Anne,
I am sorry for the rollercoaster you have experienced. I am so sorry for your loss. I can imagine you must be feeling a bit overwhelmed and confused with all that has happened? It must all feel a bit surreal.
A D&C is usually done as a 'day patient'. Most times you will be in and out of theatre within an hour. A general anaesthetic is never an exciting prospect, however the amount of anaesthesia required for this procedure is minimal. You will have a needle inserted in your hand and then the anaethetist will administer the drug/s to make you 'sleep'.
Once you are 'asleep' the gynaecologist/obstetrician will dilate your cervix and suction out the contents. This is known as a 'suction curette' and is what is usually done for most first term losses. The curettage really only takes about 10 minutes most times. You will wake up in what is called "recovery" which is a room where people recover enough from their anaesthetics so that they can go back on to the ward. It will seem like you have only just gone to sleep. You shouldn't feel too much discomfort in your belly. Some women do experience discomfort but generally this is minimal. You will bleed some pink fresh loss for a couple of days or up to a week or 10 days is also normal.
When you can tolerate fluids and something to eat you will be able to go home. MOst people will tolerate fluids by an hour or so after they return from theatre. This differs for everyone though. Some people feel a little too sleepy and need to 'sleep it off' for a bit and others feel quite okay. A few people will experience some nausea.
If you have private cover and you would prefer you can ask that you stay overnight if you would feel more comfortable doing that.
After each of my curettes I bled for around 10 days and I had no discomfort at all.
Each obstetrician has their own preference about when to ttc after a d & c. Because you were in your first trimester I would think you will be advised to wait for a full cycle. It is possible and probable that you will ovulate 2-3 weeks after a d&c and then bleed around 14 days after that. I think it's important to be guided by your carer as she/he will know your own individual situation.
So sorry again Anne for what you are having to deal with. Please come back and let us know how you are going. We'll all be thinking of you...
Big Hugs
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very very sorry for your loss and I hope that you have lots of caring people around you for support, it sure takes the edge off things. I've had eight D&C's and as Lisa mentioned waiting for two cycles is what I do also, sometimes even longer if I'm not ready to start trying again. Anyway, I hope that things work out for you next time round and this forum is a great place to seek advice and be surrounded with ladies that can relate to you.
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