Tips to get my uterus going (girls and medicos only)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Without going into too much creepy detail, I need to cause my uterus to do something that is sort of the equivalent of miscarrying. No, I am not pregnant, not suffering from a false pregnancy. I have material in my uterus following a procedure last year which has formed a sort of bolus blocking my cervix that needs to be expelled. I was in the emergency room in indescribable pain over it before we knew what it was.

I can get a D&C, but I would rather not because I won’t do it awake and I don’t want to undergo anesthesia. I can take some nasty drug that is used in combo with RU486 to make women abort which causes the uterus to violently contract and spit the damn thing out, but that would be very painful and could take two days.

Option three is to give my body some time to pass it naturally. The pain has subsided and I have drugs if it comes up again. I have a feeling it won’t get nasty again until my body tries to have another cycle in a few weeks, so in the meantime I’m wondering if there are any activities I can undertake, foods I can eat, supplements, anything, that might help break this thing up and help my body expel it.

So…any ideas?

And yeah, gross, icky, TMI, blah blah blah. But I am sincerely seeking help here, thanks.

2

Is it just general anesthesia you object to? Would you consider an epidural? I had a D&C under general anesthesia and recovered pretty quickly. My doctor also had to remove a piece of placenta after my son was born and the epidural was still functioning. That was fine, too.

The only things I can think of otherwise are raspberry leaf tea and primrose oil. The tea supposedly causes mild uterine contractions, so pregnant women are sometimes warned against drinking too much of it.

There’s always orgasms, too, if you’re up to that.

3

I remember why you don’t want anesthesia Stoid (had the same thing happen to me).

Anyway I’m not a girl nor a medico so I just sincerely hope you get better soon. The epidural seems like a wise suggestion if your doctor approves it.

4

Cyn, OB/GYN RN

If not an epidural/intrathecal, maybe fentanyl/ bupificaine drip for as long as it takes, or perhaps conscious sedation like they use in an endoscopy. Some Versed and Valium in your IV and you’re relaxed and end up not remembering the D&C. The cervidil/pitocin thing can take a while; I’d go for the D&C under general unless health issues are present–I don’t know your history.

5

I had a D&C several years ago following a miscarriage. I assume that I was given general anesthesia, because I don’t remember most of it, but I DO remember waking up before it was over, and actually feeling it. (Remember that I was somewhat in shock because of the miscarriage, too…)

While it was not the most pleasant experience I have had, it certainly wasn’t the worst, either. I had an epidural when my first child was born (prior to the miscarriage), and it truly did block out all feeling below the waist, even though I was conscious for the entire delivery. When my second child was born (the pregnancy after the miscarriage), I chose to forego any anesthesia at all. It was more painful than the D&C had been. However, the D&C was NOTHING compared to severe ear infections…

Here’s the TMI part (STOP READING if you don’t want the details!!!)…

I could feel the doctor scraping the inside of the uterus with the instrument. While it was uncomfortable, the discomfort stopped as soon as the doctor stopped scraping. I do remember moaning to let the doctor know that I could feel it, and he finished as quickly as he could after that point. Recovery afterward was uneventful, and completely painless, although they did keep me in the hospital overnight to watch for excessive bleeding.

I do believe that an epidural would be sufficient to get through a D&C, but it does require a good anesthesiologist who knows how to do it, which may be why that’s not normally offered for a D&C. (When I was in labor with child #2, the anesthesiologist actually came by our room to announce that she was leaving for the night, and if I wanted an epidural, I would have to say so right then, before she left.)

If you know other pain control methods, they might also work for the discomfort of a D&C. When child #1 was born, and with the miscarriage, all I really knew was really skimpy Lamaze for pain control, and it really wasn’t enough. (Yes, I took the class, but the instructor spent at least one session on the Pro’s of getting an epidural. I also think that until you have experienced something close to the prolonged discomfort/pain of labor and delivery, you really can’t be prepared for it.) After one birth and one miscarriage, hubby and I learned the Bradley Method for child #2, and it was a much more effective method for controlling pain than Lamaze. It did allow me to give birth to #2 with no pain medecine, but it also helps me get through virtually any pain (physical or emotional) that I’ve experienced since then.

If I had to do a D&C again, I would ask for an epidural, or do without anesthesia completely.

6

I had a D&C with “Twilight Sleep” drugs. I had a fetal death at 12 weeks but didn’t miscarry. My doctor had planned to use general anesthetic, but when it came time for the procedure, the anesthesiologist wasn’t comfortable with that because my asthma was pretty bad then. So they did the “Twilight Sleep” stuff, I don’t remember exactly what it was-- I was given Ativan before getting in the OR. The last thing I remember was the Ativan hitting me just as they began to wheel me into the OR, then the next thing I remember was the doctor waking me up in the recovery room, telling me the procedure was over. Would that be an option for you if you don’t want to do general?

What she said. I didn’t remember a thing.

7

If theX-Files are to be believed it’s morphine and scopolamine. Whatever scopolamine is. don’t look at me like that, you can learn a lot from that show.

I don’t have any advice, Stoid, but I do hope you feel better soon.

8

Maybe it was Versed that they gave me. It was through the IV. Hard telling, since I was administered a highly amnestic drug directly after what they told me it was called…

Anyway, feel better, Stoid.

9

Thanks for the good wishes and tips…(I wish there had been more on getting my uterus going and less about all the ways I can be put to sleep, oh well…)

10

I had some clots 8 weeks after my son was born and took mecylzine. Worked pretty well. Didn’t hurt as much as you’d think. But may not be right for you.

Can they do a suction abortion proceedure? Obviously there is no fetus, but it might be gentler than a D&C. What about morning-after-pill? It is less crampy and severe than RU-486.

Otherwise, D&Cs aren’t so bad from what I’ve heard. How about using hypnosis or IV sedation instead of general anesthesia? Trust me, IV sed leaves you with no memory of the event, but isn’t as invasive as true general anesthesia. What about Mr. Valium? He can get one through the nastiest things.

Otherwise, sorry, nothing I know of.

11

How about saline? Less invasive than a D&C but it should trigger a rather emphatic evacuation of uterine materials, yes?

12

What about menstrual extraction? It’s not a procedure that requires pain relief, normally?

The drug you are probably considering is cytotec to cause uterine contractions, if you want to find more information. If it were me, I might go that route in order to condense the time I would need strong meds to handle well.

There are a lot of uterine tonics, red raspberry leaf, and the black and blue cohoshes. The cohoshes can be really strong. I know nothing about dosing or dangers, but wanted to give you some names in case you want to search out that information yourself.

13

A very hot bath.

Vigorous horseback riding.

The herbs reu and pennyroyal (and the cohoshes as Apricot said) pregnant woman are traditionally told not to use because they help cause uterine contractions. WARNING IAMA Medial Professional or Herbalist, do not self medicate with herbs.

14

I would look into contacting someone with knowledge about herbs. Possibly a chinese/eastern/homeopathic doctor.

I wish you great luck and a speedy recovery.