My Dye test was scheduled for last tue October 14th at 12:30pm. Jack (my husband) took the day off to take me and take care of me after. I was not sure how I was going to feel after considering all the stuff that people told me and all the stuff I read online.
I actually was not feeling nervous in the morning...and I am a Nervous Nelly....But, I scheduled an acupuncture appointment for 10am so I could try and distress in case needed. I'm glad I did because I felt more relaxed. On the ride to the hospital which is literally 10 minutes at the most I started to get nervous. My palms started to sweat and my belly is starting to hurt. I have this problem when I get really nervous it goes right to my stomach.... I'm actually getting a little belly ache while I talk about this...silly!
We get to the hospital and check in...we only have to wait a few minutes and they tell me that Jack cant come in with me because of the radiation he would be exposed to. I really wanted him to be in there with me not only for moral support because I'm afraid it will hurt but also because I wanted him to see what what was going to be displayed on the screen so I would not have to try and explain it afterwards. But oh well...
So, if you have never had the dye test before I'm going to explain it all as literal as I can. They have me sit on this long metal table (its covered with blankets) and there is a movable x-ray screen that will be moved about you once you lay down and a movable TV so you can see everything as it happens. The nurse talks to me and tells me what is going to happen. She is really nice and stays and talks to me while we wait for Dr.Hughes to come down from his practice. I am at this point freaking out inside! Dr.Hughes comes in with a nice smile on his face. I tell him Dr.Hughes I don't want to do this anymore...and he says well what do you want to do? I said go home! he laughed - he said you will be fine.... I said you better tell me everything your doing - you know how I am I want NO surprises!
He has me come to the edge of the table with my feet at the edge and knees bent and legs open - love it ha??? Just like a regular gyno appointment with no stirrups. He puts a solution on the cervix to cleanse it I guess.... and he says OK - I'm going to insert the catheter in through your cervix and you will start to feel a little cramping...OK I actually feel nothing yet.. He says now we are going to inflate the balloon. (there is a balloon on the end of the catheter that they inflate to keep the catheter in while they inject the dye) .The PAIN is like NOTHING I have EVER felt before!!! Even my miscarriage was not this bad! I felt hot, dizzy, nauseous and felt like I wanted to cry! All the girls on the Internet that said it doesn't really hurt or its like bad period pains - they are lying or have a majorly high threshold of pain!!! I have NEVER had period cramps that bad and if you do you might want to go see a doctor! Anyway, I'm telling you this so there are no surprises. Now, can you get through the pain - ABSOLUTELY - but be aware, it HURTS like a mother!!!!!
OK - moving on...they then tell me to move up the table and lay my legs flat - now isn't that funny - they want me to move!!! I kind of slide so my whole body is now flat. I was like " wheres the TV..I want to see whats going on"...so they move the monitor so I can see when he inserts the dye. He says OK now I am going to insert the dye - you might feel some cramping...it wasn't too bad actually..and there goes the dye - it flies right through my tubes and spills out the other end. He said WOW - you are really moving - speedy! Your tubes and cervix are perfectly clear!! Yeah.... he then takes the catheter out and were done. I know this seems like it was a long time but it literally only took 5 minutes. He said that from what we did things look great but we still don't know what is going on on the other side...like if there is any endometriosis or anything else.
He said that all the women in the office said for him to take care of me and make sure I'm okay - I said please tell them all I said hello! Tell them I miss them..but not enough to get up at 6am to visit hahah...I told him that I am going to lay low until the first of the year...and that I will contact him then depending on what happens. He smiles and says OK!
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So I am officially your first commenter, huh? Can I just say I totally agree, the HSG test was incredibly painful..and I took Motrin ahead of time and everything! Luckily it's quick, but still. Not fun!
ReplyDeleteAs for all your other posts, I think what you're saying and doing makes a lot of sense. Taking some time off is important--stress only makes things worse. And it's great to hear acupuncture has yielded such good results for you!!
I know you know this, but I think it's totally normal to be frustrated when it seems like everyone around you has had an easier time. It doesn't mean you're not happy for them, but it also doesn't mean it's not painful, too.
Anyway, good luck with this and keep on writing!
Thank-you so much for this info!! I have this test next week. I'm scared!! Maybe I shouldn't have known what to expect. EEK!! You're the second person whose had it done and said it was painful, VERY painful! I normally have painful cramps, but if this is worse than that, ya I'll definitely be crying!! I think I have a low tolerance to pain.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm curious if this test was negative, what did you find out? Why could you not conceive?
I had the Endo surgery a year ago, and that was negative. We've been trying since last October now and still nothing, so my Doctor said I'm to go in for this test now to see if its me or him.
I'm so scared.
Hi, I thought I would add this to your excellent description of the test. I had this test on 9-10-2009 and I called the nurses station 2 days before to get something to calm my nerves. They prescribed me 1 mg of Lorazepam (6 pills) which I actually started taking about 30 hours before my scheduled test. I wanted to see how I would react to it and if the dosage was high enough :) The day of the test (appt. was at 2pm) I actually took a lorazepam in the morning as well as about an hour before my test; wow did that do the trick!! I also took about 800 mg of ibuprofen as instructed 45 minutes before the test. I have to say with all those drugs the test was pretty easy!! Luckily the gal who scheduled it for me had had one herself and gave me the above pointers :) The only thing I felt during the test was the warmth and moderate cramping when the dye was injected. My results: everything was clear. Hopefully I see a BFP this month as they say you’re are pretty fertile after having one of these done!! I hope there right. Good luck to others who may have to go through this...My advice: Don't be nervous, you can do it!! In the end it will all be worth it!! :)
ReplyDeleteHugs, Mandi
Thanks so much for your honest portrayal of the journey to motherhood. My husband and I have been ttc for almost 1 year and with each month and each new battery of tests it tests my faith. Reading about your journey is inspiring and I can't thank you enough for allowing us to experience the ride with you.
ReplyDeleteI just turned 37 this week the same week Im due for this dye test. I appreciate the breakdown of what to expect and am disappointed that my man cannot go in with me due to the exposure to the radiology -I have an anxiety disorder to begin with and Im scared to death....Im trying to keep in perspective that its just one more pain I must endure to find the answers I need...thanks, tamee
ReplyDeleteYep, this is extremely accurate! And although I have a high tolerance for pain, it was painful for me, too. I had mine 2 days ago and I'm still feeling spasms and some cramps (I did take a cycle of Clomid, so that may have something to do with it too). Nothing horrible, but just uncomfortable. On the upside, everything looks good so we're keeping our fingers crossed for this cycle :)
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