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"If only information provided was actually truthful"

About: Alexandra Hospital / Gynaecology

(as the patient),

I read everything sent to me prior to the appointment. With information on pain levels likening the pain to period pain. This was a complete lie. I rate the pain of this more than severe gallstones prior to gall bladder surgery. 

The camera insert was painful but quickly subsided once in. The water inserted (no mention of this whatsoever in the literature) was painful but tolerable, although only subsided a little. 

The polyp removal was excruciatingly painful. I was offered gas and air before we started the whole procedure but declined, I thought I can tolerate cramping. If I had been told it would feel like a hot poker inside for about 20-30 seconds, I would not have turned down the basic gas and air. 

It meant I had minor surgery with no anaesthetic at all. 

At the point of polyp removal I was told to hold my breath for 10 seconds (that’s not pain relief). After I got to about 15 it still wasn’t done but I was almost passed out with the pain by this point so it was completed. 

The nurse said it was ok to cry, really! They obviously knew how much it was going to hurt. 

As I was set back up on the bed I looked down and there was blood everywhere, I could see the instruments covered in blood too. 

I was told to get dressed, to use a pad.

After I did, the consultant then spoke to me again and said something about having a thick lining of the uterus and recommended the coil to be fitted for contraception.  I can’t say I remembered it all, I was just desperate to get out of there into the fresh air before I did actually pass out. 

I was chatty and stoic in the whole appointment, my way of coping whilst it was all done (so sure they put me as one of those 5/10 pain people) but when I got outside, got in the car and just felt totally traumatised. 

I called my gp the next day and she literally didn’t know what to say, made worse by it being a telephone call. I was sat at my desk, crying in pain so didn’t even get the privacy of a conversation in the gp office. Thankfully she prescribed co-codamol, I have been taking it for 3 days and still it’s painful. 

Also, the literature says you will fell normal that day and back to regular activities the next. 3 days later and couldn’t even make it around the supermarket. 

If I knew polyp removal was surgery I would never have agreed to what happened. 

If the information leaflets had given more information, I could have asked for more pain relief relevant to what was going to happen. 

The only thing stopping me from a complete breakdown is that all the staff from the receptionist to the consultant were very kind and professional. 

If only what was provided to give informed consent was actually truthful! 


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