I had the mirena inserted 4/29/08 6wks after giving birth to my 3rd child. i am a healthy 33 yr old woman, happily married. I am also a nursing/breastfeeding mother. i didn't really want to go back on the pill since my husband and i decided we won't be having another child sooner than 5yrs. my doctor suggested the iud mirena, said i was a good candidate. i thought i would give it a try, it all sounded good - don't have to worry about popping a pill daily, no periods after awhile etc
After the first week of having mirena, i was still continuously bleeding (7wks total including lochia time after childbirth). somewhere in the second week i began feeling very depressed and experiencing bouts of extreme anxiety. i am normally a very relaxed, calm, happy person. Then I started noticing swelling itching on my head. let me explain - it was about 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide, it felt and looked like a bug bite. i blew it off as just a bite, then over the next 3-4 days this swollen, itchy bump was moving all over my head, thru my scalp, all over my face, everyday it was in a new spot. All this was on top of my anxiety, bleeding, i thought i was going nuts. i drew the line when i woke up, looked in the mirror to see my upper lip had blown up 3 sizes bigger. i was lucky to get in to see my ob/gyn that afternoon to have the mirena removed 5/20/08. I also took some benadryl to take the itching, swelling away. I am 3 days post removal and still bleeding (2months total).
The other thing is weight issues. My lower abdomen felt very heavy and bloated with the mirena. With my other 2 children, I was back into my regular clothes at 6-8wks. This time, I am still wearing my maternity clothes. I really hope that having the mirena removed, I will have my body and my mind back soon.
I decided to go back to Micronor, progestin-only birth control pill since I am nursing. I am feeling good, better overall. Still baffled over the whole experience, especially the allergic reaction. I have never had allergies in my life, so this really took me by a big surprise.
I hope my story helps some of you out there.