Nexplanon: Month 3

Men: Turn around. Run far away. Don't read this one, either.






Drained. Literally. That is all I can say about this past month. While month 2 was by far the worst, month 3 wasn't too hot either. I didn't cramp nearly as bad as I did last month, but I'm still bleeding and am so very, very tired. To be sure by now the hormones released in this devil's device and my body are well-acquainted so what could possibly be going on? I'm not sure how long I'll leave it in for, but it's making me a bit miserable. I just want to enjoy every bit of being married and I don't feel very good about myself because I'm not able to. I feel like I've taken something away from Tanner and that I'm not being fair to him. I'm thinking that if things have not changed by December, I'll have it taken out. I'm so sorry to be a crybaby over this. I was really excited to think that I had found a birth control option that worked for me. Hopefully, if you choose to have the Nexplanon implant you'll have better results than I.

Nexplanon: 2 Months In

Men: Find the back button on your browser and get the heck out of here. You DO NOT want to read this one.

Well Ladies,
I don't have good news. After being so excited over this great medical advancement my bubble has officially been burst. Month 1 on Nexplanon was a breeze. Month 2 hit me like a freight train.

Exactly 30 days after having my Nexplanon implant, I got the most insane cramps I have ever experienced. They started on a Wednesday night and me, being the stubborn lady I am, decided to power through it without taking anything. By Thursday noon I knew these were not regular period cramps. Y'all, these things hurt. The best I could do was sit at my desk at work and just close my eyes. It was literally like someone was scraping out my ovaries with a shovel. I took some ibuprofen and hoped they would subside. Friday morning they started again. I seriously considered calling out of work but my boss was off that day and didn't want to leave anyone hanging. I made it to 2:00pm then I had to get out of there. I emailed my boss and explained that I was having side effects from the new BC, grabbed my purse and cried the entire way home. Wave after wave after wave of pain shot through me. As soon as I got home I got in the bathtub, hoping warm water would help. Nope. I got in the bed and just cried. Thank God for Tanner, he got home just in time. He called my mom who said that she'd talked to her doctor (she works at the women's care office where I got the implant) and the doctor said it was normal. NORMAL. She sent my grandma and aunt over with heating pads and medicine. I took a pill for pain and fell asleep. I woke up around 7pm and felt pretty good considering. No cramps. For the next few days, I took an Aleve every 4-6 hours and was able to manage the cramps. But here comes the worst part.........

After the cramps subsided, I bled constantly for 21 straight days. Not spotting or light, but heavy bleeding. I went through 3 boxes of tampons. It was torture, y'all. And my poor husband. He deserves a medal. No, he deserves a trophy or the world's biggest steak or something. Finally, the bleeding stopped for about a week. But it has since started again. Not heavy like before, just spotting. But it's still pretty frustrating. I guess I can say that Nexplanon works for birth control, because you can't get pregnant if you can't have sex.

Nexplanon: Week 3

So it looks like this is going to be an every other week update type of thing. Nothing really changed except my incision is itching constantly. I know this is just where it's healing but it's been so hard not to scratch. I'm making a valiant attempt at keeping lotion on it. The only other thing is that I'm feeling a bit sluggish, but I'm not sure if that's related to the birth control or that we've just had a very busy summer that seems to be flying by (2015 is halfway over, y'all). Over all, so far, I would say my experience has been pretty positive with the Nexplanon implant. Part of me is still a little worried that it could change after this first month, but I'm hoping all of the review I read where just written by really dramatic women. Have any of you guys tried it? What type of BC are you using? Any tips?

Nexplanon: Week 1

Hey ladies! So I've had my Nexplanon implant in for a week now and fortunately I don't really have anything to report. The bruising looks much better and is almost completely healed and the cramps have eased up a lot. I'm having PMS symptoms (acne breakouts, cravings, bloating and my emotions are on a roller coaster) but that's because it's about that time for my cycle. No spotting or anything yet so it's looking good so far!

My Nexplanon Experience

Hello, ladies! Last week I ventured into a new territory with birth control so I thought why not take you along with me?

(Men, not sure you'll care to read this one.)

First, I must make a confession. Because I am the world's best procrastinator, I had been putting off visiting the lady doctor for quite some time. I know, I'm married, therefore obviously sexually active, and should have taken care of lady business a while ago, and I've learned my lesson.

Now, the main reason for my visit was a pap smear, with the intention of talking about birth control. Not only do I need something to make sure that Tanner and I do not bring an unplanned little one into the world (not that there's anything wrong with that, we are just not ready), but something to regulate my cycle. Since the 7th grade I have never been regular and it's time I get a handle on this.

After the whole pap smear, which was cringe worthy but not as bad as I expected, my doctor came in and talked with me about birth control options. There are 4 basic options; the pill, IUD, Depo shot, and Nexplanon. I knew right away that I did not want an IUD (too many horror stories) or the depo shots (a shot every 12 weeks, no thank you) so basically I had a choice between the pill and Nexplanon. My hang-up with the pill was that I knew I would probably forget to take it every day and I knew there was a possibility of weight gain. The doctor gave me a pamphlet about Nexplanon and said she thought that would be a good option for me. We talked a little more and I was on my way out. When I checked out, they gave me an appointment exactly 2 weeks away for my Nexplanon implant.

 

 

Nexplanon is a small bar that goes into your arm, between your shoulder and elbow, that releases hormones which cause your ovaries not to release eggs. You can leave it in up to 3 years, or if you decide you want children before then, you can schedule an appointment at any time to have it removed. I did a lot of research about Nexplanon and it seemed that the reviews were about 75% positive and 25% negative, so I decided to go for it. I arrived to the doctor’s office at 8:20am on July 2^nd. After check-in I peed in a cup, had my vitals checked then was put in a room. My doctor came in and asked me to lay back on the table with my left arm up. I had two small bug bites in the area where they normally put the implant so she put it about an inch lower than normal.

 

 

I wasn’t super nervous about the implant but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt a little. The worst part was the Lidocaine shot they gave me to numb the area. After that, I could feel the gun in my arm, but there was no sense of pain or anything like that. The whole process took maybe 2 minutes. The medical assistant in the room put a steri strip and band-aid on my arm then wrapped gauze around it. The doctor said that I would probably bruise and be sore for a day or so.

 

Boy, was she right. By the time I’d gotten home, I had a huge purple welt wear the implant was. It was little freaky to look at and if I touched it very gently I could feel the implant in my arm. By the end of the day my arm was pretty sore but it wasn’t until Friday that I started cramping. While shopping with my mom and cousin, I started having small cramps. I’m still having them today, but not as bad or often. Several reviews I read said they experienced heavy spotting and bleeding for the first month or so, but I haven’t experienced that, yet. So far, I don’t have anything very bad to say about the Nexplanon implant. Aside from the cramps and bruising, I forget it’s there. I’ll keep you all updated!