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

[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.