Gym membership symptoms and conditions

I am a 48 year old woman, 5'1" (now 145 pounds). I had Mirena inserted almost exactly 5 years ago, and am scheduled to have it removed in 2 weeks. I gained 25 pounds over the course of the last three years; prior to that, my maximum weight for my whole (non pregnant) life was 123 (I was at 120 when Mirena was inserted, four years after the birth of my second child). I have always been very healthy, never abnormal blood tests except during my two pregnancies was tested as pre-gestational diabetic and had to watch my carbs.

I never put it together with Mirena until just recently, when I started doing research on hypothyroidism after a friend told me that my symptoms could be due to that problem. Depression, hair loss, acne on my back, and the terrible weight gain. I went to see my G.P. who referred me for blood work. I hoped to see evidence of low thyroid function (actual TSH value, 3.12 -- I was told this is normal on a range of .4 to 4.5). I also discovered that I now have high cholesterol (269 triglycerides, 251 total cholesterol, 46 HDL, and 151 LDL). My fasting (14 hours) glucose # is 99 (I was told this is normal on a range of 65-99 mg/dL), and my vitamin D, 25-OH is 21 (also was told this is still normal but low on a range of 20-100 ng/mL). I tried to give blood six months ago, and was turned down because of anemia, so I've been eating a lot of spinach, greens, and more red meat than I normally would, so I was interested to see if I am still anemic -- the red blood cell count is 3.8 (told it was normal on a range of 3.8-5.1 mill/uL). I mention these specific results because although I was told they were normal (except for cholesterol), when I physically went to the doctor's office and requested a copy of the results and did some research online I see that my thyroid IS actually low-functioning -- according to guidelines revised six years ago, anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid and should be treated. Plus, isn't a fasting glucose of 99 pretty high? Yet my doctor's only suggestion: diet and exercise. Good grief, I've been on a diet since I had my first child, 13 years ago. True, I don't exercise regularly (I'm a teacher and mom of 2; I never seem to have the me time.) I guess I have an excuse to get a gym membership now.

Also, for the last year I've had increasing pain in my shoulder (I couldn't lay on my side, for example, and lately I can't reach behind me or over my head). An x-ray turned up mild bone degeneration, but not enough to cause the pain I've been having. I was referred to an orthopedist, who today diagnosed a shoulder rotator cuff injury (I've had no injury; he says it is a common degenerative complaint in the over-40 crowd). He gave me a cortisone injection and I'll be on PT for a while to see if the pain goes away. If not, I'll have to have an MRI and surgery to correct the tear.

I'm posting all of this in case it might be useful to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. I had a thyroid test done about six years ago at my OB/GYN, and it was normal then (though I don't have the number; I'll get it in 2 weeks at the OB/GYN). It will be interesting to learn whether my thyroid level has gone up since Mirena. Also, although my research suggests that the effects of these synthetic hormones do not wear off for some time, possibly even years, I will finally feel like there may be hope if my symptoms improve over the next few months when Mirena is gone. If so, I will share it with you.

If you are reading this, perhaps you have a similar story. I wish I had been more aggressive about checking out the possible causes of my many symptoms, but I let them go for years because, I guess, I just figured I'm a healthy woman who is no longer young. (Oh, one more thing: for the first year or even two years that I had Mirena, I had incredibly heavy periods. The blood flow was similar to that during the day or two after the vaginal births of my daughters. Don't know if that's significant, but it took a couple of years for my periods to get fairly normal on Mirena.)

Mirena history

As I neared 50 years of age, my birth control pills no longer controlled my periods, I began to bleed more and more till I was having periods lasting 2 weeks, with needing to wear 2 super tampons and a pad at the same time and having to change this every 30 minutes to an hour. This was not good for sleep or normal life.

A gynecologist recommended mirena. It really helped knock back the heavy periods and let me leave the house, even plan vacations! But I did put on weight and lost my sex drive, which I attributed to eating more and to my husband not looking very hunky any longer.

After 4 years of this, the last year spent with a gym membership which I used daily and lost no weight, but I am shapelier, well as I was saying, after 4 years, the periods were getting worse again, probably because the mirena had run out. I started getting headaches too. I had a ultrasound and found one of my ovaries is still working so no menopause yet.
I had a new mirena inserted. Of course it hurts. but only for a short time.

Now, after 3 weeks, I am bloated. my leg veins are poking out of my legs. Even the hairs on my legs look like they are standing up all the time, an my eyeballs feel pressure. My eyelids must be swollen too because my eyelashes are pointing down rather than their usual curve upwards,(had a gutatta discovered in my eyes last year when I asked for laser eye surgery, but was turned down due to this problem, maybe caused by Mirena?) and I have strange rashes on the back of my calves and the back of my upper arms, possible acne but I don't know. Doctor appointment is next week for a checkup. I don't know if the benefit on not bleeding so profusely outweighs the side-effects, and with a vacation next month, I am afraid to have the mirena removed.

My insurance paid for the mirena because I have it for health reasons rather than birth control.

I was on Zoloft for 3 years. While it helped with my anxiety, I sometimes felt it increased it. My biggest complaint was the weight gain. Over the 3 year period, I gained 35 pounds. While still on it, I did South Beach for 3 months and lost 5 pounds. =(
Last summer, I worked out 6 days a week for 1- 1 1/2 hour a day for 2 months. I didn't lose a single pound! My size 12's were still fitting pretty well. I have never weighed this much in my life. I was never even over a size 7.
I got off the Zoloft in October and have actually gained 7 more pounds since. It is really depressing. I think the company should have to pay for a gym membership or personal trainers! =)