posted
At least you're getting an external ultrasound. Internal ones are worse, especially if they don't bother telling you that they'll be sticking a very cold object up your vagina beforehand. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
How do you know they aren't doing an internal exam too? Please remember that it's usually much less painful than pelvic exams, even for girls with pelvic pain.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I am embarassed to be posting this but in the hopes of helping someone:
One suggestion for those who have the pap smear for the first time and if you are a virgin, they do have "childsize" probes they can use that aren't as big as the standard size. The first time they tried to give me a pap smear, it didn't work. But the next time, they got the smaller prbe which was not comfortable and not w/o pain,. Still, it was better than the other size.
Posts: 38 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I had both kinds of ultra sound in December at my appointment. They told me to drink tons of water before the appointment because they would try and do the ultrasound externally first. A full bladder is needed for the external kind. And actually, an external ultrasound is probably one of the most non-intrusive things you can have done to you at a gynecologist. The most uncomfortable part about it is that they kinda push on your full bladder. But other than that, no pain. If they can't get the information they need from the external kind, they'll ask you to empty your bladder and then go inside you with a *pretty small* probe. But, the internal ultrasound is TONS easier than a pelvic exam. Pelvic exams hurt me too, and this didn't hurt at all (aside from the emotional trauma of having someone down there). You seem quite sensitive to these things, so it might hurt you a bit, but take comfort in knowing that it's at least ten times easier to go through than a pelvic exam.
posted
Last time I had an ultrasound (my gynecologist suspected a cyst - actually there was a lot of them but very little so apparently nothing can be done about it) they told me I had to drink a ton of water, but when I arrived at the lab the guy (it was a guy...) told me my bladder wasn't full enough and he would have to do an internal ultrasound. I didn't even know it existed. Finally I was relaxed enough because I had to laugh when I saw the guy, very solemnly, putting a condom on the probe to protect it. The exam itself didn't hurt, although it was uncomfortable.
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Nothing on it? Really? That's weird. They probably washed it off after, but the condom solution is probably the less expensive, plus it's lubrificated.
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
My "needles = extreme panic attacks" husband is going in for surgery today, IV and anesthesia and all. If you read this before you head in, remember this: gratitude and fear cannot coexist in your mind at the same time. If the fear is threatening to overwhelm you, focus instead on something that you're really, truly grateful for.
posted
Good luck with the ultrasound! Hopefully it will be quick (and it should be painless).
I've used NuvaRing for about 2 years now. Yeah the idea of putting something there and leaving it for weeks seems a little squicky, but when it's placed properly you can't feel it at all. The ring is about 2 inches in diameter and you just kinda squish it and put it in so it stays and you can't feel it. I like it so much better than taking pills (besides the fact that pills don't agree with me).
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Can you get a mammogram if you have size A breasts?
I don't know, but if you can at least it'll save you the humiliation to have the assistant change a piece of the machine because your breasts are too big (authentic).
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote:Can you get a mammogram if you have size A breasts?
My mom has had them and she barely even qualifies as an A. And, she says they're just as uncomfortable for her as anyone else.
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Some things can be seen so much better with an internal ultrasound, so I would say it's at least a good possibility.
When I had mine done, they explained what was going to happen, they put a sterile condom over the probe and then put a lubricant over that. The lubricant had been kept in a warmer, so there was no shock of anything cold.
I've never found internal ultrasounds to be uncomfortable at all, but then maybe I just had a really good doctor. At the practice I went to, my doctor did all the ultrasounds, there was no ultrasound tech.
I've also had many abdominal ultrasounds done, both in and out of the hospital. Every time the techs explained what they were going to do before they did it. If you have one that doesn't seem talkative - ASK. Say "What are you going to do next?" or "I feel better when I know what's coming, so please tell me before you do anything." You have a right to be told what is being done to you and that eliminates the shock of something unexpected, which will make the anxiety level go down.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Theaca: Even men can get mammograms.
Hmm...interesting. I've never seen the equipment used for mammograms so I've often wondered how they would do it. I've heard mammograms described as squishing your breast between something and I can't imagine doing that with size A breasts.
Posts: 66 | Registered: Jan 2006
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It mostly hurt when she started like...moving it around from side to side to find my ovaries. And also, she had me put it in myself, so that severely decreased the freakout factor.
They wouldn't let my boyfriend into the ultrasound area, though. But at least he was there to scoop me up when I was done. And then we got breakfast and went back to my house and went to sleep. This guy just keeps racking up the points; last night he listened to me cry on the phone for almost an hour.
But they didn't let me see what the ultrasound looked like. Well, she showed me what my uterus looks like, but that's it. I really wanted to see what my ovaries look like.
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Yay for being done! Yay for not being as bad as your were afraid. And double yay for a smart and sensitive ultrasound tech. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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And, she says they're just as uncomfortable for her as anyone else.
