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).