(no subject)
So, I have my IUD now. What follows is a detailed description. And potential TMI for those who don't want to know about my sex life.
It actually starts last night. Planned Parenthood gave me a scrip for misoprostol, a prostaglandin that helps soften the cervix. I took 400 mcg at midnight (you're supposed to take it 8-12 hours before insertion). It certainly did the job. It also had me running to the bathroom a few times in the early morning. At any rate. I also took 4 advil about an hour before my appointment to prepare for any pain or inflammation that might ensue.
Navarre and I got to Planned Parenthood, where I then filled out a few forms. Shortly thereafter, they called me back. They were great about letting Navarre come with me, which I appreciated. And he was generally great about holding my hand and being affectionate throughout.
The actual procedure involved three steps. The first was grabbing onto the cervix with a tenaculum:
They use the tenaculum to pull the cervix down and give them better access, from what I understand. That was uncomfortable. It felt like a bad cramp.
Then the sounding. They took a metal rod:
Which they then used to poke the back wall of my uterus, so they would know where to place the IUD. That hurt. In fact, that was the worst thing out of the whole procedure. That felt like a really bad cramp. The doc told me it feels a lot like a contraction. At which point I thought, gah, that's an awful way to spend a few hours, and, also, well, that's not all that bad. I've certainly been through worse.
She then gave me a breather. This was good. I was able to meditate a little and completely get rid of the pain. (Remind me to thank my father for teaching me how to use medical meditation for pain management).
Then came the insertion of my new little buddy:
That didn't hurt at all. In fact, it was barely noticeable. The doc cut my strings, which didn't bother me. Then she stepped back, told me I'd done great, offered me a pad and told me that we could go back to having sex whenever I felt up to it.
Since then, I've only felt slightly crampy. Not too bad. And it would probably be better if I took some advil.
At any rate, Navarre took me home, came in and cuddled me for aftercare (yay, aftercare). I actually felt well enough that we decided to give it a test run. And, indeed, all is well. No problems for me. No problems for him.
I have decided that my new IUD is getting a name. So, folks, let me introduce you to Nikita (as in La Femme). So far, she does, indeed, kick ass.
It actually starts last night. Planned Parenthood gave me a scrip for misoprostol, a prostaglandin that helps soften the cervix. I took 400 mcg at midnight (you're supposed to take it 8-12 hours before insertion). It certainly did the job. It also had me running to the bathroom a few times in the early morning. At any rate. I also took 4 advil about an hour before my appointment to prepare for any pain or inflammation that might ensue.
Navarre and I got to Planned Parenthood, where I then filled out a few forms. Shortly thereafter, they called me back. They were great about letting Navarre come with me, which I appreciated. And he was generally great about holding my hand and being affectionate throughout.
The actual procedure involved three steps. The first was grabbing onto the cervix with a tenaculum:
They use the tenaculum to pull the cervix down and give them better access, from what I understand. That was uncomfortable. It felt like a bad cramp.
Then the sounding. They took a metal rod:
Which they then used to poke the back wall of my uterus, so they would know where to place the IUD. That hurt. In fact, that was the worst thing out of the whole procedure. That felt like a really bad cramp. The doc told me it feels a lot like a contraction. At which point I thought, gah, that's an awful way to spend a few hours, and, also, well, that's not all that bad. I've certainly been through worse.
She then gave me a breather. This was good. I was able to meditate a little and completely get rid of the pain. (Remind me to thank my father for teaching me how to use medical meditation for pain management).
Then came the insertion of my new little buddy:
That didn't hurt at all. In fact, it was barely noticeable. The doc cut my strings, which didn't bother me. Then she stepped back, told me I'd done great, offered me a pad and told me that we could go back to having sex whenever I felt up to it.
Since then, I've only felt slightly crampy. Not too bad. And it would probably be better if I took some advil.
At any rate, Navarre took me home, came in and cuddled me for aftercare (yay, aftercare). I actually felt well enough that we decided to give it a test run. And, indeed, all is well. No problems for me. No problems for him.
I have decided that my new IUD is getting a name. So, folks, let me introduce you to Nikita (as in La Femme). So far, she does, indeed, kick ass.