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Mirena coil/IUD and health anxiety


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Hi all,

I hope you're all doing well. I've been mostly fine OCD-wise except I'm currently experiencing a massive spiral in my health anxiety worries since having a mirena coil fitted under general anaesthetic on Tuesday this week.

Before the procedure itself I wasn't even worried about the coil, I was mainly terrified of having general anaesthetic and being unconscious etc, as I'd never had it before so I was imagining all of these terrible scenarios such as not waking up afterwards, waking up during it etc you name it. I managed to battle through though and I got through it, although they didn't let me go home for a while because my heart rate kept on spiking over 120 BPM, and they didn't believe me when I said it was due to anxiety and that I'm always like this!

Anyway, they then had to warn me of all of the risks of getting the mirena fitted such as uterus perforation, infection, the coil actually being expelled from the uterus etc. Legally they had to do this but I wish they didn't as I now find that I'm constantly worrying about these happening to me, to the point where I'm excessively monitoring my abdominal area, looking up symptoms of these things on the internet, ringing up the gynae ward like every day for advice whenever I get any cramps, and bugging my poor husband constantly.

It didn't help that 2 days after the procedure I had horrendous severe cramps that were so painful I ended up in A&E, only to be told that nothing was wrong and that in very rare instances women can have severe cramps following an IUD insertion but that it's normal (nobody actually told me this before I had the cramps so naturally I thought I was dying).

Basically I'm at the point now where I can't function due to my excessive worry over this. I want to call the clinic next week and arrange for it to be taken out, even though having it in was supposed to be for medical reasons to treat my heavy painful periods and to prevent a recurrence of uterine polyps. But I just can't live with this hanging over me as I accept that I view the coil as a huge threat to my life and health which I do realise is excessive. I'm having multiple panic attacks daily due to this worry. No matter how many times the doctors reassure me that serious complications are rare (and I'm a nurse myself so I'm not an idiot) I just can't think rationally about this at all.

I'm basically at a loss on how to cope with this anxiety and how to try and accept the uncertainty over having the coil in etc. and I would really appreciate some clarity and a (well-meaning) kick up the bum.

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So... you've received multiple assurances that everything is fine. How did that work out for you? Did the assurances make you a happy, happy girl? No? What do you think the likelihood is that further assurances will assuage your fears?

I brt you've been Googling like crazy. Probably an expert on the device by now. Did that do you any good?

How about your constant ruminating? Has that helped lower your anxiety?

You know the drill. The above are compulsions and only make your situation worse. Through them, you are causing the distress you despise.

Stop doing them. Go for a walk. Watch a comedy. Bake cookies. Gorge yourself on chocolate. Call a friend and talk about stuff, just not the device.

Put yourself back in the driver's seat and kick OCD out.

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You cope with the anxiety by helping it to reduce.  You reduce it by working hard at reducing the compulsions.

I've never heard of the coil being fitted under general anaesthetic, normally it's fitted at Family Planning clinic or GP's.  Hopefully this has been  done because the pain & distress many women report is being taken into consideration. Cramping (even severe cramping) is common.  Your womb is trying to expel what it sees as a foreign body, it will settle down.

You are experiencing health anxiety OCD.  As with all OCD, you have to look at the things (compulsions) you are doing to try & bring your anxiety down. You have to work hard at resisting these.  I know it "seems" compelling (hence the word compulsion)......but with awareness, it can be done.  At first by postponing  and then building on that.  The reassurance you seek and crave is short term anyway.  It's actually your enemy rather than your saviour.  It harms rather than helps.

You realise that your fear is excessive.....use that knowledge.  Use your Husband as a support.....not for reassurance but for a simple hug, as support.  Just let him be there as someone who knows it's hard for you, as someone who can have a chat, go for a walk or simply understand things are tough.

You've done the hard bit, your body will settle down very soon......you have to do your bit now to reduce that knee-jerk reaction of ringing the doctors etc etc......that's the OCD enemy that you must work on.

You can do this Lynz.....start tomorrow.....step by step, hour by hour.......recognise that urge to check, to find reassurance and pause, wait, resist.......and then do it again.....and again ? 

The hard bit's done.  The coil is in place, settling down, ready to do it's job......Your hard bit starts, changing your reaction to the fear spikes.  Tomorrow's a new day.....let's start that change:)

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Thanks both.

I feel a bit better this morning. I resisted the urge to do a lot of my compulsions last night and I managed to get some sleep. I actually need to ring my GP today for something completely unrelated so when I speak to them I'm going to mention this extreme anxiety and OCD/health anxiety flare up (they know about my MH history) and see if they can help as I'm not currently receiving any therapy or anything like that at the moment.

7 hours ago, Caramoole said:

I've never heard of the coil being fitted under general anaesthetic, normally it's fitted at Family Planning clinic or GP's.  Hopefully this has been  done because the pain & distress many women report is being taken into consideration.

Yes it can be fitted under GA but it's normally only offered if the procedure to fit it whilst awake fails. I was also having a hysteroscopy, biopsy and polyp removal at the same time so the coil was fitted as part of this whole procedure. I was meant to have it done (the hysteroscopy etc.) whilst awake but I had severe pain during that procedure so they had to stop it and I was then rebooked in for a GA. I'm not sure if they would routinely just fit the coil under GA if you didn't have other things going on like I did though, or if you hadn't already tried to have it done whilst awake.

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Hi Lynz,

I'm sorry to hear your OCD has latched onto this. Try to see OCD as the problem rather than the coil being the problem and give the Mirena a chance to do its magic rather than having it taken out immediately. It really is a wonderful (and safe) option for women with heavy bleeding. Just think how great life will be once your periods are sorted and you don't have all the monthly misery to cope with. :)

Caramoole said everything else I was going to say so I'll not repeat it. Good luck!

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