Shannon Hubbard, 25, Sunshine Coast, Qld shares her true life story;
The doctor looked at me and smiled.
“Well, that was easy!” she said as I lay on the bed with my legs apart.
“You can expect a little bit of bleeding, but it’ll be nothing to worry about.”
I’d just had a Mirena, a small, T-shaped intrauterine contraceptive device placed inside my uterus.
I’d only just given birth to my son Harrison so didn’t want any accidents.
My partner Corrie and I already had two children, Ayden, five, and Sydney, three.
The pill had made me emotional in the past so when my GP suggested the Mirena, I agreed to give it a go.
Apart from a sharp twinge when it was inserted, the procedure had gone smoothly.
Fifteen minutes later, I was back at home in the bathroom when I noticed I’d bled through my underwear.
It seemed like a lot of blood, but the GP had warned me to expect it.
After picking up Ayden from school, I discovered more.
There were huge clots the size of my hand and I was starting to feel light-headed.
I rang Mum to take me to the emergency department.
Once there, I was put in a wheelchair and seen by an obstetrician.
After an ultrasound, I learnt that the Mirena hadn’t been implanted correctly and had perforated my uterus.
When I was moved from the wheelchair to a bed, the seat was flooded with blood.
Harrison was only eight weeks old while I was fighting for my life.
“Can’t you just take it out?” I begged.
The doctor’s face was grim.
“That could just make it worse,” he replied.
I tried to stay calm, but I was terrified.
When the bleeding refused to stop hours later, they removed the Mirena, but blood continued to flow and the clots were getting bigger.
Finally, they had to insert a balloon catheter into the uterus, hoping the pressure would stop the wound weeping.
Coming around from the surgery, I felt so relieved to see Corrie and the kids.
I smiled weakly, trying to disguise my fear.
I was frustrated I couldn’t even feed Harrison.
He was still so young and this was the precious time I was meant to be bonding with him.
Too groggy to stay awake for long, I drifted back to sleep.
I woke with a start and realised I was drenched in blood… it had even reached my knees!
“Help!” I cried, my whole body shaking with cold.
How was I even still alive if I’d lost this much blood?
Nurses rushed into the room.
I had so little blood that I had gone into a haemorrhagic shock and was drifting in and out of consciousness.
In the ICU after surgery – I felt like I was dying.
I thought about Harrison.
If I died now, he’d never remember his mum.
Once again they attempted the same surgery, this time using a bigger balloon.
I was transfused 14 bags of blood and hooked up to tubes and machines.
A tube in my throat meant I was unable to speak, but when Corrie came in to see me, I signalled that I wanted to hold little Harrison.
This could be the last time you hold your son…
Cuddling him in my arms, I knew I had to keep strong.
There was still no sign that the bleeding had stopped, so I was taken to the operating theatre all over again.
This time they completely opened me up and discovered that what they thought was a tiny 1mm tear was actually a 4cm-long gash!
Waking up in the ICU, I felt extremely tender.
My hands were almost double the size due to the amount of fluid I’d had pumped into me.
When the kids came to see me, Sydney gasped. “Mummy, what happened?” she asked, her little face terrified.
I’m so lucky to have three healthy, happy kids.
Corrie looked horrified. “I thought we were going to lose you,” he choked.
The doctor came to examine me again and check whether I could go home.
“I felt like I was dying,” I confided.
“You were,” she said sombrely. “And I’m afraid you won’t be able to have any more children.”
I know I’m lucky to have three healthy kids, but I still felt a sense of loss.
I’m sharing my story so other women know the complications that can come with getting the Mirena.
I’ve learnt that you’re at a higher risk if you get one just after having a baby or when breastfeeding.
If I’d been told this before, I’d have waited longer before having it fitted.
It’s safe to say that from now on, I’ll only be using the pill – even if it does make me a bit moody!
I still have a huge scar which feels sore when I’m holding Harrison or doing housework.
But the gift of life is priceless and I just feel grateful to be alive.
