Regular periods – that should be enough to ensure it’s possible to get pregnant right? Wrong. A brief moment of too much Google led me straight to the store for a fertility monitor. 4 days later the color changed on the stick and I nearly jumped for joy! Ovulation – that should be enough to ensure it’s possible to get pregnant! Wrong again. I really need to stay away from Google. As I only have one tube, I needed to make sure the other one was perfectly clear and able to function. Back to the OB-Gyn to hint around that I wanted an HSG.
Wanted is a funny word – I wanted the results of the HSG but not the HSG itself. Fortunately, my doctor was great and offered one up right away which I immediately scheduled. *Fingers crossed that my insurance company would cover it.* I had several friends who had gone through this procedure and questioned them at length about how it felt, what to expect and how much it would hurt. I got different answers. Rats. One friend said she felt absolutely nothing and another told me that even through 2 Percocet she was in incredible pain through the procedure. All of them said it was quick though, less than 10 minutes from start to finish.
At 8:30 a.m. I got in the car with my husband and popped a Lortab. I was scared that my pain would be the worst and I wouldn’t be able to handle it. We arrived at the hospital at 8:45 a.m. for my 9 a.m. appointment. Immediately upon arriving, I sat down and did my paperwork and got my hospital bracelet. Nothing interesting there. I waited until 9:15 and was called back by the tech into radiology. Once in the room, I went over paperwork with the tech and answered questions about my allergies – no shellfish issues and no previous dye reactions – so I was good to go. She explained the procedure to me and asked if I had any questions. Then it was back into the bathroom to change in to a lovely gown. I was able to keep my bra and top on, only removing the bottoms and wrapping the gown around my waist. I went back out and laid on the table on a towel and pillow. It wasn’t uncomfortable but it was a hard flat surface. The next part is revealing and contains graphic details about the procedure – keep reading if you’d like.
When the radiologist entered the room the procedure actually began. I slid down to the end of the table and spread my knees apart. At that point, the radiologist inserted the speculum to gain access to my cervix. He used an iodine solution to swab and clean the cervix before taking a tiny thin catheter tube and inserting it through my cervix. It wasn’t terribly uncomfortable but I had a little cramping at this point and some nausea. I was allowed to slide back up and relax on the table with my knees still open. He started to inject the dye and that was when the intense cramping began for me. It was worse than any period cramps I’ve ever had and if it would have been possible, I would have curled into a fetal position. It hurt. I couldn’t see the monitor but asked him to please tell me what he was seeing. “Left is missing and right is clear.” I almost fell off the table and could barely speak, “clear?!?!?”. He assured me that yes, it was clear. I swear I no longer felt the cramping or the discomfort, I was grinning like an idiot and could barely contain the tears that were threatening to spill. He removed the catheter and again swabbed the cervix with iodine, then removed the speculum.
One more picture was taken of the pelvis and I was allowed to sit up and go to the bathroom to clean up. The dye is sticky and the iodine is a pretty raunchy color. I knew this going in and brought along a pad to protect my clothes. After getting dressed, I signed the last form and was taken back to the waiting room. I only had mild cramping at this point and a little bit of nausea. My husband and I embraced in the hall when I told him the news! We were both so happy! I couldn’t stop grinning the entire drive home and feel incredible relief! It feels like I can breathe again and that there is hope. I might actually be able to get pregnant. So we’re trying. We’re tracking ovulation at this point and will consider Serophene or Clomid in a few months if it doesn’t happen.
Wish me luck!
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