HSG from H - E - DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!

I've been putting off writing this post because I think subconsciously I didn't want to think about the HSG again. But, I know lots of people read this that are going to be having an HSG done, and want to know what to expect, so I'll write it for you ladies. =) Everything that I had heard from other people and read, said that an HSG is not a fun procedure to have done. Most people have some pretty awful cramping and sharp pains. So I headed into this a bit nervous, and not excited to be going without Matt.

For those of you who aren't into fertility lingo: a hysterosalpingogram or HSG is an x-ray procedure performed to determine whether the fallopian tubes are open and to see if the shape of the uterine cavity is normal.

Matt was in Michigan when I had to have this procedure done, so my mom went with me to Iowa City. A VERY long story made short; the procedure showed that my tubes are both open, which is great news. However... the procedure didn't exactly go as planned and I was left in severe pain for two days.

The main nurse came and got me from the waiting room, and my mom stood up to come with me. But, they don't let other people come in the room because there is a constant x ray being taken and they don't want other people to have radiation exposure. Fine. So I went alone, into a white, sterile, big, operating-like room. I walked in and was told to sit on the sterile, cold, metal table. I looked over to my right and saw two more doctors preparing things. One doctor was holding a bottle of some liquid, and the other was drawing up a HUGE syringe with a HUGE needle (literally, like a 4 inch needle!). I started to panic, needles? No one told me about any needles for this procedure! I told the doctors that I'm not good with needles, so I preferred to just look away and not be shown anything. The doctor said she understood, and that they would be switching to a smaller needle before they started, gee great.

The procedure started with 3-4 very painful and awkward shots(I won't get into too much detail, you can google it for more specifics). Everything was in place and then the nurse went and got the head doctor so that he could come in and basically press a button to take all of the x-rays. (Wonder what his "skills" cost me?!) Once the head doctor was in place at the x-ray machine he gave the other doctor a nod and she began pushing the dye in, which was SO INCREDIBLY painful! All of a sudden I could feel all of the dye coming back out, definitely not how it is supposed to work. It should go through the tubes, and then spill into your stomach. The head doctor stared at the other doctor and then all of a sudden I could feel the doctor quickly shove all of the "equipment" back in, and then I had sharp awful pains again as she put MORE dye in. So I basically sat through the procedure getting done twice. I was not pleased to say the least, but we got good results so I'll just be glad it's over.

I got the official results mailed to me this week. It said that both tubes were open, but that they saw a "dark spot" during the procedure, that they are worried may be some scar tissue from a surgery I had in high school from my Crohn's disease, but for now, they are not too worried and we are to continue with our current course of treatments. So I'm sure I'll get more info on exactly what that means the next time we are in Iowa City.

As of now, we're still on "hold" waiting for the cyst to shrink. We should find out right around the first of the year if we can start treatments again. We need the cyst to be 1.5cm or less (currently it is 4.5cm). So fingers crossed that it is shrinking and we can start shots and get going again (who would have EVER thought there would be a day that I WANTED to get shots!)