Thread: Outpatient #hysteroscopy without anaesthetic

Everyone is aiming to save lives and detect and beat cancer. Fantastic!

NHS staff are there for us in these mad times - but they're under huge pressures, having to meet targets, including financial.
There is an institutionalised false mindset that 'being a woman = living with pain', which means that women's pain is known to be taken less seriously than men's.
So standard NHS procedure is to incentivise carrying out hysteroscopies, a particular form of invasive surgery on women, without any form of anaesthetic. Because it's cheaper.
This conspires to cause the situation we're in now.

Infantilising, under-informing, rushing, lulling women into a false sense of security.

So we find ourselves following a kindly gynaecologist into a shocking, unexpected procedure to which we have not given informed consent.
'brutal'
'inhumane'
'excruciating'
'lambs to the slaughter'
'I was tortured by nice people'

say women subjected to this practise.
This inhumane @NHSuk practice of subjecting women to invasive surgery with no proper explanation, anaesthetic or full consent must end now.

There must be alternatives.

@RCObsGyn
@TheBSGE

#gynaecologist
#anaesthetist
#gynaecology
#hysteroscopy

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More from @HysteroscopyA

3 Oct
CW:

Thread:

Links to women's lived experiences of @NHSuk outpatient #hysteroscopy without anaesthetic follow in this thread.

Difficult reading - but essential to understand what is being done in gynaecology today.
'My scream sounded unearthly to me, like an animal in terrible pain. Part of my inside was being cut without any anaesthetic. I am 73 years old'

careopinion.org.uk/836391
'excruciatingly painful and the gas and air did not really do anything to alleviate the pain'

careopinion.org.uk/842763
Read 12 tweets
1 Oct
Thread: Going to a gynae outpatient appointment, whether you've been given advance warning/info about a #hysteroscopy or not?

If the gynae says they want to do it there and then, or even just says anything casual like 'I'd just like to take a little look, get a little sample …'
Ask:

"Are you talking hysteroscopy without anaesthestic?

I've read countless reports by women subjected to this barbaric procedure.

The answer is no.

I will require my surgery to be carried out under hygienic operating theatre conditions with humane anaesthetic."
And in the face of attempts to deceive, cajole, persuade, coerce, gaslight, mock, bully you into the stirrups …

"As I say, the answer is no.

You need to book me in for the proper procedure.

When can I expect my appointment confirmation?"

Calm, polite, controlled, assertive.
Read 6 tweets
30 Sep
Thread: Reactions to fear/pain can be complex and mixed.

You've heard of fight or flight, but there's more to it.

And for those of us who've experienced #hysteroscopy without anaesthestic, it's all very familiar:
Fight - getting angry, getting loud, challenging, doing something to defend, protect, prevent

Flight - get away, run away, stay away

Freeze - can't move, cant breathe, can't speak
Fawn - yes it's fine, thank you, everyone was so lovely, happy with everything, no complaints

Faint - ... faint ...

Flock - gather, mobilize, speak up, research, complain, write, publish, broadcast, question, change.
Read 5 tweets
29 Sep
Thread: @RCObsGyn @RCoANews

Three things all trainee and practicing gynaecologists, GPs and hysteroscopists must understand to be effective.

Read this - and learn about the women you will be treating.
1/ Gynaecology can be embarrassing.

It 'shouldn't be.' But:

Female socialisation has eternally told us about PRIVATE parts.

'Pudenda' comes from the Latin for 'to shame'.
Many languages even contain the word 'shame' in vocabulary for female genitalia.

Religion and culture intrude - periods and their pain can be known as 'the curse of Eve'.

Punishment on all the female sex for one woman's sin.
Read 13 tweets

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