That sucks about the IUD. I looked into it as well, first with my mom and she said "no!", and then my gyno told me that I wouldn't be able to get it even it i wanted it because you have to have had at least one full completed pregnancy (I live in Florida). She said that some doctors will allow it, but the ones who are really in the know will not allow you to have it inserted. She also said she isn't a big fan of it either because they have a high chance of causing infertility.. I know bc pills suck, but I definitely prefer being able to have children in the future!
That sucks about the IUD. I looked into it as well, first with my mom and she said "no!", and then my gyno told me that I wouldn't be able to get it even it i wanted it because you have to have had at least one full completed pregnancy (I live in Florida). She said that some doctors will allow it, but the ones who are really in the know will not allow you to have it inserted. She also said she isn't a big fan of it either because they have a high chance of causing infertility.. I know bc pills suck, but I definitely prefer being able to have children in the future!
Your doctor sounds like the most uninformed doctor I have ever heard of. (No offense but WOW) they have done countless studies and the actual complications with the IUD are so minimal its not even worth talking about!
In california they insert them like its a goal or something. My gyno said that they are almost no risk whatsoever and they are more effective then the pill because there is no remembering which might lead to forgetting.
I have one and I LOVE IT! My gyno soothed all my fears !
Im shocked florida actually wont let you get one unless youve had a baby...thats so 20 years ago haha
Your doctor sounds like the most uninformed doctor I have ever heard of. (No offense but WOW) they have done countless studies and the actual complications with the IUD are so minimal its not even worth talking about!
In california they insert them like its a goal or something. My gyno said that they are almost no risk whatsoever and they are more effective then the pill because there is no remembering which might lead to forgetting.
I have one and I LOVE IT! My gyno soothed all my fears !
Im shocked florida actually wont let you get one unless youve had a baby...thats so 20 years ago haha
First of all, sounds like your the one who took offense to my post, which was only intended to inform Elle of my experience with the IUD. Secondly, I like to think that my doctor is a very well educated person in her field and only has my best interest in mind. Unfortunately medicine is NOT an exact science, and not all doctors agree on everything all the time. I also did not say that Florida won't allow IUD's, I only said MY doctor did not recommend it for me in particular. I'm sure their are hundreds in my state that will insert them to a woman who hasn't borne a child, and I'm sure their are some in cali that won't.
Also, just an fyi Elle, my uniformed gyno told me that many women who were put on mirena (just incase your contemplating it) who never had acne or spots, developed bad skin. But don't listen to her, she's only been a gyno for 25 years. If your research mirena + acne, many women complain about their skin becoming bad or worse
Your doctor sounds like the most uninformed doctor I have ever heard of. (No offense but WOW) they have done countless studies and the actual complications with the IUD are so minimal its not even worth talking about!
In california they insert them like its a goal or something. My gyno said that they are almost no risk whatsoever and they are more effective then the pill because there is no remembering which might lead to forgetting.
I have one and I LOVE IT! My gyno soothed all my fears !
Im shocked florida actually wont let you get one unless youve had a baby...thats so 20 years ago haha
First of all, sounds like your the one who took offense to my post, which was only intended to inform Elle of my experience with the IUD. Secondly, I like to think that my doctor is a very well educated person in her field and only has my best interest in mind. Unfortunately medicine is NOT an exact science, and not all doctors agree on everything all the time. I also did not say that Florida won't allow IUD's, I only said MY doctor did not recommend it for me in particular. I'm sure their are hundreds in my state that will insert them to a woman who hasn't borne a child, and I'm sure their are some in cali that won't.
I actually didnt take offense from your post at all. Im not attacking you nor was it my intention to attack your gyno. The problem with the internet is that some things are taken in a certain way when they are not meant to be at all! It wasnt my intention to offend anyone so If I somehow did that I apologize.
I misunderstood your post and thought that you were saying ALL of Florida wouldnt do it! A personal doctor recommending it is super common and not surprising at all 
I think it boils down to the personal choice. I have done a lot of research on the IUD before getting it (just like the tane ) and I felt that the risks were so minimal that it was worth going through with- even pills have a chance of loweing your fertility with extended use.
As far as skin goes I havent noticed any decrease or increase in the severity of my skin since getting the IUD. The mirena has a very minimal dosage of progesterone only so I dont know if it would throw peoples skin out of whack. It really depends on the individual. The good news is- if you dont like the iud- its a quick 5 min doctors visit and your back at square one.
Although I wouldnt give mine up for the world! hahaha
I wouldnt listen too much to those message boards about Mirena and people hating it. I almost backed out of getting the mirena because message boards were littered with horror stories. But all my close friends who had it loved it. so I got it regardless of what I saw online. I am experiencing nothing of what I read online.
again, everyone is different and everyone reacts differently
Your doctor sounds like the most uninformed doctor I have ever heard of. (No offense but WOW) they have done countless studies and the actual complications with the IUD are so minimal its not even worth talking about!
In california they insert them like its a goal or something. My gyno said that they are almost no risk whatsoever and they are more effective then the pill because there is no remembering which might lead to forgetting.
I have one and I LOVE IT! My gyno soothed all my fears !
Im shocked florida actually wont let you get one unless youve had a baby...thats so 20 years ago haha
First of all, sounds like your the one who took offense to my post, which was only intended to inform Elle of my experience with the IUD. Secondly, I like to think that my doctor is a very well educated person in her field and only has my best interest in mind. Unfortunately medicine is NOT an exact science, and not all doctors agree on everything all the time. I also did not say that Florida won't allow IUD's, I only said MY doctor did not recommend it for me in particular. I'm sure their are hundreds in my state that will insert them to a woman who hasn't borne a child, and I'm sure their are some in cali that won't.
I actually didnt take offense from your post at all. Im not attacking you nor was it my intention to attack your gyno. The problem with the internet is that some things are taken in a certain way when they are not meant to be at all! It wasnt my intention to offend anyone so If I somehow did that I apologize.
I misunderstood your post and thought that you were saying ALL of Florida wouldnt do it! A personal doctor recommending it is super common and not surprising at all
I think it boils down to the personal choice. I have done a lot of research on the IUD before getting it (just like the tane
As far as skin goes I havent noticed any decrease or increase in the severity of my skin since getting the IUD. The mirena has a very minimal dosage of progesterone only so I dont know if it would throw peoples skin out of whack. It really depends on the individual. The good news is- if you dont like the iud- its a quick 5 min doctors visit and your back at square one.
Although I wouldnt give mine up for the world! hahaha
I wouldnt listen too much to those message boards about Mirena and people hating it. I almost backed out of getting the mirena because message boards were littered with horror stories. But all my close friends who had it loved it. so I got it regardless of what I saw online. I am experiencing nothing of what I read online.
again, everyone is different and everyone reacts differently
Yeah, the internet can be a really bad place for getting information, especially off of message boards. Because of extremely strong confirmation bias, people become absolutely convinced of things that really are not so. Personally, I have not seen a decent amount of support in scientific journals supporting a strong relationship between acne and IUD usage or infertility and past usage of an IUD. Correlation absolutely does not equal causation.
I might also add that there are a heck of a lot of doctors out there that are extremely uninformed about current scientific research.
My whole point was that I trust my doctor more than websites and research posted on websites and forums and people reviewing something etc. When I said don't listen to my doctor, go online and be your own doctor, I was being sarcastic. Do I go online a look at reviews, absolutely. It's like one big statistic, and not every body who reviews is on one end of the extreme, some people just want others to know about how something affected them, and to be careful and make a conscious decision, although in most cases, with most products, people indeed do EITHER hate or love, there is not an in between. This is why I also researched the IUD, saw good and bad, and gave my doctor a call and told her I was interested in it. At my appointment, she examined me, and came to a professional conclusion that the IUD was not for me, and also gave me some personal facts SHE noted as an obgyn with her patients, and among her colleagues patients, along with some medical research as well.
Just quietly reading all of this... 
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed. 
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
Yeah, I would go for the copper one too. Just the fact that Mirena is really a hormonal method makes me not want to do it. Might as well just use the ring.
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
I just know your going to love it Elle!
My whole point was that I trust my doctor more than websites and research posted on websites and forums and people reviewing something etc. When I said don't listen to my doctor, go online and be your own doctor, I was being sarcastic. Do I go online a look at reviews, absolutely. It's like one big statistic, and not every body who reviews is on one end of the extreme, some people just want others to know about how something affected them, and to be careful and make a conscious decision, although in most cases, with most products, people indeed do EITHER hate or love, there is not an in between. This is why I also researched the IUD, saw good and bad, and gave my doctor a call and told her I was interested in it. At my appointment, she examined me, and came to a professional conclusion that the IUD was not for me, and also gave me some personal facts SHE noted as an obgyn with her patients, and among her colleagues patients, along with some medical research as well.
Im curious did your physician say the UYD wasnt for you just because you havent carried a child before?
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
Yeah, I would go for the copper one too. Just the fact that Mirena is really a hormonal method makes me not want to do it. Might as well just use the ring.
The reason why I didnt go with the copper iud was because I have painful menstrual cramps. The copper IUD can make periods heavier and make cramps worse- therefore if you already have bad cramps then its a no go 
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
I just know your going to love it Elle!
I know that I'll like it more than the pill by default. 
I don't think the pill made me break out when I took it, I honestly don't really foresee breaking out from the IUD, but I'm clear at the moment so if it does break me out I'll know without a doubt that that's what's causing it. I get probably 2 or 3 pimples a week. It's crazy... I had one the other day right by my mouth and it hurt, was so white and I was at work so I couldn't do anything about it. Gross. Now there's no trace of it.
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
Yeah, I would go for the copper one too. Just the fact that Mirena is really a hormonal method makes me not want to do it. Might as well just use the ring.
If my gyno says I can have a copper one, I'll do that. 
I'd hazard a guess and say that she likely knows more about it than my GP.
Im curious did your physician say the UYD wasnt for you just because you havent carried a child before?
No, like I said before, she was giving out some facts and personal experiences for me to be informed about the IUD's. Women who have never had a child have a higher risk of the device shifting, falling out, or otherwise becoming ineffective so the failure rate of the IUD is partially determined by whether or not you already had a child. It had something to do with the size of my cervix.
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
Sorry for spamming your log with all this crap! All I was trying to say was what my doctor told me in comparison with your story, and it all blew up in face, lol.
Just quietly reading all of this...
I'll talk to my gyno about it when I see her. She's notoriously difficult to get into, so it's not until December 5. I'd prefer the Mirena IUD over taking pills but I'd prefer a copper IUD over a hormone one.
I guess the bottom line is that it's imperative that I don't get pregnant, and I'm unwilling to take pills.
Also, people either love or hate Accutane, too - so many horror stories - but I have had a pretty easy time on it thus far, so I guess like everything else, everybody reacts differently to things. If I have trouble with the IUD I'll have it removed.
Sorry for spamming your log with all this crap!
No, it's okay! You are more than welcome to post here! I like seeing different sides to it. I don't think anybody is being hostile, just have conflicting experiences. When it all boils down to it, we're all constructed differently, so of course we're going to get different results. I thought it might've had something to do with your cervix, I've heard that some women just can't have them put in. I don't know about my own cervix (we don't talk much) but Dr Annie can tell me what I need to know. 
No, it's okay!
Lol, you're a hoot. Yeah, I didn't want to go into specifics as too why (tmi and all) unless it came up.
It's always difficult to really capture someone's intentions online, so that was my bad, I just love my doctors, lol 
..they're such good people and it drives me up the walls when people pass judgment on someone they don't know, good intentions or not. You know how hard it is to find a good hairdresser? Doctors are the same, but on a whole nother level!
No, it's okay!
Lol, you're a hoot. Yeah, I didn't want to go into specifics as too why (tmi and all) unless it came up.
It's always difficult to really capture someone's intentions online, so that was my bad, I just love my doctors, lol
Ah, it doesn't make me squeamish considering I'm a lady too and it's no big deal.
I know what you mean about doctors, I have a good GP for the most part, a good dermatologist and a good gyno. I've switched GPs a few times to find one I am comfortable with. I swear he's seen me so many times in the past two months that he's sure I'm either in love with him or just stalking him. I figure it's just better to be safe than sorry!
I still haven't found a good hairdresser. ;P
^ Nothing wrong with that! Difference of opinion is what makes the board great! I agree about the online intentions side though sometimes its like DANGIT THATS NOT HOW I MEANT IT! haha
Unless you have a difference of opinion in the holistic forum, then you get beaten up by angry vegans.
I haven't found a good hairdresser here in florida either!
And I'm a very open-minded vegetarian, and I'm definitely not a hostile, DON'T EAT MEAT!-person, although it would be nice..........lol
Seriously, I have been to so many! I'm less than a month off of 23 and every single hairdresser I goes to asks me what grade I am in... I swear I don't look that young. I'm not short either. But I'm not very curvaceous - more built like a jogger, I guess that doesn't help.
I was a vegetarian for years. ^-^ I stopped though. It got really difficult with my family. But I don't eat meat very often, probably 2 or 3 times a week. I don't really think about it much.
Day 49
An actual update where I've managed to remember the date! I'm just as shocked as everybody else, yes. There hasn't been a lot to update on since my skin is more or less clear most days with the exception of what I'm fairly certain are hormonal spots. I don't break out on my forehead or upper cheeks at all. If I do get spots, they're around my mouth, generally one or two, and not huge. I haven't got any nodules at the moment so that is excellent... my skin is incredibly dry to the point where my scars are ridiculously prominent - I know that this'll go away once I'm off of Accutane, because I've never noticed them before, even when my skin has been temporarily clear in the past (and by that, I mean the level of "clear" I used to achieve, where I had about 6 spots and considered my skin awesome for it) and still soft and spongy.
My lips are disgusting, constantly peeling and I have spent so much money on lip balm. I apply it, they peel, I apply it, they peel, and so on and so forth... the lip balm just sits around the peely bits. In the mornings, I'm too scared to open my mouth properly because my lips are cracked and look like the Sahara's lesser-known sister. This I can deal with.
I have a random rash on my chest, not extreme, but it was on my belly and one of my thighs. I slathered them in hydrocortisone cream and they calmed down. Since I can't pin this on anything else, I'll hazard a guess that it's the 'Tane, but aside from the little patch on my chest being a bit itchy, it's no big deal. I have eczema on other parts of my body that I've had to deal with for my whole life so, whatever.
I'm seeing the gyno soon about the IUD and I can't effing remember the time they gave me. Thankfully I remember the date. I think it was 3:45... guess I'll have to ring and ask. I've been so moody lately, almost bordering on depressed, but nothing to do with the 'Tane and more to do with a general existential crisis. I feel terrible for my boyfriend because I ignored him all of yesterday and he followed me around like a lost puppy, then I finally cracked at about 2AM and burst into tears and reeled out why I was so sad. I don't really know how he deals with me, but he does. I get so irritable that sometimes every single thing he does annoys me, but at the end of the day, he always backs me up because there's something in me, he claims, that makes everything worth it. It's reassuring to me that I can be batshit crazy and still have this guy love me...
Here's a picture of my boyfriend, only because I really like it, and he is making everything easier for me right now.
I have this weird sense of deja vu like I've posted this before but oh well. ;P
Day 54
My skin looks pretty average today. Woke up with a big nodule on my cheekbone which hurts. It's going to be awesome when that turns into a flaky mess, what with being smack bang in view of everybody I speak to. "Hello, yes, no I don't have a disease, it's okay, you won't catch anything, it's not scabies."
I lost my script for a few days and thought I'd have to call the dermatologist's office to get him to fax it to the chemist which would be a pain in the ass end, but I found it in my dad's plane under the seat where it had obviously fallen out of my bag, so I'm good for another four months now...
Day 60
Sixty whole days. I'm not dead yet! I just got my second box which will last me two more months. At the moment my skin is pretty much not a troublesome thing to me. I had a really dodgy blackhead near the corner of my mouth which has turned into a small but really irritating spot. The cheekbone nodule has only just decided to stop tormenting me and flaked off unceremoniously today leaving a sexy little red mark in the place it once called home.
I can't really complain about how things are at the moment. I'm having my blood tests done just before my next appointment, but Dr. Ooi spaces them out ridiculously because I work for a tyrannical dinosaur who is reluctant to give me time off to go see a dermatologist. The first one was two months in, but by my next appointment (end of February?) I'll have been on for roughly five months, and then I'll have another three, the dermatologist says, with my low dose to keep me clear once I'm off them.
It's funny, because acne was such a huge wall for me for so long, and (please don't take this as me being ungrateful, because I am, really) my acne is practically gone now - I'm pretty decently scarred, but oh well - I'm not as pee-pantsingly happy as I always thought I would be. I think sometimes, at least with some people, and certainly with me, I hide behind excuses all the time and I've just realized that I can't use my skin as an excuse anymore. I guess I actually have to face my stupid real legitimate problems now. Ugh.
Just musing! I would do this all over again and again and again if I had to go back. I'm just saying...
It's funny, because acne was such a huge wall for me for so long, and (please don't take this as me being ungrateful, because I am, really) my acne is practically gone now - I'm pretty decently scarred, but oh well - I'm not as pee-pantsingly happy as I always thought I would be. I think sometimes, at least with some people, and certainly with me, I hide behind excuses all the time and I've just realized that I can't use my skin as an excuse anymore. I guess I actually have to face my stupid real legitimate problems now.
Ugh.
I'm with you on this one, Elle. I always thought my skin was the be-all and end-all. Save for my uneven skin tone and the odd mark, I'm clear. I like the sound of that, I think I'll say it again. I'm clear. I added a picture to my Org blog yesterday and actually made myself laugh as I panicked because I hadn't checked the picture first. It was just funny because there's nothing to "check". I haven't really picked my skin for about ten days now and the results are awesome. I'm happy with that progress in itself, but aside from that, I'm surprised to find that I don't really care. Likewise, it's just not the great feeling I thought it would be and I know that's because it doesn't actually change anything.
I talked to a group therapy session last week about my skin problems over the years and the habit of picking and all, about basically how I've let it control everything for all these years, and it's become so obvious that my skin isn't the real problem and that the real problems are actually a lot bigger and are going to be so much harder to fix. But, I'm working on that with the group and so on, and there are plenty of other things I can do to get back on track.
It just amazes me how we can get it wrong and how our perceptions can be so off. I suppose being consumed by it in a way makes us think that it's the biggest problem. There is one thing - if we can beat acne, we can work all the other problems out as well.