Hysterectomy symptoms and conditions

I have had two shots of Lupron, as a result I've gained almost 30lbs, had very bad joint pains and little hot flashes. I also experienced hair loss and became moody at times. However, my doctor did warn me that I would gain weight as a result of the shot and that I may experience hot flashes. December 2009 will make one year since my first shot the second shot was in April and I"m just beginning to feel normal again. It is now November 2009

I am so glad I am not crazy and all alone. I've had my Mirena since January for perimenopause and was still getting my period every month until this month. No I have such cramping, joint pain I can barely walk and my lower back is killing me. I am scheduled for a hysterectomy this Wednesday, I CAN'T WAIT, I'll be done forever.

I had my Mirena inserted yesterday afternoon during a hysteroscopy. The procedure went fine, and other than some cramping (and bleeding - which I knew would happen), last night I was feeling fine.

I woke up this morning with the absolute worst migraine headache I have ever experienced. I believe the nausea and dry heaving I've been experiencing all day are from this huge headache. So far, I am not impressed with Mirena - I wish I had found this website prior to my surgery. Although I'm not entirely sure at this point whether my migraine is due to the Mirena, or the anesthesia from my surgery. My doctor was VERY high on Mirena, and basically talked me into it. I went to her with the intention of having a robotic-assist hysterectomy. I have three children (and don't want any more), and have severely heavy periods - I get anemic every month. She seemed to indicate that she'd like me to try the Mirena first, and if it doesn't work out, then the hysterectomy. With three small kids, I don't think I can withstand the months and months of side affects that I have read on this site.

HEADACHES,NAUSEA,MAJOR HAIR LOSS,EXTREMELY DRY SKIN,GALLBLADDER REMOVAL,FULL HYSTERECTOMY,PANIC ATTACKS,MOOD SWINGS,STOMACH/DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS,PARANOIA,NEAR LOSS OF JOB,PROBABLE LOSS OF MARRIAGE,MONETARILY DEPLETED,SHORTNESS OF BREATH,HEART PALPITATIONS,VISION TROUBLE,CHILDREN TRAUMATIZED,LOSS OF ENERGY,NEED FOR THERAPY,CURRENTLY USING THE CLYMARA HORMONE PATCH. I WAS ON THIS YASMIN DRUG FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS, AND SYMPTOMS STARTED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AFTER I STARTED ON YASMIN. I WAS PUT ON YASMIN TO KEEP OVARIAN CYCSTS FROM BURSTING. I FINALLY TOOK MYSELF OFF OF IT DUE TO WHAT FELT LIKE A MINY STROKE AMONG SOME OF THE OTHER SIDE AFFECTS. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND MYSELF FOR 5 YEARS, I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS PERSON INSIDE ME. DOES ANY ONE KNOW IF CLYMARA IS OKAY TO BE USING W/WHAT YASMIN HAS DONE TO ME? IS THERE A CASE # NUMBER FOR ANY CLASS ACTION SUIT OUT THERE?

My story is long and somewhat depressing. I have had horrible periods my entire life. I have tried birth control pills which caused migraines. I have tried birth control shots which caused 6 months of non-stop bleeding and endometriosis. Finally, I am told that I should try Mirena. I was hoping this would be the answer but it has been just another problem. I have had cysts every single month since insertion. The cyst always develops on the side that is ovulating and then ruptures a couple of days before the period begins (yes I still have periods). Sometimes cysts develop between ovulation and rupture quickly as well. Then the first couple of days of the period are hell because of horrible cramping pain. Yes, the bleeding during the period is lighter, but the periods are lasting anywhere from 9 to 12 days. I have been on prescription pain medication for this now for 6 months. I have no sex life because the pain is there every day. My hair is falling out and I am on the verge of tears all the time. I can not continue like this and have an appointment set up for later this month to beg the doctor to perform an ablation or simply give me the hysterectomy that I have been asking for over the last 15 years. My children are grown and I have no plans to have any more. Why do I need to endure this hell?

OK - I had the Mirena implanted because I have polyps - Bleed very heavily when they burst. Cramping Pretty severe, and Cysts. This was an alternative to a Hysterectomy. I would preferred the Hysto. But my HB isn't in control so they won't do that. So Now, My bleeding has gotten heavier, Cramps and Discharge are Worse, NO sex drive, Moodiness, Angry at the drop of a hat, Cry all the time, Could care less about most things, really starting to effect my Marriage. Do you think all the bleeding effects the HB?
How do I go about getting it out? Will insurance cover that?

Just needn' ta vent! Thanks

Well this is my second go around with Lupron. In 2004 I was on it for 7 months for the treatment of Fibroids, at the time I was 25 and I was told the only other choice was a hysterectomy. Well my doctor at the time said the side effects would not be bad and so did not give me anything for the mood swings and hot flashes. This almost caused a divorce, I guess I was pretty bad! Well it did the job, but I did gain 30lbs. Five years later, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I was informed that I needed another go of Lupron. Well in those 5 years I had lost 100lbs and was feeling good. I started the Lupron in Feb. of 2009 and have gained almost half of that weight back and still no period. I have not had any children and it is looking like the next step for me is a hysterectomy. My depression that I thought I had under control worsened considerably and now am on 2 different depression medications. The only positive thing I would have to say is that the pain is gone for now and this time they gave me something for hotflashes and mood swings.

mirena has done wonders for me. i have no complaints. i got mirena in Feb. 08. so about a year and a half ago. i got it because i had the most unbearable periods where they had me on narcotics and it was completely ruining my life to the point where they wanted me to have a hysterectomy at the age of 20. when i got it implanted, i had severe pain or about 2 days, but since then:

-i have not had a period...
-i get occasional cramps once a month around when i would be having my period, but they are no where near as painful as they used to be...
-my boobs have grown a little...
-i haven't gained much weight, expect for the weight that i had lost on all my medication before...
-and i still have just as much sex as i used to...

all in all, mirena literally saved my life.

Funny, I've been on Lisinopril for 4 yrs. & just noticed the tip of my tongue felt numb & with a weird taste. I thought it was from the Hysterectomy I had ungone a month ago. Nope it's due to the Lisinopril. So is the depression. WOW, I think it may be time to change BP Meds.

I had my Mirena inserted 15 months ago. The gynecologist felt that it will keep polyps away (as I just had one removed that was border case) instead of a hysterectomy.
I started to put weight on, my hair was always oily, I got palpitations,hot flushes,anxiety,depression,join pains and loss of concentration..
Worse of all is that my blood pressure went mad. Despite two very strong blood control tablets I could not get it down. I got pains in the side of my face and thought I was having a stroke.
I mentioned this to my physician who thought I was crazy as I was on such strong medication. mes cape town
After I was rejected twice by the gym I went to another doctor who agreed with me that this was all caused by the Mirena. I told him to remove it immediately and it was the best thing I could have done!
I just want to warn ladies to first investigate the product before having it inserted.

Does anyone here ever had any tingling issues? I had total thyroidectomy in Feb. 2009. Felt good the first month or two and have gone down from there! Some days are good, some are bad. Never know from day to day how Im going to feel! I started out for about a month and a 1/2 on 125 levothyroxin.....then my doc lowered it to 100.......as of July 14th, Im now taking .88. The tingling Im getting is all over my body, different places, here and there. Ive had some heart rate issues for a couple of months now too and finally had my regular doc send to me see a heart doctor.
Thought maybe the tingling could be from low calcium.....it was normal, CBC was normal, ECHO was normal.....waiting on the holter test results right now. The heart doc gave me a prescription for Toprol. I told him I wasn't going to take it cuz sometimes my heart feels like its barely beating and Im afraid it will make it worse. Im glad I didn't get it! Ive read of too many side effects.
Palpitations, kinda fast heart beat with pounding.....sometimes it feels likes its barely beating! Most of this occurs when first laying down......every now and then while sitting, etc. I do not exercise.....and should but just don't find the time. I switched jobs around the time I found out I had several nodes on each side of my thyroid. I was getting tired a lot and just thought i worked too much. I went from a physical job to a sit down, 12 hour, graveyard shift. Since the surgery, Ive felt it more. Im tired of feeling like crap all the time......I was already going thru some perimenopause stuff before all of this! Before I ever found out about my thyroid, I did have real light pounding of heart when laying down and tingling every blue moon, but very mild as well.
Now with no thyroid.......and medicines with all the side effects......IM GOING NUTS!!! Right now the moodiness and tingling are whats bothering me the most. Some days Im really tired, others Im ok. My body gets hot off and on, no fever. The past 3 days my calves, feet, and ankles have started to swell........never before! Plus I get some throbs and pains in my legs and arms and under my arms here and there. I probably need a new doc and I change of medicine......but Im afraid.
For one, Ive decided to go back to a physical job........and hopefully it wont screw with my heart rate even more. Ive read up on tingling........Im guessing maybe its from all the damn stress since my calcium was normal. Does anyone here have any suggestions?????

I've had the Mirena since Aug. 2006 - three years now. I considered having it removed because of intense irritability, depression, suicidal thoughts, and lack of interest in sex the past 5 months. I went to my doctor's office this morning to have it removed, but kept an open mind to alternatives. I'm 39 years old, and the doctor indicated that at my age, some of these issues are normal. I found a list of Menopause side effects, and many are similar to Mirena's side effects! At any rate, I asked if there is a way to offset these side effects so that I can keep the Mirena. She gave me an estrogen patch called "Vivelle", and I'm hoping that will help. Has anyone else tried estrogen therapy to offset Mirena's side effects? I still have the Mirena and will follow up in a few weeks.

This is my less than 24 hour update from yesterday since I had my Mirena removed. I had my yearly appt. yesterday and explained to my dr. all the problems I've been having over the last year. I thought he would try to talk me out of having it removed but he was very sympathetic and removed it without question. So, I'm definitely relieved about having it out. I'm sure it will be a while before I will be able to notice any changes that I can directly relate to the Mirena coming out. But, I can tell you that my husband and I can already tell the difference during intercourse without the Mirena. It is so much more comfortable so, we are very excited about that! I requested Yaz for birth control since I've been on it before and never had these emotional issues while on it. He also gave me a brochure and DVD on the Essure which is the in-office permanent sterilization procedure. So, I'll be doing research on that to see if that will be a good thing for me to do.
Another thing, too, during my gyno exam, he found a lump in my left breast. I have never had any problems and definitely no history of any kind of cysts. I'm not blaming the Mirena but all of this is just way too coincidental. Now at 35, I'll be having a mammogram and ultrasound to determine what this lump is. I'm just praying hard that it won't be anything and definitely trying to stay positive. I'm just very relieved to have the Mirena out and I will stay posted as to any additional changes in the future.

I was given this shot by an idiot of a Dr who told me that it was "for inflammation". He never told me it was a steroid and even though I asked repeatedly about side effects, I was brushed off with "if you don't have a reaction within 15 minutes, I would not have any". I wish I had trusted my gut instinct and never let him do it. I have only been on it a week so it hasn't dented YET, but I have mood swings, irritability, insomnia, jitteriness, dry mouth, racing heartbeat, and though I am eating only 1200 calories a day, I am already gaining weight. Does anybody know if there is a way to get this out of your system faster? I had a hysterectomy so I do not have the bleeding issues.

Wow. I had Mirena insertedin March 2009, following two years of horrible periods following my third c-section. I would have a heavy period for an average of 10 days, then get two weeks off and start again. They originally tried giving me Depo Provera - BAD! I was losing blood clots the size of my fist for three months!

At first Mirena seemed ideal, though I don't need birth control - I had a tubal ligation with my c-section. The periods were just awful! They inserted the mirena during a D&C and hysteroscopy because I also had uterine polyps. My hair is falling out (my thyroid has been checked, thank you);I have acne on my face and back; I am growing hair on my face; I am irritable; my back hurts; I am bloated; I am gaining weight even though I am on a reduced calorie diet, gave up drinking wine AND run two miles a day; I have yeast infections; sex hurts and I bleed nearly every time I have sex; I have a low sex drive now; I bleed when I exercise or go for a walk; I have ruined every pair of panties I own, and I am still having 14 day long periods. No longer heavy periods, but 14 days of bleeding, then nine days off before starting again!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and told him all of this: his responses were that the spotting and irregular periods are likely for the FIRST YEAR (WHICH IS NOT IN THE FINE PRINT INCLUDED WITH THE MEDICATION!!!) and that doctors can't find or treat the cause of heavy periods and bleeding, only treat the symptoms.

We need to band together to demand that women's health issues are taken seriously. It is not acceptable to have a doctor say that the cause of these problems doesn't matter. Treating the cause should be the primary goal, not peddling drugs or covering up symptoms! The New York Times ran an article yesterday recommending Mirena as a solution to heavy bleeding in women! This is not a solution. And neither is a hysterectomy - I am only 31.

Hi. I just had a laproscopy done 3 weeks ago for endometriosis. I am 26 yrs old and have been dealing with this pain for almost 2 yrs now and it is the worst pain in my entire life. My doctor is now suggesting Lupron because even after the laproscopy the endometriosis was level 4 and had bonded to my intestines and literally trapped my ovaries and uterus against the lining of my stomach. The pain was a 15 to say the least and the past 3 mos it had landed me in the E.R. Finally the docs figured it out. I started my period 2 weeks after the surgery and the pain was still pretty bad. An 8. Now I am seriously considering Lupron. My health is on the line and this pain is not right. At this point I am considering a hysterectomy if Lupron does not work. Any help suggestions please? Monday I follow up with the Dr.

Update:- Went to see Gyno today for the results of VScan..... Lining 2.03cm thick and of rough texture....also "pollup or fibroid" is present he asked about the Mirena I said no didn't want it.....He booked me in for a D&C, Hystoscope within the next 30 days.... he still insists on putting a mirena in after D&C etc until I can get a Vaginal Hystorectomy which he said he will do ..... he wants to make sure that there is nothing cancerous with the lining etc, before he did the Hystorectomy on me......

Waiting game for me......... to see what will eventuate......

I was diagnosed with ILC August 2007. I had bilateral mastectomy w/ reconstruction, chemo and started Tamoxifen. Then I had a hysterectomy and I started Aromasin about six months ago. Prior to starting Aromasin I had some muscle and joint pain from Tamoxifen but I could tolerate most days. Three months into Aromasin, I couldn't get out of my car. It literally took me 15 minutes one day and I had to trade cars with my daughter. Naproxen gave me upset stomach, ibuprofen wasn't enough, Tylenol wasn't enough, Hydrocodone kinda helped but makes you feel weird. My doctor decided to take me off of it and i haven't taken anything since. My side effects were: extreme stiffness, better with motion but joint pain was so bad i didn't want to move. I have been documented as having overall generalized weakness as a result. My doctor said Aromasin shouldn't make me feel this way but why is it doing this to everyone else (mostly) too? I am now being evaluated by a rheumatologist for arthritis. My joints still hurt so bad. I gained weight, cant concentrate, can't sleep, can't wear my shoes. my ankles hurt the worst after being on my feet. My ankles, knee joints, hip joints, neck, elbows, wrists, fingers, toes and jaw are all very painful now.
If i would have known all of this, i never would have had my hysterectomy and stayed on Tamoxifen. I can only hope at some point this will get better. I just pray the cancer doesn't come back in the meantime.

im currently on my fourth month of treatment with lupron and would like to know if anyone that had fertility problems was able to conceive after a course of lupron...? im 32 and have 2 beautiful children, but would like one more before i undergo a hysterectomy...i have been diagnosed with endometriosis, adenomyosis and severe pelvic adhesion's. i was in so much pain that it was ruining my life...the lupron has been pretty great this time around...six years ago i did it without any add-back therapy, but this time im taking progesterone along with it and the side affects have been minimal...still have mood swings and a decreased sex drive, but no hot flashes or night sweats. its definitely worth the pain relief...for me anyways.

I am a 39 year old mother of two teenager daughters. I had my original Mirena inserted in July, 2002 due to extreme bleeding for many months. I would bleed for about 24 days out of every month and felt horrible. As I was only 32 years old at the time, my GYN did not want to perform a hysterectomy and suggested the Mirena. I bled for a couple of months after insertion, but shortly thereafter I had no bleeding and have had no period ever since. This is the side effect that is fantastic!

Shortly after having the Mirena inserted, my marriage fell apart and I was feeling very depressed, EXTREMELY EXHAUSTED and overall "crappy". I assumed that this was all due to my life circumstances. I gained significant weight in my mid-section, I had (and still have) constant headaches, I am always still very very tired, am dizzy, fuzzy-minded, blurred vision, achey, etc. etc. etc. I never once thought about the Mirena being the cause of any of these symptoms.

My doctor has checked my bloodwork numerous time to ensure my iron levels, etc. were okay as well as my thyroid - every time the results were normal so I thought it must all be in my head and all be due to me being somewhat depressed, etc. due to my marital breakdown.

I had my 2nd Mirena put in in December, 2009 as the first one was in for the full 5 years. It was a little painful getting it taken out and the new one put in, but for me the pain was worth it to continue to be period-free for another 5 years!

Recently I have been experiencing hot flashes and night sweats so I asked my doctor if I could be going through menopause. She ordered bloodwork to check my hormones and informed me last week that yes, in fact I am quite far into menopause!!! (remember, age 39)! Because I have not had a period in almost 6 years, I did have the early warning signs of menopause such as missed or irregular periods.

I wondered why I would be going through it so early so googled "Mirena and early menopause" which brought me to this site. When I started reading all the side effects, I wondered if it was maybe the Mirena that cause a lot my problems over the years and it wasn't in fact the dissolving of my marriage and change in life circumstances.

I now have to decide what to do. My doctor stated that I should (because of my young age) go on Hormone Replacement for quality of life. (I am close to my decision and believe that HRT is beneficial for me) - hopefully this will help with the terrible symptoms of menopause I have been having.

I am wondering if having the Mirena inserted had any part in accelerating my body into menopause. I am thinking of having it removed before starting HRT because even though the doctor told me that there is a very low hormone dosage in the Mirena, I don't want to over-do it with hormones as that could cause me even more problems. It would be amazing if I had it removed that I would feel the way I used to feel back 6 years ago (minus the husband)

FYI, before I had the Mirena inserted the first time I read and re-read the pamphlet which contained all the possible side effects, etc. But, as I stated above, my life changed dramatically very shortly after insertion so it never occurred to me that some of my problems may be related to the Mirena.

If this device does accelerate a woman's body into menopause, this should be well publicized as it would be tragic for young women who use this as a form of contraception early in their life to only find out later that they are no longer able to conceive due to their body going though "the change".

oh please your all a bunch of whiners. I don't understand that when people get something medically new that they seem to blame every little thing on it!!! seriously!!! if it were so bad it would not be on the market..... i have had it for two years.....a little cramping in the beginning which is NORMAL and as STATED on the side effects list. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND that these are listed because they DO AND HAVE happened to other people. That is why they are listed! NOW if you died, got cancer, pregnant or what have you then you can bitch. BUT PLEASE don't complain about the LISTED side effects. it is a wonderful product and it does just as it claims. yea the cramping sucks....the spotting is a pain.....men can feel it during intercourse and yes sometimes they can bump it and hurt you. also it causes cysts to grow on your ovaries which can sometimes require surgery. it can also grow outside your uterine wall at time. and it can fall out. all kinds of things can happen that are LISTED. what i would recommend people should do BEFORE they leap into bed with a new contraceptive is RESEARCH the SIDE EFFECTS BEFORE you decide you want it or not. its simple read the damn sheet and decide if you can live with the side effects. maybe one....or all...or none. THEN DECIDE.

I am in the middle of my second month after getting the first shot (for 1 month) and the second ( for 3 months). I have recurrent fibroids and ovarian cysts that caused a lot of pain and severe bleeding.
I was scared to try Lupron. I consulted with my uncle who is an OB/Gyn and he told me that the version they use now is very safe, with side effects like many other drugs...
My doctor gave me options for the treatment, but because I want to get pregnant again (already have a 2 1/2 yr. old boy), hysterectomy was out of the question. The doctor removed some of my fibroids laparoscopically before I got pregnant with my son, but since they "showed up" again, he recommended to treat them with Lupron instead of removing them trough surgery, because the surgery leaves scarring that can later interfere with fertility.
Anyway, YES I have experienced many side effects mentioned here: hot flashes, mood swings, a couple of headaches, and some "bloating". The worst side effect for me has been insomnia...but they really haven't been that terrible...you learn to deal with them. I am in no pain and didn't get my period this month.
I guess everybody is different and they experience everything in a unique way.
My suggestion is to try it if you really need it and weigh in the pros and cons objectively.
Good luck!

I had an IUD placed after my second childs birth. All other forms of birth control had caused problems (like the symptoms already listed). After insertion, I told all my friends about it, I had NO symptoms at all. I had no bleeding, no pain, felt as normal as can be, very strong sex drive. LOOONG story short, 2- yes 2 YEARS LATER I began having pain with intercourse. I felt for the "strings" to check for placement, my cervix was EXTREMELY tender and swollen. Shortly thereafter, a doctor appointment and ultrasound confirmed a severe infection (from insertion- 2 years prior) that had become so bad, my cervix was infected and the infection had abscessed the wall of my uterus. At 27 I had a hysterectomy with removal of my left ovary and cervix. Needless to say, I will only ever have 2 natural children when I thought I had "five years" to make that decision. I had no idea this could have happened and only tell my extremely painful story to let you realize that if you still have your uterus, you may want to remove that foreign object from it immediately!!!

Just want to survey everyone and ask for responses for the following 3 questions:

1. how long did you keep your Mirena and if you no longer have it, why did you have it removed?

2. how many of you had your thyroid checked? who's came back abnormal? what were the levels?

(I'm a medical student doing research on this one since I believe the levonorgestrel affects our thyroid hormone. My TSH was elevated to 5.2 which is considered "subclinical HYPOthyroidism". This was mid cycle when my natural progesterone AND synthetic progestin were cumulatively high. When I had it rechecked 6 weeks later (around my period when any natural progesterone level is gone) it was normalized at 1.5. So I think that the P+P screws up our thyroid and can throw us into a high TSH and "hypothyroid state". The opposite effect may be true during menstruation and we can become HYPERthyroid for a few days... hence the really bad anxiety?!)

3. where is everyone from? perhaps we can have support group meetings?

I am 40 and done having kids. I had the Mirena put in in Jan 2008 to help with heavy periods. Within 3 months I started to feel numbness in my left arm. It would come and go over the next couple of months. Then the numbness and burning spread to my left breast. I developed a breast lump in Nov.08 which was determined to be thickening of the breast tissue (through mammogram and ultrasound) The breast continued to be very sensitive and the arm pain became worse. In March Through a pelvic ultrasound 2 "tumors" were discovered on my left ovary. The doctor wanted to remove only the ovary. Once in the operating room he decided to do a complete hysterectomy. The tumor was a benign blood fill cyst witch burst and also endometriosis was bad enough to remove everything including the Mirena!! Its been two months now and the numbness and burning are still there! I am going to a neurologist to see what is going on. I always felt like the Mirena had something to do with all of this. Maybe I have irreversible nerve damage?