Wasn`t There

On Wednesday I went into the Foothills hospital to have my Hysteroscopy

 and the removal of my uterine fibroids.

A Hysteroscopy is a procedure that allows your doctor to look inside your uterus in order to diagnose and treat causes of abnormal bleeding. Hysteroscopy is done using a hysteroscope, a thin, lighted tube that is inserted into the vagina to examine the cervix and inside of the uterus.

Chris, my husband, brought me in and held my shaking hand as I waited to be taken in. Its weird that I was confident to have the surgery right up until they admitted me and then all of a sudden my nervous showed up in full force.

Let me take a moment to make a shout-out for all the amazing staff at the Foothills hospital. The nurses, anesthesiologist and my doctor were all so kind and reassuring!

When I finally came too the nurse said that the hysteroscopy went well. When I asked about the fibroid removal he said that there wasn`t any.

WASN`T ANY?

Totally confused I thought he must have been mistaken. So the next morning I called my doctor`s office and talked with her receptionist. It turns out he wasn`t mistaken.

Apparently when my doctor went in she found a few abraisons, however, the uterine fibroids were not there.

NOT THERE?!?

Well you can imagine my surprise. I have no idea what happened, but I am grateful.

I can`t imagine that the ultrasound technician and doctor who performed my sonohysterogram were wrong. During it the doctor did try to dislodge or separate it, but she said that she wasn`t able to. I wonder if perhaps she damaged it enough that my body then was able to take care of it on its own.

I do know that I had so many prayers being said for me and I do believe in the power of prayer. So for all of you who thought and prayed for me thank you!

Laminaria Tent?!

Tuesday afternoon I went into the Calgary Regional Fertility Clinic to have a Laminaria Tent put into my uterus.

I am so grateful that I didn't look it up on the internet first. (There are some horror stories on there!)

I was told that it was a type of seaweed that they would be using to open my uterus before my surgery on Wednesday. Turns out I mustn't have been listening carefully enough... the Laminaria Tent isn't used to open a woman's uterus it is to open a woman's cervix.

Now that might not seem like a big difference, however, it was not at all what I was expecting.

Because I thought it was to help open my uterus I was picturing the laminaria tent to look something like an open tampon. Boy was I wrong, instead it looks like a stick. Online they say that they place the laminaria tent into your uterus- place- ha!

They STUCK it into my cervix!

When I cried out from pain I apologized to the doctor who responded with (not kidding): "Don't apologize I know I'm torturing you!` You know when a doctor says that you`re in trouble!

Thankfully it was over quickly.

When I got home I looked it up and read that some women only experience some mild cramping whereas other women talked about excruciating pain. One woman had experienced such awful pain that she had to hospitalized and put on morphine... thankfully I didn`t experience anything quite so dramatic! But lets just say I hope I don`t have to ever have another!

Here is some more information about laminaria tents that I found online:

Laminaria Tent - Laminaria tent is about 2 inches, rigid, fibre-like stick made out of the seaweed (Laminaria stenophylla). It is used for two and three day procedures when cervix needs to be dilated more. The seaweed property is that it absorbs the moisture when in contact with the secretions of the body, while softening and swelling to several times its diameter. The result is the gradual dilation of the cervix which in turn decreases the chance of cervical laceration and perforation. This is the safest and the least painful way of cervix dilatation as it takes usually 24 hours for it to fully expand. Women might get cramps within those 24 hours so adequate pain killers are prescribed to lessen the discomfort. - Women`s Care Clinic