It's hard to even begin explaining how much I loved my acupuncture appointment. I searched and searched all over town for a specific acupuncturist-I was looking for a DOM (Dr of Oriental Medicine). These Dr's are the real deal boys and girls. I found out that in the state of Kansas, any chiropractor can study acptr for 100 hours and become licensed. A DOM studies for at least 4,000 hours. I finally found my DOM and his little clinic is literally within walking or at least bike riding distance. How cool is that??!! My obsession with finding a DOM all started from this book.
The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis. My acupuncturist actually studied at the same place that Randine studied. Also like Randine, my doctor spent some time in China and is also a licensed Herbalist. Now this may all seem a little "hippie" to some of you. Well you're probably right lol, but for me, I would rather spend my time and money on healing my body naturally and getting my blood flowing naturally then just masking the problem with Clomid. I do consider myself to be a sort of "natural/zen/hippie" person. Not too much though, I mean I shower and don't have dreads, but I am all about "pure" things. I'm not saying I'll never take Clomid but for at least 4-6 months I am going to do acptr and take herbs and brew all kinds of crazy teas and really try to cut out so many processed foods.
So let's talk about my appointment! I was very nervous, I wasn't nervous about the needles (which I'm sure is most people's biggest fear and reason for not going to an acupuncturist), I was actually nervous about talking about my reproductive and IF issues with a MALE! I talk to J about this stuff but I never ever ever have had a male dr, not even just a family practitioner. For some reason I've never been comfortable with a male Dr. touching me or talking about personal things. Nothing has ever happened to me (as far as I know) that has caused me to have this fear and anxiety. I was also nervous that he wouldn't know much about PCOS/IF even though his website and card said he specialized in OB/GYN, pregnancy, fertility and IF. I, of course, felt that he wouldn't be able to relate because he is a male.
I was so wrong, he was extremely sensitive and caring and I felt very comfortable talking to him about my struggles. I have been to so many doctor appointments and I have never had anyone sit down and talk to me about my health and well being for as long as he did. He gave me
the most delicious hot jasmine green tea as we visited. I could have just smelled that stuff all day-so good. He asked a lot of questions-weird ones too like am I ever short of breathe & do I have pain in my right side of my body & do I have ringing in my ears. Yes to all of them, then he asked about my digestion-EEEEEKKK!!! HOLD THE TRAIN!
I have always had a horrible digestive system.*TMI* When I was a kid all until I was about 19, I only pooped about 4-5 times...a MONTH. Swear. It was awful, it would hurt so bad too. At the time I nannied for a Dr and I told her about my digestive problems and she urged me to seek medical attention and eat more fiber. I became obsessed with things of fiber and reading labels on everything I bought at the store. My digestive system was getting better and I was pooping about 2 times a week. That was progress folks! Then I went to a gastrologist because I was having really bad stomach pains and still dealing with constipation and diarrhea. Hey...it is possible to have both! She said I had IBS and there really isn't much they can do, I just have to watch what I eat, keep a food journal of what triggers my IBS and eat lots of green veggies and drink tons of water.
So that's been about 2 years and I have gotten better. I try to avoid fast greasy food, soda, cheese and I can not ever eat at On The Border. This place causes me to be in the bathroom for hours, even thinking about it makes me feel sick lol. I still don't have as many bowel movements as a "healthy" person but I have improved a lot. So I say all of that to say this. My acupuncturist said that my body is causing things to be "stagnant", things are not moving and flowing as they should. I shook my little head in agreement trying to remember the last time I pooped and the fact that I have not started one single period on my own since stopping birth control. He said my blood isn't flowing smoothly and he feels that stress/worry/anxiety is a huge reason why I'm having digestive and menstrual problems.
So we started the acupuncture, he put about 20 needles in me. I didn't feel a thing. Ok, that's not entirely true, I felt it a few times but it only felt like a small scratch. NO pain at all though. It was extremely relaxing and soothing. He focused on my spleen which is where worry is at. I was all about this-please extract the worry :) Once the needles were in I laid there for about 30 minutes and just closed my eyes and didn't think about
anything. It was dark, just a little lamp on, warm and relaxed to "Chinese rock and roll" music as he called it.
Once I was finished, he took the needles out and we discussed herbs and brewing my own teas. I was very excited about this. He assured me that it would not taste good and probably will make my house smell too. I said that was fine with me. He wants me to come back twice a week for about 4-6 weeks. He said it would cost $80 a week. I told him that as much I wish I could, I couldn't afford that, who can??!?! So he asked me what would work for me and I compromised at $50-this also included my herbs and teas.
So here is my game plan. I feel like right now I really need to get my stress/worry/anxiety and digestive system in order. This is very important to my overall health. This should help also with getting my blood flowing and hopefully regulating my cycles and *fingers crossed*
ovulation. For the months of June and July I am going to go a couple of times a month and start my herbs/teas. In August (if I'm not pregnant by then) I'm going to really jump in and we will focus on fertility. I remind myself that I am not infertile, just imbalanced. J and I have decided this is something that we really want to work and understand it will take effort and smart spending on our part. So from August to October we will focus greatly on getting me pregnant.
If by the end of Oct I'm still not pregnant, I'll most likely quit and just take a break from it all. Maybe by December or January 2012 I will start 50 mg of Clomid. Sorry this was so long, just wanted to give you a detailed summary. It was awesome and I can't wait to go back. My next appointment will be on Tuesday the 31st. I'll get my herbs and teas then and I'll let you know how that goes. I feel like I need a witch hat and big black kettle :) Thanks for all the well wishes and if you have any questions for me please feel free to ask!
Here is a brief list of some conditions that Acupuncture effectively treats:
- Stress/Anxiety
- Women’s health
- Infertility
- Menstrual Disorders
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Pain Management
- Headaches / Migraines
- Insomnia
- Psychological/Emotional Disorders
- Weight Reduction
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Addiction
- Alcohol, Nicotine, Drug etc.
- Allergies
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Colds and Flu’s
- Cosmetic Acupuncture
- Facial Rejuvenation
- Immune Disorders
- Internal Medicine
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Neurological Disorder
