Mirena coil outside ny womb!

[milkymill]

Advice please. After my post coil fit check up they couldn't find it. After scan and x-ray it was discovered to have left the womb and is 'somewhere in my pelvic cavity'. I now need a laparoscopy and potentially further surgery to locate and remove it. It was 'fitted' in December and i was in a lot of pain afterwards. Firstly, noone in the medical profession so far has actually admitted to me that the reason it is no longer in my womb is due to the fact that it has perforated the wall of my uterus either during or after fitting (as far as im aware there'e no other way out?) Doctors have given me vague "oh it's erm...migrated outise the womb" like statments. Secondly; I have today been told that i'm on the emergency list for this operation but they are fullt booked till at least 16th May. 7wks! Does anyone know what the potential risks of having this thing 'roaming' around my abdomen is? Am i right in thinking perforation has to have occurred? Finally, do you think it's unreasonable to expect it to be sorted asap? I have read that perforation is classed as a medical emergency! Sorry for the length of this post.

I cant offer any help or advice, but sending you big hugs

Read this

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go to gp on emergancy appontment tomorrow and ask ALL these questions.

Check this out - they can rectify the mistake or put your mind at rest.

Oh - poor you.

i got pg last year after having the mirena coil.. they still haven't found it (though it might have come out when DD did, they didn't spot it!).
I would have thought that you should be seen sooner than that, but when mine was missing during pregnancy nobody seemed that worried!

No real advice sorry, but lots of sympathy. Let us know how you get on.

Thanks for your reply's, the thing is i'm not the sort of person who speaks out very easily, and i want to be armed with as much correct information as possible before i make a fuss.

I know but you have been left in limobo with no proper explanations and you have been treated unfairly. I understand you want to arm yourself with information but this should not delay or prevent you from seeking reassurance.

remember you pay for the NHS and you are allowed to use it.

so you are not 'making a fuss'

The fallopian tubes actually open up into the pelvic cavity, despite what most people think they are not actually attatched to the ovaries - just very close.

Not sure about relavtive sizes of tubes and coil but could it have escaped thru a tube?

IU would have thought you would be quite poorly if you have a perforated uterus.

how are you feeling now?

After the fitting my cervix didn't feel right for a while. I had a pain on one side. Now, whenever i excercise or walk too far i tend to get an achey shooting pain in what it think is my cervix/womb.

One of the risks of coil fitting is perforation of uterus wall, and it can be acute , so unwell with abdominal pain at the time of the fitting or chronic and happen insidiously and so the coil makes its way through the wall, and then the wall heals behind it, usually for some time after the procedure.
The most likely time this happened was at fitting.
Once it is in the pelvic cavity and the uterus has healed it isn't such an emergency and so a semi-planned procedure sounds reasonable as long as you are stable ie pain settled etc.It has probably settled down in your tissue in your abdomen somewhere and won't be causing any harm.It won't be roaming around.

Thanks Darrellrivers, i feel slightly reassured. Is there any way it could have gone through a tube though? Apparently the chances of perforation are around 1 in 1000 but risk factore include; breast feeding women and previous cs. I am both. Surely it can move and damage me if left too long? This emergency list would apparently leave me up to 20wks at most.

It most likely didn't go through the tube, more likely through the uterine wall, perhaps helped by an over enthusiastic insertion.
It isn't sharp and it hasn't got any force behind it now, so it won't be causing any problems and if it was causing problems you would become acutely unwell ie severe pain, low Blood pressure, high pulse rate etc etc.I'm sure you will be fine, but good luck , sounds like a lot to have on your plate at the moment

Thanks Darrellrivers, that's been helpful advice.

I am really sorry to hear this. I hope you are not worrying too much. This happened to me too. It clearly happened when it was fitted by - ahem - the senior consultant in family planning at a london teaching hospital. I think given that the hospital are at fault you should ask for an earlier appointment. The hospital profusely apologised to me. I kept telling them politely and firmly that I had no intention of suing them but that it was causing me a lot of pain and discomfort and expense - I couldn;t drive and needed more childcare - and they had to put it right. Then I got an early appointment. I was very alarmed that it might give me fertility problems later but have had another dc since then.If you are worried or in pain you will need to be persistent. I do hope that you get an earlier date. all best wishes

I think my mirena coil story may top them all! 8 years ago I had a mirena fitted by my GP, I had acute pain and heavy bleeding afterwards which I reported to the GP, but who then told me this was normal and so I didnt return until my 6 week check. At the check the doctor couldn't see the coil wires and so referred me for an ultrasound. I had an internal ultrasound which showed my uterus was clear and at that they assured me the coil had definately been expelled. However for the next few years I had spotting in between periods, so much so I was really having two periods a month. I reported this again to my GP and was told it was a result of, I quote, 'poor hormonal control'. I was also referred to a Gynea consultant for the same reason. The bleeding cleared up and so I eventually was discharged. For the last 3 years I have suffered from intermittent back pain. This year in particular the back pain has worsened, and sick of the pain I went to my doctor's and asked to have an x-ray to check for any disc problems. Guess what came up on the x-ray - my long lost coil! Even when faced with the x-ray my GPs and the hospital doctors were reluctant to admit that the coil had perforated the uterus and assured me that it was probably high in the uterine wall. So I was sent for another scan - which showed no coil! Waste of time! After demanding urgent appointments I have finally seen a consultant, the whole process has taken a month, during which I have been in severe pain. Now I face a laparoscopy, possibly bowel surgery and god knows what else as the thing has been in tbere for 8 years - I am TERRIFIED.

I am now terrified too! I had the Mirena fitted 3 years ago after ds was born. I've not been happy with it since but wanted to give it a fair crack at the whip. I had a smear test 2 weeks ago after which I had bleeding and pain. I was given 2 courses of strong antibiotics last Thursday which have made me feel kak but now although the bleeding has gone, the pain is still there, like a constant period pain. Am worried that somethings not right with the Mirena but I feel like I spend my life at the drs and hate being thought a time waster!

button - please go back and see your doctor. He/she may have pulled the threads on your coil when they did the smear and pulled it down from its position.

You are not a time waster!!!You are in pain.

My mirena was pulled down into my cervix following a smear (they didn't do the smear at the time of the insertion as it was at my postnatal check and I still had some lochia.

I just knew there was something wrong but no-one would listen to me. It was only when the morning sickness kicked in that I realised that I was pg - in fact I was about 10 weeks.

Dd2 is now 6, but it was a pretty awful pregnancy and caused some ongoing problems.

hi, #insertion and 1st yearly check up 4 strings went well, have had 'normal' periods ever since it was fitted (until a few months ago now theyre all over the place) after dr and nurse couldnt locate my strings i had ultrasound-couldnt see coil "im sure its been expelled without you noticing, but just to be totally sure i'l ask a dr if he thinks it may b worht giving you an x-ray" had x-ray. got results a couple of days ago-mirena has perforated my uterus and is now in teh right side of my pelvis. waiting 2 hear about possible laparoscopy-i want it out! most days have period like pains or achey or sharp pain down there. wen im depserate for a wee (like wen waiting 4 ultrasound) i could cry its that painful! and wen im full (just eaten) i often feel sick. bloody thing wish id never got it. dr didnt warn me of it when i got it fitted!! dr i see now kept telling me how incredibly rare it is 4 this 2 happen-ot from wot ive read!!

Hi, I have a similar experience with mirena coil. Had it inserted August of last year, had a lot of pulling type pains, but never thought too much about it. Kept having periods, lots of mood swings and unpleasant side effects of having it in and decided it wasn't for me and wanted it removed. Went to get it taken out and they couldn't find the strings, ultrasound couldn't locate it, they were going to assume it had fallen out but did a couple of x-rays to be sure and found it lodged underneath my diaphragm. I am currently waiting to have it removed by laparoscopy, although the Dr said it's 'not doing any harm' where it is. I disagree, I am having symptoms akin to early menopause, dizziness, night sweats, irregular periods, I think it is messing with my hormones and can't wait to get it out! I also want another baby and worry that it has done permanent damage to my insides (I have effectively been without birth control for a year and no signs of pregnancy, this worries me). I suppose I should be glad that I am not in pain much with it, although now I know where it is I'm sure I can feel it sometimes!! It's nice to know I am not alone :)

Hi I am in pain and all because I went to have a mirena coil fitted in hospital, about a month ago. The consultant there decided in his "wisdom" to do a womb biopsy there and then, without telling me beforehand! And despite the fact that the scan had revealed no abnormalities! It hurt terribly where he inserted the suction needle, and still does. At first he said it was "nerves" then he said "you have too many pain receptors in your womb".

A week ago I went to my GP who diagnosed me with an infection in my gall bladder. I am now on antibiotics for that infection, which I am convinced was caused by womb perforation.

I am going back to the same hospital on Wednesday to see a different consultant. What can I say? I am sure I will have to have an operation to sew up the perforation as it will not heal itself. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I have just got out of hospital after having my gallbladder out but when I had a CT scan they found that the first Mirena Coil I had inserted 5 and a half years ago is now sat in the lower left hand side of my abdomen.

When I had the coil inserted I had awful pain and bleeding after, and when I went for my 6 week check it was nowhere to be found, despite a scan and an internal scan. I was told it must have just fallen out and I'd missed it and another coil was inserted.

I am now waiting for my appointment to come through with gynaecology for my date to have the wandering coil removed and the replacement coil removed and replaced. Like I said I've just had my gallbladder removed and am not looking forward to another anaesthetic and laparoscopic procedure, it's going to be my third in 4 months (as I had a diagnostic laparoscopy done when I was poorly with my gallbladder before they decided to take it out).

Hi, I'm having a similar experience with my mirena coil, I had it fitted in August by my GP after my 3rd baby was born, and afterwards had quite heavy bleeding for about a week, and a nagging pain in my abdomen on and off, I tried to feel the threads but couldn't find them, so I went back to my GP surgery and they checked for it, but couldn't find it. The male doctor that searched for it said it had probably fallen out and I just hadn't noticed! I know I'm sleep deprived with 3 children under 4, but I think I'd know, so I insisted that they do an ultrasound to locate it.

Following an internal scan where they couldn't find it, another male GP at my surgery phoned me up to tell me that it had fallen out and to come in to discuss alternative contraception. The next day the doctor that had fitted it called to say was I sure it had fallen out and was I experiencing any pain. When I told her about the pain in my abdomen she sent me for an x-ray, where I was told it was in there, but they couldn't tell me whereabouts.

After seeing my GP this morning and being told I have to have a laparoscopy I spoke to the hospital who said I had to wait till the beginning of December to see the gynaecologist to arrange my laparoscopy. Feeling quite stressed now about having to wait so long, as getting pains a few times a day and I just want the stupid thing out!

Blimey - looks like I got off lightly. I had mine in for two months, a few niggles, nothing terribly bad other than I gained a stone in weight in a month - but I went to the family planning clinic as GP could not locate strings. FPC doctor took a look and as she put the speculum in, I coughed and out shot the Mirena.

I declined to have another one put in, and I can honestly say, two days later, it was like a cloud had lifted. I hadn't realised how depressed I'd been, and since then (about six weeks now) the weight has just dropped off (hurrah).

I hope you all manage to get those coils located and removed. I'd never have anything like that before. It's actually quite bizarre that we agree to have them in the first place - it's AFAIK a pesticide inside a plastic and metal thing that looks like it should hold a toy in a box, shoved up inside you