Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Acupuncture Experience

I've been feeling rather flat lately, as if I'm a one-dimensional shape trying to expand to fit a three-dimensional frame. It reminds me of Bilbo Baggins' description of himself in LOTR, where he comments that he feels like butter scraped over too much bread. The things I want desperately to do - blog, write, read - are mostly swallowed up by the busy necessities of life and work. There's not enough butter left over for the more enjoyable things. And that makes me sad. But in the thirty seconds I have at the moment, I am going to pound on the keyboard like there's no tomorrow. Here goes:

I had my first actual acupuncture treatment on Monday. I was terrified, although logically I knew there was nothing to fear. Dr. M did a great job of explaining everything to me before she did it. I felt the first few needles as they went in, and I had a little trouble with one spot on the side of my hand, but I wouldn't call it painful. Certainly not in light of, say, an HSG or IUI.

Some of the needles were connected to a machine that generated gentle electric pulses. This was a very odd sensation, but again, not painful. Once everything was set - she put needles in my back, hands and feet - Dr. M placed a heat lamp over my back and left me to relax. Oddly enough, it was relaxing; I almost fell asleep! Afterward, I was really emotional. I'd heard this could happen, but it was still strange to experience firsthand.

My next appointment is in two weeks; I should start a new cycle in the meantime. I am anxious to see how long the current cycle runs, and whether my cramps continue to ease. Dr. M was quite optimistic about how well I've been responding to the lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, etc.). I'm optimistic, too, but cautiously so. I feel like the proof is in the pudding (or in the lines on a small white stick, if you catch my drift).

6 comments:

Kim H. said...

Sounds interesting - and like the experience has been positive. I've heard that about accupuncture too - that the release of chemicals or whatever can cause some emotional experiences. Hang in there - this might just be the answer to all your prayers.

..al said...

LOL..thanks for the comment on my blog..and especially@ the potato..

Our fears are real!

All the best for your IVF...and hope the acupuncture helps you!

Keiko Zoll said...

This is a really interesting post- thanks for sharing your experience with acupuncture. I'm a total needlephobe, and I'm learning that I need to get over that REAL quick ;) I've heard so many good things about acupuncture that it's interesting to read very real, personal experiences with it.

Best of luck - I hope the acupuncture works well for you!

~Miriam (ICLW)

Anonymous said...

I just had my first acupuncture appointment today! I would say it sounded pretty similar to yours. There were definitely times when I felt very deeply relaxed - almost floaty - and then times when I was very aware that I had needles sticking out of me. I'll be very interested to hear if it helps with your cramps. Good luck!

-Callie
ICLW

butamoment said...

This afternoon is my first acupuncture appointment. I enjoyed and was comforted when reading your good experiance. I am more than nervouse about it!

(The race horse intro had me rolling in the floor!)

ICLW

Heidi said...

I loved acupuncture! I hated the cost, but loved how I felt during and after. If you ever have a headache when you go, they can get rid of it instantly... I wish you the best =) Miss you!