I had a surgical abortion yesterday

By anonymous on 16/01/2014
I had a surgical abortion yesterday and I haven't told anyone so I thought why not tell it here? First off let me tell you my situation, I'm 17 and got pregnant with a guy I'm not with anymore. By the time my abortion was scheduled I was 16 weeks pregnant.

When I went for my appointment to schedule my abortion I spoke with a lovely nurse who talked me through what would happen and gave me a scan. She was brilliant, she made sure not to let me see the screen and was as quick as possible. I was weighed and she took a couple of vials of my blood which didn't hurt at all and just made me feel very slightly tired a little while later. My appointment for a surgical abortion was scheduled for 2 weeks later.

I wasn't allowed to eat after 7.30am and could only drink water after that until 11am. I had to arrive at 8am as I had never had children so I needed 2 tablets through the day that went in my vagina to weaken my cervix which lowered any risk of damage during the procedure. I was greeted by a really nice nurse who made sure I felt comfortable and just took a few details. It was quite a boring day as I wasn't scheduled for surgery until 4.30pm.I was warned that the tablets I had taken could cause cramping but I felt no pain until about 2pm when the pain was really bad. I tried to breathe through it and lay in my bed but a nurse came by at about 3.30pm to check on me and could tell I was in pain, she brought me a hot pack which really helped.

I was taken down to surgery on a trolley after I had spoken to the doctor and anaesthetist. They gave me blankets and my pillow to make me as comfortable as possible as I was in quite a lot of pain again. When I got to surgery a cannula was put in my hand and I was given a drug that made me very woozy, it was a little like being drunk but just the nice parts. They then got me to breathe through an oxygen mask before giving me my anaesthetic.

I woke up about 45 minutes later and I was in recovery where they had let me sleep for a little while. I felt no pain at all from the surgery. The only pain I had was a dull ache in my arm where they had given me the implant as a form of contraceptive while I was asleep, they had already discussed this with me and it was definitely the right choice.

The only thing I felt was relief, I felt like me again.

I don't feel any guilt or shame because this was the right choice for me, having a baby just isn't an option. The nurse I liked from earlier in the day came down to take me back up to my bed on the ward.

I was wide awake by the time I was back in my bed on the ward, the nurse told me I could leave after I had been to the loo and had something to eat and drink. I did all of this then got changed from my hospital gown to my clothes. When I went to the loo to pee there was a lot of blood but I didn't feel any pain. The nurse came back and gave me some antibiotics to take in order to prevent infection before telling me that bleeding shouldn't be so bad after a day or two.

A friend who didn't know why I was in hospital drove me home and I ate some pasta before lying on the sofa and watching TV. I didn't feel any pain but did feel a little sick for half an hour or so in the evening. I went to bed and slept better than I have for weeks.

Its now 10am the morning after and there isn't much bleeding and I still haven't felt any pain, not even mild cramps. And relief is still the only thing I feel. If you are planning on having an abortion and its what you want don't let anyone talk you out of it. Some people may not agree with abortion but the way I see it if you aren't ready to have a baby then that's your choice. I still haven't told anyone I had an abortion yesterday and my family have no idea but I like it that way, its easier for me to move on. I'm just happy to feel like me again.

Editor's Comment

Thanks for sharing your experience of your surgical abortion. I am glad you have coped with it well although I do question why you felt you had to keep it so secret if it was the right choice for you. You might want to confide in someone so that you don't feel you are carrying a secret around by yourself. You can call the national helpline, log on to Online advisor, or follow the link to find a centre for post abortion support in your area.

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