Dye-ing for Answers (HSG)

I got all geared up for this HSG (or the dye test). You're injected with dye to give doctors a look at your reproductive system. I watched women get it many times on the Discovery Health channel.  In nearly all the cases, the women became pregnant shortly after the test because the pressure from the dye cleared up minor blockage in their Fallopian tubes. 

I'll let you in on a little secret: I was pretty sure the dye test would cure me. I thought I was like those women on TV. Uhm, yeah...I was wrong. 

So I'll tell you how the test worked. I took some antibiotics a couple of days before the actual test, then I took 600 mg of ibuprofen right before my appointment. 

I walked in and was told to change into a gown and put a little hat on my head. I looked hilarious. It's the normal shower cap looking thing they make you wear for procedures, but I cracked myself up in it. I even texted a picture to my hubby so he could laugh too. 

Several minutes later, I was walked into the room. I was told to lie on a table and put my feet in the stirrups.  While Dr. J worked "down there" another woman was on the side of me watching the monitor and warning me when the pain would be at its worst.

Ok..let's take a minute and address the pain. I don't know if the ibuprofen was working or what, but it wasn't that bad. It wasn't a walk in the park, but I survived. It felt like an intense burning sensation when Dr. J inserted the dye "down there." BUT I didn't freak out because unlike a menstrual cramp, I knew the pain would stop very soon. 

Here was my problem: THE DYE KEPT LEAKING OUT. I never got to see if my tubes were clear and I basically went through the test three times.  My largest fibroid was distorting my cervix. Who needs a condom or birth control when the sperm can't get through the cervix? (Prepare yourself for TMI) This moment connected so many dots for me. I never knew my huge puddle after sex wasn't normal. 

This test made it clear to Dr. J that I needed to remove the fibroids. She felt there was a real danger that if I got pregnant, the fibroids would terminate the pregnancy.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, I was on track for a date with the inside of an operating room.