I did wait until I could find the strings, but I found my strings the day of insertion. Also, my then-partner was out of town at the time, so sex with him wasn't really possible until several weeks afterward.
Can't tell you for sure whether Mirena floats. But ParaGard (I kept my first one for awhile when I expelled it), even though it has metal around it, doesn't go -- PLUNK! -- straight to the bottom of a container of water; it kind of makes its way down slowly. I imagine that if a Mirena did not float, it would also not PLUNK! rapidly, and therefore you'd have a good chance of seeing it in the toilet in the unlikely event that you did poop it out.
I'd only question your PP about the BV check. According to the INFO Project (http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/tools/pregchecklist.shtml#checklist) from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, you starting your period within a week is enough for them to be sufficiently certain of non-pregnancy to insert. (Though the INFO Project also does (http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/fph_chapter10/fph_chap10_who_can_use.shtml#criteria) not mention (http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/fph_chapter9/fph_chap9_med_eligibility.shtml#criteria) current BV as a no-go for insertion, though it's my understanding that it's generally preferred.)
Also, for follow-up appointments, it really depends on the clinic and the health care professional. My NP requested them, for my first two insertions at least, but I know a fair number of iud_divas members who didn't have follow-ups. As long as you can contact them if you're worried about problems, I think you should be okay there.
I'm going through your questions as I see them, so this will be kind of disjointed.
Can't tell you for sure whether Mirena floats. But ParaGard (I kept my first one for awhile when I expelled it), even though it has metal around it, doesn't go -- PLUNK! -- straight to the bottom of a container of water; it kind of makes its way down slowly. I imagine that if a Mirena did not float, it would also not PLUNK! rapidly, and therefore you'd have a good chance of seeing it in the toilet in the unlikely event that you did poop it out.
I'd only question your PP about the BV check. According to the INFO Project (http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/tools/pregchecklist.shtml#checklist) from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, you starting your period within a week is enough for them to be sufficiently certain of non-pregnancy to insert. (Though the INFO Project also does (http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/fph_chapter10/fph_chap10_who_can_use.shtml#criteria) not mention (http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/fph_chapter9/fph_chap9_med_eligibility.shtml#criteria) current BV as a no-go for insertion, though it's my understanding that it's generally preferred.)
Also, for follow-up appointments, it really depends on the clinic and the health care professional. My NP requested them, for my first two insertions at least, but I know a fair number of