I am a 38 year old married mom to a wonderful 5 year old. After a lot of pregnancy complications with my daughter my doctor warned of not having any more children and I agreed. My husband, like many men, chickened out on several occasions when it came to having a vasectomy. So when my doctor introduced me to the essure product I trusted her guidance completely. My doctor had seen me through and ectopic and through major pregnancy difficulties how could she steer me in the wrong direction. She told me that it was safe and could even be performed in the comfort of her office. No outpatient hassles and no pre and post op to deal with. I would only need to take one day off of work and I would be right back to my normal self.
So I immediately made the appointment for a Thursday afternoon late August of 2012. I was told I would need some prescriptions the night before and the office would call me. That Wednesday night around 5pm I received a call from the Medical Assistant that my prescriptions were ready at CVS and I could go pick them up and to make sure someone could drive me home from the procedure. I picked up two prescriptions and took them as prescribed.
The next afternoon I went in to the office and as I lay there in the procedure table I thought this is going to be painful I don’t feel relaxed are they going to give me anything…..my doctor came in and began asking me very silly questions and began the procedure….PAIN…indescribable pain like i have never felt before. I want to jump off the table but I couldn’t i had an instrument in my fallopian tube. I know I was squeezing the medical assistants hand so tight. Tears began to fall from my eyes. Again the doctor began to question me. ‘Carla did you take the medication we prescribed?’ ‘Yeah’ I cried ‘it’s all in my bag’ The doctor quickly had her medical assistant get the medications from my bag only to learn that I was not given the appropriate medication for the procedure. I was not given the valium and Percocet for relaxation and pain.
My doctor quickly asked her medical assistant run and grab bags of saline to help minimize my pain. Because we were in her office she could not do anything for my for a pain, she could only irrigate my uterus with cold water. When it was over she had my husband come in and told me to stay still and not get up. There was blood everywhere. It looked like a scene out of a horror movie. The look on my husband face told me how horrific it looked. Blood on the floor and all over my legs and on the table. I just wanted to get out of there. I could hear my doctor yelling at CVS on the phone. Who knows if it was her mistake or theirs I just wanted to get out. She gave me a prescription for 30 Percocet and told me she would follow up with me the next day.
Over the next two months I never recovered. I had bleeding every day. I had constant pain in my left ovary that would at times take my breath away. I went in for an emergency ultrasound. The ultrasound tech stated that she thought the essure was not placed right however the OBGYN that practices with my doctor stated it was fine but recommended that I have a full hysterectomy immediately. I was scheduled for surgery that Thursday November 8th 2012.
On November 8th 2012 it was discovered that I had ovarian torsion of both ovaries which means that both ovaries were wrapped around my fallopian tubes and that I had a massive infection in my uterus. I had both fallopian tubes removed and a D & C performed. I opted for only a partial hysterectomy. I should have opted for a full because I still have pains in my left ovary to this day.
The recovery from the partial hysterectomy was excruciating and at times unbearable. It was approximately 5-6 weeks for a full recovery and I don’t believe I will ever be fully recovered for I still have pain in my left ovary.
I wish I had been fully informed as I am now realizing because I had an ectopic pregnancy I should never had even had this procedure it is one of the contra-indications.
Thank you for bringing this to light I hope my story like many others will help.
C.