Pain with Cystoscopy?

[sue1]

I had this procedure a few yrs ago & it was pretty painful & im just wondering IF it would have been painful if i did NOT have IC? :confused:

a friend of mine is getting this done & asked what it was like..i dont want to freak her out but i want her to be prepared. & it she DOESNT have IC...will it hurt? it will be in-office by a urologist.

TY~~

[SharonA]

I have never had one of these, but I have read here that it can be painful, very uncomfortable, to not bad at all. I guess it depends on what the person getting it considers it.

I don't think it makes any difference whether you have IC or not as to how it feels.

[mlzippy7]

I had several but only one in a doctors office without anesthesia. It was HORRIBLE!! NEVER again will I let them do that.
I am sure it depends on the skill of your doctor as well.
Good luck to your friend!

[GriffsMommy]

I agree with Sharon, everyone is so different. I don't think that someone would have to have IC to find an in office cysto painful.

I have to say though I had two a couple of years apart and they were totally different experiences. The first one was with a uro who was not very kind, they did not use any lidocaine to numb my urethra. I didn't even know I was having the cysto till I got there and then starting setting me up to do it. The dr didn't even drain the water out of my bladder afterwards and made me go and void it out. This one I must say did hurt and was very tramatic for me.
The second one was this time last year. I did know what they were going to be doing, it was a much nicer more gentle uro. They did use lidocaine to numb up my urethra before hand and the nurse who was assisting told me to breathe out while he was inserting the scope. You can't tighten your muscles if you are exhaling. I still use this wonderful piece of advice today and try to remember to exhale when I am doing my own cathing at home for rescue instills. This second one was uncomfortable but no where near as bad as the first one I had.
I would tell her the truth that at the very best it will probably be uncomfortable but some people have found it to be painful. Just let her know that it varies so much from person to person there is no way for you to know how she will react. Good luck to her!

[ICNDonna]

If your friend can manage to relax, it isn't as bad. Even for someone who does not have IC, a cysto can hurt. The more scared and tense, the more pain. If she's ever had a catheter inserted, it's not worse than that.

Donna

[sue1]

thanks!...i agree about getting the right dr..it makes all the difference.

[mary124]

I have to agree with the others regarding pain-wise. I have had a couple of them done, they were uncomfortable, but not that painful. I was able to go back to work after them.

[magtech]

The pain that most people that I talk to have is basically from the cathetar. Not saying that a cystoscopy isn't painful, for me though I was only uncomfortable the first 12 hours after. After that I recovered quickly, I have had three done without any complication. Anything foregin to the bladder can cause irritation, that's my opinion. I hope she does well!:pray:

[MomRN]

I had an in-office cystoscopy last month.

The cath procedure was not bad. Even the scope part was not horrible. When he instilled the water and was filling my bladder, I could have screamed. It wasn't bad at first. I was writhing my hands thru my hair and trying to BREATHE and focus on breathing to get some muslces to relax. It hurt quite a bit to say the least....

I never found out my bladder capacity.

He said no IC.

He said I have "urethritis" possibly from old UTI or somehow related to endometriosis which I had surgery for in Feb.

I'm seriously considering writing him a letter to consider offering some middle ground in terms of the cysto. He said in-office with lidocaine gel or hospital outpatient with general anesthesia.

Why can't an in-office cysto be done with some type of sedation or medication?

I don't get it.

[ICNDonna]

MomRN, the reason they don't usually use anesthesia in doctor's offices is because there is a very small chance a patient will have a bad reaction. It's better to have anesthesia in a hospital setting where they have the equipment and specialists (anesthesiologists) to deal with a negative reaction.

Donna

[MomRN]

I understand that it's safer to have more staff available at a hospital if something goes bad.

I mainly wonder about something such as 1-2mg of Ativan. It can be given in pill form. Or perhaps Valium or Xanax to help the patient feel more relaxed. I realize these are not pain medications but it wouldn't be too difficult for the nurse to start an IV and have IV Demerol or IV Toradol or something *if* it really hurt. (or just give it IM)

MDs probably still don't want the risk of a medication reaction at the office.

I still want to urge my Urogyn to encourage folks in pain to have the general anesthesia. I hurt prior to my cysto and it was more than a little unpleasant during the filling of my bladder. Initially the cool water was almost soothing.

I realize too we all have varying degrees of tolerance. Pain is very subjective. I don't think it needs to be experienced for a test if at all possible.

[ktmill65]

I just had my first appt with a uro for a possible diagnosis of IC; I have a history of pelvic adhesions and endometriosis and was not prepared for the internal exam the uro performed...it sent me through the roof (as all internals do). He wants to perform a cystoscopy and wants to do it in his office - same as the internal exam. Does anyone know whether I can request/demand that it be done in the hospital under general? I know there are complications with anesthesia, but I don't think I can take the pain of a cysto without something. Any thoughts on how to approach this?

[ICNDonna]

That's a tough one. You really need to balance five minutes or so in the doctors office with some pain against a hospital visit with anesthesia. You might talk to the uro to be sure they plan to use a surface anesthetic on the area before the cystoscopy is inserted.

Donna

[CloverGirl]

Okay, I'm totally confused. I just had one of the most terribly painful experiences of my life--I just had a cystoscopy at my first official urologist appointment. It was TERRIBLE. I was in so much pain I started crying and near screaming. Despite it though, he said there were no major, obvious problems with my bladder. He said that because I had no pain when I voided (only cramping and aching right after) that the pain and frequency was not enough to say I DID have IC for sure. He suggested it might be Endometriosis that may not have been found on the first laprascopy I did. It frustrated me though as my GYN put me on Elmiron, which seemed to drastically HELP, and now that I've been off of it for a few weeks (darn stomach infection) the pain has since returned and gotten worse as I go. Wouldn't that make sense it WOULD be IC? I thought not everyone necessarily has the same symptoms all at once. Has anyone else had similar experiences? One doctor sayin, hey this is what it IS and another saying, well, it COULD be, BUT... He looked me in the eye and said he had no idea and there was no definitive way to really tell. All I got now is a painful pee-er and no answers. :(

[MomRN]

.... He suggested it might be Endometriosis that may not have been found on the first laprascopy I did.

Oh my goodness I'm sorry! ((((((Get Well Hugs For Clover)))))) :grouphug:

I know before having my cysto last month, I wasn't sure what to expect. Some here at ICNetwork said it was not a big deal for them and others said it was horrific. I know that we all have varying degrees of pain tolerance. I thought mine was high until I had the water instilled and a filling bladder. Brings goose bumps to my arms just thinking of it.

I too was in the "horrific" category. :( It just hurt. Urogyn gave me Pyridium which helped my "painful pee-er".

Anyway... I do not have a DX of IC. I'm glad. My Urogyn said I have urethritis. I'm doing urethral suppositories to treat this.

I had my first ever surgery for endo back in Feb and then kept having this knife like stabbing in my hoo-hah. Gyn referred me to Urogyn suspecting endometriosis deeper in pelvic floor.

Do you now anything about the endometriosis affecting the bladder/urethra? I don't. DId your Uro refer you to an endometriosis specialist then? I figure if my suppositories don't help the pain, I really think my pain must be related to endometriosis... that's a big "if". I hate not knowing.

Rest. Hang in there as your body recovers from today's stressful event. I'm so sorry it was dreadful. My Urogyn says that a high percentage of folks tolerate the cysto in-office. I certainly wasn't one of them and in hindsight with the pain I already had, I wish I'd have done the general anesthesia.

Sorry to go on so long.

Maybe someone else here knows about or has experience with endometriosis and bladder/urethra symptoms.