I am 29, I have one son (8) and I’ve had 6 unexplained miscarriages. Back in March I went to the GYN office I have been going to since I was 13. I had not been to that office in sometime as I was living out of state. I consulted with my doctor about getting my tubes tied and something to help with my very heavy, long periods I had been getting for about 2 years (longest period I had lasted almost 3 months!)
The first doctor passed me off to another because he completely objected to sterilizing me at ‘such a young age.’ The second doctor agreed to do Essure if I signed the consent forms, waited 3 months, and did all these tests they wanted to run to find out why I was having such abnormal periods. I refused to be put on birth control as I have horrible side effects from it, including cystic acne, which was very painful. After the tests she agreed to do an endometrial ablation. Every single visit or test she would give me the same speech of what if you get married one day and your husband wants children. Or what if when you are older you change your mind. If I had to hear ‘You’re so young!’ one more time I was going to scream.
The day of the Essure procedure came. It went well but about 2 weeks after I started having pain and bloating. I went back and told her what was going on. She told me it couldn’t be the Essure, it was probably my period starting. I said OK and went on my way agreeing and hoping it would stop hurting when my period ended. It didn’t. I called again for an appointment, my doctor was on vacation so I saw another doctor. The pain was getting so bad I needed answers. That doctor looked at my online chart, the doctors notes from the procedure and previous visit. He told me that my doctor said ‘She reports to be in pain but it is getting better’ What the hell?! I told him that was a blatant lie and I had never- ever said that. He told me there was nothing he could do as I refuse to take narcotics and that he didn’t think it was the Essure coils that were hurting me.
Time went on I saw my regular doctor once more, this time reporting that on some days the pain was so bad I could barely walk or sit comfortably. It was effecting my sex life (which was very, very healthy before the pain started) it was effecting my health, excersize- everything. While at the last visit with this doctor I asked her not to do a pelvic as I was in so much pain, it was too much. She insisted, I cried from the pain, so she decided to take a biopsy of my cervix! With no warning!!! (at least this is what I understand what she did- all I know was it was painful, out of the blue and made me bleed.) I was hysterical. Started having an anxiety attack and the pain was too much. I told this doctor it had to be the Essure! HAD TO BE! She told me there was no way. She told me I wasn’t feeling it in the correct spot. I can feel when I ovulate and I know where my cramps are, I can give you a general area where my tubes are. She told me there was nothing she could do and to go see my primary. Go see a GI.
I left that office, got in my car called for an emergency appointment with my Doctor. She saw me that day. My primary doctor was wonderful. Gave me a prescription for Tramadol because she said I was taking waaaaayyyyy too much Tylenol and ibuprofen to get through the day. She sent me for an MRI, and gave me a GI to check me out. All came back agreed, it was the Essure.
I called my GYN, told her the findings and asked what the next steps were. What about the ablation? (I had been bleeding for 2 weeks straight that day) She told me again it COULDN’T be the Essure, to get another GI opinion and she would see me next year for my PAP. She told me the pain was in my HEAD!
Livid doesn’t even describe my feelings that day. I called everywhere within an hour of me to get a new GYN to find one that would see me that week. I couldn’t take it anymore! I was so depressed all the time because living in that kind of pain was just too much for me, it was taking over my life. I had alarms to tell me to take a pain relief pill so I could stay ahead of the pain. I researched every doctor I called on the internet and found on the best doctor I have ever seen.
My first visit with my new GYN I felt like part of the family, she’s an older lady, herself and her PA held my hands when they had to do a pelvic, they rubbed my back because I was crying, I was so relieved to feel like they actually CARED about me. They told me ‘You know your body best, you know something is wrong, and we are going to help you fix it.’
The pain got worse and worse as every day went on. My new doctor did all the tests and exams she needed and scheduled me for a hysterectomy for 2 weeks from that day. And even though the pain was still there, I was starting to feel relief. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel.
By the week of the surgery I had to start taking narcotics to combat the pain, I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. My sex drive was gone, just the thought of someone touching me down there made me want to vomit.
I’m 3 weeks into my recovery from the surgery. And I am pain free. My sex drive is slowly coming back. I had to lose my uterus, tubes, and cervix. She told me everything was so inflamed inside there it was a struggle to get it out.
This is my Essure story, I wish it wasn’t. Essure look like the perfect solution on their website. I was never once told about the adverse side effects. Now, I know.