The bleeding has STOPPED!!! I'm so excited for that to be over.
I don't think I am over the Mirena Crash 100%, this weekend I was moody and emotional. I warned my boyfriend, but I still felt bad for the way I acted.
Also, I lost 2 pounds even though I made bad food choices all weekend!! For the past month, I have been running and doing light weight lifting 4 to 5 days a week, and then eating healthy, with lots of veggies and protein. NOTHING. Not one pound was shed, I think I even gained 2 pounds. There is the argument that I was gaining muscle, but I was not weight lifting enough to warrant that kind of result. It's these kind of changes that make me never want to take birth control again. Feeling more awake at work, seeing the results of my hard work with diet and exercise, and not having the random shooting pains. I also noticed it was worse whenever I did kegel exercises, which is weird, but I stopped doing them because of that.
I have decided (for now) to reach my ideal weight and then pick a birth control option. Might be Skyla again since I didn't experience a loss of sex drive or really gain any weight. But I might also try Paragard, at the risk of heavier, crampier periods. Who knows though, I change my mind constantly.
Well, readers, This will probably be my last update for a good long while. I hope this information finds you and it helps you make a more informed birth control decision.
Showing posts with label Blood loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blood loss. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Menstrual Cup Heaven!
The bleeding is still going strong. The Soft Cups just don't work when you get heavy clots, I've decided, otherwise I think they'd work pretty well. BUT, the menstrual cup IS A GOD SEND!!!
With the Soft Cup, it lasted about 2 hours, about the same as a tampon. Then I would get up and a gush of blood would come out and let's just say that I am thankful I have been wearing nothing but black pants. Somehow they spill out and it isn't pretty. Perhaps its user error, I'd need a free weekend to really troubleshoot. I just resorted back to tampons because I couldn't fuss with the Soft Cups while at work.
When I got home, my Eva Cup was waiting for me (finally!!). I immediately washed it and tried it out. It took some wiggling and squatting to get it up there, and then it didn't open. So I stood up, fussed with it some more, then squatted down again and it felt like it had opened. If it hadn't, I had a pad on anyway, so I wasn't too worried. Anyway, I clearly did it right because its been 3 hours and no leakage!!! HUZZAHHH!
I've read a lot about how there is a learning curve and most people need time to figure it out. I guess since I tried Soft Cups and kinda got the hang of those, the cup isn't as difficult for me? Not totally sure, and for all I know its beginners luck. Either way, I've almost forgotten I've been bleeding for almost two weeks straight.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Mirena Crash?
Not sure if my body isn't keeping up with the blood loss or if I am experiencing the dreaded Mirena Crash, but either way; I am very, very tired. Like falling asleep and not remembering I even closed my eyes tired. Which is making me a tad delirious, woozy, and spacey. I just feel like my entire system is out of balance, almost like PMS but with less control.
I read this blog, Empowered Sustainability, and I won't say I agree with everything she says about tampons and PMS, it did give me good advice on how to get my hormones back in balance.
The bleeding isn't getting better. I wanted to wait to take the mini pill until the bleeding stopped, but it appears that might not be an option. I'm really not sure how long I should wait for the bleeding to stop either. And then that gets me to thinking about how much birth control has fucked my system up...... Do I really want to go on birth control again to stop these symptoms that might be part of a larger problem?
There is a huge hormonal birth control push back and while I do not believe half of what is posted, it still gives me pause.
I hate to say it, but when it comes down to the bottomline, the fear of pregnancy is always going to win. And statistics don't pull in favor of Natural Family Planning.
If the bleeding doesn't stop by Friday, I'll start on the mini pill. Until then, I need all the sleep!
I read this blog, Empowered Sustainability, and I won't say I agree with everything she says about tampons and PMS, it did give me good advice on how to get my hormones back in balance.
The bleeding isn't getting better. I wanted to wait to take the mini pill until the bleeding stopped, but it appears that might not be an option. I'm really not sure how long I should wait for the bleeding to stop either. And then that gets me to thinking about how much birth control has fucked my system up...... Do I really want to go on birth control again to stop these symptoms that might be part of a larger problem?
There is a huge hormonal birth control push back and while I do not believe half of what is posted, it still gives me pause.
I hate to say it, but when it comes down to the bottomline, the fear of pregnancy is always going to win. And statistics don't pull in favor of Natural Family Planning.
If the bleeding doesn't stop by Friday, I'll start on the mini pill. Until then, I need all the sleep!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
More of the bad
 |
| My current stash that is quickly depleting |
Today and yesterday wasn't a good day, period wise.
On Monday, all seemed to be clearing up well. The bleeding was tapering off and I thought it would all clear up by the end of this week. God, was I wrong.
At 3 am Tuesday morning, I awoke to that horrifying feeling of a dam about to break. I could also feel clots, big ones. To make matters worse, I strained the lower left side of my back pretty bad, so I could barely get out of bed fast enough or bend down to get the towels I would clearly need.
The few short steps to the bathroom made it clear that my best option would be to clean up in the shower. I took off my clothes and it was horrific! I had at least 4 huge clots spilling out and my pajama shorts were drenched.
I took a shower, cleaned up and painfully prepared for a repeat occurrence during the night; and I'm glad I prepared because it happened again!
Since this has happened before with getting Skyla removed, I didn't freak out too much but was quite annoyed between the whole mess and my back. I waited to go into work, to make sure this wasn't going to happen all day. Luckily, it didn't although I am still bleeding and I did just pass one pretty big clot.
However, I had a repeat occurrence last night, although I handled it much better and it wasn't as bad.
However, I had a repeat occurrence last night, although I handled it much better and it wasn't as bad.
One problem is that I don't know how to manage this amount of blood loss. It leaks everywhere, tampons are almost useless, and towels don't go well with my skinny jeans. Last night, I tried Soft Cups, which are basically disposable menstrual cups and can be worn for 12 hours (at least that's what they say).I think I didn't insert it right, but I get better at it everytime I try. Here is hoping that tonight I finally have it down. I also ordered a reusable menstrual cup but it won't be here until Thursday. Until then, I'm hoping these Soft Cups help, at least for overnight accidents.
Oy, this has been a tough week and it doesn't appear to be getting any better.
Monday, October 6, 2014
From Skyla to Mirena and Everything Inbetween
Hey Readers!
Sorry I've been IMA. But, as the nurse who gave me an HIV test at Planned Parenthood told me "No news is good news." Well, there was no news for my HIV test but there is news with my IUD, Skyla.
I got Skyla inserted way back in October. Everything was fine after the first 3 months. Sure, I had bad cramps and sometimes shooting pains a week before my period, but it was all managable. Plus, the cramps were getting better, my periods were light (albeit 9 days long).
Then came mid-July. I had a normal period, and the day after it was done, I had sex for the first time with it in. That night, I had horrible cramps after. Then there was something weird going on with my vagina (a weird, not normal smell). Then, two weeks later, I got ANOTHER period and this one was like Niagra Falls. Never had that heavy of a period since I had Skyla put in (hell, haven't had one that heavy since I was 15).But it stopped after 8 days and I figured I'd see how the next one would go.
20 days later, I got another period but this one was more typical. Light, lasted for 8 days. Everything seemed fine. But the not-normal-smell thing wasn't totally resolved. So, I went to Planned Parenthood to get things checked out and told them about the period problems I've been having. I'll break down what they told me in a handy list:
1. I had cervicitis
-Cervicitis is caused by STIs, latex allergies, spermicide allergies, or puting stuff up your vagina like cervical caps, or like sponges or whatever.
-I am STI free, so it is probably from a latex or spermicide allergy. Which, totally makes sense to me because all this started after I had sex WITH a condom (and all subsequent sex with a condom). And I have a lot of skin allergies.
-They prescribed me a one dose antibiotic and it all cleared up!
2. My IUD strings were kinda on the short side, but everything still looked good.
Well, my next period came and it was another Niagra Falls situation! I even attempted period sex with this new guy I am seeing and that had a horrifying outcome. Luckily, the guy I am seeing is awesome and understanding, but there was more blood and clotting than I had ever seen my body produce.
I was a bit suspicious at this point of what was going on, so I emailed the doctor who put in the IUD and asked about a second opinion. She said what was happening was not normal and that I should come in. The reoccurring bleeding and the excessive clots were cause for concern. Long story short, I had to come in earlier than the original appointment I had made because of the heavy bleeding.
They checked everything out, did an ultra-sound to see the IUD and it turned out that it was a bit dislodged and my uterus was starting to push it out (expelling). Heavy bleeding can dislodge the IUD and that is probably what happened because this doctor told me that my strings were long! So, she decided to take it out and in a week, I could come back and get a new one.
Getting it taken out HURTS! But, you'll live. But it hurts. She also said it was on its way out looking at how long the strings were (remember, at Planned Parenthood, they said mine were kinda short, so it changed in the two weeks of bleeding).
An hour or so after that, the bleeding got worse, I started soaking tampons and pads every 2 hours and the CLOTS WERE INSANE! One of them was a foot long! So, after talking with a consulting nurse, I went to the ER. I got in pretty quickly, but the doctor said it was no cause for concern. He said that it was a slow bleed and basically, didn't know why it was happening. They took like 5 things of blood (just what I needed, more blood loss after heavy bleeding for 9 days straight). Ultimately, they said there was no cause for concern. They said to come back if it didn't stop but otherwise, I should follow up with my GP.
The next day, the wonderful consulting nurse called me to check up on me after seeing that I called the other consulting nurse and that I had been to the ER. I told her the bleeding hadn't let up, so she said to come in.
More long story short, my blood count is fine but my heart was feeling the blood loss. They gave me
Nortrel
- a pill birth control pill that I had to take 4 times a day to stop the bleeding!!
Nausea medication.
- Taking 4 pills a day causes nausea (makes sense) so these would counteract the nausea that Nortrel would cause. And boy does it cause nausea!!!! I was supposed to take one every 8 hours, but I had to take one every 3 to 4 hours to survive.
The bleeding let up a bit after just one pill and the clots weren't as horrifying, but there was still bleeding and clots.
NOW,,,,
I just came back from the hopefully final doctor visit! She told me that some women just don't respond well to IUDs, and brought up that I didn't bleed with the arm implant, so maybe I should go back to that. I told her I'd rather not since I had weight gain and paltry sex drive. She understood. She then said Mirena is for heavy bleeding, so that would be the best option for me.
I asked her repeatedly if that was going to be a good option, if it was the best option, and if it had the best likihood of stopping the hormone imbalance that was clearing happening. She said yes and was pretty confident about Mirena being the best option.
So, the nurse prepped everything and I got Mirena in a few mintues later. For whatever reason, this insertion hurt WAY MORE! I let out a yelp (two actually), one for when she put the measuring device in and another when the IUD was put in. I jumped alittle too. But, I was also exhausted and not feeling very mentally prepped for that kind of pain so I'd like to think I was just at a bad pain threshold point.
Anyway, I'm not looking forward to the insuing cramps to come later tonight or this week, but if it stops all the god damn bleeding, then I do not give two fucks.
Basic summary:
1. My IUD got dislodged but did not puncture my uterus
2. The bleeding was from a hormonal imbalance, and the heavy bleeding probably caused the displacement.
3. The birth control pills helped correct the imbalance and stop the bleeding. If you read my blog, you know that I can't take the pill because it interferes with my seizure medication. However, I was closely watched while taking it and it's only for a short period ( 3 days).
4. I now have Mirena and I am hopeful that it won't cause problems.
Alright, sorry for the long post. Updates to come.
Sorry I've been IMA. But, as the nurse who gave me an HIV test at Planned Parenthood told me "No news is good news." Well, there was no news for my HIV test but there is news with my IUD, Skyla.
I got Skyla inserted way back in October. Everything was fine after the first 3 months. Sure, I had bad cramps and sometimes shooting pains a week before my period, but it was all managable. Plus, the cramps were getting better, my periods were light (albeit 9 days long).
Then came mid-July. I had a normal period, and the day after it was done, I had sex for the first time with it in. That night, I had horrible cramps after. Then there was something weird going on with my vagina (a weird, not normal smell). Then, two weeks later, I got ANOTHER period and this one was like Niagra Falls. Never had that heavy of a period since I had Skyla put in (hell, haven't had one that heavy since I was 15).But it stopped after 8 days and I figured I'd see how the next one would go.
20 days later, I got another period but this one was more typical. Light, lasted for 8 days. Everything seemed fine. But the not-normal-smell thing wasn't totally resolved. So, I went to Planned Parenthood to get things checked out and told them about the period problems I've been having. I'll break down what they told me in a handy list:
1. I had cervicitis
-Cervicitis is caused by STIs, latex allergies, spermicide allergies, or puting stuff up your vagina like cervical caps, or like sponges or whatever.
-I am STI free, so it is probably from a latex or spermicide allergy. Which, totally makes sense to me because all this started after I had sex WITH a condom (and all subsequent sex with a condom). And I have a lot of skin allergies.
-They prescribed me a one dose antibiotic and it all cleared up!
2. My IUD strings were kinda on the short side, but everything still looked good.
Well, my next period came and it was another Niagra Falls situation! I even attempted period sex with this new guy I am seeing and that had a horrifying outcome. Luckily, the guy I am seeing is awesome and understanding, but there was more blood and clotting than I had ever seen my body produce.
I was a bit suspicious at this point of what was going on, so I emailed the doctor who put in the IUD and asked about a second opinion. She said what was happening was not normal and that I should come in. The reoccurring bleeding and the excessive clots were cause for concern. Long story short, I had to come in earlier than the original appointment I had made because of the heavy bleeding.
They checked everything out, did an ultra-sound to see the IUD and it turned out that it was a bit dislodged and my uterus was starting to push it out (expelling). Heavy bleeding can dislodge the IUD and that is probably what happened because this doctor told me that my strings were long! So, she decided to take it out and in a week, I could come back and get a new one.
Getting it taken out HURTS! But, you'll live. But it hurts. She also said it was on its way out looking at how long the strings were (remember, at Planned Parenthood, they said mine were kinda short, so it changed in the two weeks of bleeding).
An hour or so after that, the bleeding got worse, I started soaking tampons and pads every 2 hours and the CLOTS WERE INSANE! One of them was a foot long! So, after talking with a consulting nurse, I went to the ER. I got in pretty quickly, but the doctor said it was no cause for concern. He said that it was a slow bleed and basically, didn't know why it was happening. They took like 5 things of blood (just what I needed, more blood loss after heavy bleeding for 9 days straight). Ultimately, they said there was no cause for concern. They said to come back if it didn't stop but otherwise, I should follow up with my GP.
The next day, the wonderful consulting nurse called me to check up on me after seeing that I called the other consulting nurse and that I had been to the ER. I told her the bleeding hadn't let up, so she said to come in.
More long story short, my blood count is fine but my heart was feeling the blood loss. They gave me
Nortrel
- a pill birth control pill that I had to take 4 times a day to stop the bleeding!!
Nausea medication.
- Taking 4 pills a day causes nausea (makes sense) so these would counteract the nausea that Nortrel would cause. And boy does it cause nausea!!!! I was supposed to take one every 8 hours, but I had to take one every 3 to 4 hours to survive.
The bleeding let up a bit after just one pill and the clots weren't as horrifying, but there was still bleeding and clots.
NOW,,,,
I just came back from the hopefully final doctor visit! She told me that some women just don't respond well to IUDs, and brought up that I didn't bleed with the arm implant, so maybe I should go back to that. I told her I'd rather not since I had weight gain and paltry sex drive. She understood. She then said Mirena is for heavy bleeding, so that would be the best option for me.
I asked her repeatedly if that was going to be a good option, if it was the best option, and if it had the best likihood of stopping the hormone imbalance that was clearing happening. She said yes and was pretty confident about Mirena being the best option.
So, the nurse prepped everything and I got Mirena in a few mintues later. For whatever reason, this insertion hurt WAY MORE! I let out a yelp (two actually), one for when she put the measuring device in and another when the IUD was put in. I jumped alittle too. But, I was also exhausted and not feeling very mentally prepped for that kind of pain so I'd like to think I was just at a bad pain threshold point.
Anyway, I'm not looking forward to the insuing cramps to come later tonight or this week, but if it stops all the god damn bleeding, then I do not give two fucks.
Basic summary:
1. My IUD got dislodged but did not puncture my uterus
2. The bleeding was from a hormonal imbalance, and the heavy bleeding probably caused the displacement.
3. The birth control pills helped correct the imbalance and stop the bleeding. If you read my blog, you know that I can't take the pill because it interferes with my seizure medication. However, I was closely watched while taking it and it's only for a short period ( 3 days).
4. I now have Mirena and I am hopeful that it won't cause problems.
Alright, sorry for the long post. Updates to come.
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