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My last 7 months... IUD girls, read this.
Hi everyone, so I've been lurking and reading about everything everyone on here has been up to, but haven't been able or ready to share my stories of the past 7 months or so until now. This could be a long one...
Starting from the beginning, and some of you know the first part of this story, about 8 weeks after MJ was born I got an IUD so that there wasn't another baby before we were ready. We had always wanted our kids about 2 years apart, so last March I went to have the IUD removed so that we could start trying again in the summer. After the Dr. tried to do that and couldn't find it to remove it, she sent me for an ultrasound to locate it, which they couldn't, so they determined that sometime over the past 18 months it had fallen out without me knowing it. That was pretty traumatic, but they knew from the US I wasn't pregnant, so we just accepted it and moved on.
So anyway, fast forward to July when we started trying again. We got pregnant in August with a perfect teacher's due date of May 17, but I miscarried at about 6 weeks, the end of September. We've been trying ever since. I was following the bump miscarriage/ loss board, and then the TTC after a loss board, which were both such hard places to be. So 7 months later we are still trying and about 3 weeks ago I had enough of this. I made another appt with my doctor out of frustration, and she referred me to another OB/GYN. I had that appt last week and she went through the whole history (the other possibly relevant fact here is that getting pregnant with MJ took about 2 weeks... as soon as we started trying we were pregnant, so dealing with this was that much harder). Anyway, this OB gave us the same, just keep trying, it will happen, but also wanted to make sure the IUD was out for sure since the facts didn't quite line up with what would have happened if it fell out. So she ordered an x-ray the next day (last friday) and I sat up from the x-ray, saw an image of my pelvis, and clear as day, the IUD was in there.
So that was a crazy weekend, I ended up getting ahold of my OB's nurse that Friday afternoon and she reassured me a little and scheduled me to come in on Monday. So Monday they told me I'd need laparoscopic surgery to remove it. She also is pretty certain that this is why we've been having all of these problems, that it's not in my uterus since we've had multiple ultrasounds with the miscarriage, but it's close enough that the hormone is still working and it had migrated to somewhere in my abdomen. She was concerned that after all this time it might have embedded or attached to an organ, so she wanted the surgery at Mercy in case she needed the help of a general surgeon.
The surgery was yesterday and it ended up going really well, she was able to find and pull it easily, and three incisions later I am finally (11 months after originally wanting to be) IUD free. Now I'm just waiting for a period and we'll have the green light to start trying again (which was another big concern when I heard the word surgery).
So anyway, that's the short version of this crazy story as I sit here recovering from surgery. My doc said she's done 10 of these migrating IUDs in the last 5 years which seems like a fairly high number to me, and I've always been of the "that would never happen to me" camp, but it did. I just wanted to share - I feel like it's something other people should know can happen, whether you have an IUD or not. I've been reading about so many new pregnancy announcements and others who are struggling and I know others on here have gone through miscarriages and I'm hoping the story can in some way help someone else. Oh, and I could never feel the strings on the IUD, right from the start... so if you can, chances are you're good!
Re: My last 7 months... IUD girls, read this.
I am so sorry that this has happened to you. You're right, it is one of those things that you think will never happen to you.
Thankfully it is all behind you and you can move on to the good stuff...TTC! Wishing you lots of wonderful baby vibes.
Holy crap!
I've been thinking of you tons lately and wondering how you were. I am so, so sorry that you have been through so much CRAP. At least you finally have it worked out and now you two can start fresh and, in a way, know that the problems weren't on your end (beyond having the IUD). I hope that you have LOTS of fun baby dancing and can have the perfectly timed baby after all.
I will say that my sister and I are three years apart and it was absolutely perfect. We were never so close in school that we had tons of common classes, but we weren't so far apart that we never had anything in common. So, as much as two years was your ideal, I don't think three will be bad either. *HUGS*
Wow, that is definitely an adverse event! It's not common at all but you just happend to be one of the unlucky ones.
There a woman on the Sept '12 bump board who is currently pregnant with her IUD stuck in her cervix. That's not common, either, but it can happen.
Hopefully things will turn around for you quickly!
I'm so sorry that you had to go through this, but I am thrilled that the surgery went well and it's all--FINALLY-- sorted!
I never understood why my PCP used to tell me at every annual physical that my IUD strings were where they were supposed to be, until I asked her after the 2nd visit and she explained that they can migrate. I had NO idea that it happened that often.
So I'm glad she always checked, because I have never been able to feel them...
Can't wait to hear your next pregnancy announcement!
I'm so sorry you're going through this, so scary and frustrating! I'm glad that you are finally IUD free now, and I hope you start feeling better soon.
As far as the IUD goes, I literally just came home from CMMC after having an ultrasound to try and locate mine. I had the Mirena put in back in June, not for birth control reasons, but to try and lessen the flow. I ovulate and get my period twice a month, and my doctor thought it would help. After months of no bleeding at all, I all of a sudden had a full on period flow with really bad cramping, nausea and a fever. The strings are really really low with mine right now, and they wanted to see where/how it is sitting so they can remove it. I'm just waiting to hear back from my doc with the results.
I know it's no where near as scary as what you went through, I can't imagine. But I am so glad that it's all behind you now and you can move forward with TTC.
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. -Henry Miller
http://cookthehumbletable.blogspot.com/
Thanks for all of your support, Ladies. I had wanted to come on and share about the MC, but it just never felt the right time, and then I just kept waiting to be able to announce a BFP, and that didn't happen, so here I am with this funky twist ending.
MegnDev - I hope that everything turns out ok for you, I'll be thinking of you and hope they can easily remove yours. I know I'll be choosing another method of BC when the times comes again!
Oh my goodness, Heather! What a rocky ride! I've been thinking of you lately and wondering how you've been doing. So sorry you have been going through this.
Hopefully, that period comes soon for you! I'll be sending good thoughts your way !
Also, why I chose not to have an IUD or go with a pill(trust me, I am not a fun person with crazy hormones running rampant through my body!). I've just been paying attention to my cycle and body and have had good luck so far!
I just wanted to chime in and say that not everyone does have a bad experience with an IUD, so I wouldn't automatically cross it off your list (saying that to the PPers). I had one for four years (Mirena), had it taken out in June, and was pregnant in August. I never had any problems at all and I actually loved having it enough that I recommended it to my sister. We both went to Planned Parenthood for it. I'll be getting another IUD after the baby comes, but will likely go with Paraguard this time for the longer coverage and no hormones. But we'll see what my doctor recommends.
Moral of the story: Everyone's experience is different and it might be the best option for you. :-)
I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, especially the m/c.
You are the second person I know to whom this has happened, and the whole idea gives me the creeps. Good enough reason in my mind to avoid the whole IUD thing...those are weirdly high odds.
Holy hell what a story!! You poor thing - that's so incredibly frustrating. Thank you so much for sharing - I had no idea they could migrate. I had a little scare a few weeks back and couldn't find my strings, but it turns out they curled up and looped back in, so the IUD is there but the strings were looped so we couldn't feel them. I had the opposite kind of scare though that I could have been pg and DH and I are done with that.
Sending you lots of "feel better" and baby vibes!! I'm so sorry you've gone through such an ordeal - good for you for being assertive with your medical care.
Jake blowing out the candle at Katie's coming home party
Katie Belle
Kristen, Chad, Jake, Katie & Sadie the Wonderdog, est. 6/17/06
Mine tried to take off too.
I had the Mirena, a few months after DD was born.
One day it just started hurting - it was like a pulling feeling. So I called my OB and they had me come in. It took a while for them to find it - because it was in my cervix. It took 2 doctors an HOUR to find and remove it.
Then they told me to take a pg test.
Unfortunately, I don't dare try one again, which sucks because they work so well for so many women.