my lymph node ia still swollen in my left leg. the nurses i talk to know that todd m beste in that picture there did this to me but i cant get another dr to write it

Hi all,
I am an ex-Mirena user. I have been Mirena free for over a year now. I talk on another health site with more ex-Mirena users, and wanted to let you know that it is very common to hit a "crash" around 10-14 days after removal that seems to last about a week to 10 days. Right after removal you feel GREAT, like an emotional high from knowing your troubles will soon be over and then for some reason a dark mood hits around that 2 week mark, you feel so tired, moody, and blah.
We figure that it is the complete removal of hormones from the Mirena from your bloodstream (should happen around 4-5 days after removal) but that your body is not yet prepared to start producing the correct hormones on its own yet. This can take time. And even when it starts producing LH, FSH, estrogen, and progesterone and kick starting your menstrual cycle again it is often slow, or irregular and sometimes too fast. This darn Mirena REALLY screws your body up! And while the HORMONE from it is out of your body within days of removal the EFFECTS of it are much longer lasting. My cycles did not regulate for SEVEN MONTHS after removal. They were long, and they got shorter with every cycle but they were not normal for SEVEN months! Other women I talk to are now being considering "perimenopausal" at age 35 when this is soemthing that usually occurs around 45-50.
The moods will improve, the weight will come off, but it's not going to happen in 2 weeks. It's going to take some time. You will notice large leaps and bounds in certain aspects (I lost 15 pounds the first month I had my Mirena out without trying!) but it's not going to be all just a piece of cake. This stupid IUD has LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS. Don't get to hard on yourself for not being back to normal within a week or 2 after removal.

Julie

P.S. - There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Dear Memoo

I understand what you are going through. I am 4 months post removal myself, after having it in for 9 years (2 mirena's back to back). To answer your question, how to get past it. Well this is how I am getting past it:

* realise your hormones are re-balancing and this is emotionally messy. But it is not you, it's your hormones.
* keep a spreadsheet for your cycle in which you note down your symptoms. You will see after a while a certain pattern, which again will reassure you it is not you, it's your hormones.
* I went to acupuncture, which helped somewhat.
* I also see a herbalist who gives me herbal medicine to help rebalancing my hormonal cycle, much better going to a professional rather than buying tons of stuff in a health shop that may not even be good for you, as we're all different.
* my GP has taken several blood tests to see what is going on hormonally. It was a mess but I am seeing some kind of balance returning.

Be kind to yourself and realise that it is not going to be fixed quickly. I thought as soon as it would come out I'd be fine. Well, I was very wrong. I had three really good weeks last month and thought that this was it. Leading up to period all was fine. Periods are coming nicely without cramping. However, 3 days in at period time I feel extremely low, have high heart rate in rest (over 100 beats), terrible palpitation, unmotivated and nausea worse than morning sickness. I researched these symptoms and apparently the nausea is caused by an increase of estrogen at the beginning of month. Also, low estrogen levels cause the over stimulation of the heart. Even though doctors give you the spiel of the low hormones in the Mirena, it messes up your own system enormously and affects all your female hormones. Your age and the length of time you had it in will affect how quickly you recover from it. And your sensitivity to hormones. I am 45, had it 9 years, and am extremely sensitive to them. It was placed after my daughter was 6 months. Two months later all I could do was cry, which was put down to post partum and being a mum of two under twos, the catalyst was both of them having chicken pox. All I could do at this point was cry and so was put on anti depressants which I have had all this time. Sad to say I had to up the dose after removal because of all the after removal effects. However, once in good health I am hopeful to slowly taper off. After 4 months my major hairloss seems to have eased off. Recovery will take as long as it takes but be kind to yourself. I don't drink any alcohol at the moment, no caffeine, just herbal teas and water. And definitely no smoking. I also wondered if it was ever going to get better. I think it will, but it will be three steps forward, one step back, bit by bit. Hope this helps you somewhat.