Could this be the "Mirena Crash" I've heard about?

In reading up about other ladies experiences with the Mirena as well as the effects after it was removed I came across many references to what is known as the "Mirena Crash".  This is a period of basically feeling exhausted, foggy brain, among other symptoms.  I brushed it off and thought, "ok...now that's reaching...really?  A mirena crash?".  Well, I am laughing no more because I think if it truly is a real phenomena that occurs after having it removed...I think I may be in the flux of it.

This past week I have been drop dead tired!  The last time I remember feeling this tired was when I had mono in college!  I am pushing through it, but if I sit down in a comfy chair or even worse, lay down on my bed....I fall straight asleep!  In addition, I've had headaches and can't sleep through the night because I keep having to go to the bathroom (you'd think I was pregnant!  I'm not...I pee'd on a stick...negative, phew).  The good news is I've lost 8 lbs since having the Mirena removed!  Another side effect, my vision has changed.  I got new glasses in February and they were perfect, but now my reading vision is not so clear (I do wear bifocals).  But I do know from my days as an ophthalmic tech and an optician that hormones will alter ones vision, so I need to wait until I am pretty sure things have leveled off before I go back in to get my eyes rechecked...just one more annoyance.

So I am curious to see how long I feel like this, and hopefully those last 10 lbs will decide to slide right on off as well.  The interesting thing about the weight gain to begin with....people kept telling me my ankles were swollen and my legs looked like I was retaining fluid.  The fact that these 8 lbs have come off so easily and with many trips to the bathroom makes me wonder how much was fluid retention.  Time will tell!

3 weeks later

So it has been almost 3 weeks and I can't believe I can actually go out in public without any make up on! This might seem petty to most but I was so embarrassed by my acne that I didn't go anywhere without having a thick layer of make up on! My kids no longer point out the owies on my face like they did during those moments when I didn't wear make up, and my teenagers no longer wonder why my skin looked worse than all of their friends combined! On another note, I saw my primary physician today and showed him my before pictures and how great my skin is looking and he was amazed that there was such a huge difference. In fact his nurse saw them and said she was seriously considering the Mirena but after seeing my pictures she will be looking at other alternatives. We spoke about the gallbladder issues and he was not at all surprised by it. He said there is a definite link between these hormones and how they can affect ones system, specifically the gallbladder. So once again I ask...why are patients not being told these things? I would love to find an attorney willing to challenge the manufacturer, to make them accountable for really informing consumers of the risks they are taking with this product, but alas it seems none can be found. How discouraging. I would love to see a change in the information patients are given prior to using this product. Here's a picture from today...no make up!!!

 

Still acne free.....but also AF free.

Good news....I am still acne free!  Other than some old blemishes that are still clearing up, I have not had any new outbreaks, I am very excited about that!  Did I mention I had cystic acne for 4 years?  Ugh!  But a possible downside is that I figured that at almost 3 weeks post removal I would have had a visit from Aunt Flow by now, but no such luck.  I just want to get my body back into some sort of "normal".  One note of concern is that when I looked for information as to when I could expect my period after the Mirena was removed I found on the Mirena website a section for providers.  In that section is clearly states that if a woman would like the Mirena removed that the provider needs to ask the woman if she has had intercourse at all in the past 7 days.  If she has the provider needs to inform her that if it is removed there is a chance conception may occur as the effectiveness is eliminated as soon as it is removed.  Well it would have been nice if my provider had followed protocol and asked me about that, and then informed me of the risks.  She did not.  So I called after I read that and asked why I had not been asked, and how concerned should I be.  The nurse seemed surprised I had not been asked, then said she would speak with the provider and call me back.  When she called me back she said the provider told her that because of my age (43) it wasn't a concern to her as the odds were very small that I would become pregnant.  All I have to say is I hope she is right because I tend to be "fertile Myrtle" and my mom had me when she was in her 40's!

More than I thought

I have to admit, I'm surprised at how many responses I received privately from friends who either had similar issues with the Mirena, or they had friends who had similar issues with the Mirena.  Most of the ones they responded with were:

Cystic Acne
Gallbladder issues resulting in removal
Brain Fog
Overall achy and tired feeling

Here is an interesting read if anyone is interested in it:

http://mirena-awareness.webs.com/researchsideeffects.htm

Here is one website from 2006 that specifically lists acne, gallbladder issues as well as other possible side effects.  I'm finding lots of posts that claim many websites that listed these side effects are simply gone now, the links are dead, so I'm surprised to have even found this one.

http://www.mbmc.org/healthgate/GetHGContent.aspx?token=9c315661-83b7-472d-a7ab-bc8582171f86&chunkiid=208963

Interesting results so far.

Well, here I am, 3:40 AM writing a blog with no idea if anyone will see it or care.  But, I suppose it's a good way for me to keep track of things, and if others see it and are interested in sharing along the way, well I've never been known to be a shy person, so that works for me.

A little bit of info about me.  My name is Ali, I am 43 years old, have 4 kids and have been married to my best friend for almost 21 years now.  After baby #4 (he is now 6 years old) I found it harder and harder to remember things because I was too busy chasing after 4 kids (things like taking those pesky birth control pills).  Well, we felt plenty blessed with our 4 kids and so we knew we needed something more to ensure we didn't need to run out and repurchase all of those baby items we had just sold at our last yard sale.  So, when I went in for my annual exam my provider suggested I try the Mirena IUD.  She said it released a low dose hormone, was good for 5 years and had virtually no side effects, and the best part...many women stopped getting periods, and that was just fine by me!

So, about 4 years ago I went ahead and had a Mirena inserted.  Within a couple of months I started developing cystic acne and the dermatologist I saw linked it back to the Mirena.  My provider who inserted it insisted it was not the Mirena and even called me back a week after I approached her about it and said she had been in touch with the manufacturer about it and they too reassured her it had nothing to do with the Mirena.    Over the next 4 years I developed other problems such as increase in the cystic acne, insulin resistance, I had to have my gallbladder removed after a severe attack (I mentioned to my provider at my annual exam after the first year of the Mirena that I thought I was having gallbladder attacks and she said I didn't fit the profile and dismissed it as gas pain), increase in facial hair, sudden weight gain and a few other quirky things here and there.  Prior to that I was in great shape and had even run some marathons.  At any rate after being told with every new health issue that I "did not fit the profile" for someone to have developed it, I started researching the Mirena more and more and what I found was tons of complaints from women like me about similar problems that they developed since having the Mirena IUD inserted, many linking it to the synthetic hormone used (Levonorgestrel).  So I went in about 12 days ago and had it removed.  I am going to track any changes I may notice since having it removed on this blog.  Please feel free to share any experiences you may have had with the Mirena as well.

So far, 12 days later the cystic acne is completely gone on my back and has cleared up 90% on my face!  Unbelievable!  For the past 4 years I have been on steady doses of antibiotics for months at a time, retina-A, spent hundreds of dollars on products such as Proactive and Murad, not to mention all the money spent on super good concealer and other make up.  The whole time I was told it could never be the Mirena.  I find it highly unlikely that it was a coincidence that it developed shortly after the Mirena was inserted, stayed steady for 4 years and then cleared up within days of having it removed.  I will see if I can post some pictures for you all to see.  If the pics show up they are from about 3 months ago, 2 months ago, one month ago (and that is how my face has pretty consistently looked for the past 4 years), followed by the last two which are one week after the Mirena was removed and 11 days after it was removed.  HUGE difference!

I am not wearing make up in any of them, and I took them all with my phone so the quality would be the same.  Some of the acne would stay in the same spot for months on end!!!  I wish I had taken pictures of my back because the results there are just as dramatic.

So far I would dare say that this proves the cystic acne was INDEED a result of the Mirena!

My gallbladder is gone, so I can only go by what I am reading out there and assume that too was a result of this nasty device.  I'm curious to see if it affects my insulin resistance, weight gain, and other issues.