More Mixed Info and Indescsion and Starting the Mini Pill

My birth control saga is still an ongoing battle...

When Skyla expelled, I had the plan to get one again. After all, this one didn't expell because of my uterus, it expelled due to the menstrual cup (uncomfirmed, but that is my theory and it has been come what confirmed by one OBGYN). So, I made another appointment to get another IUD. However, I was dreading the pain. A lot.

As I was sitting in the waiting room, hoping that 4 Motrin would do the trick for the pain this time, I started to second guess another IUD. As I sat there, I debated my other alternative .... The arm implant! I tried really hard to remember all my issues with it and really tried to remember if it lowered my sex drive or was it my circumstances? Was I just not being diligent enough about losing weight when I had it? As I recall, I got it removed because I couldn't lose weight. But what if I tried harder this time around?

I told the nurse that I wanted to talk with the doctor before doing the IUD, because I couldn't really say for certain that this was what I wanted anymore. Since the office was a bit behind, I saw an attending doctor, who was really awesome.

Here is a fun list of things we discussed:

1. Another IUD probably wasn't the way to go
2. The menstrual cup probably didn't cause the expulsion
3. With careful monitoring, I could do a regular pill form of birth control
4. The arm implant is a good choice for me
5. They will do another IUD, but they don't recommend it because each insertion carries more and more risks
6. I should think about which option I wanted and come back in a month do discuss it again
7. For now, she recommended the mini pill

She was one of the nicest doctors I'd ever talked to who really listened what I had to say and how I felt emotionally about my experiences. I was about to commit to the implant, but she said I should wait before I make a decision.

She suggested I at least see the doctor I had an appointment with, if nothing else just to be introduced. So I waited a bit more and then heard some discussion about Lamictal just outside the door.

The doctor and the attending came in, fulling admitting they were arguing over my case.

Here is another fun list of what this doctor told me:

1. She HAS seen cases where menstrual cups pull out IUDs!!!!
2. She said that after 2 expulsions, normally they don't recommend IUDs anymore (and she was shocked i wanted another one)
3. The best options for me, in terms of effectivness are: IUD, Depo, Implant, Mini Pill. Obviously, the IUD was off the table, but she said the Depo shot was my next best option, however since I am sensitive about weight gain, then I probably wouldn't want to do that.
4. Progestrone only birth control lowers the brains threshold to tell when you are full, so many women over eat which causes weight gain. If you are aware of that, you can modify your diet to accommodate for the change.
5. My seizure meds causes any form of bc to be metabolized faster than normal, which is a problem for something like the mini pill because it has to be taken at the same time everyday even for normal people. Making the mini pill a bit of a risky form for me to take.

I can't really say they pushed one form over the other (unlike everyone pushing Mirena over Skyla to the point of worry), but they did emphasize that I think about all my options.

Later, I stewed over the info about Lamictal metabolizing BC faster than normal and I came to an interesting thought.

For those who have read through my posts, you know that my first time with Skyla was fine until about 10 months in, and then I started getting periods every 2 weeks. And when I got it checked out, they said my IUD was in place and that the strings were on the short side. Then, after another round of heavy bleeding, I got a second opinion and an ultra sound, only to find out the IUD had become slight dislodged. It was about 3 weeks between the two appointments, and I was bleeding both times. It's also known that explusion rates are higher when you are on your period, heavy bleeding can dislodge the IUD. When I got my ultra sound, it showed that just one edge was slightly out of place. Otherwise, it was normal. So that really wouldn't explain why I was bleeding so much and so often. But I do know that the heavy bleeding happens when the hormones leave your body and you get an imbalance. It happened to an extreme after I got Skyla removed and Mirena. Those hormones leaving my body causes crazy heavy bleeding. So, my thought was that Lamictal metabolized the Skyla hormones so fast that it lowered the hormones to the point to cause that kind of heavy bleeding. It would also explain why I still had periods on Mirena, when most women don't get periods after 6 months of having it in!

This is just a thought, of course. Can't really confirm that but maybe I will bring it up at my next appointment.

Gotta say, I am leaning towards the implant this time. Or, possibly, if I really wanted it and I could get prescription pain meds for the procedure, I would do Paraguard. But I really don't know.... Right now, I'm starting the mini pill...

One week update

A few minor updates:

On Sunday, I had horrible cramps for about an hour to an 1 1/2. Awful, had to stop what I was doing and live with the pain type cramps. Then, while wearing some white shorts, I got my period a few hours later! Luckily I was at home, so it was an easy clean up.

I also had unprotected sex that morning with no pain! Another win!

Today was interesting though. I had asked my doctor about using a menstrual cup with an IUD and she said it should be fine; I just had to watch the strings when I took it out. Well, today I learned that her advice was well founded. As I took out my menstrual cup, I had some of the worst pain I've felt since I expelled Mirena. Needless to say, I panicked thinking that I pulled the IUD down. The pain didn't go away for a while either, it was debilitating for a time. I called my doctor and got in later in the day. They did an ultra sound and luckily, my IUD was still perfectly placed. Phew!

Haven't had any pain since! It actually feels totally normal down there, like I don't even have an IUD! Maybe a weird tug is all it needed to be placed right. Who the hell knows.

Anyway, other than that, everything is going swimmingly!

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!

Life without Mirena - Day 4

Well, I got my ultra sound results back and all is normal. I guess I just have powerful uterine muscles (doctor said that, not me!). There really is no explanation for why my body expelled it, I'm just the one in 100.

When I read more stuff about mirena on some blogs, some women said that you can expell it without even noticing/feeling it. I say that is a flat out LIE. YES YOU CAN FEEL IT! It's like intense cramps that don't go away for several minutes!

Okay, now that I have said that, on to the after effects...

I have been bleeding like crazy again, No where near what happened when I expelled Skyla, but enough that it is annoying. I keep having leaks even with super plus tampons in! The clots are manageable, but they are frequent and larger than normal. Again, not golfball size like before! I am purchasing a menstrual cup now that I don't have an IUD, hoping that it will help with the leaks and crappy tampons. Can't seem to find any that can do the job! As a temporary solution, I cut up an old towel to wear around the house with some over sized men's pajama pants. It sounds gross and unattracitve, but I seriously don't know what to do anymore. I'm also quite moody, but I am aware of it and let people know that it might slip out. Other than that, I actually feel FANSTATIC! 

Another thing that happened was that I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend on Wednesday night (and it was soooo worth it, despite the following information), and Mirena came out Thursday morning. According to other articles, pregnancy can happen the moment an IUD becomes dislodged, and who knows how long mine wasn't placed right before I birthed it out. I called my doctor and they said I should take Plan-B, just in case. Even though it was highly unlikely that I would get pregnant given I was on my period already. They actually prescribed me Ella, which is the NEW emergency contraceptive on the market that offers a wider window (5 days), less side effects, and its more effective. But, no pharmacy I could get to in time carried it yet, being so new and all. So, I also had to take Plan-B. Another cherry on top of my weird and complicated situation.

Now, on to my next array of BC options. I still don't want the Depo shot. I don't want the chemicals in my body for 3 months, and I don't want all the side effects since I seem to get all of them. My last options are:

 -The Patch
             Haven't heard good things about the patch and some people mention complications with Lamictal and the patch

-Nuva Ring
            Back when I got Implanon, I said I didn't want the ring because I lived at my Dad's house and didn't want to have a fresh vagina ring hangout in the fridge. Now that I live with another girl roommate, it isn't such a big deal. I also read some things about women having interactions with the ring and their seizure medications. But I've also read a lot of success stories too. My gyno(s) and pharmacists have told me there is no interaction because its the same hormones as Implanon and Mirena. The mixed info is confusing and scary, but until that male birth control is FINALLY released in the US, I need to make some decisions.

- Condoms
          Condoms are fine and all, and if it really is too risky to take any BC, I will resort to the good ole fashion condom route. I really want BC for its numerous other benefits like clear skin and regular periods. Granted, I do experience a lowered sex drive with BC and I just don't orgasm the same. I'm honestly torn on this but...

I am going to talk to my doctor about Nuva Ring as an option tomorrow. My friend who has a high sex drive said she liked the ring the best. It didn't lower her sex drive and never had any problems with it.

I will update accordingly. Isn't it interesting how this started out as an Implanon blog but now I've trying every unique birth control option?

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.