Hi @goldenrose @nurse_nettie

Thank you, its good to finally have some answers and to have been taken seriously rather then brushed off too.
I have already had the mirena inserted, it was very painful for me. There was a part in my cervix that the instruments had trouble getting through but before and after that part it was painful but tolerable for that short time. I was worried it wasn’t going to be able to be inserted but was praised as despite the pain they could still do it. I was told many people without kids or have that part where it gets a little stuck they decide not to go ahead. I was quite nauseated for a short time but the nurse who stayed with me to reset the room etc wasn’t pushy and just let me sit there for a min till I felt ok.
the after effects for a few days were truly awful and even considered having it removed due to the cramping but its since eased and now Im just consistenly spotting but not to bothered about it. I was told the first 3 months that was a likely side effect and will still have jumbled hormones etc till it all kicks in properly.
i was scared of it to start with to be honest, i kept thinking it was going to fall out if i was standing or going to the bathroom or walking around. when i was sitting it was quite uncomfortable though almost like i could feel it inside but i think that’s because i was abit scared and still quite sort from having it inserted and the length the speculum was in.

@nurse_nettie i liked that it is a set and forget sort of thing. my routines are always muddled up and never really know what the day will bring so i didn’t want to go onto the pill and im on quite a few anyway so didn’t want to add to it. if i become sexually active within the next 5 yrs i know its a good form of contraception as backup to condoms (very wary of STDs etc so will still opt for usage of those anyway)
i do have a question though that being- im having trouble finding the strings. they’ve told me to check it a few days after insertion and then around once a month but i tried to find them yesterday and last night and i cant seem to feel it. is there a chance that hes cut the strings quite short and cant get in deep enough? would it be worth checking in with the nurse at my clinic just to get her to check?

Thank you @nurse_nettie
they did show me a little on how to locate the strings but I cant seem to find them. maybe the strings have curled up or sticking the side further up where I cant reach or something. im a little worried ill pull them out so have made an appointment to see the nurse just as peace of mind that things are still in the right place. I will just need to ring the gynaecologist to get the information about the string length off them as my nurse is at my general gp office not the specialist.

Thanks for being so kind @nurse_nettie
yes I will let you know how it all goes. I cant get in for another week unfortunately but I know if it gets really urgent then I can see about going to a medical centre.

I do have 2 symptoms that im a little concerned about that im sure youd have insight with as well and maybe others can share theres too…

one is since a day or 2 ago ive been having some intense itching like you would get with an infection but im not getting any other symptoms such as discharge. is this normal or maybe a side effect? has anyone else experienced this esp within the first month or so?

the other is inside is still quite sore and get like cramping on and off (like inside where the speculum sits), is this also normal as the speculum was in there for a little longer then most times due to the difficulties encountered and im sure that being in pain- tensing muscles wouldn’t have worked in my favour either. when I see my nurse should I still tell her that im quite sore and crampy? having a speculum reinserted to check the strings may hurt?

Hello @nurse_nettie and everyone

I seen the nurse this morning and all is ok. I couldnt find the string properly as i had curled up abit which was what was causing some of the irritation. The eddging of the string was rubbing along the walls as it was curled up rather then straight. Its fixed now and we will monitor the itching just to see if it is an infection or whether it was cause of the irritation.
Good to have that piece of mind 🙂

Thank you @nurse_nettie
im glad that its in the right place.
Could I please ask you if really intense cramping on and off is normal? its been 3 weeks since ive had it inserted. I don’t have cramping all the time or if I do its rather mild and not even enough for pain relief but sometimes I get an extremely bad cramp all through my uterus, hips, vagina and down through my groin. its like one of my period pains but this one only last a few minutes but its enough to basically crumple me to the floor.

Hi @nurse_nettie

It happens when ive bern sitting to long
sitting in certain positions or walking around alot. Ive bern achy like i would during ovulation or a few days before a period. This one comes on as a huge wave of pain then eases abit

Now would be the time when my period was to come providing it was on time so maybe it has something to do with that… it would be the first period since i had the mirena inserted.
I cant see a gp for another 4 days so im hoping it wont turn into an urgent matter.

Im going to start recording it as of today and see if any other patterns emerge too though. So far ive had 2 of those intense cramps during a 2 hr train ride and 1 after if walked abit then sat down. Yesterday it happened while i was driving a car.