'Stuck' Mirena Coil

[ClearFruit]

I went for Mirena removal and the GP couldn't remove it, as the strings were not visible. She then tried three times with a barbed instrument called a retriever. This was agony despite her numbing my cervix with gel and spray. She stopped due to me being in pain and bleeding.

I then had an ultrasound and the coil is in a difficult to reach place apparently. Now I have a GP appt in three weeks where she is going to try and remove it with some sort of forceps. Does anyone have any experience of these forceps? What will happen if she still can't get it?

I don't have experience of the forceps but my dd had a stuck coil. She was given a hospital appointment to have gas and air whilst a gynie surgeon removed it. If gas and air hadn't worked she would have been given full anaesthetic.
The e gas and air worked brilliantly and she said it was a relief to finally have it taken out!

I had this happen some years ago. Gynaecologist had a go at finding it after GP failed and it was a short but unpleasant experience. Honestly compared to birth, it’s just a scratch, but the rummaging around feels really odd and there are better ways to pass 15 minutes.
Mine stubbornly refused to be released into the wider world. Ended up having a general anaesthetic to get it out, apparently a 5 minute job.

Thank you for your reply. I'm glad your Daughter got sorted. I definitely don't want to go through the same pain as last time. It was awful. They used this to go through my cervix....So awful.

Omg that looks horrendous! My dd was in excruciating pain, actually passed out briefly and yet the doctor continued until she stopped her when she came to.

It's actually inhumane the way women's health is dealrh with, no pain relief, no compassion or understanding.

Keep insisting you do not want them to use that instrument again, you don't have to accept it.

Best of luck 🤞

I don’t want to minimise anyone else’s experience but it isn’t the case that you will have a really difficult time of it. Not pleasant, sure, but easier in my experience than a difficult dentist appointment

I'm sorry, but I did have a really difficult time of it. The GP tried 3 times with the retriever tool, and it was extremely painful. I asked her not to have a fourth go, as I felt dizzy. If you don't want to minimise anyone's experience, don't make comments like this.

If its any consolation i found it agonising having a sweep. The midwife told me some people feel pain in their cervix a lot more than others. For some people a sweep is a breeze but for others its very oainful and unpleasant.

in future you can try taking pain relief 30 mins before as well as requesting any numbing gel etc.

You can totally request better pain relief. Gas and air as a minimum . It's so easy to minimise the pain of women's gyny issues.

I was supposed to have mine replaced last Friday, and she couldn’t find the strings despite fishing (digging) around with the retriever for an eternity. Waiting on a scan now.

I think it’s very unhelpful to compare pain experiences. The way women are expected to undergo invasive procedures without any form of numbing is nothing short of barbaric.

It's horrible isnt it? Sorry you had the same experience. My scan appt took about 6 weeks. Hope you're sorted soon.

I ended up getting mine out under GA after gynae couldn't remove it.

6 weeks? Ugh. From your first post I hoped it would be quicker. They’ve been fobbing me off since September that it can last 8 years (nearly 6 years in now and the bleeding- its sole purpose- is pretty grim and worsening). I do feel like women’s health as a branch of medicine is a bit of an also-ran, we’re just whingers who should put up with it.

I’ve just found this thread and have been waiting 3 months now for an NHS gynea appointment to get my stuck coil removed and am still waiting…did anyone explore trying to get it done privately?

I had the same and various doctors etc at the GP and hosptial clinic could not remove it. I end up having a hysteroscopy. I was told as I had 'coped' so well with the pain during the times they had tried to remove it I would be ok with local anaesthetic.. I wasnt, the whole experience was awful and being awake just did not help. Also the machine broke down half way through so I had to lay there all akimbo whilst they replaced it and sanitised a new one..so I would ask for a General anaesthetic if possible.

Nuffield quoted me £750 for removal of the old one, and fit a new one, as long as everything was ‘standard’.

After the GP’s failed attempt in May (felt like she was trying to reach my teeth from the inside) I eventually got mine done by an NHS specialist in October, it took her moments and didn’t hurt at all.

But the OP has had a difficult time. My first two were removed without a problem but the third was torment

Thanks that’s really helpful. The GP told me it’d be a long wait so I was expecting to wait months…. I think I’ll hang on if that’s the price, especially as I have no idea if it’s going to be “standard” or not yet!

I had to have mine removed under GA by a gynaecologist when my GP couldn’t find the strings. It took months of appointments with the GP, the gynaecologist, a sonographer, the gynaecologist again, then finally the op itself. Must’ve cost the NHS a fortune to remove the thing.

Exactly, I’m glad I held off. Once they’re committed and can’t find the string it’s a bit late to start haggling additional costs!