A WOMAN has shared how she was left in crippling pain when her coil somehow managed to escape from her cervix and end up floating around her organs.
After using the IUD for 10 months, she began experiencing shooting pains in both her uterus and bowels. She was then forced to seek urgent surgery.
Sharing her story, TikTok user Mahlia Mack, from Australia, explained how the pain got so bad she ended up fainting at work, developed a fever, and couldn’t stop throwing up.
She was told her gallbladder had become porcelain, where calcium had encrusted the walls. Mahlia said that she had the contraceptive IUD implanted six weeks after giving birth. 10 months later, I experienced excruciating shooting pains throughout my uterus and bowels.
My GP checked my uterus for strings to remove the IUD. She couldn’t find them and sent me to ultrasonography. The ultrasound tech could not find the IUD inside my cervix so she suggested I have an X-ray.
“The X-ray showed the IUD free-floating around my organs. I was sent home with painkillers and told the hospital would contact me for surgery. I was in so much pain, I kept telling doctors I was CERTAIN the IUD had moved to my bowels.”
Frustrated Mahlia claimed she was not being heard by any of the doctors and left her in pain.
She said: “No one was listening to me, I had a specialist tell me there’s NO WAY the IUD would [have] been in my bowels. She stated that there have been only three cases of the IUD reaching the bowels in all her years.
“I just wanted the pain gone and the IUD out of my body as soon as possible. I could barely stand some days. WHY IS NO ONE HELPING OR LISTENING TO ME?”
The condition got worse after a few more weeks when Mahlia took a turn at work.
“I felt really off the entire day. I felt faint, hot and the shooting pains were the worst they had ever been. I got to work to start my shift and nearly fainted,” She shared her story.
My co-worker commented that I was almost unconscious at work and suggested I go straight to the hospital. He would take me. Because they hadn’t been able to help me in the past four weeks, I hesitated to return to the ER.
“I figured they would tell me to go home and wait for surgery. My co-worker suggested trying a different hospital ER, hopeful that I would get the help I needed.”
In a follow-up video, Mahlia revealed that her experience at the hospital the second time around was much better and doctors immediately “knew something was very wrong”.
She recalls that “my pain levels were unbearable, I was constantly throwing up and had a high fever. They performed every test and ran a CT contrast scanner.
“The doctor came in and let me know that not only was the IUD lodged in my bowels, my gallbladder had also turned porcelain, but both also needed to be removed urgently.”
Mahlia said: “The doctors could NOT believe the other hospital had sent me home several times with the IUD floating around in my body. I was SO THANKFUL for the doctors and nurses listening to me. I needed to stabilize before they could operate so they started IV antibiotics and planned surgery for first thing in the morning.”
When she came round from surgery a few hours later, Mahlia found out it was good news, as doctors managed to retrieve the IUD without needing to remove her bowels. “Not only was the IUD lodged in my bowels, but my gallbladder had also turned porcelain, both needed to be removed urgently.”
She explained: “I was in surgery for 3.5 hours and they successfully removed the IUD without needing to cut my bowels and give me a colostomy bag. They also removed the porcelain gallbladder. And that my friends are why I will NEVER have an IUD again.”
Mahlia’s first post has been seen over 6.3million times online. This has racked up thousands of comments from people who were shocked by her story.
“My jaw dropped when they sent you home with pain meds and didn’t operate right away… I haven’t even finished the video yet. Hugs,” One person commented.
Another said: “I’m so sorry this is absolutely terrifying you are so strong I would not have made it.”
A third shared: “My last IUD embedded into my uterine wall and that pain was BRUTAL. I can’t even imagine what you felt.”
Some could relate to Mahli as they shared their own horror stories, with one woman revealing: “I’m so sorry you had to deal with this. Mine moved and became so infected I was throwing up/fever and had to have an emergency removal. The worst!!!”
One more shared: “That happened to me too but they said I imagined it and put me in the mental health ward until I passed out with septicemia and they found it floating.”
Others, however, reminded viewers that women’s experience of contraceptive methods can differ, as some revealed their IUD has worked perfectly for them since having it fitted.
“Guys don’t let this freak you out! I’ve had my IUD for 5 years and no problems,” One woman said. “I’m on my second IUS and mine’s been fine, not every IUD story is a bad one! Sorry, this happened to you tho (sic),” One viewer commented.
One viewer added: “The IUD is the best thing that ever happened to me, but obviously that’s not the same for every woman.”