Community post

Meemer-

Thanks again for being so helpful! It really makes me feel better to hear that the radiologist really knew what she was doing. Perhaps they have more training and experience than I am thinking. I guess it would not make sense to put someone who had never completed the procedure before with a patient. I think I will be going through this next month. For now, I am going to stay positive and see what happens. :) Best of luck to you, and please let me know about the 3 months after the test thing! :)

My husband is a nuclear medicine technologist. He injects people with nuclear material and it uptakes to certain organs and he then takes pics of those organs...much different from an HSG but very similar in terms of the concept. He does all the injecting and all the picture taking. A doctor is never present. It's like that with almost all radiological procedures. And that is what the radiologist is trained and experienced in. A doctor just reads the test in most cases. The radiologist knows what they are doing.

That being said, I understand stressing about your health. You have to weigh the pros and cons and do what's best for you and your future. Good luck to you!

Thank you for sharing, Lilypad!

That is reassuring. I am just a very big chicken when it comes to any testing, especially painful testing, and I kept hearing that women in America had the doctor present to accurately insert the catheder. It just made me really nervous as I have had past bad experiences going to the doctor here in France before, but it is free here, so I guess I have to do it here if I want it done! lol. Thanks so much for your input, it really matters! Best of luck to you as well!

Thanks Sunny7508 for posting this topic as I have also have many of the same fears and worries.

And a huge thanks to emmsgugliotta for sharing your experience!!! This was very insightful for me.

I will get mine done in May after an ectopic pregnancy in Jan and I'm scared as s**t! I hate the idea of foreign objects going up that far into my hoohoo. And I'm a wuss for pain, even though I've been through the ringer during the last 8 years.

I have dealt with doctors in France and am now living in Belgium. In my experience, the doctors in Europe delegate much more to nurses and radiologists. I am certain that they have different training curriculum than in the US that gives them that autonomy. I have always had good medical experiences in France, and I got very lucky to have an excellent doctor in Belgium.

You shouldn't feel uncomfortable about getting the procedure done in France... but you should listen to your instinct. There is no problem insisting that the doctor be there with you to administer the procedure. If you are not happy with his answer, then you should definitely think about finding another OB/GYN.

And here's more food for thought: I have found that the medical system in Belgium is far better than in France. I think that you could be covered to get it done in Belgium... but you would have to double-check with your Mutuelle. And if it is not covered, I know that it is really cheap compared to the US! It's just an idea to think about... and I would be happy to recommend my OB/GYN who also speaks some English.

My doc said to load up on pain killers before and to take the day off work. The procedure is very standard and, quite simply, you just gotta get it done. What you don't know could be worse than the pain you suffer to find out, so take care of yourself!!

Good luck with it :)

merewynne, im curious to know why your Dr would tell you to take the day off of work? When i had mine done 2 months ago, i was petrified going in to have it done because all i heard was that it was so terribly painful blah blah blah. I had a valium in my pocket, incase i felt like i would freak and 2 advil in the other, all of my girlfriends told me to take 3 advil before going in to have it done
I didnt even feel the Dr put the catheter in, hes very gentle and he had to inject 2x the amt. of dye becasue i was so nervous, i must have been squeezing or something and i kept pushing the dye out. He told me that might make me more crampy from the extra dye. Before i knew it i was finished, what was neat was that the entire time, they were showing me the screen so i could actually see the dye going trough my tubes and then it goes out the other side of your follopian tubes. They tell you the results immediatley which i could already see for myself that they were indeed open
When i got up to use the bathroom to get changed, i got some cramping so i popped one of the advils and walked out to meet my husband in the waiting room.
I had slight cramping for about 30 min. after but nothing more than what you would experience on your AF
I then went home and cleaned my entire house because i had all of this energy from hearing the good news
I really hope you all have a similar experience and just make sure, that your DR injects the dye VERY SLOWLY!!
Good Luck to all of you
I am 8dpiui today and praying for that !!

Merewynne- Thank you sooo sooo much, that was so helpful! It is great to know someone else had medical procedures done in France and did not have horrible things happen! Please let me know how your test goes! Looks like mine may be in May as well as we will prolly be out of town when af gets here. BEst of luck!

@meemer77: glad to hear it went really well for you! I hope mine and Sunny7508's go just as well. My doc told me to take the day off after the procedure because *some* women experience sever pain and cramping. Not all women are the same and we all react differently. Like I said, my body has been through hell and back during the last 8 years and I've become a complete wuss, but maybe I will be pleasantly surprised with a painless procedure. The doc told me to take some Dafalgan Forte, some Buscopan and something else strong (I don't have the prescriptions with me) before going in.

@Sunny7508: I will certainly share how it goes in mid-May! Just remember that YOU are the patient and if you want your doc to be there (s)he should go. Happy travels and lots of luck

Hi ladies,

Well, as promised I am writing back to share my HSG experience with you all. I just came back now from the hospital.

I must admit that I have been scared s**tless about this procedure. I have googled it countless times and have read many different reactions, varying from "piece of cake" to pain the equivalent of labour pains.

An hour before going in I took a Dafalgan, an Apranax and a Buscopan.

The procedure did not start well. The speculum just didn't slide in well... and lordy, did it hurt!! I attributed that to my man being away in Afghanistan since February... maybe I'm a virgin again?

Next came the disinfecting swab... OUCH! The radiologist came out to hold my hand. I was holding on so hard that I would have broken his hand. I told myself that if I don't relax, this will really hurt.

So I'm repeating to myself: "relax.... relax...."

It didn't work. Next thing I know, the doctor tries to stick the catheter up there... YOWZA! I was crying... I had serious hot flashes... I was doing everything in my power to keep myself from squirming and screaming. The doctor was patient and took his time. But after several painful attempts, he just couldn't get the f**king tube through my cervix and had to stop everything.

Diagnosis: I have a "closed" cervix

I didn't get a full explanation about why this could be happening, despite asking several times. But the doctor confirmed that it doesn't affect fertility.

And I have to try again next month. Oh joy! Only next month, just to add to the fun, I'll have to take some vaginal suppository for a couple days to soften the cervix. I'm completely freaked out right now and I'm writing to you all from my bed in serious pain.

During the last 10 years I have taken up residence in hospitals for other serious issues... and now this???? As Lucy would say: "Good Grief!"

All I can do is wait ... and take serious meds... and google it to see what the causes and implications are.

Good luck to you, Sunny7508. I would love to hear how your experience went! I hope it was better than mine

So sorry to hear about your bad experience! If you were referring to me as Saying, "it was a piece of cake" im sorry if i gave you false hope, mine however was.
im wondering what the three meds were that you took an hour before the procedure? Are they pain meds and or anti anxiety meds?
I have a very high tolerance for pain so maybe thats why the procedure was no biggie to me, although like you, ive heard horror storries:(
Also: what day in your cycle did the dr perform the test?
There are certain days that the test SHOULD NOT BE PERFORMED because your cervix WILL BE closed, making the test very difficult and painful
Hope you find out why this happened and hope you get what your looking for
Best of Luck to You

Hiya,

No worries, I wasn't referring to your earlier remark... it was a comment my sister made to me a couple days ago because she had the same thing done. "Ah, piece o' cake!" she said. It was only after I hit the "submit" button that I re-read your last comment.

I could tell you that I normally have a high tolerance for pain... but only some kinds of pain. Honestly, I have had 3 knee surgeries and partial amputation of two fingers due to a mishap with a motorcycle chain. I can say that I've had my fair share of experience in the pain department... but none of them have been with my "internals", which is an entirely different ball game. I guess I could say that I qualify as a wuss for that.

Interesting you mentioned the bit about my cycle day. The doctor said to come around day 10... the nurses scheduled me at 8... but for some really strange reason I think I ovulated yesterday at day 7 (I normally have 27-day cycles, but the ectopic pregnancy messed with that)!! So any information you could share would be great!!! What day would be best to go in?

As for the medication, they are all pain/anti-inflammatory meds... although I think next time I will dose up on some Valtran (morphine) that I have leftover from my amputation surgery. I just to make sure I got a chauffeur...

I cannot say I'm having fun yet... really not... Why couldn't I have my sister's cervix????