how was your d&c experience?

mrscales · #1 July 30th, 2009, 07:31 AM

my doctors office called this morning and said that they can't do my d&c tomorrow because the doctor will be doing a c-section. so, they wanted to do it today at 3 pm. i agreed because i want to get it over with and have a fresh start but at the same time i am so scared. i've never been put to sleep before or anything and don't really know what to expect. i've had several people tell me they're not that bad (including my mom) but i want to know how your experience was with it.

when did you return to work?
how much pain/bleeding did you have afterwards?
how long did you wait before having sex?

and any other insight you laides have would be helpful. dh is leaving work to take me since i won't be able to drive home. i haven't decided if i want to work tomorrow or not, i guess i'll wait and see how i feel physically and emotionally.

thank you ladies for your input. i know that it can be tough to talk about your loss but it helps us who haven't gone through it yet to understand.

lex1078 · #2 July 30th, 2009, 07:46 AM

I'm sorry for your loss.

I just had my D&C done on July 9th. Other than it being a total emotional mess for me, the overall experience wasn't that bad. The whole procedure took about 10 minutes and I was put out for it. As soon as they put the medicine in my IV I was out. I have no clue what happened during (except for the things I read online) and I like it that way. The whole situation is scary, don't get me wrong, I was scared. But once it's done it's a relief.

I don't work, so there was no returning for me, but you should take the day off for yourself if you need too. I know I would have.

I don't remember any pain at all maybe some cramps that were period like but only for a couple of hours. Right after the D&C I had some heavy bleeding, maybe 2 pads worth in 3 hours but after that I had extremely light spotting, only needed a pantyliner for the next week and a half.

I resumed having sex after I went for my check up which was 2 weeks later. Your Dr. should have you come in for a check up to make sure your cervix closed and he/she might tell you to wait a couple of cycles before trying again. I was told to wait 2 cycles which is what we're going to do.

I hope all goes well for you. Being put out for the first time is scary, but you'll be just fine. Once you're out, you're out. You'll be woken by the nurse or Dr. when everything is done and you're in recovery. BTW: I brought my own pad for afterwards. The hospital ones are HUGE and uncomfortable. If you're going to bring your own make sure your bring an extra or two. Just in case you have some heavy bleeding. No tampons until your next cycle.

lex1078 · #3 July 30th, 2009, 07:47 AM

Double Post

lex1078 · #4 July 30th, 2009, 07:48 AM

Triple Post

lex1078 · #5 July 30th, 2009, 07:50 AM

Quad Post.... sorry....

~~~Sara~~~ · #6 July 30th, 2009, 07:56 AM

First of all I am so sorry for your loss. While there is a good chance you could work tomorrow I would not recommend it. A D&C IS surgery and you need to recover.

when did you return to work? I am a SAHM so I was back caring for our son the next day, but emotionally I would not have wanted to go to a work place.

how much pain/bleeding did you have afterwards? Honestly almost none for our first loss, I was 7w 4d, but some pain and light bleeding after our second loss, our little girl was 13w so I was a lot further along.

how long did you wait before having sex? The doctor will tell you 2 weeks, I cheated and only waited 10 days the first time and the full 2 weeks the 2nd time.

Right after I felt loopy and fine, between the anesthesia and pain meds I didn't have a care in the world the day of, but it sort of hit me the next day when all that wears off, so that is why I'd say take at least one day off work.

Good luck and I am so sorry you are going through this.

farasha · #7 July 30th, 2009, 08:13 AM

I'm sorry for your loss hun

I actually was awake for both of my D&Cs. I don't recommend doing that, but in both cases, it was the only way I could get it done quickly.

I highly recommend you take tomorrow off. Both times, I had my D&C's done on days where I could take the next two days off. You'll be very uncomfortable and may be bleeding a lot, and it's much nicer to just be curled up in bed. You could get up if you needed to, but the next week will be a little physically draining.

Both times, I bled for two weeks. The bleeding was very heavy the first few hours, and then on and off between heavy and spotting for a few days. The pain isn't too bad - a lot of cramping like a bad period.

We waited till the bleeding stopped to have sex again.. about 1.5-2 weeks.

I wish you the best in your recovery. I'm so sorry you have to go through this today.

krystal g · #8 July 30th, 2009, 08:13 AM

Overall, I would say that my d&c experience was a good thing and I don't regret it at all.

I had my d&c the same day my miscarriage started and I went to the ER - they gave me the choice to go home and let things finish naturally or to have the d&c. I decided that I just wanted to get things over with, so they took me upstairs to surgery. I received general anesthesia and was treated like a surgical patient, got prepped, drifted off, woke up in recovery & went out to lunch after. I bled heavily (like heavy AF) for 2 days then 2-3 days of much lighter bleeding, then a bit of spotting, then it was done. The only side effect I had was that my entire torso hurt - muscle pain - for a few days. I think most of that had to do with the hours & hours of contractions I had with the miscarriage beforehand, but some may have been from them "messing" with my uterus as well. I received Pitocin while in recovery to shrink my uterus and had more contractions then.

I would advise you to take off work tomorrow because you may feel a bit achy and will have some (probably heavy) bleeding. Most of my "recovery" was emotional and I took the following week off of work for a mental break.

My doctor told me to wait 2 weeks before sex just to make sure everything was healed. I waited 12 days - DH was out of town for 11 of those 12 days so I had to celebrate his homecoming! But I felt fine physically and my bleeding had long since stopped, so I didn't worry about that.

I'm glad I had mine because it was my way to wipe the slate clean, so to speak, and start anew.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

~InHisHands~ · #9 July 30th, 2009, 08:19 AM

when did you return to work? I'm a SAHM so I didn't have to return to work but if I did I would have given myself at least a full day off due to the emotional effects & NOT the D&C itself
how much pain/bleeding did you have afterwards? I bled for about 10 days total, 6 of those days were spotting. You can check out my chart here... acollins24's WebCharts
how long did you wait before having sex? my dr said to wait 2 weeks... no using anything, tampons, baths, etc for 2 weeks.

You'll be under anesthesia during the procedure so I highly recommend you do not go back to work afterwards... I was told no major decisions within 24 hours of my d&c. And I'm glad DH is going with you... that is another thing I'd highly recommend. It's just really nice emotional support... or it was for me anyway.

Physically the D&C wasn't that bad on me anyway. I healed nicely, no complications. I was NEVER in any physical pain post-D&C. I hope it all goes well for you tomorrow!

momof6lopez · #10 July 30th, 2009, 08:27 AM

My d&c's over my life time have been very easy. I returned to work the next day, no bleeding for me at all, very minimal spotting(pink) and no cramping. I was 9.5wks along this time and no bleeding before or after the d&c. I was lucky, but I have heard other women having d&c's like this too. They scrape the lining so thin that there is hardly anything left. Being under was easy too, just a bit nauses and groggy when you wake up. Takes about 24hrs for the anestisha(msp) to where off, so that is why you should wait at least 1 day before going to work.

My first af following the d&c was a whole other story, very heavy and clotty.(sorry for the tmi). I pray all works out for you and wish you a speedy recovery.

kellysensei · #11 July 30th, 2009, 01:29 PM

I had a D&C on June 10. It wasn't bad; I don't remember anything about the actual procedure 'cause I was out from the anesthesia. I had some mild/moderate cramps for a few days afterward and light bleeding/spotting for about 10 days, after which we had sex again. I'm a teacher so I didn't have to work, but I think you should definitely take tomorrow off, for emotional recovery if nothing else.

Sorry you have to go through this, too. I hope your recovery time is quick! It took 40 days for me to get my period again, for what it's worth.

JessP · #12 July 30th, 2009, 02:22 PM

I had one in February and it wasn't to bad. I was 15 weeks and was not expecting my milk to come in but it did

so just a word of warning. Although you have probably already left to have the procedure. I was glad I did and my dr was wonderful about the whole thing. I hope everything goes ok with you and that you are back to the new normal soon. I would not go to work for a day or two. I took two weeks off work and would have taken more. Everyone is different and deals with things differently. I am so sorry for your loss.

rebeccabaltimore and more · #13 July 30th, 2009, 02:48 PM

Mine was kinda painful, but it was really really short. It was an emergency, so they didn't have enough time to give me the normal amount of anesthesia. The hardest thing about it was the emotional part. I delivered my son sleeping on a Tuesday, and while at a bookstore Sunday (looking for grief books) I hemorrhaged and needed a semi-emergency d&c. I had been in shock all week, pretty numb, but when they gave me anesthesia, I came unglued in the OR and just begged for my son. Apparently I made some of the doctors cry.

From a physical standpoint, recovery was lightening fast. I was back at work 2 days later, and AF showed up just 4 weeks later. I spotted off and on for maybe 2 weeks. All I needed for pain was an advil and a heating pad. We waited 2 weeks to have sex. We waited 3 months to TTC, but that was because my son was a stillbirth, not because of the d&c. Despite being 18 weeks, my milk did not come in.

Good luck, and I'm sorry for your loss.

Oreobaby · #14 July 30th, 2009, 04:04 PM

Please KUP on how you are feeling!! I haven't had to have a D & C, I miscarried naturally.

jaypbee · #15 July 30th, 2009, 04:15 PM

i'm so sorry for your loss. i'm also sorry i missed this post. i, like you, had never had general anesthesia before and i was scared to death of that part. everything went really well-much better than expected.

how was yours? are you feeling okay?

..Penelope.. · #16 July 31st, 2009, 08:07 AM

I'm so sorry for your loss, honey. I'm also sorry that I missed this yesterday.

Please KUP when you can. Thinking of you.

mrscales · #17 July 31st, 2009, 11:24 AM

hi ladies, just wanted to give you an update. everything went well yesterday, i was starving though! since it was unexpected all i had yesterday was a donut and a 7-up! i had to be at the hospital at 3 but they didn't do the procedure until 5. we finally left around 9:15, went to eat, i came home and showered and went to bed. the doctor told dh, eric, that the bleeding was minimal. she also told him that if i waited to miscarry naturally that it would have took a while because it was still very deep in my uterus. today i have very light bleeding and some cramps but nothing that isn't bearable. so, i am really glad that i decided to do it this way, i don't remember a thing.

thanks again for sharing your stories, it helped to ease my mind before i went in.

oh, btw doctor said to not have sex for 2 weeks and that my period should return in 2-6 weeks. she said after that we're free to ttc.

it's so nice to have a fresh start!