i had the essure procedure in december of 2001, back then it was called the STOP device, i was contacted by a doctor after i had a operation to remove a blighted ovum, i was at that time in a deep depression over loosing what i percieved to be a child, i had 4 children of my own and decided to go and speak to the doctor about the permanent contraceptive that was offered to me for free over the phone. it was free due to being a new method of contraception, i was told i would be a ‘pioneer’ in medicine as i would be one of the first women in the country to have it done, it was easy to insert, i would be awake with little sedatives and i would walk out after the procedure.
i asked the question to the doctor, ‘this isnt going to come back and bite me in the ass in 30 years time is it?’ and he said because it was in its early stages there was no data or evidence to say it would be a problem down the track. i agreed to go ahead. 3mths after the procedure i had a check and an xray to confirm if it had worked or not, i was told that my tubes were blocked and i could stop taking the pill and enjoy life.
5 years later i had a spinal xray because id been experiencing severe back pains for a few years, i could clearly see the stop devices in my xray, the right coil was in an S shape and the left was straight but in the middle of my belly. i questioned this xray with my chiropractor and my doctor, they both knew nothing about the coils so i was none the wiser that something may be wrong.
i have been living my life with a multitude of health issues that grew in numbers over the last 14years, i was diagnosed with fybromyalgia because my doctor couldnt find any reason why my body was so sore all the time. i had severe depression and suicidal thoughts, cronic yeast infections, cramps, buring pains in my abdomen, back pain, migraines, all over joint pains, bowel issues, anxiety, mood swings, tinnitus, loss of memory, food allergies, insomnia, unexplained fevers and most recently vision impairment and swelling and complete numbness of my hands and arms. i now have 52 of the known side effects associated with essure.
i found out about this by watching the tv show Sunday Night and seeing the problems that have arised for women who have had essure implanted. i was devestated that i had these things in my body and i got out that old xray from 2006 and i could see now that they were in fact ‘wrong’.
i joined the facebook pages and spoke to other women and found out that when i had my implants done i was actually part of a trial, a trial that i didnt know i was taking part in, a trial i was never followed up on.i never had the hsg test that shows blocked tubes, i had the xray and that was the last i ever heard of the devices until a few weeks ago.
in reading the material available on these facebook pages i saw that you can be allergic to nickel so i did a home test, i stuck a coin to my forearm for 12hrs, coins are 25% nickel, i had a reaction where my skin was raised, red and itchy, the essure coils are 55% nickel, i immediately saw my doctor to get referals to a gynocologist in my area, and i showed him the reaction on my arm.
i am awaiting my appointment for the gynocologist, the problem is that not a lot of doctors know about the essure devices, my doctor had little knowledge on them, i have found this in the past when enquiring about them being bent out of shape. i am now investigating the possibilities that my health issues have come from these implants.
i want them out of me, ive lost all quality of life, im in pain all day and night, i take medications to ease my pains but they only dull it a little bit, im 47 and i put all my pains down to getting old or going thru the change of life, yet i see my friends who are my age doing normal things, things i cant do anymore due to pain.
i have episodes that i can only relate to an allergic reaction, i sweat heavilly but my sweat is cold and makes me shiver, it hurts like im sweating needles, ive been to hospital while having one of these episodes, im running a fever, i have blood in my urine yet they cannot give me an answer to why im sick, i believe its from these coils, i look back now and see all my problems that have been a mystery to doctors now make sense knowing what i know now about the side effects of essure, and i am on a quest now to find a doctor who will listen and get these things out of me, i want my life back, i wish i never had these devices implanted. i am extremely saddend by my condition and i wonder what my life would have been like without these in my body.