What to Expect with Mirena and Delivery

I went to the doctor and got Mirena today. While I still feel optimistic about it, I'm having some unforseen side effects. First, my lower back hurts. I thought it was something I'd done until my mom asked me if it couldn't be a side effect from the IUD. So, like any computer savvy person, I went online. I read that lower back pain is a potential side effect, and it can last for the first few days or even weeks after insertion. Hopefully, it'll go away soon because it's already made it difficult to hold the baby for any length of time.

The other side effect is that I'm being poked by the strings occassionally. It feels like a sudden poke with a needle, and it fades just as quickly. Still, it's such a shock each time, I almost yelp aloud.

My plan is to call my doctor tomorrow. I read online that the strings soften over time (in one forum I read, the woman said her doctor told her 3 weeks to a month), but I'm hoping she can trim them a little shorter so that I (hopefully) won't have to deal with the stabbing feeling any more.

I have to be honest, though. It's very difficult dealing with pain and complications healing from delivery and now the IUD. Before having my baby, I'd heard some horror stories of women delivering babies, but I'd never heard the stories of women who had difficulty healing afterwards. It really is awful. It'll be two months tomorrow, and it still hurts for me to sit, go to the bathroom, or ride in a car. The chronic pain occassionally effects my emotinal well-being, too. It truly depresses me when I can't sit long enough to nurse the baby or that I can't do things I love, like run or be with my husband. Looking back, I wish so badly I'd had a C-section because at least I'd be healed by now and the pain would be in my abdomen and not where I sit.

I read a few blogs online from women who also had a hard time healing after their deliveries. Many said they were in pain for three to four months. I didn't read anything from anyone that said it took any longer than that, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! At this point, then, I guess I'm half way there. Things certainly are improving (I don't have to take ibuprofin every day anymore, and I don't cry when I drive), but they're still not OK.

The Longest Days

I've spent the last few days at the animal hospital again. Sunday, I came home to a dog whimpering. She couldn't lay down or go down the stairs. I couldn't take her into the vet since it was the weekend, but I also knew I couldn't wait until the next day to take her in. So we went to the animal hospital.

It took a while for them to see us. There were a few major cases, including one zealous puppy who swallowed a stick his owner threw for him and got it stuck in his throat (we found out later he was going to be just fine, although he'd need a lot of pain medication!). When it was Bailey's turn, I told the vet about the arthritis in her paws and the history of mammory tumors. She played with Bailey's joints and her neck and back. None bothered Bailey, but when the vet touched her stomach, she freaked out. They had to muzzle her! It looked like the cancer was back.

They doped up Bailey with pain meds and gave me some to take home until she could see the oncologist today (Tuesday). I had to beg and plead with a man at work to cover my shift so I could get in for the appointment, and my mom was able to take half of a day off of work to go with me.

After hours of testing and waiting for results, we heard some semi-good news. Yes, her tumors were back, and yes, they were causing her pain, but they hadn't metastisized and could be removed with surgery. All her other organs were in excellent condition and she's in otherwise great health, leading them to determine that surgery was a really good option for her.

So Bailey goes back to the hospital first thing tomorrow. They're going to remove all her lower breast tissue and do a lumpectomy for the two smaller lumps up higher. It's going to be a pretty major surgery, and she's going to have a long recovery, but they think she will completely recover from this.

I feel so much better than I did yesterday and Sunday night. I'm scared for tomorrow, but I feel so grateful that the rest of her body is healthy and that I have the rest of the week off to care for her (what an amazing coincidence! Sometimes, those things just work out). So much to be grateful for! Happy thanksgiving!