My IUD experience - it wasn't great!

Ok, so this is not endorsed by any doctor - in fact, my dr. basically said he didn't buy it and that I was full of it. I am not stating that this happens to everyone - but it happened to me and if someone reads this and it helps them that makes me very happy. Let me start by saying that you alone know your body better than anyone else, and if you feel like you don't, start paying attention to it! You know when you feel good, normal, sane, healthy etc. I was pregnant for practically two years - 20 months with a 4 month break between babies. I felt crazy, cranky, pissy, pick your adjective for psycho pregnant lady! After I had Sydney, I decided I didn't want to be pregnant again for a loooong time, at least 2 years. So after talking with my sister Jan, who has the Mirena IUD and loves it - no period! no daily pill! Just insert and you're done - the most effective birth control you can get pretty much and it sounded sweet to me. Discussed it with my husband, who didn't think I should get it because for some reason he likes crazy-hormonal pregnant Becky (wait, he likes the baby that comes after that, duh)told him I wanted it and that was that. Went to the dr, and let me tell you - I have read so many posts from women about how much it hurt to get put in and I have to say what a bunch of wimps - did you just push a baby out of you or what? And yes, I had an epidural so it's not like I'm a masochist or anything - but come on, it's just a little pinch, take a Tylenol before and you will feel just fine. Anyway, left the office feeling great and expecting to move on with my life. Then came the side effects. I'm listing these in the order that I realized they happened, I didn't put it together that it was my IUD until after a month and a half.
So I started getting horrible stomach cramps about a week later - my entire stomach from ribs to pelvis would ache, wake me up in the middle of the night and keep me up - Tylenol kind of took the edge off but they never really went away. These were worse than the cramps I had on the pill, but on their own, I think maybe I could have handled it. They would give me diarrhea, then I would start to throw up. Then came the headaches. I've never really gotten them, the occasional one that would go away with some medicine. These lasted for days, againm Tylenol took the edge off but they never left (excedrine migraine worked great though!) Now for the weirdness - my left hand started going numb - well, maybe numb isn't the right word, it was that weird, "I'm waking up" tingly feeling from my elbow to my fingertips on my left hand. All day and night - weird huh! Then my foot started falling asleep at random times - my left foot - doing dishes, playing with the girls, you name it. I commented to Kevin, this is weird, maybe my circulation is bad, or maybe my chair at my desk isn't ergonomical isn't that odd haha and we would just pass it off as my body being funky. I also started staying awake at night, jumping at every little noise, worrying about everything under the sun. So the day came when the stomach cramps woke me up at 4, kept me up and lasted for 2 days - keep in mind I have a 3 month old - I NEED MY SLEEP!!So I started Googling.....ahh, Google what would I do without it? It's my answer for everything..."I don't know, go google it" So it brought up the stomach cramps, headaches as normal side effects. Then I saw "left-side numbness" and my ears perked right up - huh. I have that. huh, my arm started going numb around the time that I got the IUD. huh
I pretty much avoided the "Mirena sucks!" postings and tried to stick with basic explanations, and the more I read, the more I felt and knew that this thing needs to get out of me stat - I talked to Kevin and he completely agreed that it was weird. I called the dr. and had to explain that instead of checking on how it was doing, I wanted my IUD removed. My nurse sounded worried that the dr. would not be happy about it but I said that's what I wanted so see you Wednesday! I printed the page from drugs.com about the side effects that also stated numbness and took it with me. After explaining all to my dr. he went to his office to check the internet and came back saying he didn't buy it, and that if I gave it a couple months I would be just fine. He also pointed out several times that I had wasted $800 of the taxpayers money (let me point out that due to becoming unemployed after finding out I was pregnant I was on OHP, my state health care). I stayed calm - even though I wanted to yell and say that we paid our taxes just as well as anyone else, and I didn't care if it was $800 or $8000 - I didn't feel right! But I didn't, I just calmly repeated that he didn't have to believe me, I know my body and I know that it's not normal for my hand and leg to be numb, that it started around the time of my IUD being put in, and I don't think that was just coincidence. I think I said that 3 or 4 times - I know my body and this is not right, I want it out. He said that maybe it was something else, my body produces these hormones on their own, it might be neurologic and I just kept saying sorry, I want it out. I feel pretty proud of myself for sticking to it, and he said that if I hadn't been so determined he would have tried to talk me out of it even more. He really laid a guilt trip on me though, and I was pretty embarrassed about "wasting the tax payers money" even though I have a right to it as much as anyone else, and I have a right to know what works and what doesn't for my body. Like I said before, if it was stomach cramps and headaches, that I can deal with, but the numbness was seriously freaky. Anyway, he apologized and said that I was his patient and I was more important than the state - Damn right!! A little pinch, and it was out again. I KID YOU NOT - THE NUMBNESS IN MY HAND WENT AWAY IN 3 MINUTES - I was putting my clothes back on and told Kevin, "it's gone". It's been 2 days, and it hasn't come back at all. I fully believe that my IUD caused it -nothing will convince me otherwise. I feel better already, but not completely myself, that will take a little bit for my hormones to regulate themselves. I wonder if there is a nerve that was being pinched - like how accupuncture and accupressure affect certain parts of your body when you activate specific areas (ie, spots on your foot promote healthy liver function). I get freaked out when I think of if I had left it in, would that have caused serious nerve damage over time? That's my own little theory on it though - the body is so complex who can ever predict it?
Another little tidbit I've been thinking on, they say that babies who are nursed with their mothers on the Mirena, which releases progesterone, have elevated levels of steroids in their blood. They say that this really doesn't affect the babies - I may disagree. Sydney has been fairly constipated since she was about 1 1/2 months - around the same time that I got the IUD. I know, babies will sometimes go 2 to sometimes 10 days without pooping occasionaly, but Sydney will poop once, then go anywhere from 5-10 days before going again - EVERY TIME. I worried about Hirschsprung's again (see earlier posts with Alexis) but that's not the case. I have to wonder about this IUD, and will post again if I notice a difference in Sydneys bowel movements now that I have this thing out of me.
So I guess what I learned most of all is to trust myself. I wasn't about to let anyone bully me into doing something that I knew was wrong for me, and I would recommend anyone reading this to 1) research the hell out of any birth control you are about to use, or for that matter, any kind of drugs you are using, and 2) If something isn't going right, stand up for yourself! I feel so bad for the women that got talked into waiting for it to even out, when they had so many side effects that were so much worse than mine, and now their bodies are seriously messed up. Go with your gut feeling, it will usually be the best FOR YOU.

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So close to going home....

Sorry to all who have been reading that I haven't written since after the surgery, pretty much anytime she's awake I'm holding her, or when she sleeps I sleep! It's kind of like having a newborn all over again! She is doing so well, she was able to have "clears" yesterday, so she got to have Jell-O and some juice, it's funny she's never had jell-o, and she loved it! She had this cute little pink mustache, since the spoon was a little too big for her mouth. They took the drain, or stint out of her tummy yesterday, I didn't get any pictures of it, since they (the surgeons) always come around pretty early and I never think of taking photos. So her - wound? slice? future scar? I'm not sure what to call it, but where they cut her open and where her stoma used to be is healing up really nicely. She has two places with stitches and they are different types. They are both internal though, so we can't see them. Her stomach has about a 2 1/2 inch cut, and it looks like the skin is pinched together on the outside, so it's just a long line that goes from the left side of her tummy to just a little past her bellbutton. The stitches for that will disolve in about 4-6 weeks. Directly under that is a little criss-cross cut, that was where the drain came out, they just took it out and it's been closing on it's own. Then, the stitches at her rectum are just inside, they basically took her intestine where it had been attached to her tummy, then pulled it down to her bum then stitched it in place. Those stitches are "permanent" they won't dissolve, but they will eventually work their way out (months? years?) and the scar in place will keep her attached. When we change her diaper you can see one little stitch sticking out, that's the only way you know what happened! She is completely off the IV meds, and going on Tylenol during the day, and Tylenol with codeine at night. She was able to eat solids, they said she can go back on her regular diet, but supplement with fiber so that her stools are soft, cause the last thing we want is strain and a potential ripped stitch *ouch*! They say that maybe we can go home today, but she needs to poop first after eating all those solids, so potentially not until tomorrow. We just want her to be 100% ok before we go off and try to do this on our own! So here are some more photos, you can always go to Kevin's facebook account to see more pictures.

Day after.....

Surgery was a success! We went back to see her (she didn't get out until about 5pm) and she had her eyes about half open, but when I held her hand she just squeezed and wouldn't let go for anything! When I would try to pull away she just held on tighter, it was so cute. She had a pretty good night, and actually slept for quite a long time, so I got to sleep for a long time! Here are the wires in her - 1)heart moniter attached to her toe 2)catheter, umm you know where! 3)she has two IV's, one in each foot, but only one is being constantly used. I think they are using the other one for her medicines 4)an epidural from her back and 5)an NG tube, for sucking up her stomach contents, that reduces inflammation and the risk of infection. Oh, I forgot, since this one isn't hanging out, she has a drain from her stomach where they stitched her colostomy closed. She still can't have anything to eat, since it will just get sucked back up through the NG tube, but she has a lot of fluids going on, and doesn't seem hungry. I gave her a couple small ice chips this morning (I LOVE hospital ice, Tiff and I call it pre-chewed ice, because it's so crunchy and yummy!)not for her to drink, but so that she could wet her mouth and throat since it was so dry and her coughs sounded so scratchy. she seemed a lot better after that. She is very attached to me, it makes it hard to leave and go back to the RMac house to take a shower and eat, since she cries when I'm not there. Kevin is holding her right now and she's sleeping, I think if she had it her way she would just have us hold her all day and night. Oh, and she pooped!! It really hurt her, I felt so bad, but it wasn't an actual food poop, just what was left in her bowels going the restof the way through. She's been tootin all morning though, and it's really so bizarre to hear it from her! Kevin and I just look at eachother and go, "was that you?" because we forgot already! I have pictures of her after the surgery and just hanging out now, but i forgot the cord at the RMac house, so I will post them later tonight.

Lexi at Doernbecher...Day of the Surgery

Warning: This rambles quite a bit, sorry :)

So we are here in Portland, Lexi is actually in surgery right now and I am listening to a little kid screaming his head off down the hall. We came up Tuesday night, her appointment was Wednesday and they admitted her at about 4:30 pm. They started her on a clear liquid diet, and that went on until about midnight, then they had her just with an IV and nothing per mouth. They also had begun her bowel prep, which was this medicine that they had going through her nose/stomach tube, that was called "go lightly"..... Baloney! That stuff had her filling her bag completely every hour! But as the night (and endless hours of no sleep) went on her stool became more and more clear, and turned yellow, which is just mainly stomach bile. She wasn't scheduled for surgery until 3:30,so when Kevin came back(he stayed at the RMac house overnight, and we stayed up with Lexi) Tiff (she came up last night) and I decided to go back to the Ronald McDonald house (the most awesome place, especially when you are away from home and your baby is sick, or having surgery) and do some laundry (considering that she had thrown up all down my shirt when they put the nose tube in, and then I had poop on my sweats and on my shirt, and two of her blankets) We had some breakfast, and had just gone to the room to take a nap - since the longest chunk of time we slept was 2 hours straight - when Kevin called and said they moved her surgery up, they are sending a transport team to take her down. In hospital time that could mean 5 minutes, or up to an hour, you never really know. We booked it back to the room, no shower, still only 5 hours of sleep- really crappy sleep honestly since I was on that hard chair that folds into a bed, Tiff was on the window bed, and I had to hold Lexi all night, she screamed every time I put her down, and if I left the room like, to go to the bathroom it took a bit to calm her down when I got back! Anyway, all of that to wait about 1/2 an hour, then go down the operating "base" and wait there about another 1 1/2 hours! So they are still in surgery, and this has been since about 12:30, they said they will come out and update us about 1 1/2 hours into it, but still no news yet and it's been 2 hours. They are going to sew up her colostomy, take her intestine down to her bum, literally pull it through and stitch it directly to her rectum. She will have stitches in 2 places, so she will be very sore for a while, and on some drugs to keep her happy. She most likely won't get to eat for at least 1 full day, and then after that on a special diet for a couple weeks to let her stitches heal up so that nothing tears. We will probably not be released to go home until Tuesday, maybe later depending on how she is doing with everything. So here are some pictures, and her are some videos we've taken- she has actually been so happy and smiling for everyone and she loves the nurses (when they aren't shoving tubes down her nose or sticking needles in her legs!) because they have stethoscopes and pager/phones around their necks! She looks pretty sleep deprived in some of these though, and a little stoned since she is giving this cheeseball grin all the time. Soon though she will be back to her normal self, being our happy little peanut!

Rough night

(Lexi and Daddy last night when it randomly snowed!)

(I hadn't showered yet, but she actually smiled with me!)

( I love her little tennies, they are from Auntie Beth)
Poor Lexi....She has gained the weight she needed to, so we scheduled her surgery for this Thursday (we scheduled it a few weeks ago)and everything has been a go. We are leaving for Portland tomorrow, she has pre-op on Wednesday where they will admit her into the Doernbecher Pediatrics, and then surgery Thursday morning. So we've been living in fear of her getting sick, since she has to be in prime health for this to happen, and everything has been fine. Kevin had a really bad cold last week, so we kept them away from eachother as best as we could. I'm not a germaphobe by any means, normally I think it's great for her to be around some germies, so that she builds a strong immune system - don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna hand her to someone visibly icky, or someone with chicken pox!I just don't freak out about her getting dirty, or if someone doesn't wash their hands before they hold her, ya know, stuff they say all new moms do - Well I don't! Anyway, she wakes up yesterday with a cough, I'm thinking, "this isn't horrible" Then when I get home from church, Kevin is changing her bag and says "I don't know if she has diarrhea or what, but this thing exploded!" And lo and behold - she has diarrhea. Now, having experienced this, many moms will say "no big deal, she poops in a bag how bad can it be?" Let me tell you - BAD...REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD. See, she goes in a bag, but this stuff is so acidic, it just eats right through the seal, and literally rips her tummy up until it has open sores and is bright red like a burn, which means new bags won't stick because I can't clean it without causing her a lot of pain - that happened last time in the course of about 1 1/2 days. Oh, and did I mention that we planned her bags down to the wire - she had 6 left? HAD mind you, HAD - she has 3 now. They send me 30 bags a month, and then I have to wait a month to reorder, she had diarrhea 3 weeks ago, so I can't reorder without a prescription. Oh, and last time, she had weighed 17lbs 10oz, so we scheduled the surgery, then she got sick for 3 days, and lost a pound because of it. So she can't have this for very long, because if she doesn't weigh enough they won't do the surgery. So I'm stressing out quite a bit about this, but we had Kevin and Mike DeKorte give her a blessing last night, which said she would have her surgery as planned. I have faith that she will be ok. I had to wake up every 2-3 hours last night to empty her bag in the sink, which would wake her up, then give her pedialyte and rock her back to sleep. Otherwise, her bag would have leaked everywhere, which is a lot worse! So she is still sleeping right now, I was getting ready for work and it was like a voice said "what the heck are you doing? You need to stay with her today." So here I sit, venting and complaining and waiting for her to wake up so she can have rice and applesauce. You know what's funny though - I honestly love being a mommy. If someone had told me all of this before hand, I would have said no way! There's nothing else I want to be now. Oh, there she's waking up now, I'll blog when we get to Portland as well as post photos.

For Aubri

OK, I'm not dead, we are doing fine, Lexi is awesome and SO BIG! Kevin is in fabulous health...that's the run down! Hahaha, Aubri said if I blog nothing else, I need to put down the basics so that she won't freak out and think we are dead or something. So here is a little more in depth on the basic. Lexi had her 7 month check up today, she goes to the Dr. about once a month for a weight check and stoma check. She weighs 16lbs 14oz - so close to 17! I talked to the Dr. about her surgery, he will email the surgeon in Portland and ask if we can schedule it in the next month, even though she isn't fully 18 lbs yet. Hopefully he will say yes, and she can have her surgery and then we can move~we think to Austin, Texas. We are pretty sure that is where we should be, but we are waiting for a little more confirmation. We're going to fast on Sunday, and that should be enough to know. I have an appointment (my 12 week? Who knows?) on Tuesday the 3rd to check on the little fishy (that's the baby in my stomach in case you didn't know). Hopefully he/she is doing awesome! I'm not really sick anymore, even though the mere thought of spaghetti makes me want to upchuck - for some reason it really made me sick before, and since Lexi loved it, I would blend it up for her, but then she would burp spaghetti during her night feeding and make me sick again! Oh, that reminds me...she had gross spaghetti breath two Sundays ago, and it was making me queesy. So, my hubby, with sweet intentions took her out, and gave her a Listerine strip!!! He brought her back into sacrament, and she was spitting all over the place trying to get the taste out....so sad, but so funny! And her breath was a lot better after that!! So that's about it....updated! Will post more later.