"I think that women should be given sedation"

I attended the One Stop Clinic at Stobhill after waiting 11 weeks for an appointment with post menopausal bleeding. The information about the various procedures, which was posted out the week before, was very informative.  I had to take some analgesics 1 hour before my appointment time.  I arrived 10 minutes before my appointment.  Other clinics were also going on so there was a range of patients waiting to be seen.  Time went on and I realised that there was only me and another person waiting to be seen.  I had been waiting for an hour!  When I alerted the member of staff on reception, they went through to inform the staff and I was quickly taken through and met by a student doctor who introduced theirself.

I said I thought I had been forgotten about.  I was taken through to the consultant who didn’t apologise for my wait.  They asked about my symptoms and then said they would have a look to see if I had a prolapsed womb.  I said I didn’t have.  Apparently my symptoms pointed to that.  I was then to go through with the student, who directed me to empty my bladder and put a gown on.  I could keep on my top half and my shoes.  

I had a Colposcopy which was uncomfortable but then I had a hysteroscopy which was torture.  Mild analgesics did nothing for that.  All the time the consultant was pointing out different aspects on the computer about the procedure and what was going on within my uterus.  They then said they would give me some local anaesthetic which did absolutely nothing for me.  Saline had been poured into my uterus and the cramps were horrific.  They said they wanted to get a good biopsy. When they were finished I was cold, shaky and felt like crying.  They told me I would get the results in 10 weeks and they would write to me and my GP. They also told me I didn’t have a prolapsed womb.

The nurse assisting was extremely nice and took me through to sit in the recovery with a cup of tea.  I was given some leaflets about aftercare.  I thought I would then see the consultant again to be given some feedback on what they had found.  I think that women should be given sedation before these procedures are carried out. In my view, it is barbaric what you are expected to put up with.  It has taken me almost a week to get over the trauma.