Now that I've had both procedures done, I've decided to do a little comparison. I know I've been terrified of these procedures more than labor itself, so if anyone out there googles and comes across my blog... here you have it. A complete set of both experiences. Now of course this is for me and my body alone, and everyone is different, but it might still be comforting to hear.
We'll start with the HSG, since I had it first. Basically, I was so afraid to have this done that I took Xanax beforehand. It did nothing. I mean NOTHING to calm me down. I walked into the office and was immediately taken back because I was late since it was in a different office than I'm used to. The room was very dark and filled with machinery and a standard gyn table. I undressed from the waist down and put a gown on and sat on the table. The doctor and nurse came in right away. I shimmied down to the end and they put in a speculum. 30 seconds later they told me I was done. I had no idea what was going on and didn't feel a damn thing but the speculum. I was afraid they hadn't actually done it, but they showed me the X-ray and sure enough, there were my tubes and uterus... exactly where they were supposed to be with spillage. I did not have any blockages, so that could be part of why it was OK. I think I took 2 ibuprofen before this one. So here are some ratings on a scale of 1-10.
Anticipation: 10
Pain during: 0
Discomfort: 3
Ambience: 5 (it was scary with all the machines but the dim lighting was nice)
Pain after: 0
Next is the SHG, which I just had this morning. I wasn't nearly as scared because the HSG had gone so well. I will say that my last pap was about 10 times worse than either of these tests. So this one I went into a room I'm used to because it was in my office, and I get all my day 3 ultrasounds done in here. It's the same table and an ultrasound machine, and lots of light. This time she told me some women get cramping (the same doctor did this one), and she would tell me when to take breaths. I shimmied down to the end of the table and, just like last time, they put the speculum in. She told me she was cleaning the cervix with betadine, which I didn't feel, and then that she was putting the catheter in, which I also didn't feel. Then she took the speculum out and it was weird because I could feel the catheter then, but it didn't hurt. Then they put in the ultrasound probe and took a few pictures. She showed me everything as she was doing it. I kept waiting for pain as she told me to take breaths, but it didn't happen. It was, however, extremely messy. I fould feel saline pouring out which was very weird. Then we were done. I got up and got dressed and left. I didn't take anything at all for this one.
Anticipation: 4
Pain during: 0
Discomfort: 4 (this is a little higher simply because it was messy and took longer)
Ambience: 6 (it was more comfortable because it was famliar)
Pain after: 1
So there you have it. The SHG took longer, at about 4-5 minutes. Neither one hurt in any way, except the absolute mildest of cramps after the SHG. They were uncomfortable because. hey, what uterus wants to be filled with saline or dye? I don't want to schedule Saturday SHGs for pleasure, but ultimtely both tests were absolute pieces of cake.
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