basis. If I ever needed another hysteroscopy.       ( and I now don’t believe that having breakthrough bleeding whilst taking HRT was an indication for being subjected to one ), hell would freeze over before I would have one without a GA. Whatever happens, stand your ground. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but there is a Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy that many of us have joined after being subjected to barbaric treatment involving excruciating pain, inexcusable in the 21st century.

2 hours ago, Guest SadieCD said:

I had a benign polyp removed too. I had the same procedure. It was the single most excruciating experience of my life. I’ve never had kids but I’m not afraid of pain - I have many piercings and some sizeable tattoos - but this hurt. It really, REALLY hurt. This isn’t about different procedures, it’s about different people. There are many things that affect us is for myriad different reasons. For me, the pain was from the fluid expanding my uterus and when they actually removed the polyp. For others it’s when the camera enters the cervix. I don’t know why it happens but all I can tell you, is compared to the pain I have felt in life, for me this was a high 9 out of 10. I wasn’t expecting it; I have hideous period pain most months - this was way worse. The potential severity was never explained to me and as a result I don’t feel I have informed consent. I feel violated. 

I had a hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy in 2006 when I was already post menopausal. I always had really bad period pains from day one. A friend who has given birth said that the period pain that I described was like bearing down pain during labour. I have a high pain threshold, and just get on with things.  I have also never given birth. I did NOT give my informed consent under the rules that applied at the time, and I was never a candidate for OPH. I wasn’t sent any information, and, being a health care professional ( RN ) at the time, thought that I would have been given any relevant information. I wasn’t, and when I had a vasovagal reaction to the unbearable pain, I was treated as if it was my fault, and was gaslighted re: how often this happened. For this reason, I didn’t complain. I would have hoped that things would have improved in the years following, but reading recent accounts of other women who, like you, have also been violated in this fashion, things appear to be getting worse instead of better. This is misogyny at its worst, and some of the people performing these barbaric procedures are women, as was the incompetent, unprofessional female Dr who performed mine.

So sorry to hear this. Unfortunately you are one of many of us who have been subjected to “trial by hysteroscopy”.

www.hysteroscopy action.org.uk

Action page! Campaign against painful hysteroscopy

Yes, this was a hysteroscopy, to which you should have given your written and informed consent, so whoever did it actually broke the law. You are entitled to have a general anaesthetic,  although Drs will do anything to persuade you not to, and will put obstacles in your way. There is a campaign against painful hysteroscopy, for which there is a private group on Facebook, and there is much information to be had there. You have been “trick and treated”, something with which many members of the above mentioned group are familiar. Do join the group, where other members will try to help you decide on the right course of action for you.

On 24/12/2021 at 15:36, Jane Mactaggart said:

I have had 3 hysteroscopies at the JR in Oxford, each worse than the last. Almost the worst bit was being treated like a silly child making a fuss about nothing when I was In agony. I was led to believe than no one else had ever complained about the pain. I was not offered local or general anaesthetic beforehand, though on the last occasion they did finally give some LA in my cervix when they couldn’t get in otherwise. I was menopausal and childless, with several large fibroids, so they must have known it would be difficult and painful. I didn’t complain at the time because they diagnosed endometrial cancer at the third one, and I had other worries, but also because I didn’t think anyone would listen to me. I’m so glad to have it confirmed that I'm not hysterical or mad. Is there any progress on this issue? Or are NHS still pushing to have it done in Outpatients? Purely to save money of course….

I was post menopausal, have never been pregnant, and have a retroverted uterus - none of which was taken note of when I had my horrendous OP hysteroscopy. In other words, I was never, ever a candidate for this procedure on an OP basis, nor did I give informed consent under the rules in force at the time. I nursed for 40 years and was taught to treat people as individuals, as well as tell them the truth. Unfortunately this seems to be extremely rare in the case of OP hysteroscopies. The medical model seems to me to be to hope that nobody will research the procedure before having it. Had I done so, there is no way that I would ever have consented to having it done without a GA.

2 hours ago, Fiona said:

This resonates massively. I experienced similar levels of pain when I had a hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy. I was surrounded by FOUR male doctors and not one of them made any attempt at compassion. Thank god there was a female nurse there too - she held my hand throughout. Afterwards the Doctor rolled his eyes when I told him it was the most painful thing I had ever endured. It was a horrible, horrible experience. I cannot believe we are not even warned.

 

This is what happened to me. I did not have a compassionate nurse, and I might as well have been a piece of meat who caused both the nurse or healthcare assisitant, and the female Dr,  ( neither or whom introduced themselves ) inconvenience by passing out due to the indescribable pain. I have not had children and was post menopausal at the tie of my barbaric procedure. I also had really bad period pains from day one, all of which are contraindications for OPH.

I had an outpatient hysteroscopy for which my informed consent was not obtained. This was before Montogomery rules applied. I was completely misled re: the possibility of pain. If it was mentioned at all, it would have been described as being like period pain. As I had suffered from severe dysmenorrhoea from day one, I might have considered this to be acceptable.  I was not offered any pain relief, nor was I given the option of a GA. I was most definitely not a candidate for this procedure as an outpatient: I was post menopausal, have not given birth, and have a retroverted uterus, all of which are contraindications. I have never felt such pain in my life. It was absolutely excruciating, and as a result I dropped my blood pressure to my boots ( I assume, because no observations were recorded, which is in itself unacceptable ). In layman's terms, I passed out. Not only did the female Dr who performed this torture shove the hysteroscope through my cervix roughly, she took an endometrial biopsy, which was when I passed out. There was no help from what I presume was a nurse, who was also present, and I was unceremoniously dumped in a corridor, with oxygen in situ, for about half an hour, my reaction clearly being a source of irritation to both members of staff. I was led to believe that my response to their barbarity was as rare as hen's teeth, only to discover years later that it was not, indeed it is a common occurrence. This practice is being promoted inappropriately as the gold standard for the investigation of heavy menstrual bleeding, but this is a disgrace of national proportions.