Soo, I finally got Mirena (TMI- boys beware)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Hi all- been so busy with work and whatnot I haven’t been here in ages.

Anyway, for anyone who cares, 3 weeks ago I got the full gynae overhaul- laparoscopy, D&C, Mirena. It’s been 6 months in coming, but it was worth it.
It was meant to be a hysteroscopy instead of the D&C, but my uterus is too retroverted for the hysteroscope. As the doctor said, “the scope is straight, your uterus…isn’t.”

Apart from waking up afterward before the Fentanyl had kicked in and needing IV morphine, everything went fine. The anaesthetic didn’t even make me sick! I got home the same day, no problems with the incisions (which are both tiny and not in noticeable places) and went back to work, starting with a 12 hour shift, 6 days later. I got three days worth of Diclofenac and Co-codamol 8/500 (I think that’s Tylenol 3), but only used it for two, so really not as painful as I thought it was going to be. The only bad thing is that yes, I do indeed have some endometriosis, but my ovaries and tubes are all ok, and it isn’t bad enough to need any more treatment.

It was totally weird being a patient, but everyone was super nice and I couldn’t have asked for better care. I did have to tell them that I was a doctor, because “we’re just going to make two tiny cuts in your tummy and look inside with a special telescope” gets old, fast.

So far, no trouble from the Mirena, no pain, no spotting, nothing. My mood is good, my skin is fine and I haven’t ballooned in weight or anything, in fact, I don’t really know it’s there (and neither does irishfella…we tested that out pretty quickly).

So, I’m reassured that I’m baby-proofed for the next 5 years, or until I get it removed, and that in the meantime it’s dealing with the endometriosis and awful period pain.

Since I was unconscious when it was inserted, I can’t tell you anything about that, and afterwards I couldn’t really tell which pain was from the lapaoscopy, which from the D&C and which from the Mirena, except to say that it was all bearable and after the first day, not as bad as a normal period.

So, basically I’m a happy bunny…now I just have to wait and see if I get periods and if so, what they’re like.

2

I’m glad it went well for you. I’ve been wondering where you were…welcome back!

3

Hi, welcome back! :slight_smile:

4

I need answers from this. I’m not sure if you’d know yet, but maybe someone who looks at this will.

Out of curiosity, I noticed that there’s a “pull string” on the Mirena, and I’m a little bit leery about it. How far does it stick out? Is it going to get caught on man bits while in the throes of, erm, intercourse? Am I going to [easily] accidentally mistake it for a tampon string and yank it out? What about menstrual cups? Would they accidentally catch on the string?
This string part really concerns me, while the rest seems self-explanatory.

5

Glad it went well for you! (And very timely post, as mine is coming OUT next week - I can’t deal with the side effects anymore - a 2 week long period is worse than my endometriosis periods, so I’d rather just deal with those. However, most women I know who have one LOVE theirs…).

nashiitashii, I have never mistaken the strings for tampon strings - I’ve never even felt the IUD strings aside from my midwife having me touch them to recognize what they are. And I can’t imagine that a cup would catch - if a tampon doesn’t, I can’t imagine that a cup woud, either.

E.

6

I have had my IUD for 5 years. I love it. I have never felt the string, and my husband has never said he could feel it either. The only draw back was it does make my period a bit heavier and lasts a day or two longer than it used to. I think that’s a small price to pay for birth control that I don’t have to worry about.

7

It’s less a string, more a wire, thinner than a tampon string, and my husband hasn’t noticed it yet. I used a cup the first couple of days after the op just in case, but I didn’t really need it. No problems at all using the cup.

Mirena is basically an IUD that releases small amounts of progesterone. 20% of women find it makes their periods stop altogether, and most of the rest find their periods shorter and/or lighter. Elza obviously is one of the minority. It lasts for 5 years and is aabout the most effective birth control out there, with a much quicker return to full fertility than the pill and the lowest dose form of hormonal birth control on the market. It’s marketeed at women who have had kids, but I haven’t, so it’s not a big deal-breaker.

I like…but then I’ve only had it for 3 weeks!

8

This sounds like a great alternative to having to remember to take a pill, and I’m glad I was able to get more information from you guys.

Also, I forgot to mention it in my last comment: congrats on getting it! From what I’ve read, it looks like a fairly ideal situation.

9

There is a string hanging from your hoo-ha? What is it, the emergency ripcord for your spare parachute? God, I’m getting weird mental images.

Seriously, though, glad everything went well.