Acupuncture anyone?

[Jen1802]

Hi girls I can't sing the praises of tcm high enough...its worth its weight in gold! DH and I had been ttc for 8 months and discovered that he had low count and I had kidney yang deficiency (basically means short lp, late ovulation) the drs told us we would have no chance of having a baby without assisted conception. Anyway I started going to a tcm practitioner at the beginning of December 09 and after only 6 sessions of herbs and acupuncture I was finally pregnant! Needless to say my doctor was rather surprised! There is a great book on amazon called The Infertility Cure by Dr Randine Lewis. Here is the link for her website https://www.thefertilesoul.com/ it just explains how it all works a hell of a lot better! I'm ttc again at the min but trying soy iso first to see how that goes. If it doesn't work this cycle I'm going straight back to my tcm practitioner! Good luck girls will be stalking this thread now to see how you's get on! There is also another thread called the really useful tcm thread which me and a few of the other girls doing tcm started. I'm glad to say nearly all of them have either had a baby or are currently pregnant now. Good luck!!! xoxo

 

[Jocr]

Thanks Jen1802 - that is really helpful.
I will have a look at the book - seem to be reading everything that might help lately, getting slightly obsessed
Good luck with the soy.
How many sessions a month did you have? I have 2 a month as cant afford any more. I have stag liver chi and blood deficient!I have been 3 times so far.

 

[holls147]

I hope it works for me Jen, I do not want to go on fertility drugs until I've exhausted other measures! If it works for me I will truly be a miracle case

 

[Jocr]

Hi ladies

Mrs Evans - sounds lovely, I get a few needles in my tummy area but no masage on it. my TCM lady did tell me to rub Tiger Balm on my belly of the week of my period though.

nessie80 - Hello & good luck for your first apt tonight - I hope you really enjoy it and de stress.I am stressed to the max with some blockages she says (Thanks to a shitty MIL). Let us know how you get on with it and how you feel.
Im gutted I have to wait 3 weeks now till my next apt

holls147 - Brilliant that you could get a cheep rate for the needles, thats great. Im sure it wouldnt bother me if it were in a room with others anyway so enjoy. Hopefully you will get a good nights sleep again tonight. I have had 3 seesions now and my sleep is improving

I have been told im blood deficient and have stagnent liver chi so will be looking for foods that are good for helping to balance me. Must say I have been feeling rather stressed out at the mo, maybe its just the lovely clomid having effects on me?

Lots of to you all xxx

 

[Jen1802]

Thanks Jen1802 - that is really helpful.
I will have a look at the book - seem to be reading everything that might help lately, getting slightly obsessed
Good luck with the soy.
How many sessions a month did you have? I have 2 a month as cant afford any more. I have stag liver chi and blood deficient!I have been 3 times so far.

Hey Jocr I was going every week. It was costing me £80 per week which is a fortune! I just sucked it up and paid for it, obviously just cut back on food and other things but damn I wanted that bfp sooo bad! I got really obsessed with it all too and was reading everything I could find but I def found the Randine Lewis book to be the most reassuring and positive out of all the others. There are loads of case studies in it with people suffering from everything including stagnant liver chi. Def get the book it really helped me make sense of it all and discover what else I could be doing at home to help myself get pregnant! XOX

 

[Jen1802]

I hope it works for me Jen, I do not want to go on fertility drugs until I've exhausted other measures! If it works for me I will truly be a miracle case

That was my worry too Holls though we were told we would need either icsi or ivf to get pregnant. Imagine the drs surprise when I came back 7 weeks after being told that to tell them I was pregnant all I could think was up yours doctor! xo

 

[Nikki Leigh]

I started acupuncture on February 25 at a TCM school. I was a bit nervous the first time, and they only did a few needles (maybe 4 or 6) and a few were very uncomfortable to me. They tried to do my stomach area, but that was too uncomfortable. I hadn't eaten beforehand (didn't know I was supposed to).

So for some reason AF started about 16 days in my cycle. Not sure if the acupuncture had an impact or something else.

Had my last session this past Friday. This time they used more needles, but still in my lower knee/ankle areas. Not nearly as uncomfortable, and I got into the deep relaxation phase, which was great. I was looking forward to this session, and was more prepared. My doctor suggested bean curd, lotus seed and soy milk for fertility. I'm going in every other week. Hopefully will not get a mid-cycle bleed again this cycle.

 

[Jen1802]

I started acupuncture on February 25 at a TCM school. I was a bit nervous the first time, and they only did a few needles (maybe 4 or 6) and a few were very uncomfortable to me. They tried to do my stomach area, but that was too uncomfortable. I hadn't eaten beforehand (didn't know I was supposed to).

So for some reason AF started about 16 days in my cycle. Not sure if the acupuncture had an impact or something else.

Had my last session this past Friday. This time they used more needles, but still in my lower knee/ankle areas. Not nearly as uncomfortable, and I got into the deep relaxation phase, which was great. I was looking forward to this session, and was more prepared. My doctor suggested bean curd, lotus seed and soy milk for fertility. I'm going in every other week. Hopefully will not get a mid-cycle bleed again this cycle.

Hey Nikki if the needles are painful at all then that is a result of a blockage in the chi channels as far as I recall. If its sore it basically means there was blockage there and each time you go back and its less painful it means the blockage is disappearing and the chi is flowing like it should be. I've just read that back to myself and I sound like a total hippy Oh well, I do believe in chi etc now after reading Randine Lewis and getting tcm myself. xo

 

[holls147]

OMG I just got back from my appt. Me, the person who can't ever sleep, not even on a 14 hour plane ride to Australia after being up for 24 hours and took TWO ambien- fell ASLEEP in that acupuncture chair after she put all the needles in! She said she gave me an insomnia treatment- good choice I'd say! She also said, in her experience, that insomnia, anxiety, ect all lead to infertility. Hopefully this a positive sign of things to come! She also told me to start eating red meat again... I guess I will listen!

Nikki- I went to a TCM school too. Got my herbs there for super cheap! Just been too chicken to take them so far =-/

Jocr- I hope to be sleeping like you soon! When is your next appt?

Jen- what is icsi?

 

[Jen1802]

Its basically where they take the egg and a healthy sperm and fertilize the egg outside your body and then implant it back in again. Its the most drastic option as far as I know. I'm glad we didn't have to go down that route! That's brilliant the acu is working so well for you. The practitioner is right, ttc is soooo stressful that it can impact negatively on us but that is brilliant that you felt the benefits straight away. In tcm they usually work on getting all of you healthy and not just focusing on one thing. Seriously Holls I'd take the herbs! TCM works twice as quickly if you are doing both the herbs and acu together! xox

 

[holls147]

OK. I'll take the plunge..... taking the herbs this morning! I think I should just get the pill form next time rather than the powder, even though they said the powder is more effective, but not unless I take it haha.

She put one in my ear and I could feel it the whole time. Then before I went to bed I noticed there was a little bid of blood there. Does that mean it's getting unblocked?

 

[Jocr]

Hi holls - how does it taste, Yucky? Do you have to have it once a day or more?
My next apt isnt until early next month
Im so pleased that you slept whilst having it done, thats brilliant keep it up - it will hopefully get easier and easier for you . I found that I am more tired earlier say 10.30 rather then my usual 11.30/12 and wake up with the sunrise (which im not impressed about). But that is probably how much sleep I need rather then me just thinking I need to sleep till 8am! Im trying to haul my ass out of bed a bit earlier on weekdays
Im a vegi and my TCM lady said to eat meat and fish but I told her I can only try and eat chicken and a bit of fish. Its tricky isnt it?

Jen - I had really painful needles this week and I think your absolutely right about there being a blockage in the chi in that area.

Nikki - My pain subsided about 6 hours after treatment so hopefully it did the trick Oh it would be wonderful to be stress and anxiety free - heres hoping for us all

to you all x

 

[LadyK]

Got my fourth session of acupuncture tonight. I'm on CD9, so will be O'ing between now and next time I go, so am interested to see what she does! Looking forward to it as it helps me relax and I'm feeling a bit tensed up today. Knew it was coming, but my friend has posted her scan pictures up on FB today, I knew she was pregnant so hardly a surprise, but you know, first baby, aged 40, trying less than 6 months, everything ticking along nicely, WHY NOT ME??!!!!!! Her DD is 1 week and 1 day after my next niece or nephew arrives. Oh which BTW would have been around the time I would have been due had my IVF worked. Just feeling really low at the mo

 

[holls147]

Got my fourth session of acupuncture tonight. I'm on CD9, so will be O'ing between now and next time I go, so am interested to see what she does! Looking forward to it as it helps me relax and I'm feeling a bit tensed up today. Knew it was coming, but my friend has posted her scan pictures up on FB today, I knew she was pregnant so hardly a surprise, but you know, first baby, aged 40, trying less than 6 months, everything ticking along nicely, WHY NOT ME??!!!!!! Her DD is 1 week and 1 day after my next niece or nephew arrives. Oh which BTW would have been around the time I would have been due had my IVF worked. Just feeling really low at the mo

Lady K- I know the feeling. My SIL is pregant every 12 months I swear! Sending lots of and your way!

 

[Jen1802]

Got my fourth session of acupuncture tonight. I'm on CD9, so will be O'ing between now and next time I go, so am interested to see what she does! Looking forward to it as it helps me relax and I'm feeling a bit tensed up today. Knew it was coming, but my friend has posted her scan pictures up on FB today, I knew she was pregnant so hardly a surprise, but you know, first baby, aged 40, trying less than 6 months, everything ticking along nicely, WHY NOT ME??!!!!!! Her DD is 1 week and 1 day after my next niece or nephew arrives. Oh which BTW would have been around the time I would have been due had my IVF worked. Just feeling really low at the mo

I know its really hard to stay positive for other people when you're going through such an emotional journey. Its such tough going especially trying to be happy when you feel sad for yourself. Your practitioner will probably concentrate on your stomach and encourage ovualtion tonight.

Holls I agree with your practitioner, the herbs taste awful in powder form but they are far more powerful, when I went for my third appt with my tcm practitioner she ended up putting me on the herbs and the tablets (an extra strong dose as she put it!) I had to drink the herbs twice a day and take the pills 3 times per day! Disgusting but worth it!! Sometimes there is a tiny drop of blood depending on where they've put the needles and how thin the skin is there. I would have usually gotten it from the needles in my head.

Aww talking about it all again is making me miss going to tcm. Its the most effective thing that worked for me...I mean you could actually feel a difference almost straight away! XOXO

 

[nessie80]

Well, I had my 1st appointment last night and it was great!

Loved it.

Really relaxed, my speach was a bit slurred as if i'd had a drink, but that soon went away!!

Really looking forward to seeing the difference over the next few sessions!!

So nice to have a bit of positivity/hope again!!!

C x x x

 

[holls147]

That's great Nessie! I really liked it too. She was the 3rd one I've been to in the last week and I like her the best. I told her my periods were lighter and I thought it was from all of my running/jogging and she just goes hmmm "did you stop eating meat?" The look on my face was probably priceless because I had basically stopped eating meat over last summer, and completely stopped red meat! It was amazing. She told me to eat more meat and eat red meat at least once a week.

The herbs were YUCKY! Surprised a little bit because they smelled good.

Jen- Forgot to say that when I took soy I know cm wasn't as plentiful as it normally was.

 

[Jen1802]

Thanks Holls I was wondering what the craic was! To tell you the truth I've never had as much as when I was doing the tcm...prob tmi but I was swimming in the stuff It was obviously working though!!! Well I'm only noticing more cm now and I suspect my ovulation hasn't been brought forward at all this cycle. Oh well I'll just contact my tcm practitioner as soon as af shows up and start it straight away! I had really hoped it would work. I have noticed the odd twinges in my ovaries when normally I wouldn't feel anything until closer to cd20 so its maybe brought it forward slightly. Will just have to wait and see! Completely forgot to temp this morning too! My herbs didn't smell good at all...they were so rough but I'd be willing to choke down anything to get a bfp! xoxo

 

[Jocr]

Im on CD14 and ladies you would have wet yourself laughing at me last night with my first attempt of using the soft cup after https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/sex.gif!
I put it in whilst still in bed to avoid losing any https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/spermy.gif and I wasnt sure if it was in where it should be. As it went in it kinda dissapeared and I paniked so much I felt sick - I thought it was lost forever!https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/doh.gif After about 10 minutes of trying to relax and go to sleep with it in. I had to ask DH to get it out as I couldnt reach it .... what a hoo haa. I had images of having to go to A& E to get the bloody thing out https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/haha.gif By the time DH got it out (that was touch and go) I think he managed to get most of the https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/spermy.gif out with it!
Oh well there is always the weekend for more https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/sex.gif

 

[holls147]

Im on CD14 and ladies you would have wet yourself laughing at me last night with my first attempt of using the soft cup after https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/sex.gif!
I put it in whilst still in bed to avoid losing any https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/spermy.gif and I wasnt sure if it was in where it should be. As it went in it kinda dissapeared and I paniked so much I felt sick - I thought it was lost forever!https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/doh.gif After about 10 minutes of trying to relax and go to sleep with it in. I had to ask DH to get it out as I couldnt reach it .... what a hoo haa. I had images of having to go to A& E to get the bloody thing out https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/haha.gif By the time DH got it out (that was touch and go) I think he managed to get most of the https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/spermy.gif out with it!
Oh well there is always the weekend for more https://s1.bbstatic.com/images/smilies/sex.gif

Oh no! Yeah it does feel like they disappear in there. I did a practice one before I ovulated so I could figure it out. I was like "dang, this a big surface area!" when I went to take it out. I flipped mine inside out and think it was a little easier to catch with my finger and I also think it made the stay closer to my cervix. I found wet fingers ( sometimes I've used two fingers) helps and standing with one leg up.

You'll get the hang of it! Then it will be easy peazy