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Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss
7/04Bride
member
Can anyone help prepare me for a D&C?
7/04Bride
member
I'm going to talk to my doctor about seeing if it's possible to schedule a D&C for Friday in case a miscarriage doesn't happen naturally by then. I honestly think I'm more afraid of a natural miscarriage right now than a D&C, but want to know what to expect. My doctor said that it would be at the hospital with light sedation. I know I'll be home from work that day. How long does the whole process take? What exactly does light sedation mean? What will I feel afterward? Should I plan on spending the rest of the day in bed? How might I feel the next day? I also know to expect bleeding for several days after it. I just hate all of this. I hate that I have to wonder about these questions. I hate that I have to bother other people who have been through it. Thanks for any info you have.
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Re: Can anyone help prepare me for a D&C?
I just had my 2nd D&C this morning
My first one was about 1.5 years ago.
For me, I would never choose to naturally m/c, but the physical pain is unbearable for me (everyone is different....).
With my first D&C, they did an IV and gave me some medication to relax. They then wheeled me to the OR and there they gave me the local anaesthesia. I remember them saying "count to 5," and then I was out. I woke up in recovery about 30-40 minutes later and they had me eat some ice chips and crackers. Once I felt okay to get dressed, I was released (it was fairly shortly after.....).
Today......I had it done at a different hospital and it was a bit different. I still first got the relaxation medication. But, then once in the OR, they had me breathe the gas by mask......once I was asleep with that, they then put the local anaesthesia in the IV. One thing I learned today is that they put a breathing tube down my throat. I was really freaked out about that when they told me they were going to do it. I guess it is procedure anytime someone is put under, but they did NOT tell me about it last time (I guess they just did it). They will do this once you are totally asleep, so don't worry, you will not feel a thing. But, my throat is still pretty sore from them taking it out.
Afterwards, you should expect cramping for a week or so and light spotting. You cannot swim or use tampons for 2 weeks.
One thing I would definitely push for are some pain meds. Last time, I m/c'ed at 11 weeks, so I think the cramps were much worse and they gave me NO pain meds. I called me OB like 2 days after the D&C begging for them and he said the worst was over.
So, this morning, I told my OB (this was a different one....) that she had to give me pain meds. She couldn't believe that the other OB didn't give them to me last time. She gave me Tylenol with Codeine and Motrin 600.
This time, I was a lot more nauseous in recovery.....I had to stay longer until I felt okay to get dressed and go home and I have felt more nauseous at home. I think its because I got more anaesthesia this time (with the gas.....).
So far, my cramps aren't as bad......BUT.....I had the worst night of my life last night and was passing clots larger than golf balls all night and was in excruciating pain, so maybe the worst was over??? Last time, it was a total missed m/c and we only knew because of an u/s.
Good luck and I'm sorry that you have to deal with this....(((HUGS)))
I was checked in at 6 AM, was in the OR by 7 AM and back in recovery and awake by 8:30. Discharged by 9 AM. I wasn't in very much pain and only had spotting when I wiped. I was up and about all day and felt normal again. I'm not sure what the sedation was but I think it was gas. They gave me something thru my IV to relax me and when I got into the OR the last thing I remember was them putting a mask on me and telling me to breath deep. I hope this helps and if you have more questions I'm here. Please keep me posted.
I'm so sorry for your loss!!!
So sorry for your loss!
I had a D&E..this is where they use a suction to remove everything.
I got to the hospital at 8 on tuesday morning, they checked me in (the longest part of the whole thing), they took some blood, put an iv in and by 9 they were wheeling me into the OR. To be honest, once I was in the OR, i do not remember a thing. They put me completely asleep. I woke up in the recovery room with really bad cramping. There were nurses standing right there and once I started complaining of pain, they gave me meds right away and I felt better. After about 20 min in the recovery room, they asked me how I was feeling. I told them "ok" so they wheeled back to the first room that I was in. From there, I stayed for another hour or so. About 12:30 I was discharged.
I think the whole procedure took 20 minutes.
I will give you a warning though (and this may not be the case for everyone) but right before I left the hospital, I went to the bathroom (pee) and it was the most painful thing ever. they did not tell me that there would be discomfort while peeing
As far as cramping and bleeding afterwards, I had very mild cramping. I never really bleed that much. I did have some major cramping three days later.
I was out of work for a weke. I just wasn't ready emotionally and physically, I did have some cramping. A lot of women go back to work the day after. I work as a nanny so I just was not ready yet.
Good luck to you and again I am so sorry
Hi 7/04,
I recognize you from the April board. I'm sorry you're here too. No experience with a D&C but I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for your loss and that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
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I think most of the pp's did a good job of explaining recovery. I felt pretty good after mine, I only took some ibuprofen that night, and didn't need any more for pain.
I can see that you have a little one, and I just wanted to let you know that my doctor said no lifting more than 20 pounds for a week after the procedure. My DD weighs more than that, so I was really glad I had a little stool in the house for her. That way, she climbed into her booster seat, to wash her hands or brush her teeth, and even in and out of the bathtub. I don't think I avoided lifting her completely, but it helped me limit the amount of times that I lift her each day.
I am very sorry for your loss.
I just had my D&C friday. They had me completly under. I had to check in 2 hours before the procedure. THey said it took about an hour and then hour for recovery. The most painful part was peeing afterwards. Not unbearable, but just like a stinging.
Other than that, I haven't been in that much pain. I expected bad cramps and have had none. My body is recovering pretty well. Emotionally, I know that will take time.
Again, I'm sorry for your loss.
I'm terribly sorry for what you're going through. I've had to deal with both a natural miscarriage and a D&C. I was only 5.5 weeks when I miscarried naturally and it wasn't as bad as I had expected it to be, the cramps were there but only for a night. I passed everything in about 4 hours and then it was just like a period for me for a week.
I had a D&C exactly a week ago today I should have been almost 12 weeks. It was a D&C with suction and not scraping. The worst part for me was getting the IV in, the anesthesiologist had a rough time with the first vein he got and so that was a chore. I was told I would be sedated but not using general anesthetic and I just wouldn't remember what happened. Well, I was out before I was even all the way on the operating table. My husband said it took exactly 15 minutes before my name appeared on the screen in post-op. My surgery was for 7:30 and we were out of the hospital by 9:30. I had no bleeding or cramping at all for 2 days, and then on Wednesday I started getting really strong cramps in the afternoon, by the time I was going to bed I was passing a clot that was rather large. Once it passed the bleeding stopped and I haven't cramped since. I've had light spotting since then on and off but nothing really bad. The only problem I had was that I felt like I had to go the bathroom constantly that entire day, but the motrin made that go away.
Good luck!
I'm very sorry for your loss as well. I'm going through the same thing. Except the doctors told me to just go ahead and do the D&C, not to wait because I could hemorrhage. They are calling me this morning (hopefully sooner than later) to schedule the appointment for tomorrow. They said I can go back to work on Wednesday. I'm not sure I will though after reading all these posts. I am slammed at work but I think in this case, it may be the best idea to take another day to relax, especially if the cramps are bad for me.
I was only about 6 1/2 weeks along but i didn't realize how much this would emotionally hurt so early. I only know that this is God's plan and he will get me through this.
I hope that you have a support system around you to help get you though. I know just talking to my family has helped this morning.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I just had a D&E on Thursday. I am back to work today, but it was hard to come in for me emotionally - we found out on Wednesday that we lost the baby so I've just been hiding out at home since then. Going back to my normal routine made it more real for me somehow.
In any case, I went in for the D&E at 9:30 Thursday morning, the procedure happened around 10:30, and I was up and getting dressed by 12:30. I was put into a twilight state and don't remember a thing. Not too much pain, but my doc did prescribe me oxycodone and 800mg ibuprofen. I'm actually in more pain and have more bleeding today than I have since the day of my surgery, but I'm attributing that to the fact that this is the first time I've really been up and moving around and also sitting upright for a longer period of time.
I was told that I should not do steps more than once or twice a day, do any strenuous activity, or lift or pull anything for at least 6-7 days after the surgery.
Again, my thoughts and prayers are with you.