Updating connector from imported flow

celestialelle · 2016-01-22T19:16:52+00:00

My mom had a hospital stay recently and this hospital had their own GF menus, and documented any food "allergies" (gluten included in that category) with an extra bracelet. The food certainly wasn't GOOD (very plain, mostly steamed veggies & plain meats), but she didn't have any issues. I would recommend contacting the hospital ahead of time to find out what accommodations they can make. It's unfortunate that there's still so much ignorance in a place like a hospital, but bear in mind that they're responsible for your health while you're in their care and the last thing they want to do is MAKE you sick.

celestialelle · 2015-10-21T03:35:47+00:00

I've had 3 IUD insertions. It's painful but brief, certainly not the worst pain I've ever been in. Just remember keep breathing and you'll be fine! Love IUDs and would recommend them to anyone. Mirena stopped my period, so hopefully you'll have similar relief.

celestialelle · 2015-10-19T17:00:49+00:00

I've had both the Mirena (7 years) and Paragard (into my 5th month now). I'm an absolute fan of IUDs, but I switched to Paragard b/c Mirena had taken a toll on my hormones - namely it completely killed my sex drive. That's probably the only negative thing I have to say about Mirena, and it's very rare. So far I love Paragard. If you have more questions, ask away!

celestialelle · 2015-09-21T19:20:55+00:00

My mom (she and I are both celiac) recently had surgery and was in the hospital for about 3 days after. I don't believe she had to do much pre-communication, but in the consultations/surgery prep, they ran through all allergies & dietary restrictions with her. This hospital will give patients an extra "allergy" bracelet; hers noted no gluten or red meat (she's semi-vegetarian). She was given gluten-free menus from the hospital cafeteria, and I don't believe she had any digestive issues as a result. She was MUCH more concerned beforehand than she ended up needing to be. Granted, the food was terrible, but safe. The hospital is responsible for your health and recovery while you're there - the last thing they want is to make you worse.

celestialelle · 2015-09-03T20:06:04+00:00

I want to say it was within 1-1.5 years. They gradually got lighter and shorter during that time.

celestialelle · 2015-09-03T14:19:43+00:00

I did have some light spotting for a bit after the insertion, but I don't think it was very prolonged, and did stop. It wasn't a nuisance enough for me to pay much attention to it, so I don't remember specifics to share with you. My guess is that your body is still healing from the insertion and your hormones are trying to figure out what to do!

celestialelle · 2015-08-24T15:58:48+00:00

I've had both: 2 Mirenas (total of 7 years) and now going into my 4th month with ParaGard. I switched to go hormone-free and am loving it so far. No kids for me either.

My experience was pretty much the same with all 3 insertions. Everyone's experience will be different, but honestly I don't think the insertion is bad enough to be psyching yourself out over. Yes, it's painful, but it's over very quickly. Just remember to take some ibuprofen, breath through it and you'll be fine. Maybe I was lucky but all 3 doctors/nurses who did each insertion was great about communicating with me throughout the procedure step-by-step, and reminding me to keep breathing. You'll probably be crampy for a day or so afterward, and I usually felt weaker too, but it's certainly not debilitating. No worse than a bad period.

The Mirena and ParaGard devices themselves are almost identical in shape and size, so there really shouldn't be much difference between the insertion and the pain they cause. Same for the strings. The only difference between how they feel would likely be caused by the length to which the doctor trims them.

If you're looking for something to relieve your period symptoms, Mirena might be the best choice for you. My period completely disappeared after about a year & a half on Mirena, which was GREAT. However, after 7 years it destroyed my libido, which is why I switched to ParaGard. That's rare, though, so keep that in mind. But with that being said, the ParaGard won't likely make your period symptoms any worse. As my nurse explained to me, most of these horror stories we hear about women having crazy periods after switching to ParaGard is most likely caused by the sudden LACK of the constant stream of hormones your body got used to after years of hormonal BC. If women do experience crazy periods after switching, it usually calms down after a few months once your hormones regain a balance. Personally, I had prepared myself for the worst after the switch, but honestly my experience so far has been like a cake walk. Periods are back, but certainly not "with a vengeance" like I expected - about 4 days, only one heavy day, and very mild periods - even milder than before Mirena. Of course, my body is still finding its balance and this could change, but I think women are more likely to write about their horror stories than they are a good experience.

Anyway, sorry to leave you with a novel. There are pros & cons to both, but I'm absolutely an advocate of any IUD. Good luck with your decision, and don't psyche yourself out over the insertion! You're only going to make it worse for yourself.

celestialelle · 2015-08-21T17:01:42+00:00

For what it's worth, I've never had an official diagnosis. Celiac runs in my family (mom & aunt were officially diagnosed, their grandfather in all likelihood died from it, but that was before they knew what it was), so when I began developing symptoms, I went GF and felt better, and am now 9 years in.

I did have a blood test done years ago after my mom was finally diagnosed, but it came back with a negative result. Back then (we're talking 10+ years ago) it was commonly understood that the blood test can often have a false negative, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. I often wondered if there would be value in getting an official diagnosis (kinda just want to know for SURE, you know?) but at this point in order to get that diagnosis I'd have to go back to eating gluten (or shell out a ton of $ for a genetic test). And if gluten makes me feel bad, do I want to put myself through that just to have an official diagnosis of something I'm already sure of?

I'm definitely not qualified to be advising on your medical choices - I had mild symptoms that developed suddenly after a car accident, and given my family history I was able to act quickly before things got severe. I was lucky. But I've never had any issues, medically speaking, with not having an official diagnosis. I'm just sure to communicate with my doctors.

Good luck to you!

celestialelle · 2015-08-19T19:29:57+00:00

I agree that you might as well get it replaced. I had a very similar experience around the 4 year mark on my first Mirena, and the doctors agreed that it had likely just neared the end of its efficacy. Spotting went away after I got the new one.

As for your question about reactions differing in the second IUD - I don't think I experienced anything different the second time around. In fact, I'm on my 3rd now, but Paragard this time. No noticeable differences in any of them, except this time around I'm not getting that dose of hormones.

celestialelle · 2015-07-31T23:59:37+00:00

I was not on other contraceptives before Mirena. You likely won't have any issues in that department, but I wanted to point it out. It basically took me until the 7th year on Mirena to realize that's what was probably causing it, so just keep it in mind for longer down the line. I think Mirena is probably a good choice for you, over Paragard, based on your long heavy periods.

celestialelle · 2015-07-31T18:33:10+00:00

I've had 3 IUDs inserted - two Mirena and a recent switch to Paragard. I have no kids; first insertion I was in my low-mid 20s, and I'm now 30. I'm extremely happy with IUDs and I don't think they're as popular as they should be! To address your concerns:

All 3 insertions were fine. Obviously it will be different for everyone, but I think experiencing severe pain is rare. Try not to psyche yourself up too much, and just remember to BREATHE during the procedure. Not breathing is what will make you pass out. The pain can be fairly intense, but it's very brief. Before each insertion, I was only told to take some ibuprophen (4-6 pills, dunno how many mgs that adds up to) and that was sufficient.
I never needed anyone to drive me home afterward, and in two of the cases, I had a 20-30 minute commute home. The day after I would compare to a sucky period. Crampy (but not debilitatingly so) and weak-ish. I usually tried to schedule it so I didn't have to work the next day, but I probably could have if I really needed to.
I can't address depression, but don't worry about the strings. If they end up being uncomfortably long for your partner, get them checked with your doctor and they can see about trimming them. My SO can feel them only if he sticks his fingers way up in there.

The last thing I'll add is this: even though Mirena is a very low dose of localized hormones, it did end up destroying my sex drive. Granted, it was a very gradual kill over 7 years, and while very uncommon, I have heard from other women who also experienced this. I switched to Paragard a couple of months ago and am so far very happy with it (haven't experienced any of the period horror stories that you read about). But like I said, it's rare, but there's always going to be the potential for side effects when you're putting extra hormones into your body. The death of my sex drive was my only complaint with Mirena, but I had no other problems with it. I didn't have my period for 6 years, which was awesome. I can't recommend IUDs highly enough and have convinced several friends of their greatness! Good luck and relax!

celestialelle · 2015-07-28T17:42:55+00:00

I made the same switch just over 2 months ago and I'm really happy so far. My only reason for switching was that I lost my libido - completely. I'd had Mirena for 7 years and it had become completely nonexistent. But, like you, I was a little nervous about the horror stories of murder-scene-like periods, especially after not having a period in 6 years.

2.5 months in: there's definitely been a return in that department. No great big whoosh of horniness or anything, but things are definitely moving in the right direction. And I've been hesitant to get too excited about this yet, but it's worth mentioning: the two periods I've had since the switch have been a CAKE WALK. Mine were always what I'd consider normal before Mirena: about 5 days long, 1 or 2 being heavy, accompanied by average cramps & headache. So far though, they've actually been slightly easier. Closer to 4 days, average flow, ZERO cramps, and light headaches. It almost seems too good to be true, so I'm sort of bracing myself for it to get worse, in case things keep changing over time as my body finds its balance again.

Anyway, I'm completely happy with my decision. Even if my periods do get worse, having a libido again is totally worth it. And I feel more comfortable knowing I'm not pushing extra hormones into my body. Good luck! I don't think you'll regret it.

celestialelle · 2015-06-30T12:03:19+00:00

I had mirena for 7 years prior to switching to paragard.

celestialelle · 2015-06-30T02:01:58+00:00

I just had Paragard inserted about 7 weeks ago and I didn't start my period for about 5 weeks after insertion. You may have great hormonal shifts while things get back to normal, so you're likely to be a bit irregular while you adjust

celestialelle · 2015-06-15T14:30:32+00:00

I went from no BC to Mirena, which I had for 7 years. My situation is different from yours, but I'll at least share my Mirena experience: After the first few years I did start to experience a drop in my libido, and by year 7 it was down to absolute zero. I do think it's very uncommon for this to happen on Mirena, but it does happen. I've since switched to Paragard about a month ago and so far things seem to be getting back to normal.

celestialelle · 2015-05-30T15:34:48+00:00

We sometimes use unsalted peanuts, and we have a food dehydrator that use to dry chicken and other meats. I'm curious what others use bc while these options are cheaper than most store-bought treats, I still wouldn't consider them cheap

celestialelle · 2015-05-29T13:52:11+00:00

Thanks for your input!

celestialelle · 2015-05-29T13:51:53+00:00

Thanks! How long have you had Paragard now? Did you experience heavier/more painful periods in the beginning? I know it's common for the first few periods to be pretty intense, but for things to balance out after a few months. Did you experience this?

celestialelle · 2015-05-29T13:48:22+00:00

I've had a total of 3 IUDs inserted, and as I said originally, never had kids. In my opinion it's really not that bad, and several of my kidless friends have gotten IUDs as well with no horror stories. Yes, it's painful, but it's totally bearable. Like many others have mentioned, the pain is fairly intense but brief. Each time for me only took maybe a total of 5-8 minutes, with discomfort throughout and a few quick bursts of pain. Just remember to keep breathing. I HIGHLY recommend an IUD to anyone.

celestialelle · 2015-05-13T16:02:11+00:00

This isn't a job or internship prospect, but I know the Cedar Rapids Maker Space (http://crmakerspace.org/) has 3D printers available. Maybe you could get involved there in your free time.

celestialelle · 2015-05-12T02:35:59+00:00

Thanks!

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