Hello All,

It has been about 6 weeks since I had my Mirena IUD removed.  I know I have not posted in a while, but I hit a point where I was repeating myself each post.

So at this point I feel more clear and normal in regards to my mental state and emotional state!  I started my second menstrual cycle late Monday evening and let me just say that I feel like a stuffed pig!  I have not ever had a cycle this heavy in my life, and that is not an exaggeration!  I was going through a super about every hour to hour and a half, I had to buy a box of ultra's last night (I did not know they had a size ultra)!  But it is worth it to not deal with the numerous effects from the IUD!

I have not lost much in regards to weight (about 8-10 lbs) so far, but I have actually lost a good amount in inches!  All of my clothes are fitting very loose now.

Until next time!

Two Weeks after Removal

So it has been two weeks since I had my Mirena removed.  I have had a period (very light) and a lot of mood fluctuations.  I have only lost around 5 pounds, but I am feeling my pants fitting more loose.  I feel much more clear mentally than I have in a long time!

I will post again in about a week!

Day 9- June 27, 2012

Another normal day for me!  I finished my first period in 4 years, ughhhh!  But it is better than feeling the way that I did with that thing!

Food:  Still didn't eat very well today!  I have to get my butt in gear to begin some serious weight loss!

I feel that posting daily at this point is coming to a lull of the side effects.  If I find I feel a bad day then I will post for that day, but will plan to post on a weekly basis at this point.

Day 8-  June 26, 2012

I actually felt normal today!  Still tired(ish), but very little anxiety or mood changes!

Food:  At normal (not great, but not horrible).

Will be only posting my weight weekly from here on out!  The daily thing is getting frustrating considering the fluctuation daily.

Day 7-  June 25, 2012

Today was MUCH better, very little anxiety or frustration, but still feeling tired!

Weight:  190.8 lbs.

Food:  ate normal (somewhat healthy).

Exercise:  Walked through my neighborhood pushing my son in his stroller (which added an extra 40 or so lbs in front of me!).

Day 6-  June 24, 2012

Today is hard to say, I didn't really feel anything particular.  I did have a few frustrating moments but since I did a lot of yard work and basically hit heat exhaustion.  So overall today I spent my time in the yard or laying down in the AC.

Weight:  190.6 lbs  (ate very little today due to the heat), but I did lose one of the lbs. that I gained back yesterday.  Tomorrow starts my next phase, I am going to begin eating better and exercising.

Day 5- June 23, 2012

Wow!  Today I could have won the role of the wicked witch of the east!  Every single thing made me want to scream and hit something!  I cannot recall ever feeling this angry and annoyed!  Whew!  Ready for all of these hormone fluctuations to finish!  I also got my period today for the first time in 4 years!  It is very light, but I definitely have the normal first day cramps and exhaustion.  Thank goodness my family and friends are so understanding and supportive, because they took the heat today!

Weight:  191.2  (remember I ate very bad yesterday)

Food:  Ate pretty good today actually!  Relatively healthy!  Next week I  plan to begin my exercise regime and better eating habits to see how smoothly the weight will come off.

Day 4- June 22, 2012

Today was better than the last couple!  No more nausea, thank goodness.  Still feeling very tired and extremely irritable!  Every single thing is annoying me to the point that I want to scream!  Still having bouts of anxiety, but they do seem less frequent.

Weight:  189.8 lbs

Food:  Actually ate very bad today!  Curious what the scale will say tomorrow!

Day 3- June 21,2012

Today I felt more exhausted than normal and very irritable!  The nausea subsided for the most part, and still felt less bloated.

Weight:  191.8 lbs

Food:  Ate as normal (not all good foods)

Mood: Very Tired and majorly irritable!

Day 2- June 20, 2012

Today was my first full day without the Mirena, and I felt relatively normal.  I weighed myself this morning but obviously I didn't lose much being only one day, but hey 2 lbs is better than nothing!  LOL  I had a few bouts of nausea throughout the day and felt tired/ drained most of the day.  I will say on a positive, I actually do feel less bloated.

Food:   Ate a little bad today, splurged on a homemade cinnamon roll between breakfast and lunch.

Mood:  Same as yesterday, decent with moments of bad irritability.

Hello,

Let me begin by telling you about my experience with the Mirena!

I had my IUD inserted June of 2008, and at the time of insertion I was at my normal weight for the first time since I had my son.  I weighed about 160 lbs. at the time of insertion.  I discussed with my provider the potential side effects, especially in regards to mood swings and weight gain.  I have always had a high sensitivity to all birth control.  I have always been a person who handled stress and life's hiccup's in stride.  Also, I have not ever in my life had perfect eating habits or exercise routine, but I have always been able to maintain weight or improve it with the proper efforts!

After Insertion

• About 3 months I no longer had a period, which I thought was awesome!!!  Until I began to notice some gradual weight gain.  I also began to notice that I was exhausted all of the time and lost my energy to go and do.  I also lost ALL interest in sex, which is crazy considering I was supposed to be entering my sexual prime!  
• About 12 months after I had gained around another 20 lbs. and was experiencing serious depression.  I was crying daily at all times throughout my day and felt as if my head was spinning.  For the first time in my life I thought I was literally losing my mind!  I had some stress in my life, but no more than I had experienced in the past.  I saw my OBGYN and he put me on an antidepressant.
• About 18 months after, I saw my OBGYN again because I was continuing to gain more weight!  I assumed that my metabolism had bottomed out due to the antidepressant I was on.  I informed him that I had spent 3 months doing a completely NO carb diet and cut out ALL drinks (except water) and had only gained weight instead of losing weight!  He would only change my antidepressant and attributed it to life events and stress.  At this point I decided to seek a second opinion and saw my general provider.  She placed me on a weight loss medication for 3 months to try to kick start my metabolism again, which it did.  I lost about 10-15 pounds, but once I discontinued this medication I gained all of the weight and then some back!
• About 2-3 years after, I had begun discussing with my general provider that I was really having a hard time keeping focus and remembering things which was not normal for me.  I wondered if I was suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder.  She placed me on an attention deficit disorder medication that also helped promote weight loss.  I did not lose any weight from this medicine.  I have also begun to have bad acne on my scalp (of all places).  I continued to have strong bouts of depression, zero sex drive (I could care less if even had it at all), repeat yeast infections that were only cured with prescription strength medication, intense irritability/ mood swings, severe anxiety (to the point that I would feel this overwhelming feeling that something terrible was going to happen around me), and exhaustion (no energy/ drive to want to do anything).
• 2012-  I currently weigh 194 lbs. now and fluctuate up or down within a 5 lbs range.  I have honestly tried so many different ways to lose weight.  I either lose a pound or so, or gain a couple more pounds.  In the past year I have begun to have plantar fascitis in my feet from the added weight.  This has been very discouraging which in turn has added to my depression.  All along I have attributed my experience to life events because every time I had mentioned these reactions my OBGYN, he would tell me that it was not the Mirena causing this.  Well a couple of months ago my general provider put me back on weight loss medicine to try and boost my metabolism.  After two months and only losing 5 lbs., something told me that I needed to research the side effects of the Mirena and that it was the cause of my symptoms.  I found these two websites that gave me a realization that I am not crazy or alone:
• http://lifeaftermirena.blogspot.com/2008/02/so-you-think-your-iud-is-causing.html 
• http://www.lifetimemoms.com/family-parenting-tips/blog/mirena-iud-side-effects-or-am-i-crazy 

You would think that I would have thought to research this sooner than 4 years later, but I honestly trusted my OBGYN that inserted my Mirena!  I told my husband that I am getting this thing taken out immediately.  I actually had a very good friend of mine tell me that I may not be trying hard enough to lose weight because she was able to lose weight and she has a Mirena as well.  Well, yes I can understand her stance, but not everyone reacts the same to birth control.
So here I am today June 19, 2012 (32 years old) and I had my Mirena removed this morning.  My purpose to this blog is to share my experience of these adverse side effects as well as to document day by day the effects I experience after the removal of the Mirena.  Keep in mind that these same effects may not occur for you since we are all different, but I have not seen a lot of information of potential expectations.
Now if you are considering having your Mirena removed be sure you do not have unprotected sex 3 days or less prior to your appointment (my OBGYN's office neglected to mention this to me upon scheduling my appointment.  I know, you would think that I would have remembered that sperm has about a 3 day life span.  Well, it did not dawn on me until about quarter after 5 pm this evening on my way home from work.  I had the OBGYN on call paged to verify if I needed to get a morning after pill since my husband and I took the opportunity to enjoy one last time without a condom prior to my appointment.  (We have his vasectomy scheduled, but I refused to wait knowing what I know about the Mirena now).  Any how, the OBGYN told me that "YES" it would be in my best interest to get the morning after pill.  $50 later (on top of my office visit charges).)

Day 1-  June 19, 2012

Appointment:  Weighed in at 194.3 lbs.  My OBGYN tried everything to talk me out of having my Mirena removed, but I told him that my husband and I are completely prepared to prevent pregnancy, that I do not care about having my period again, and that no matter what he said this thing was coming out today!!!!  I only felt a small cramp during the removal, but felt fine after.

Food:  Ate as I normally do (light portions, not all good foods)

Mood:  Decent, moments of strong irritability, very tired