It's been 3 days since I had the surgical procedure done under general anaesthetic.
By anonymous on 24/11/2014
It's been 3 days since I had the surgical procedure done under general anaesthetic.As I am from Ireland (abortion is illegal here) I had to travel over to England. Had to get an early morning flight and be at the clinic for around 9am without having eaten or drunk anything from the night before. That added with lack of sleep made it feel like a much longer wait.
It was a 6 hour wait between arriving at clinic and the actual surgery. Waiting for the unknown was definitely the hardest part of the day for me. I was called into different nurses at different times to get blood type taken, ultrasound done (I was 5 weeks pregnant so it was very early), and had to fill out forms and answer questions to make sure I was ready for the procedure.
The waiting around can be tedious so it is ideal to bring a book or watch the TV they have in the room, a good distraction.
It was finally my turn to be called in. I was brought into a quiet private room and given a surgery gown to put on. I was left on my own for a minute to take off all my clothes and get into this gown. The lovely nurse brought me down to surgery and the anaesthetist got me to lie down and he attached a needle with antibiotics to my arm (it didn't hurt), he injected the general anaesthetic into the back of my hand and a mask was put my nose and mouth to help me breathe.
I didn't even realise I was drifting off and next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room in a bed next to other girls in the same situation. I was surprised at how relaxed and calm I felt. A nurse came over to me with water and asked me what cold/hot drink I wanted. Moments later I was happily drinking apple juice and eating much needed biscuits.
All I felt was relief.
All the worrying and crying I did in the week up to this day was all gone. I only had some mild period-like cramps but they quickly went with the help of some more antibiotics. I had thought I would have more bleeding but it's been quite light and 3 days later it's nearly stopped. I'm lucky in that I had a positive experience made better with the fact that the staff and nurses treated me so well and were very accommodating and helpful despite the long waiting for everyone on that particular day. I am surprised at how little pain I have had and would definitely recommend surgical under general anaesthetic for anyone undecided.In regards to the emotional side of things I'm feeling ok, haven't cried since the procedure and am feeling very relieved it's all over and I am no longer pregnant. I was 100% sure of this decision so perhaps that's the reason I was so relieved and feeling happy.
