Today's objective: Pamper myself

[soc_puppet]

Just had an IUD put in today! (Hormonal type, not copper.) We'll see if it's any improvement on the pills. I mean, it's definitely an improvement over having to take another pill every day, but other than that. I can go back to the pill if I need to, though; it was a bit annoying, but the "no cramps" made up for things pretty well.

Meanwhile, brand new IUD means I'm experiencing cramps for the first time in over half a year 😂 Time to make use of the heat packs the hospital generously gave me...

Comments

[alexseanchai]

*solidarity fistbump*

heat pack, there's a thought, but I'd have to get up to go microwave the thing…

[mesotablar]

microwave? Nah, get that mildly unsafe sac of boiling water on yourself!

[alexseanchai]

boiling water for this purpose is way likelier to end up in me scalding myself than approximately anything else

is a Nerdy Keppie product, has corn in, did eventually go heat the damn thing and am about due to reheat it

[mesotablar]

yeah, it is a bit more than mildly unsafe, but I find hot water bottles more effective than anything that comes out of a microwave. But then I also have an electric kettle so boiling and pouring is a simple less-than-3-minute task

[soc_puppet]

🤜🤛

They gave me three instant ones, two of which I've used already; I believe hot chocolate will actually be next on my list, and I'll save the last one for later. After which I've still got the corn sack 👍

[mesotablar]

Since November IUD vs Pills has been a discussion with my friends. Copper seems not-great but otherwise it is all a new area for us, even the ones working in health. We don't know anyone with one so I apologise in advance for now stalking your story.

[soc_puppet]

No problem ✌ Yeah, copper was the first one I knew much about, and since some of the things it causes are what I went on birth control to actively prevent (cramps and heavier bleeding), the hormonal ones seem much more to my potential liking 😂

I will say that getting my IUD put in was not a physically comfortable experience, and I'm expecting to have cramps and spot-bleeding for the next few days. I'm currently on the tail end of an 800mg ibuprofen tablet, and have been given instructions to take 800mg every eight hours or 600mg every six hours for the next day or two. I've also been instructed that I'm not to put anything up my vagina for the next week, which is an important detail, or I definitely would've planning to use my menstrual cup if things got too bloody.

The doctor I worked with (not my PCP) said that it usually takes about six months to get fully acclimated to an IUD, and recommended I give it another two months after that to see how I feel about the potential "new normal". I'm cautiously optimistic, though! I'm also supposed to go back in six weeks for someone to check my strings, make sure they're still reachable, etc.

The IUD I got is Mirena, which is good for up to 7 years, though I'm supposed to start thinking about changing it as early as 5 years (but if things are going well, I can get another couple years out of it).

I did bleed some while getting the IUD put in (a normal amount, according to the medical team; I'd compare it to a relatively light day on my period, I think), and the pain I experienced was more "pointy"/pinch-y than I possibly expected? Moreso than I remember my cramps being, though they're currently closer to how I remember my cramps from the past. I scheduled today off from work in advance (especially since I didn't know how long the appointment would take), and luckily have the next few days off as well, which I am more and more grateful for as the day goes by 😂

The entire appointment took about three-and-a-half hours, but that included a trans-vaginal ultrasound to see if the doctors could get a better idea what was going on in my uterus area (currently the diagnosis of "adenomyosis" is sticking), and the medical team getting a bit distracted between me deciding "Yeah, let's go ahead with the IUD" and them coming back to actually put it in. (They were otherwise a very good team! Very good communication, etc. I chalked it up to a side-effect of the Plague Times.)

Previously, I had an alarm set on my phone so I'd remember to take my pills at as close to the same time every day as possible. I'm looking forward to turning that alarm off, if nothing else!

Anyway, that's all I can think of to share about my own experience at the moment, though I'll be happy to try and answer any questions you or your friends have!

[mesotablar]

Thank you! Mirena is the exact one my doctor friend talks about, though no one in her family use one.

Good to know in advance about the adjustment period being so long, though I hope any issues that come up in this period get addressed adequately for you. There are some local issues with misogyny in healthcare that we would have to plan around for those months.

In our research I'd heard about menstrual cups being problematic for a while, the timeframe seems to vary (probably because of anatomy variation?). I'm just worried about the puncture horror stories, and I have a retroverted uterus which means a non-standard angle, but I guess that means I'll just have to find a combined clinic with ultrasound facilities and doctors willing to push ER admission if things go wrong.

[mistressofmuses]

Hooray! I hope the IUD agrees with you!

I finally got back on the pill about 6 months ago, after my cramps hit the point of being so debilitating I just couldn't handle the thought of continuing to deal with them.

I hope the IUD cramps pass quickly and that the heating packs help!

[soc_puppet]

Oof; yeah, my cramps weren't usually that bad, but they still sucked, and I also was getting some intermenstrual spotting, so I went on the pill last year. It's been a bit of a journey! (First pill took away my cramps but made me bleed two days out of three (even if it was just spots most of the time); doctor agreed that was bullshit and sent me for an ultrasound, diagnosed me with adenomyosis (basically off-brand endometreosis, if you haven't heard of it), switched me to a different pill; new pill did better, but I still had a bit more irregular dripping than I'd like, and then in October I had a period that lasted two weeks and was like, "Fuck this,"; my doctor agreed with me again and suggested we get more brains working on the project, which eventually led to today's adventure.)

I'm guessing the pill has been working out for you? I sure hope so!

The heating pads are making my life so much better right now, I can't even. I lurf them. Thank goodness I also have a reusable corn sack heating pad, or I'd probably be off to the store to buy some right now.

[mistressofmuses]

Ugh, spotting sucks.

I had not actually heard of adenomyosis! I'm glad you got a diagnosis, especially if it leads to something that's a more helpful long-term treatment!

The pill I'm on allows me to skip cycles, which is really what I wanted, especially with the cramping and the fact my usual periods are relatively heavy and total 9-10 days, which I just plain loathe. I did have a rather horrifying 21 days of bleeding early on when I missed taking the pill for a few days, but it evened out very well after that, ha

Hail the heating pads! Very glad they're helping!

[soc_puppet]

Yeah, so far both of the doctors I've described adenomyosis as "off-brand endo" to have loved the description 😂 Basically: It's endo, except instead of endometrium growing all around the lower torso, it's all stuck growing within the muscle tissue of the uterus. And I definitely lucked out in getting a fantastic PCP and medical team; it could be because I live in a fairly progressive city, but I'm just as okay not questioning it.

Urk! I'm really glad you've got something that's working for you now! I think my two-week period may have been related to me missing a pill once, but the fact that I'd missed pills on other occasions and didn't have such extreme results lends doubt to that hypothesis. In any case, for at least the next eight months, I won't have to worry about missing a pill again!

[mistressofmuses]

Off-brand endo sounds about right. And sounds like one of those things that I might want to get checked out for if I ever wind up with a regular OBGYN again. (Though the pill has taken care of the possible symptoms.) I'm very glad you have a good medical team! I know how hard it can be to get things like that taken seriously!

Hooray for not worrying about the daily pill!