Week 1 after Mirena Removal

It has been one week (July 15^th, 2016) since Mirena was removed from my body.  I felt a little crampy for a couple of hours after the removal, but my spotting seemed the same as it did when I had Mirena.  The last few months, I had been spotting brown blood for days at a time.  I still have this spotting all week until yesterday, July 22^nd.  I started the worse period of my life and today, I am stuck in bed cramping and I swear I don’t remember it ever feeling this painful, but then again it has been 9 years without much of anything that resembled a period other than spotting from time to time. 

This week I have been moody, weepy, sweaty and tired.  My weight though has instantly changed!  I was 245 just last Friday and today a week later I am at 236.  I have never seen this happen during the 9 years with Mirena.  Last Friday, I told the nurse that I couldn’t wait to get my period for the first time in so long and she looked at me funny.  This period is horrendous, but I have read that it will get better.  I certainly hope so.  I am in so much pain and am soaking through pads.  I apologize if this post is just too disgusting for some, but I want to be bluntly honest about my experience after removal. 

The Day I removed 9 years of Damage from My Body

So I guess my title sounds a bit overdramatic; however, there would be no other description worthy of the hell that Mirena has caused.  Granted I am sure that there are women who have had worse outcomes with Mirena such as it poking through their uterus, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease etc., but for me Mirena has taken away my body.  I was starting to feel less of a woman. 

July 15^th, 2016.  I saw my OB/GYN.  He has been my doctor for years; however, I must confess that I had been a terrible patient because I neglected to see him since he placed my second Mirena in May 2011.  His face when he saw me, I could only assume it was a shock to see how big I have gotten, but then again I feel like everyone who hasn’t seen me in a while are astonished at how fat I have become. 

Let me back up to May 2011, I went in to have the first Mirena removed and have a new placement put in.  My doctor was unable to get the Mirena out without the aid of ultrasound, so I was surprised when he was able to get it out with just a light, but painful tug.  He asked if I wanted some other kind of birth control.  I told him I am absolutely finished with all of it.  He asked me what have I experienced and I told him everything from my weight gain, acne and facial hair.  He didn’t look either convinced or surprised so maybe he has heard it all before.  He has been talking to me about tubal litigation and I am considering it, but it is condoms here on out. 

I am now free from 9 years of havoc and now I want to blog how my body is hopefully getting back to normal here on out.  I don’t see many posts, blogs, or websites that follow a woman’s path to getting her body back post Mirena and I wanted to create this blog to help women find hope, if at all I have any success at feeling better again.  

My 9 years with Mirena! What was I thinking?

In early 2007, I decided to give Mirena a try.  The thought of life without periods and not worrying about birth control for 5 years at a time seemed quite enticing.  I had just started dating my husband who was my boyfriend back then.  We both knew that we didn’t want children as I had two of my own and he had five.  Before Mirena, I was a size 12 (167 pounds) and had already had a diagnosis of Medullary Sponge Kidney which contributes to my blood pressure always being high.  Nevertheless, I was sold.

Shortly after getting the Mirena put into place, I gained weight.  I ballooned instantly to a size 14.  I was feeling bad, but never thought it was Mirena.  I literally had to buy all new size 14 clothes at the end of 2007 and shortly after saw my size bloom up even more.  I was also experiencing hair falling out in the shower in what seemed to be large quantities.  My hair is now thinner than it was 9 years ago, though I am not bald. 

I also have had terrible cystic acne on my neck.  I have had heart palpitations, numbness in feet and hands, bad smelling vaginal discharge, memory issues, thick black hair growing under my chin, but even still in 2011, I yet again placed another Mirena in and currently (2016) am now a size 20 and 245 pounds. 

It wasn’t until this past year that I come to realize after thinking about it that maybe just maybe Mirena was the culprit for all my woes.  I started searching and found numerous other women with similar experiences.  I spoke with my husband, but he wasn’t set on me removing Mirena because he was worried we would get pregnant.  It wasn’t until I told him that I feel that Mirena is hurting my body and it could possibly cause my kidneys to have more trouble that he finally felt that I needed to get it out.  So after 9 years, I made my appointment to get it removed on July 15^th, 2016.