In 2009 I found out I was pregnant with my fourth son. He was an unexpected blessing and I knew that after I had him I was done. Towards the end of my pregnancy in June of 2010 I thought about what I would do contriceptive wise after I gave birth. My doctor told me that she didn’t tie tubes after childbirth any longer and that I’d have to come back after my 6 week check up to discuss my options. I knew I wanted a tubal but then she told me about a new procedure that was cheaper and had less down time. I read the literature she provided and it sounded like a win-win procedure so I agreed. I really wish I had done my research. The procedure itself didn’t seem too bad and walked out of the office without any issues. Within a month or two I noticed that I was having sharp pains in my lower abdomen when I would move a certain way. Since I ended up having an emergency c-section (all other boys were delivered vaginally) I didn’t really know what to expect or know how my body would react to that type of procedure. I just figured that the pain I was experiencing was due to the c-section I had. I mentioned it once when I went to a follow up with my ob/gyn, and she said that it was probably scar tissue due to my c-section. I figured she knew what she was talking about and it never even crossed my mind that it could be the implants.
Then my hair started falling out. It was so bad that about four months after I had my son I went to have my hair cut and colored. I warned the stylist that I just had a baby and was experiencing hair loss. When he wet my hair to start cutting, there was hair everywhere. I tried combing out the excess but it just wouldn’t stop. I finally told him to just ignore it. There was more long hair on the floor than cut hair. I just figured that it was normal hair loss that one experiences after childbirth. The sad thing is, that four years later I am still experiencing hair loss. I’m almost bald in some places and my hair that did grow back came in super fine. Never did I imagine that it could be related to the implants.
A few months later I started experiencing pain in my shoulders, wrists, and hands. I was working at a job where I did a LOT of typing throughout the day. I went to the doctor and she said that it sounded like the beginning of carpel tunnel syndrome. I went prescribed braces for both hands. Those did not work. I went back to the doctor and they finally said that I would need to either a)get a new job with less typing or b) have surgery to repair the nerve damage I was experiencing. I didn’t have the money or the time to undergo surgery so I found a job closer to home with less typing. It helped but I still experience pain in my shoulders and wrists on a daily basis. The pain and fatigue in my hands did subside quite a bit. Never did it occur to me that this could be in some way related to my implants.
While I was going through the issues with my hands I was also experiencing a great deal of back pain. I started seeing a chiropractor 1-3 times per week for adjustments and massages to relieve the pain I was in. I thought that the pain was caused by me having a crappy chair at work. I asked my supervisor for a new chair and I got one but it didn’t really make that much of a difference. When I changed jobs I had a new chair there and it was also better but that aching pain is still lingering. Since my new job wasn’t near my chiropractor I stopped going. I thought this pain was just due to me getting older, and not due to the implants.
A few months later I started waking up in the middle of the night sweating and gasping for air. It was terrifying. I found that I was getting winded very quickly and my heart began racing. I would go to sleep praying that I would wake up in the morning. That feeling happened way too often and I went to my doctor…again. I was diagnosed with asthma at 32 years old. I was given a rescue inhaler that I was using more often that I cared to. I had to go back several months later and they gave me Symbicort to get it controlled. The Symbicort made the breathing issues occur less often over the next year or so but they too lingered on. I was given several tests raning from regular blood tests to an EKG. They ended up referring me to a pulmonologist. A week before my appointment I ran across an article and news story in my facebook feed. I was astonished!!!! I gave the information to the pulmonologist and he suggested I get to my ob/gyn immediately. By that time I had already called my doctor to make and appointment. My appointment is tomorrow. I pray that my doctor listens to me and has already heard about the side effects of the implants. My journey has lasted four and half years and I am ready to get back to the person I was before I had my Essure implants.