What to expect for D&C?

I have been having mid-cycle spotting and heavy painful periods with clots. An ultrasound revealed a thickened endometrial lining and my pap and endometrial biopsy were totally normal so I asked to have a d&c to be as sure as possible that cancer isn't behind this.

My d&c is scheduled for a week from tomorrow and I'm getting anxious. I've never had any type of surgery and I'm terrified of feeling nauseous with the anesthetic. I'm also on blood thinners for a pulmonary embolism last July (per my hematologist's instructions, I will be stopping them prior to the procedure) so I can't take ibuprofen, only Tylenol.

I know everyone has different experiences, but how was it coming out of anesthetic? I'm scheduled for just the d&c and a hysterscopy so my gyno said the prep and recovery should be much longer than the actual procedure. How was the pain? Did you need prescription painkillers? How long did it take before you had your next period and was it different than your normal period? I'm on my period now, so I'll be having my procedure on day 10 of my cycle. How long was it until you heard the results of the procedure? Did you have to go in for a follow-up?

Thanks for the answers!

I don't remember having issues coming out of the anesthesia other than maybe some shivering. I wasn't nauseous (I did experience some nausea when I had my hysterectomy though). Pain was more like cramping and not too bad. My mom was trying to convince me to have them give me something for pain before I left the hospital because the trip home was about an hour. I thought I was feeling okay so I didn't take anything. I went home with a Rx for pain meds, but didn't fill it. We even stopped at a restaurant on the way home so I could get something to eat. I felt pretty good the next day.

What surprised me the most was the gush of blood when I went to the bathroom before I got dressed to go home. I didn't realize that would happen. The nurse said it was just blood that was left in the vaginal vault. When I went to the bathroom at the restaurant I had another gush and a pretty good sized clot. I think after that it turned into spotting for the rest of that day and the next day before I started my period right on schedule the next day. The doctor thought I might skip that period, but I wasn't so lucky and it lasted 10 days. I had been running about 7 days and while this one was longer than usual it wasn't quite as heavy.

I had a D&C and Hysterscopy because my endometrial biopsy came back with hyperplasia and my doctor wanted to rule out cancer before my hysterectomy. I didn't have a follow-up after my D&C. My doctor was trying to save me from having another appointment because I knew I would be having surgery and there would be a pre-op appointment for that. I think relaying my results to me fell through the cracks potentially because I didn't have a post-op appointment. I emailed after a couple of weeks to get the results.

They can give you something for nausea if the anesthesia makes you nauseous and if you find yourself nervous when you get to the hospital, they can also give you something for anxiety. Don't be afraid to speak up.

for your procedure.

Thank you so much for your response. I'm lucky in that I can see the hospital from my kitchen window, so we are close. My gyno said she'd give me a scrip for painkillers but I'd like to avoid that. I generally have pretty nasty periods anyway so I'm hoping that means I have a little higher pain tolerance.

It's very reassuring reading your story. Thanks again!

I had no trouble with anesthia and even though drive home was over an hour didn't need the pain meds then nor did I fill the presc. was sent home with. Hubby picked up food at drive thru on the way home while I dozed. I took next day off from work ahead of time just in case. I did stay home but didn't need to. Unlike grey wolf I didn't have much bleeding right after, just some spotting.

Each time I had procedure I was told that would probably skip at least one period but that wasn't the case for me. They always came right on time and as horrid as ever.

I had no troubles waking up from the anesthesia. I was waking up in recovery before I was aware I was being put under. I had no nausea or any other problems. I felt weak the next day and rested but was fine to care for my 2 year old (he's 20 now!) on my own. By day 3 I was working from home. I needed no pain medication at all once I was home, not even ibuprofen. My next period came on schedule and was unremarkable. I had no gushes of blood immediately after the procedure.

I know it's scary, but try to keep busy and occupied with other things.

Thank you for the responses! I'm in the home stretch here before my procedure on Wednesday. I was thoroughly distracted this weekend as we did a little getaway up north so that was lovely. I'm praying my procedure is uneventful and I get through it without too many panic attacks.

I didn't have any issues waking up from the general anesthesia but I did have some blood pressure issues during it so ended up spending the night in hospital instead of going home. My ultrasound prior to the procedure also suggested cystic hyperplasia but turned out I had a polyp which the Gyn removed, it came back from pathology as benign.

I was given Fentanyl in recovery for pain relief and some Paracetemol in the wee hours as I couldn't sleep but really didn't need anything after that.

I had a period just before the procedure (after not having one for nearly a year) and some bleeding for a few days afterwards followed by another few days of just spotting. There was quite a bit of blood right after the procedure, I guess it was just the leftover lining from the curette being expelled. My lining was also thickened so I guess that was to be expected.

I am having my 6 month follow-up appointment with the Gyn soon so had another ultrasound today to check how things are going. Don't really know the results yet as I just received the printed images, have to wait till my appointment in 10 days to find out.