What if I don't want the nerve block?
I strongly recommend the block. But it is not absolutely necessary if for some reason you do not want it.
The formal name for the block is a "Superior Hypogastric Plexus Block" aka Superior Hypogastric Nerve Block (SHNB).
Think of it as the same thing a dentist does when they numb part of your mouth prior to drilling on a tooth, or some other procedure. If you have had that, you have had a nerve block. The medication the dentist uses typically wear off after one or two hours.
I use a longer-acting local anesthetic for the SHNB, one that lasts 24-36 hours. Long enough to get you past the worst pain UFE would otherwise cause.
If you have visited internet sites where the women discuss how much pain their UFE caused, they almost certainly did not get the nerve block. There remain many locations in the U.S. that do UFE but do not offer SHNB.
Rarely, a woman who does not take the block may have as little pain as her monthly cycle. Most of the time the pain is pretty severe, worse that you period pain. And some women without the block have told me it was like a labor cramp that would not stop.
If you have that kind of pain, I will admit you to the hospital for overnight observation and pain control. By the morning after the UFE the pain is about 80% gone. You will switch from the IV medicine to pain medicine that you take by mouth as the sun rises the following morning. Your nurse will remove the catheter from your bladder (if you have one) and take out the IV once you no longer need it. Your IRC doctor will come by to evaluate you and get you ready for discharge by reviewing your discharge instructions.
The smart move, however, is to take the block.
The formal name for the block is a "Superior Hypogastric Plexus Block" aka Superior Hypogastric Nerve Block (SHNB).
Think of it as the same thing a dentist does when they numb part of your mouth prior to drilling on a tooth, or some other procedure. If you have had that, you have had a nerve block. The medication the dentist uses typically wear off after one or two hours.
I use a longer-acting local anesthetic for the SHNB, one that lasts 24-36 hours. Long enough to get you past the worst pain UFE would otherwise cause.
If you have visited internet sites where the women discuss how much pain their UFE caused, they almost certainly did not get the nerve block. There remain many locations in the U.S. that do UFE but do not offer SHNB.
Rarely, a woman who does not take the block may have as little pain as her monthly cycle. Most of the time the pain is pretty severe, worse that you period pain. And some women without the block have told me it was like a labor cramp that would not stop.
If you have that kind of pain, I will admit you to the hospital for overnight observation and pain control. By the morning after the UFE the pain is about 80% gone. You will switch from the IV medicine to pain medicine that you take by mouth as the sun rises the following morning. Your nurse will remove the catheter from your bladder (if you have one) and take out the IV once you no longer need it. Your IRC doctor will come by to evaluate you and get you ready for discharge by reviewing your discharge instructions.
The smart move, however, is to take the block.
