Mirena and dishwasher

I wish I had done my research before getting the Mirena IUD put in. I am 48 years old and have 3 grown children. For the last 10 or so years my periods have been VERY heavy and very embarrassing as leaking was a severe problem every time I had to leave the house during the first 2 days of it. I finally went to a doctor about it and he recommended the Mirena after determining nothing was really wrong. He hyped it up as the best thing to happen for women since the dishwasher but failed to tell me any of the side effects.

Well, I have had it now for 4 months but today I had it removed. Among the side effects that I was experiencing, such as the extreme fatigue and constant spotting, I gained about 25 more pounds (on top of the 50 I already was overweight by) and feel that I will continue to gain because I'm finding my clothes are getting 'smaller' everyday. I've had to increase my jean size twice already. This is really upsetting me because I already was carrying around 50 pounds too much before I got the Mirena. But this weight was at least steady. I hadn't really gain any more for years until last December when I decided to try the Mirena. Then when my husband started getting on me for gaining more weight, I was crushed and thought I better do something about it. The first thought I had was to check and see if there was anybody having this problem because of the IUD. Well, imagine my relief to see page after page of complaints because of this thing and that I wasn't just imagining it.

I thought at first that I must just be starting to go down hill because I'm getting older. I became extremely exhausted, sweating all the time over the smallest of activities, trouble sleeping, in a constant 'fog', and rapidly gaining weight. PLUS, the only help I got with my period was that it became very light and spotty, but stretched out over 3 weeks! That sucks as much as 2 days of extremely heavy bleeding. Well, I can't afford to keep gaining weight as I already have high blood pressure and am in danger of developing diabetes so,...it come out today. I gave it a shot. Just wish I knew the down side before doing this. I know there are some women that have nothing but great things to say about it and good for them. But as for me, I won't be recommending it to anyone. I'll keep you all posted with any improvement now that it's gone.

My Mirena Removal....
So i posted here a few weeks ago after I found this site. I had EVERY side effect listed and was so freaked out that i immediately made an appointment for removal.
For those of you reading and wondering what the removal is like..
Well, NOTHING like the insertion. I was so so nervous and it was over before we actually started. The DR was surprised that i was back in his office to have this removed. He then proceeded to do an ultrasound to be sure it was placed properly before removal. And yes, all was OK on the position of it. I explained to him my reasons and he looked at me like he had never heard this before. I honestly can not imagine with all the women he sees that NONE of them have complained. But...as I was getting dressed afterwards, I took a good look in his office. There was Mirena literature ALL over the place. In fact, that was the ONLY thing he was advertising. Not to mention...they made me pay up front with the insertion back in Nivember...billed my insurance and I still have yet to receive my reimbursement. Oh yeah, and that...they charge more than the actual Mirena costs, then they bill your insurance for the price they know they will pay and the DR then makes about $150 profit. Nice.
Ok, back to my side effects post Mirena. The removal was not painful at all. I did spot for about a week- nothing too heavy but it was clotty and def there.
A couple of days after the removal it felt like I was coming out of my skin something terrible. I figured this was my body adjusting to the lack of hormones. I also had some headaches.
It has now been 2 weeks and the spotting has disappeared. I also can see the bloating of my stomach is starting to go away. It looked like I was about 4 mos preggo while I was on it. I also have an increased sex drive. And sleep-- well let me tell you, I have not slept this good in a very long time. I am actually sleeping more than 6 hours now and the night sweats have also discontinued.
I can't believe EVERY time I come to this site and look up Mirena ALL the people that have posted their experience as being negative. Yet, the DR looks at me like I am crazy! I have been seeing him for years and I have never complained about something like this. I really am so happy that I have it out and wish I would have done my research on this prior to insertion (which was one of the most painful things ever!)
So..for those of you out there that are either contemplating having it inserted...I say NO WAY. And for those of you out there that are nervous about the removal or not sure..I SAY YES, DO IT! For our bodies to be reacting this way, it is clear to me that it should not be inside of us. Listen to your bodies...they really do speak to you and let you know when something is not right. Forget about the DR saying it is safe or he has not heard of any of these side effects...YOU be the judge.
Good luck! And I promise it gets better once you get that lil' demon out!
Mona