Cystoscopy Advice

If any of my readers or twitter followers have IC or are being tested for IC, you will have a cystoscopy. 

Photo Credit: Mayo Clinic

I was diagnosed with PFD and IC during a cystoscopy in September of 2012. When my previous urologist told me that I would be having a cystoscopy I wasn't even sure what it was. I was in pain, exhausted from the pain, confused and thought I would do anything at the time for relief. 

I remember my urologist telling my husband and me that his medical assistant would set up the cystoscopy appointment and that the procedure would last about two minutes. He also told me that I could time him if I wanted.

I knew then that it was going to be an unpleasant experience, but I scheduled the appointment. 

Two weeks went by, and it was the day of my cystoscopy procedure. I had read exactly what a cystoscopy entailed, so I had been trying to mentally prepare myself for the procedure for two long weeks.

Dr. A (my urologist) came in with his medical assistant to start the procedure and numbed the skin. They waited for the numbing to take affect, then started the procedure. It was the most gruesome two minutes of my life. I did not time Dr. A, but if it only took two minutes, it felt much longer. The pain was brutal and I was in pain for a couple of days following. The situation was barbaric.

                                  

Just today, I was talking with one of my endo sisters who also has IC and we were talking about our experiences. My cystoscopy came up and I told her that I will never understand why I was sedated for my colonoscopy but not for my cystocopy. She told me that it sedation is the doctor's choice and that she had her first cystoscopy without sedation. also. Her experience was horrible, and she was traumatized from the experience also. 

She told me that a future doctor told her that doctors who do not sedate patients before a cystoscopy procedure are inhumane. No one should go to a doctor who will not sedate their patients before the procedure. 

So, ladies, if your doctor is going to perform a cystoscopy as a diagnosis method and does not sedate. Run. Find another doctors as soon as possible. We are in enough pain as it is, and do not need cruel doctors to make us feel worse. 

xo Heather