Toxic shock syndrome symptoms and conditions

I have been sick for 7 months! I got the mirena in June of 2008 because I was still breastfeeding and wanted something that wouldn't interfere with that. While on it I bled every single day. I kept reading that it was normal to have spotting for a few months so I stuck with it. I did have vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse. In February 2009, the pain with intercourse got worse and then i could no longer feel the strings. I went to a new GYN and she said she could only see the tiny end of one string and did i want it removed? YES! I was relieved that it wasn't lost inside me! I saw it and it looked intact. I went back to Nuvaring which I had used before I had my 2nd daughter and liked it. March was ok. When I put the new ring in in April I immediately started having vaginal itching. It got progressively worse to where i could not stand it! Went to the GYN and she said it was "the worst yeast infection shes seem". Put me on 2 pills of diflucan. The next day started abdominal pain, fever, and severe itching! She said to take benadryl. By Monday I was VERY ill and went to my family dr. He said I had "clue cells" and diagnosed as Vaginosis but said he thought the nuvaring might be causing toxic shock syndrome. He removed it. I went on Flagyl, Bactrim, and had a rocephin shot. He tested me for every STD. Everything was normal except my elevated WBCs and sed rate. I slowly got better. Then 3 weeks later decided i needed birth control and started loestrin FE. Had sores in my mouth, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, irregular vaginal bleeding. After 1 month switched to Ortho tricylcin Lo. Had continued abdominal pain and terrible headaches. But also had 9 days of bleeding midcycle and then started having rectal bleeding, bleeding when i brushed my teeth, skin tears around my fingernails. Then a cervical laceration from very regular intercourse. Quit birth control! I was sure it was making me sick. I had a pelvic ultrasound because of the bleeding. They found my uterus is the size of a 12 week pregnancy but dont know why and that I had a functional ovarian cyst. Then started having pelvic pain so bad it hurt to walk or sit down. Went to a new GYN (mine was on maternity leave). She diagnosed PID. Rocephin shot, Zithromax. The pain got better. But dr. called when everything came back negative and wanted a followup. Then she said there wasn't anything wrong except a yeast infection and why wasn't i on birth control? They dont listen!!!! Also said it sounds like something wrong with my immune system so I went to my GP and had a physical. Everything is normal. He thinks all my problems are coming from the GYN stuff but didn't run any labs to check my immune system. 2 weeks later I got a lump in my armpit and they put me on Bactrim. The next week I got a cold and had to use my inhaler 10 times a day and I usually never ever need it. They put me on nebulizer, oral steroids and antibiotics. 2 days later I began having horrible itching, rash on my perineum, and discharge, with the pelvic pain and low grade fevers. Went to my old GYN and she was very concerned. Put me on flagyl and 7 days of diflucan. Then 2 days later went to the er with pelvic pain. CT showed ovarian cyst, went home with vicodin. Next day the pain was so bad i couldn't drive myself to the doctor! They scheduled emergency laparoscopy. My right ovary was twice the size of the left and full of blood. I thought that had been the culprit all along. 1 week later i got huge painful lumps with pus exudate on my labia. Doctor said it was a skin infection, put me on Bactrim. 1 week later the pelvic pain returned worse than ever before! Worse than the post op pain! Dr said it does present as PID but i have no cause. Put me on 2 weeks of Levaquin and Flagyl and scheduled a biopsy to test for endometritis (chronic inflammation of the endometrium). She said she thought the Mirena IUD might have started all of this. Slowly got better. Biopsy was very painful. Got the results today. Negative. I am again having pelvic pain, itching, discharge, rash on my perineum. I found a specialist at the Houston Medical Center and miraculously got an appointment for next week! Another GYN I talked to said she thought i was having an immune response to the Mirena IUD or an allergy to something in it. I am still very ill! The Dr.s have mentioned a hysterectomy. I cant believe that I am going to lose my uterus and the possibility of any more children at age 28!!!! And I feel like i am slowly dying! I have spent thousands of dollars at this point on tests and copays and medications. Please help me!

I was prescribed FEMCON FE to regulate my heavy and painful cycle and my iron is low. I have read through most of the Posting here. Of course I am concerned about how my body will re-act to this pill. I have not been on birth control in 10 years. I started my pills on this past Sunday, as soon as I noticed my cycle had started. My cycles are very light on the first day so I use a tampon. I went to work. By the time I thought to go changed myself, I was home again. I checked and it was barely anything there! The next day I used another tampon and I left it in for about the same amount of time, check it and there was nothing! It is now day 4 (Wednesday) and still nothing. I am cramping but not like usual. I have consulted the nurses of the FEMCON company and they said it is possible for my cycle to stop like that. Then I called my OB/GYN and she said the same. I will stick it out to see what happens next. Otherwise, no side effects yet and hopefully there won't be any! If you have had the same experience, please let me know. Thanks!

hi all / im new to this site. i have had the mirena nerly two years never had any prob unti recently.went to my gp and have severe thrush and have a horrid taste in my mouth and ach all over. i feel so depressed cant be a normal wife and mum to my two little girls. i asked my gp if there is a link to the coil she said no but she still can not explain why im feeling so unwell.please help spred light on this subject i want my life back
many thanks shell71

Hi, I had the Murena inserted 2-7-08 at 2 PM. I am 43 years old.I nearly passed out at the doctor's office due to the pain. I felt like like my body was trying to expel the dog-gone thing. The literature said I would experience some discomfort during the insertion. That was an understatement!! I went home and by 4:30 I was cramping very bad. I called the doctor and he said to take some more Ibuprofin and to go to bed.Said to keep an eye on it I was bleeding very badly. I had to change tampons every 2 hours and wear a pad. It was gross with large clots. I took some strong I buprofin the rest of the weekend and called the doctor again. I know he had to think I was whining. I ran a fever and felt like crap. I went in to see him and he checked to see if I was expelling it. He said no. I continued to have a period-heavy- until my 6 week follow-up visit. He said "Let your body adjust, and if you continue to have problems, we can discuss taking it out." I had a period for 3 months.With wearing tampons for so long, I was concerned about Toxic Shock Syndrome. I still have brown slimy stuff every 2 weeks ago. I just never know when it will be, no set day. I used start my period every 4th Tuesday on the dot that lasted for about 2 1/2 days. since then i have gained 18 pounds. I can't check to see if the thing is there because I have a very long vagina and can't reach it with my fingers..and it's gross. I don't really have an appetite. I have been depressed. I don't have a lot of energy. I don't want to go anywhere. I don't desire sex (no wonder you don't get pregnant!) I have started to get acne. (I haven't had acne since high school). I am thinking about getting it taken out but don't want to risk pregnancy. I was on the pill for 15 yrs off and on and have some concerns about it at my age. I thought this would last me until I hit menopause and then wouldn't need birth control. Anyway, at least I am not crazy..there are others with these issues.

I had Mirena inserted in August 2007. I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure, and the doctor had to take me off of NuvaRing because of the connection of the hormones in birth control and HBP. My Gyno said that Mirena was very low hormone and would not affect my BP. Since I have been on Mirena, my BP has stabilized, but now I get dizzy spells, often, and I constantly have a headache. I also have cramping, sometimes very severe. I have gained ten pounds, and I have bad acne. I work out religiously and eat very healthy. I kept wondering how I gained this weight, and couldn't get it off, until I found this website. Also, I have never had an acne problem, and at 31 years old, I don't think I should have the skin of a sixteen year old, especially because I had perfect skin at 16. I found this website because I was having spotting, again, tonight, so I decided to GOOGLE the phrase "Mirena Side Effects." The spotting is not unusual since I have had the Mirena. It is one of the side effects that I experience regularly, especially after intercourse. Intercourse has been a problem, too. I have been married, happily, for ten years, and our sex life was great until I had the Mirena put in. Now, I don't want my husband to touch me, and I have even told him several times, since having the Mirena implanted, that I want a divorce. I think this has to do with the physical and emotional changes that I have had since getting Mirena. I have thought about having it removed, but I am finally starting my career after staying home with my three children. So I am torn because I don't want to get pregnant. My husband has said several times that he thinks that the Mirena has caused the problems in our marriage, and after seeing what others have to say, I am sure he is right. Although I have been thinking the same thing for months. Just a couple more points to make: Like some of the other woman, I have insomnia. When I had the Mirena inserted, I think I experienced TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) because I had an extreme pain where it was place, followed by immense dizziness, nausea, blurred vision and a rushing sensation in my face and head. When I went to get a checkup, I was told that the Mirena was "lost," and the doctor had to do an ultrasound to locate it. I have lower back pain and strong, period-like cramps. And I have an irregular period with spotting throughout the month. (It is getting expensive having to buy new panties all the time.) I think that I have made my decision to have the Mirena removed.

Have any of you posted your information on the FDA website? I was telling my son about some of the experiences I've heard and he told me that the FDA ignores anecdotal evidence UNLESS it is posted to their website and that as few as 90 such stories will prompt an investigation.

So, obviously it is very important to go to their website http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html and report these problems. I was concerned after hearing from someone who had been in intensive care for several weeks and treated for toxic shock syndrome and who told me she had met another girl in our area at the hospital who had nearly the same experience after receiving the Gardasil vaccine.

I'm on my 3rd ring and i am miserable. The first week i put the ring in i noticed a differance. My symptoms are: extreme paranoia, anxiety,panic attacks,insomnia,shaking,nervousness,diarea,loss of appetite,fatigue,flu symptoms. I am normally an anxious person ut not like this. It is worse since starting the nuvaring. My doctor told me to just give it more time but i'm geting to a point where i feel hopeless. My family can see the change in me. I just put the 3rd ring in a couple days ago but all i wanna do is take it out because i'm so scared. I'm not concerned about pregnancy because i am not sexually active at all. My doctor prescribed this med because of my PMS. I'm using the ring every 3 weeks so i don't get a period at all. I'm afraid of how my body will react if i take the ring out and suddenly get a period again. My pharmasist advised me to leave it in until you would normally take it out but i don't know if i can stand using it anymore. Does anyone have any advice. I'm afraid to talk to my doc about the emotional symptoms because it always seems they never believe the med can cause them. Thanks for all who read this, wish me luck or send me a prayer. Everyone else who's miserable on this BC you're in my prayers :)

i have been experiencing severe nose bleeds. they have become more and more frequent. the blood seems to drip out like running water. i have had three today. i never had this problem before the birth control, but have happened while i use it. they dont clot, and last 30 minutes. and i am starting to fear for my life. ladies please never use the neuva ring.... ever.