Just wanted to post a quick update! Life has been a little crazy! Everything has been pretty great though, I feel like a normal person most days now. I had a 2nd period again that was on time and normal.
I met with my naturopath last week to talk about how things are going, and we went over my blood tests that my doctor did last fall. When they were originally done, I specifically asked about my thyroid. He said it was fine. However upon reviewing the results with my naturopath, my levels were at 2.4, when they should be 1.4. I'm relieved to know that there is an issue there, but I'm also rather annoyed that my doctor never said anything! So I will be looking at getting some natural supplements to help level that out, and I'm hoping that results in some weight loss, as that's one thing that still hasn't changed.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Yup, she's here.
Well hello there my long lost friend, Aunt Flo. I'm quite honestly surprised that things are seeming quite normal right now. Not only did she arrive just 3 days before I expected her, everything seems quite normal and back to the way it was before Mirena.
One thing I'm noticing is that THIS is the way cramps should feel like. Dull and achy. Not like the intense unable to move pain I was experiencing with the Mirena. I'm slightly bloated with a little headache, but it just feels so normal. This what my body is supposed to be doing!
One thing I'm noticing is that THIS is the way cramps should feel like. Dull and achy. Not like the intense unable to move pain I was experiencing with the Mirena. I'm slightly bloated with a little headache, but it just feels so normal. This what my body is supposed to be doing!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Feeling good!
I felt pretty crappy all weekend and basically just slept it off. I guess I needed it because today I feel pretty fantastic! I hope this lasts!
I'm expecting aunt flo here I think pretty soon, have a few PMS symptoms so I wonder if it's the hormone change that is giving me a mood boost. Although I think this is the first time in all of EVER that PMS made me happy instead of extremely cranky, haha. I'll take it!
I'm expecting aunt flo here I think pretty soon, have a few PMS symptoms so I wonder if it's the hormone change that is giving me a mood boost. Although I think this is the first time in all of EVER that PMS made me happy instead of extremely cranky, haha. I'll take it!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Weight loss?
On a quick note, even though I've dropped maybe 2 or 3 pounds, a friend had mentioned I looked a lot smaller already. I'm assuming that's the bloat as that's basically completely gone now. Yay!
I got the new meal plan from http://happyherbivore.com/, vegan AND gluten free AND 1200 calories a day (adjustable if need be). Hoping that helps to jump start some weight loss. Now that I'm coming off the crash (or at least improving some) I hope to be more motivated to start trying to lose some of this excess fat!
I got the new meal plan from http://happyherbivore.com/, vegan AND gluten free AND 1200 calories a day (adjustable if need be). Hoping that helps to jump start some weight loss. Now that I'm coming off the crash (or at least improving some) I hope to be more motivated to start trying to lose some of this excess fat!
Detoxing
On day 2 of my liver detox, and I can definitely feel it now. My skin keeps breaking out into a bit of a rash, and I kind of feel like I have the flu. I get SUPER irritable in the evening as well. I decided to have a detox bath tonight (1 cup of epsom salts, 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup apple cider vinegar) for 20 minutes, oh my goodness I have never experienced something like that before. Complete exhaustion, felt like full blown flu, and my muscles were twitchy afterwards. I had laid on the bathroom floor for 5 minutes after the bath just so I wouldn't pass out. Now, I take hot baths very frequently but I have never had that happen before. I don't know if it's the mix of going through a liver detox that did it, or the baking soda or what. I'm going to try and have a detox bath twice a week for awhile and hopefully that helps to clean my system out.
All in all just trying to clean these toxins and hormones out of my body!
All in all just trying to clean these toxins and hormones out of my body!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Naturopath Visit
Things have been slightly better but I still feel a little off, more just tired and sluggish than anything else. I just want to sleep!
I saw a Naturopath today and discussed all of the symptoms I had and how I'm doing so much better now, and that all of the symptoms are gone, I'm just left feeling so very tired. She explained to me how I'm sensitive to the hormones in the IUD which gave me such horrible side effects. She's put me on a liver detox for the next month to help push all of the leftover hormones out of my body.
I'm taking one of these in the morning (she also suggested having extra fiber when I take them):
And two of these with dinner:
Here's to hoping things keep improving!
I saw a Naturopath today and discussed all of the symptoms I had and how I'm doing so much better now, and that all of the symptoms are gone, I'm just left feeling so very tired. She explained to me how I'm sensitive to the hormones in the IUD which gave me such horrible side effects. She's put me on a liver detox for the next month to help push all of the leftover hormones out of my body.
I'm taking one of these in the morning (she also suggested having extra fiber when I take them):
And two of these with dinner:
Here's to hoping things keep improving!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
A little better
Today was a little better! Not nearly as tired and blah as I have been. I tried to go for a run, failed miserably. Weird though, I went last week and my shins didn't hurt at all, I just pulled a groin muscle. So I decided to give it a little rest. Today however I could barely run at all! I still went out for a 30 minute walk though. I just felt so frustrated over not being able to run, it didn't do much to improve my mood.
Then I decided because I noticed my stomach was looking flat today I would weigh in. Ummmm yeah will not be doing that after dinner again. Major mood buster. I FEEL better but the scale is not agreeing with me.
I decided to scroll back (I use the Wii fit to weigh in so it tracks weigh in's for me) a few years, and from May of 08' (I got the IUD in Feb) to October of '08 I gained 20 pounds!!! By January '09 I was up another 10. From then until now I have stayed within the same 10 pound range and I just CAN'T break out of it. I really really REALLY hope having this IUD out will help things a bit. It's incredibly frustrating!
Then I decided because I noticed my stomach was looking flat today I would weigh in. Ummmm yeah will not be doing that after dinner again. Major mood buster. I FEEL better but the scale is not agreeing with me.
I decided to scroll back (I use the Wii fit to weigh in so it tracks weigh in's for me) a few years, and from May of 08' (I got the IUD in Feb) to October of '08 I gained 20 pounds!!! By January '09 I was up another 10. From then until now I have stayed within the same 10 pound range and I just CAN'T break out of it. I really really REALLY hope having this IUD out will help things a bit. It's incredibly frustrating!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Crashing hard
Ugh, I am definitely experiencing the mirena crash. I'm exhausted, achy, dizzy, nausea, shakey and have vertigo. Seriously just want to crawl into bed and stay there. Trying to eat well, drink lots of water and take vitamins. Hope this doesn't last for too long, and really looking forward to my Naturopath appointment next week.
On a good note though, my skin is looking fantastic! For the first time in a long time... not a single breakout. It's weird to touch my face and it's actually smooth. Bloating is still down and I feel less swollen. Things down below are seeming more back to normal as well (I'll spare the TMI details...).
So while this crash isn't fun, I do feel better overall. At least I haven't had any mood swings!
On a good note though, my skin is looking fantastic! For the first time in a long time... not a single breakout. It's weird to touch my face and it's actually smooth. Bloating is still down and I feel less swollen. Things down below are seeming more back to normal as well (I'll spare the TMI details...).
So while this crash isn't fun, I do feel better overall. At least I haven't had any mood swings!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Crashing
On day 5 now and I can feel the "mirena crash" now. Started a little on Friday with headaches and feeling a bit sluggish, Saturday was much of the same, but today I just want to sleep and I feel like I have the flu or something. Trying to drink lots of water and eat healthy to help ease the crash at least a little! I hope this doesn't last for too long.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
2 days since removal
Feeling amazing!!! Cooking dinner last night my boyfriend says "who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" after he said something that would normally make me fly off the handle. So, mood has been a huge improvement.
The bloating is going down now! Here's a before and after of 2 days..
The bloating is going down now! Here's a before and after of 2 days..
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
12 hour update
So it's been 12 hours since removal, and what a difference in my mood! We went to home depot and I ended up in a laughing fit for no reason at all.. I just felt that good. I've been having muscle spasms in what feels like my uterus which is rather strange feeling, if I put my hand over the area it feels like a baby kicking, lol. Bleeding stopped, just had a little spotting about 2 hours after removal. So far so good!
And, the photo I took this morning of my mirena belly. This is before breakfast, previous day was completely clean eating.
And, the photo I took this morning of my mirena belly. This is before breakfast, previous day was completely clean eating.
Removed!
I had my Mirena removed this morning. It was very quick, and not too painful. Bit of a sharp pinch for just a second, followed by a weird cramped up feeling. It's been about 3 hours since it was out and I just feel kind of empty or something, I didn't realize how much I could feel the Mirena! I just feel nothing, no cramping or tightness.
I've got a slight headache and I'm a little lightheaded, but that happened when it was inserted as well. I took a quick photo of my "mirena belly" this morning, I'll take another tomorrow and see if there is a difference at all.
I booked an appointment with a naturopath in 2 weeks to discuss the symptoms I had and I'm hoping to be put on a detox plan.
In the meantime I'm waiting for the crash!
I've got a slight headache and I'm a little lightheaded, but that happened when it was inserted as well. I took a quick photo of my "mirena belly" this morning, I'll take another tomorrow and see if there is a difference at all.
I booked an appointment with a naturopath in 2 weeks to discuss the symptoms I had and I'm hoping to be put on a detox plan.
In the meantime I'm waiting for the crash!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Links!
I wanted to share a list of links of various blogs and forum posts regarding the effects of Mirena, not only for myself to reference to but hoping it can help out someone else who suspects Mirena is the cause of their problems! I'll keep adding to this list as I find more :)
http://lifeaftermirena.blogspot.com/
http://mylifeaftermirena.blogspot.com/
http://heatherandavery.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-experience-with-mirena-iud.html
http://www.mommamaven.com/2012/03/im-finally-breaking-up-with-my-mirena.html
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=713
http://lifeaftermirena.blogspot.com/
http://mylifeaftermirena.blogspot.com/
http://heatherandavery.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-experience-with-mirena-iud.html
http://www.mommamaven.com/2012/03/im-finally-breaking-up-with-my-mirena.html
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=713
4 years with Mirena
I decided to make a blog about life with my Mirena IUD, and make updates after my removal. There are a few blogs out there already, but the more experiences that are accounted for the better!
After having chronic migraines, which started producing auras, the doctor decided to take me off of birth control pills (people who have auras are at a higher risk for blood clots, which means birth control pills were out of the question). I couldn't have the patch or the ring, as it was the same hormones involved as the pill. My choices were the depo shot or the IUD. I had heard enough horror stories about the shot so I decided the IUD would be perfect. It was highly recommended by the doctor, only progesterone and it wouldn't go through my body! This was in Feb of 2008.
I really loved the IUD, I didn't have any issues with it (other than having to get the strings cut after a couple of weeks when it settled) and I was very happy to have a 1 day very light period. The cramps were always quite intense, but it was a small price to pay for the convenience of it. In April of 2008 I noticed rather suddenly that the vision in my right eye was blurry. I went to the optometrist, and sure enough I was near sighted in my right eye (-.75, not a lot but enough to need glasses). I figured it must have been from working at a desk job, even though I had been doing that for a few years already.
Over the summer I started gaining weight. I moved to a new city with a new job in the fall, and more weight came on. I figured it was just from the stress of it all. By Christmas I was up 30 pounds. I started dieting and working out, to no avail. In fact I gained another 10 pounds. I've yet to get that to budge, despite having a personal trainer for a time, spending months in the gym, doing P90X, various diets... the weight just won't budge. And the BOOBS. OMG! I was always rather chesty but I went from a large C to a freaking double G. Goodbye pretty bras!
Acne. Ugh. I always had acne as a teen, but not like this. Big cystic acne that wouldn't go away. My skin is now covered in deep scars.
I had experienced lower back pain for quite awhile, my back was just very tender and felt bruised all the time. Early 2011 (3 years after Mirena) I started getting sciatic nerve pain all the time, I couldn't sit for more than 10 minutes without a shooting pain down my leg. I started going to the chiropractor 3 days a week for 3 months, which did help a bit and the sciata isn't as frequent, but the bruised feeling never went away. I never attributed this to being a side effect of the Mirena until reading how many others have had the same issues.
Summer of 2011 I experienced headaches every single day for 8 weeks straight. I thought it was food related, so I experimented with that for awhile. Gluten seemed to have an effect, but after cutting it out and still having headaches I realized that couldn't have been the culprit. These weren't just normal headaches, intense cluster headaches that radiated pain behind my eye and left me with a throbbing tightness all day and worsened at night. I would wake up in the middle of the night in the worst pain imaginable.
A list of the symptoms I have had with my Mirena:
I have decided to have my Mirena IUD removed after 4 years. It comes out tomorrow morning. I'll be using this blog to keep track of the process and hopefully some of these strange symptoms start to disappear!
After having chronic migraines, which started producing auras, the doctor decided to take me off of birth control pills (people who have auras are at a higher risk for blood clots, which means birth control pills were out of the question). I couldn't have the patch or the ring, as it was the same hormones involved as the pill. My choices were the depo shot or the IUD. I had heard enough horror stories about the shot so I decided the IUD would be perfect. It was highly recommended by the doctor, only progesterone and it wouldn't go through my body! This was in Feb of 2008.
I really loved the IUD, I didn't have any issues with it (other than having to get the strings cut after a couple of weeks when it settled) and I was very happy to have a 1 day very light period. The cramps were always quite intense, but it was a small price to pay for the convenience of it. In April of 2008 I noticed rather suddenly that the vision in my right eye was blurry. I went to the optometrist, and sure enough I was near sighted in my right eye (-.75, not a lot but enough to need glasses). I figured it must have been from working at a desk job, even though I had been doing that for a few years already.
Over the summer I started gaining weight. I moved to a new city with a new job in the fall, and more weight came on. I figured it was just from the stress of it all. By Christmas I was up 30 pounds. I started dieting and working out, to no avail. In fact I gained another 10 pounds. I've yet to get that to budge, despite having a personal trainer for a time, spending months in the gym, doing P90X, various diets... the weight just won't budge. And the BOOBS. OMG! I was always rather chesty but I went from a large C to a freaking double G. Goodbye pretty bras!
Acne. Ugh. I always had acne as a teen, but not like this. Big cystic acne that wouldn't go away. My skin is now covered in deep scars.
I had experienced lower back pain for quite awhile, my back was just very tender and felt bruised all the time. Early 2011 (3 years after Mirena) I started getting sciatic nerve pain all the time, I couldn't sit for more than 10 minutes without a shooting pain down my leg. I started going to the chiropractor 3 days a week for 3 months, which did help a bit and the sciata isn't as frequent, but the bruised feeling never went away. I never attributed this to being a side effect of the Mirena until reading how many others have had the same issues.
Summer of 2011 I experienced headaches every single day for 8 weeks straight. I thought it was food related, so I experimented with that for awhile. Gluten seemed to have an effect, but after cutting it out and still having headaches I realized that couldn't have been the culprit. These weren't just normal headaches, intense cluster headaches that radiated pain behind my eye and left me with a throbbing tightness all day and worsened at night. I would wake up in the middle of the night in the worst pain imaginable.
One night I experienced a strange feeling in my hand, it
felt like it was burning, and anything I touched made it worse. Yet my hand was
cool to the touch. It lasted for about an hour. I started googling and that's
when I came across strange Mirena symptoms women were having, and that's when
the pieces started to fall together and everything made sense.
- headaches
- acne
- weight gain
- blurry vision
- back pain
- sciatia
- burning sensation in hands
- nausea
- bloated (I always look pregnant)
- muscle twitching and spasms
- lowered sex drive
- forgetfullness
- speech problems (slurring, stuttering, forgetting words)
- mood swings
I have decided to have my Mirena IUD removed after 4 years. It comes out tomorrow morning. I'll be using this blog to keep track of the process and hopefully some of these strange symptoms start to disappear!
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