Re: why us and not others

I love our similarities! I'm so glad you shared your "profile." Yes, it's comforting to not be alone in this. It keeps the panic at bay.

I've always struggled with acne. Not severely, but consistently. I had typical teenage Acne - not enough to go on any meds, but I was always trying to find new creams to make it go away. Used a lot of make-up. But then I struggled as an adult too. It never went away. It wasn't severe cystic Acne or anything, but always a problem, always present. I've always been embarrassed about it. I've even had it on my arms. No severe scarring at least on my face. But I understand that Acne is a symptom of hormone imbalance. It's normal in puberty because of the changing hormones. But not supposed to be so normal in adulthood. I would say that my acne was a bit worse on the Mirena. BUT (and this is the point of bringing this up) it seems to be getting under control for the first time for me ever now that I'm synthetic hormone free.

The interesting thing about my tendonitis is that I had a cortisone shot which only helped for 4 months (this was while I had the Mirena in, before I connected the dots). Then it came back aggressively. The Dr. could not explain it. Eventually I had blood work done which showed the presence of ANAs. My other blood work (and I had lots) was normal. This was when I realized I was having autoimmune issues. I was tested for MS (negative) and lupus (inconclusive) . I soon found this forum and had the IUD removed. My tendonitis was almost GONE within a week of having the Mirena out. But it flares up a bit with my cycle and then backs down again.

Anyways :)

Take care,
Diana Tweet