HSG Test - Hysterosalpingogram freaked me out!

I was mentally prepared for the HSG test because I had read about it online. I checked with a colleague who had gone through the test and she told me that she only felt discomfort. The odd thing about having your tests done in NUH was the fact that you had to proceed to different departments to do different tests. If I had gone to any private clinic in Thomson Medical Centre, the gynae would be the one doing all the physical examinations. 

For HSG, I needed to proceed to the Imaging Department which was in another part of NUH, away from the Women's Clinic. I loathed hospitals. The journey to the Imaging Department was very uncomfortable as I had to witness different types of patients being wheeled around in their beds. I read that there might be adverse reactions to HSG such as severe cramps or even passing out. Therefore, I asked my parents to accompany me.

I located the Imaging Department easily as I had spent some effort in finding it prior to my appointment. I had butterflies the whole morning because I read that the doctor had to insert a tube inside my womb and inject some dye. The thought of it made me very uncomfortable. When I arrived and registered, one of the staff asked me to change into a set of hospital clothing. I would be keeping my clothes in a locker provided. I had a hard time deciding how to wear the hospital robe because it wasn't the usual tie a ribbon around your waist type of robe. I had to ask for assistance and assurance that I had wrapped myself in the correct way.

After changing, I was told to report to the X Ray Room where they had to perform the HSG. I pushed open the heavy door and saw quite a big room that was very dimly lit. There was a huge metallic looking table in the middle of the room. On my left hand side, there were other patients talking to a young looking chap behind a glass window. Another young staff told me to sit on a chair and wait for the doctor - that young looking chap. 

Soon, the young looking chap identified himself as Dr Young (I think). He was very smiley and sat beside me. He started to explain to me the procedure of HSG which I already knew from my research online. He then handed me a form. It was a form whereby I signed that I accept and acknowledge the risks associated with HSG - Scarring of Womb, Body goes into Shock, Uterus Puncture. I could only vaguely remember these three risks. I hesitated. Dr Young saw my hesitation and assured that these would not happen. I would be his sixth HSG case today and the previous five were done smoothly. I signed on the dotted line.

He took my form and disappeared into the room that had a glass window. Three staff who looked even younger than him appeared and helped me onto the cold metallic table. The bad thing about being a patient in NUH was the existence of a large number of medical trainees. I was pretty sure that the three very young looking staff were medical interns. They looked even more nervous than me and that made me very nervous. They were trying to position the X Ray machine in the most appropriate manner with me lying on the table but they just could not get it right. I had a feeling that they were nervous because they knew that they needed to fix the problem before Dr Young came back. The doctor came back and together they prepared me for the test. By now, I was a nervous wreck because I was so freaked out by the inexperienced staff. If you are a medical student, it is very important that you pretend to be confident. Don't allow your emotions to show. It is very disturbing for the patient.

Dr Young started the HSG procedure. He inserted a tube through my vagina and he had a difficult time doing that. The insertion of the tube was very uncomfortable. He was very encouraging and kept telling me that I could do this and we were almost done. His calm and caring tone did help to ease the tensions that were bubbling inside of me. He would always inform me ahead of the step that he was going to do.

"Now I am going to inject the dye," he said gently.

I braced myself for any adverse reactions because I had read that some women would feel a sharp pain and others passed out due to allergic reactions. I only felt a cool rush of liquid and my lower abdomen had period like cramps. Although it was not very painful, I felt like I was in hell. What had I done to deserve all these just to try for a kid? Why most women need not go through these? Bitterness crept into me as I willed for the procedure to end as quickly as possible. This was worse than dental appointment which I also felt, resembled hell.

"Now, we are ready to take the image," he informed me.

After the X-Ray, I begged him to tell him how the X ray looked like. After some whining from me, he said as of now, no big problem detected but he needed to discuss with a panel of doctors. 

After the test, I climbed down from that table with the help of the staff. My parents were waiting for me outside the room. It felt good to have people with you. Fortunately, I didn't suffer any severe side affects. I only had slight bleeding and small cramps. I bought Twelve cupcakes for Cecile before I went to NUH so I went over to the Women's clinic to look for her. She was not there but I managed to pass the cakes to the staff who eventually passed to her. She sent me a message to thank me.

Outside the women's clinic, there was a wishing tree. My mother decided to write her wish and hang there - I wish my daughter have a healthy baby soon.

My eyes were welling up with tears. I had to really bite my lips and blinked non-stop to prevent myself from sobbing when I saw what she had written. 

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