Today I had a surgical abortion at 7 weeks pregnant under general anaesthetic
By anonymous on 03/07/2014
Today I had a surgical abortion at 7 weeks pregnant under general anaesthetic; I'm writing this because I want to share my positive experience with other girls who may be feeling as anxious as I was beforehand. (I read a lot of peoples experiences online and I must admit they terrified me!) This was my first pregnancy, I decided to have an abortion because I didn't think I could give a child the best start in life right now. It just isn't the right time for me. 8 hours before your appointment you cannot eat or drink anything and you are told to wear comfortable clothing. I arrived at the clinic at 8.45am, I was told to fill out a medical assessment form before I had a consultation with a nurse who talked me through my decision and gave me an sti check (I did the test by myself in the bathroom so I kept my dignity) then I had an ultrasound scan to check I was okay to have the procedure done that day. The nurses were lovely and made me feel at ease the whole time. I then had to wait in a waiting room to be called through for surgery - I waited around 3 hours because the clinic was so busy: I was annoyed that I had to wait so long but it was also reassuring seeing so many other women there as well as me. It made me realise I wasn't the only one in the world that was going through this! Definitely take a book to keep you occupied. When I was finally called by the nurse she showed me to a booth where I changed into my nightie, then I went through to prepare for theatre. I was told to lie on a bed where the doctor introduced himself to me and inserted a small needle into my hand for the anaesthetic I was also told to breathe into a mask while they wheeled me into the theatre At this point I was very nervous seeing the surgical looking room but the doctor calmed me down by talking to me while injecting the anaesthetic to put you to sleep. One minute I was talking to him the next I woke up in recovery. Seriously, it felt like it all happened as quick as a click of the fingers! I really don't know why I worried so much. When I woke up a nurse gave me water and checked I was okay (I did feel very giddy), then after about 10 minutes she took me through to a room for tea and toast and we just chatted until I felt ready to dress and leave. It really was a relaxed painless experience for me. I was lucky my boyfriend was with me to keep an eye on me and getting me home safely.I am the biggest worrier in the world! I promise you though that this was the best choice for me. It's been around 6 hours now since I got home and I have had hardly any bleeding, just small cramps and feeling very tired.