The following account has been shared with Patient Safety Learning by Jen*:
"My first coil insertion and later removal were both done at different GP surgeries and were both agonising. I have broken bones and torn ligaments before, yet nothing compared to the pain I experienced in and after those procedures. For my second coil insertion, I felt I was prepared as I was going to a health centre where I would receive a local anaesthetic and numbing gel, and the procedure would be done by expert nurses. I also took paracetamol beforehand. Still, the pain was so agonising that I screamed. When it came to getting up, they told me I was white as a sheet and then I fainted. There were two nurses there and they had no idea what to do with me. I couldn't stand without my legs collapsing under me. They offered me ibuprofen and visibly panicked when I reminded them I am allergic to it; it was like they had run out of options. Eventually they told me they needed to close so sent me on my way. I had no one with me and drove myself home - I convinced myself I was being very silly and weak because if it was that bad, they'd have called for an ambulance or at least advised me to call a friend, instead of allowing - in fact encouraging me - to drive myself home. I screamed and sobbed in pain all the way home, where I managed get myself a hot water bottle and to drag myself upstairs to bed. I found leftover tramadol from when I broke my ankle, and it didn't touch the pain. I eventually passed out again. The pain lasted for days, and I didn't feel able to tell anyone what was wrong - I had been told by many doctors for many years that I had a low pain threshold and thought that my experience was a reflection of that. I felt a bit pathetic and weak, to be honest.
"During all of my coil appointments, I was told I had a tilted uterus which they said was very common, and why the insertions had been so 'tricky'. I was later diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis and was told they were common causes for a tilted uterus! There was no mention of those conditions as a possible cause when previously discussed, it was just explained as being one of those things - which would suggest to me that there is a gap in education for healthcare providers.
"To this day, that second coil fitting is of the most traumatic experiences I have ever had."
*The patients name has been changed