About two weeks ago, I went to my university's Urgent Care department because I'd felt nauseous and exhausted for over three days. I suspected the flu, which has been particularly nasty this year. The NP didn't see anything wrong with me, and just for kicks, had me take a urine pregnancy test. It came back positive. Well, I'd thought about this worst-case scenario when I decided to use condoms with my boyfriend (rather than the Patch or the Ring which I'd used before), so I knew that an abortion was in my future. I consoled the NP, who was busily telling me that I didn't have to be so strong (what the heck?), went back to work, and called Planned Parenthood to make an appointment. Fast forward to this morning! I packed one of my Reproductive Rights Conference canvas bags with a change of clothes, some cloth menstrual pads, and a novel I needed to finish for lit class. I arrived at the clinic at 8 a.m., filled out the requisite paperwork (allergies, emergency contact, consent, etc), met with a counselor for yet another conversation about exactly how sure I was about the abortion. I also made an appointment to get the Mirena IUD in a couple of weeks, which is both more effective and less pricey than standard Rx BC, yay. I had an ultrasound, during which the tech excused herself to grab a nurse.
The nurse confirmed that I was actually 9 weeks pregnant, rather than
the 6 weeks I'd expected based on my last period. That was still well
within the timeframe for surgical abortion, though, so after that, I
was brought to the surgery room. The NP hooked up my IV, took my
vitals, and I got a little hazy from the meds. The doctor spent maybe
5 minutes total, from insertion to removal, and I barely felt a thing--
I've had more painful Paps than that! I asked to see the tissue
afterward, and it seemed so tiny and, well, like three large clots of
blood, just a bit bigger than one you might find on a pad. Nothing
special. I was wheeled into the recovery room, where I snacked on
Saltines and ginger ale, took an antibiotic, and chatted with the
nurses about which local coffee shop makes the best smoothies. After
20 minutes, they let me get changed into the comfy clothes I'd
brought. I headed back to the reception area, where my boyfriend gave
me a big hug and took me home. More saltines, some ginger ale, and a
cheesy movie later, I'm feeling almost back to normal. Overall an
excellent experience, and many thanks to the PP staff for making a
potentially stressful day much better than I expected!
   |