Sludge symptoms and conditions

I had Mirena inserted about 2 years ago and I'm having it removed later this week (thank goodness). I have gained 30 lbs, suffered from terrible fatigue and joint pain, mood swings, thinning hair, depression, total lack of sex drive and worst of all DEBILITATING migraines (especially after an orgasm.....I suppose that's a good reason for lack of sex drive!).

I had no problem with insertion, but was immediately aware of vaginal odor that was never there before....just an unclean sort of smell....really annoying and still persists. I miss my old periods (very normal, one week of PMS, 4 days of bleeding, then done). Now I have about 3 weeks of horrendous PMS with breast swelling, weight gain, fatigue, depression, increased appetite then I "spot" for 8-12 days! Horrible! I'll take 4 days of bleeding over 8 days of "sludge" anytime.

I hope removing it will end these issues.

I have always trusted the COPPER coil and have been using it for about 10 years now...I got it taken out to have a baby, and was planning on getting "fixed" so I wouldn't have any more, but my doctor said that Mirena was even better, so I figured why not, it'll stop my periods altogether. I've only had mirena for a couple of months now, and I have to say...what everyone says here scares the hell out of me. BEFORE mirena I was on medication for panic attacks and slight depression, and I had no sex drive at all. But so far, believe it or not, I find these things getting better! I wonder if mirena has opposite effects if you've already had the symptoms...I hope so...right now I feel great...I'm becoming me again, the panic attacks have considerably subsided and I feel like I'm digging myself out of the depression...I've been ecstatic! The only real side-effects I've had are cramping one random day and tingling once. Also, I'm not gaining weight, but not losing either. The only annoying thing I find is I have that thick brown discharge instead of a period for 5 or six days, but I'm wondering if my period will stop completely eventually (hopefully) but no matter what I'll take brown sludge any day over an 8 day bledfest.

However, after reading through everyone's comments, I find myself really worried, since I've only had mirena a couple of months and a few of you said that it took like 6 months or so for anything bad to start happening. If that's the case then where will that leave me afterwards? Will my depression get worse?? I don't know what to do, and now I'm pretty nervous.

I am amazed. I got online to look up coupons for Lupron because the shot after insurance is $569. I found this blog here about all the discomforts of Lupron. I did some research before hand, but never saw this site. I have to say, I was in some pain on a daily basis for years until I had my two children and when I stopped breastfeeding the second, that is when my pain came back, but ten fold. My periods were more out of whack in pain and I had been on the IUD for 14 months at that poinr. Doctors always thought i just had some bad stomach virus or that it was in my head and I was full of too many symptoms, but low and behold, I started monitoring the pain, and it always fell on a cycle. The doctors still took no consideration-it is a stomach bug, did a bunch of tests for stomach viruses and bacterias, nothing came up. Lots of pain except when my period began. Then I was home free of pain for a goof 2 weeks. Months I had no period, no pain. 1-2 weeks before period, rash on my face, skin peeling off fingers and toes, hair always falling out in gobs, fingernails breaking so easily, nauseated most of the time, and back and abdomen pain that accompanied menstrual cramps from Hades and medium to heavy flow periods. Eventually I am in the ER again in a different city visiting my parents and they doc finds my gall bladder has completely stopped working and now producing "sludge". We figured that was my problem, the hormones and sickness following my cycle was just a fluke.
A little over a month after surgery. That 1-2 weeks before my period of torture turned into 2-3 weeks. I went into the ER with the same pains as before, the pains that should have gone away with removing gall bladder since that was supposed to be my problem....but obviously not.
My church began praying and a new set of doctors Come to find out my liver was very inflamed, my enzymes were very elevated, and finally I got someone to listen about the cyclitic nature of the sickness. Endo was brought up several times by different docs, my new primary care, a GI, and now GYN was concerned.
To make matters worse, I had completely lost my libido-I have always had in the norm but high testosterone to accompany high estrogen levels and as a diagnostic test to relieve the pain now coming from sex, I came off the IUD.Then I had 7 days of no pain in one month and then next month was 4 days of no pain. My bleeding became much much worse, the pain was outrageously bad. I did mention I have 2 kids-toddlers I stay at home with...I was not functioning well and recruiting help to care for them and my husband and home. If I did not have the knowledge and trust that the Lord does not give us more than we can handle, I could easily see how someone could fall into depression because at all times I was in some level of pain, even if it was just nagging.
My GYN wanted to avoid cutting into me at all costs, and because of all of the hormone and natural drug therapies I had previously been on prior to having children because of my menstrual cycles being so irregular (1-2 cycles a year heavy and painful lasting 2 weeks or more) and the bad reactions I had had to them, he said relief can come from hysterectomy-removing my ovaries as well, but he is concerned because I am 26 yrs young and that is such a big decision with many things at stake. I already had plans to adopt, not having any more children for lots of reasons including my health deteriating after each one, so he highly recommended a highly talented endocrinologist who took over. This endocrine doc would like to postpone surgery and decided insstead of performing the Laproscopic to look around, use the Lupron as a diagnostic test. If I got better within the next 3 months, it is my ovaries causing this pain. If I did not, we would continue for maximum of 6 months, and if I still didn't get better, then something else is causing my troubles outside of the female regions.
I was anxious because at that point, I could take no pain medicine whatsoever because my liver was still trying to detox from all the pain meds through the summer and fall. I drank lots of water, 86-120 oz on any given day, ate lots of grapefruits and oranges to clean me out, and waited for the shot to kick in. I had just gone into another cycle, pain now while bleeding a waterfall all day, no days off, and hoping the Lupron would be a relief. My church spread the word praying about the situation.
4 days later almost every symptom is gone. 7 days later I am totally pain free. I have had 23 days of no pain. I have always ate good healthy foods, some organic but not crazy about it, exercise when I am not throwing up nauseated or drained 2-4 days a week. I missed out on a lot because I was so miserably sick and pained and always tired. I have had more energy in these last 23 days than before. I don't HAVE to nap now when the children nap, I can make it through a full session of aerobic exercise without feeling nauseated or crampy. I can think more clearly now and have memories coming back to me that I thought I had lost.
I may be on the rare cases of the spectrum here-but I had to post to make sure that women searching knew Lupron was not all bad. I get my next dose this weekend. It burns some going in and is sore in the injection spot that day, but man, to be pain free and play with my kids again...that is worth the $569 right now. After my 3rd injection which will occur 2nd week of February, I will be meeting with my trusted GYN and endocrinologist to discuss my options next. I have spoke with them after 2 weeks pain free and they are thrilled with the results. I will continue on this program to make sure the symptoms stay gone and then I am looking into possible surgery. Of course we pray that a miracle happens and I stay pain free once coming off the shot, without the need for going under the knife, but either way, it is in the Lord's hands, and maybe all this happened to me so that I can share with you some encouragement in your times of suffering.

It is 5 days since coming off of Yaz, after my "stroke" symptoms, ending up in the ER, and blood being clotted up, like sludge.
I finally am feeling better today. I woke up early this morning, feeling so good, that I realized how slow and bad I had felt when I was on that stuff. I was getting 8-9 hours of sleep each night, and still sluggish. Going to bed early, and having trouble getting up. When I think about how my blood was, while I was on Yaz, it make sense that i was so sluggish. And that now that I have been off of it, and taking an aspirin every day (to thin out my blood), I finally feel like my blood is running through my veins.
Please be sure to check with your doctor that this is not clotting your blood! I had no idea what to look for. I was only on it for 5 and a half weeks, and nearly had a stroke, with how clotted my blood was!

Coming off of Yaz, about 3 days after my "near stroke". Started my period, of course, Only 2 days after stopping. My blood is like SLUDGE. It is very dark and so thick. It makes me sick to think this has been in my system like this, and i have been trying to function normal, and active. And my blood doesn't "flow" through my veins. And hearing some really scary stories of women who, weren't as lucky as me, taking birth control pills.

OMFG they gave me this prednisone pack to help with my asthma (peakflowmeter was 250) and this bronchitus i cant seem to shake for a month now... anyway i been on it for 12 hours and i am about ready to choke the doctor .. i have fibromyalgia and let me tell you pain is a daily event . well if my everyday aches and pains arent enough here i sit at 5am no sleep, my pain level went from a mere 3 up past a 10 . this is really bad i can hear my heart pounding when i lie down, not to mention it feels like its pumping sludge instead of blood. everysingle joint and muscle in my body is hurting and or cramping at this point .
the headache is worse than a migraine at this point...... if i am still alive later in the day i will give you an up date.....if i am not alive midday . someone take this prednisone pack and shove it up the $&%#^%#^@^@^@%^#@ and then pour the refill down his throat!!! (I am sure i will live , just had to vent) . RJ

Extreme constipation, and discomfort. Because of pressure pain in my upper right quadrant, burping, nausea I had an ultra sound and chest x-ray done. The results indicated that now I have sludge in my gall bladder. Am waiting to see my gastro Dr. These symptoms started when I was on Les col. Never had a problem with my digestion in this way or with my gall bladder.