Hi I am not a mum but I joined to share my experiences, as many women seemed to be asking what happens when you remove a Mirena, how long to be back to normal etc.
I am 45 with no children, in good health. I had a Mirena inserted 5 May 2015. I had originally wanted a Gynefix, because I had one before, and it was great, I never had a moment??s bother with it. It was only removed because it expired.
The gynaecologist persuaded me that a Mirena was a good choice for someone my age, as he said that it would help manage the transition up to menopause: ??Do you want a coil that makes your periods worse, or one that makes them go away???
The insertion was painful and unpleasant, but nothing I could not handle. I felt pretty sicky and light headed for the rest of the day and took some painkillers.
The first problem I noticed was that I could feel the device at all times. I mean EVERY minute of the day. I also had bad period type cramping. I hoped this would resolve over the next few days, but it didn??t. Within 2 weeks I had such bad cramping pains that I went to the Urgent Care Clinic at my local hospital and I begged them in tears to remove it. They said they didn??t have the right equipment, the doctor and nurse urged me to ??bear with it??, they said the first few weeks would be bad but it would get better and be worth it in the end. The nurse had a Mirena herself, so I took her opinions seriously. They prescribed Mefanemic Acid, a kind of painkiller which is specific to cramping pain.
I bore with it for the next 4 months. I never had such pain again as I had on the day I went to the UCC, but I started to feel increasingly unwell in myself.
Here is a list of my symptoms over the months I had it. They got worse over time until I could not take it any more:
Period type cramping ?? abdomen and legs
A heavy bloated feeling in my tummy, like I was constipated, but I wasn??t
Being able to feel the device at all times ?? a poking sensation that wore me down
Back ache ?? continual lower back pain, which affected my work
Headaches that came and went, on various specific parts of my head (very like the kind you get with an awful hangover)
Fatigue and exhaustion
Massive appetite and sweet tooth: I gained weight until I reached 90kg, the heaviest I have been in my life
Breathlessness (which was probably due to the sudden weight gain)
Sore vagina
Feeling angry and aggressive ?? I broke up with my boyfriend and fell out with several friends
Stomach irritation ?? which I later realised was due to my constant daily intake of Ibuprofen - most days I would wake up and take 3 before I could even do anything.
Finally I decided to get it taken out. My GP said ??It doesn??t suit everyone??. Well that??s the understatement of the year. It was taken out less than 2 weeks ago and I feel better already.
Here is my removal diary I kept for general benefit. As you can see, after some initial crappy stuff, I felt better very quickly:
Day 1 - Mirena removed. Slight feeling of soreness from the procedure. Immediately the ??poking?? feeling went away and I felt a huge sense of relief.
Day 2 - Cramping and backache
Day 3 - Watery bleeding, backache, feeling very down and tearful. Had a kind of a mini panic attack ?? sobbing and gasping.
Day 4 - Period-like bleeding. Backache a lot better, no pain anywhere, appetite and sweet tooth much reduced. Feeling loads brighter emotionally, like a horrible weight had been lifted off me.
Days 5-9 - Light bleeding. Feeling much better, pretty normal!
Day 10 - Bleeding almost stopped. Breathlessness much reduced. Energy coming back.
I hope this story is helpful. By the way, I am getting a Gynefix inserted in 2 weeks. My experience of this device is that it is great. Such as shame that it never became very popular, so few doctors are trained to insert it.
Can I also draw your attention to the Yellow Card scheme in the UK, which allows people to report side effects to the NHS. It has a website.