#40 Get Acupuncture

I hate needles. The thought of them really freaks me out. But the thought of ever having to go through what Rick and I went through in January scares me more than anything. So after hearing so many wonderful things about acupuncture, I decided to look into a place that focused on woman's issues and fertility. Using one of my favorite websites (www.yelp.com) I found Chang acupuncture. They had some great reviews, and their website was filled with tons of info and encouragement. So after calling our insurance to find out if we had acupuncture benefits I called and booked my consultation appointment. During that initial phone call I spoke to Julie Chang, who is the owner of the office. She was friendly and answered every single one of my questions. I then printed and filled out all 15 pages of the new patient packet! Talk about thorough!

So yesterday was the big day. My new patient appointment was 1.5 hours long. My acupuncturist, Eric, talked with me for a long time about my medical issues, history, and cycles. He also went over diet and suggested some modifications to help increase fertility and to control my endometriosis (cutting back on dairy, and red meat, and avoiding raw "cold" food). He also checked my tongue and pressed on a few spots, then it was time to start the acupuncture session.

I was pretty freaked out. It was weird to lay on table like I would for a facial, but knowing that instead of a massage I would be poked like a pin cushion. With Eric's suggestion I kept my eyes closed ;) It actually didn't hurt that bad. I could barely feel the needles, it sort of felt like a small pinch. There were two times that it did hurt a bit, but it wasn't bad, just uncomfortable. Once the needles were all in place he placed a heat lamp over my tummy and left me to relax for about 20 minutes. I could feel sensations like tingling and heaviness, it was an odd yet relaxing combo.

All in all it was an interesting experience. I'll be going back every other week for a while, and once my insurance kicks in I may try to go weekly. Keeping my fingers crossed that we see some good results from this.