Acupuncture - does it work? Any success stories?

[vietmamsie]

Congrats Vietmamsie!!! What wonderful news for the New Year.

Pink, hope you are hanging in there until your next appointment. There are so many other things you can try so don't lose hope.

2012 was bad enough and then it ends with Kim K being pregnant. 2013 can't possibly be any worse!!

Oh MY GOD! That's too funny! I'm not up on my celeb gossip... just reading about it now! for some reason I get really bitter when celebs announce their pregnancy... this year we have Kim K, plus Jessica simpson again, and the princess of wales... who next!

 

[CaliDreaming]

LOLOLOLOL. The only good thing that may come out of this is that she may fade into oblivion like Snooki after the baby is born.

 

[PinkPeony]

Oh Pink, I just checked in here to see how your doing and saw your signature. I'm so sorry. Maybe taking a step back and a break for a month will do you well.

Spoiler

It sure did for us. While I was still temping to know where i was in my cycle, I didn't obsess about ttc, freak out about missing BD, or symptom spot this cycle. It was really freeing and made my life so much less stressful. I tested for the first time at 10dpo and got a faint but clear second line. It's turned into a nice bfp. I'm nervous and excited! I'm planning on going to the doctor once I cross the 5 week mark (that's when I miscarried in the past) and hope to get an early scan!

Hope everyone had a happy New Years!

First of all --- Congratulations V!! Praying for you that it's the stickiest bean!! Continue to take it all really easy and look after yourself.

AFM - been a rough couple weeks. Feeling quite low these days and I just can't imagine doing another IUI this month. So I'm going to do what you did V and just relax about things. I'm have lot's of spotting again during TWW and my AF this month was only 2 days and really light. I just don't feel healthy anymore and I just want to take some time to build myself back up again. That's all I'm going to focus on this month. Basically where I felt like I was making some progress the past few months, I feel completely backwards now.
Sorry for being a bummer guys. Your messages of support mean a lot.

 

[vietmamsie]

Pink: I know how you feel, TTC is rough, I feel like this whole journey has ripped me apart. And even with this latest pregnancy, I'm trying so hard not to get excited or connect to it since I know it' a 50% chance I'll lose this one too.

I will say for what ever its worth that this cycle is the first one since we started TTC that I didn't go to acu or take any herbs. My only meds have been prenatals and baby aspirin. However, acu really helped me to change my cycles. The last two cycles I Oed on CD18 and 19... unheard of for me! Last cycle was a perfect 31 days - coming from where I was this time last year (60+ day cycles) it has been a pretty amazing transformation.

Another thing that changed this cycle was I started to work out again. I had put it off for a while, worried that weight loss (I have about 5-10 pounds I should lose) would effect ovulation. Well, since we were on a "break" i started going to the gym, eating a lower calorie intake and lost 5 pounds. I was actually laughing to a friend just a few weeks ago how I had a feeling this would be the cycle, because for the first time in several months I'm starting to feel really good about myself and looking good as well!

sorry for the rant... I have a doctors appointment on Friday and will know more then. I'll only be 4+4 but hopefully they can take some blood, get a hcg numbers and have a look inside to see how things are doing.

 

[PinkPeony]

How are you getting on V? How bout you Merri??
Cali - been reading your journal and gotta say it's awesome news about your follies. I have a great feeling about you - this cycle or next. Not to sound like my acupuncturist lol!

Me, I'm bouncing back. I went to acu today and was able to talk free and easy about what was going on with me the past few weeks. If I had tried that a week ago I would have bawled my eyes out. Obviously his prediction about this past cycle being the one was a big bust. Plus we had our first snow come down in a giant pile on boxing day. He admitted when he saw that he knew it didn't seem right. Anyway he wasn't bothered at all! I wanted to shake my fist at him but he's sort of adorable so I can't. Then he has the gall to say he has a really good feeling about THIS cycle. I just laughed at him. I'm going to get back into going tho. I've been doing yoga almost everyday lately too and I think that's a huge part of my rebound.

 

[vietmamsie]

Pink: Glad your feeling better. Your acu sounds annoying, I think I''m glad I haven't seen mine in so long as Dr. Kim was pretty vague and annoying as well!

AFM, things are going. I had my doctors appointment last friday. She gave me an ultrasound and we couldn't see anything. From what I understand, that's pretty normal. My doctor got real huffy and questioned if I was actually pregnant. We did bloods and me results were on the low side but normal. I'm pretty sure I know my dates (can you be wrong hen you chart and temp?) so maybe this little bean was late implanting or just a slow grower. Doctor wasn't concerned, but wants to do a follow up this friday and do another ultra sound. I'm trying not to get too excited, but this is the furthest along I've gotten and there hasn't been any bleeding or bad cramping so i'm getting hopeful.

I'll be sure to let you know how my next appointment goes!

 

[Briss]

vietmamsie, congratulations!! H&H 9 months!

Pink, do you do yoga during AF? I have been trying to get myself to do yoga but just cant seem to be able to motivate myself. getting AF usually gives me enough motivation so thinking of starting yoga again but not sure if doing it during my period is a good idea

AF got me today, much earlier than expected. Does not look like acu and herbs are helping with extending my cycle, my O day seems to come earlier and earlier

 

[merristems]

Hi ladies
Pink Im pleased to hear your more upbeat today I was worrying about you last week I just think taking some you time is all you need to build yourself back up, take some nice walks, yoga is spot on im going to hopefully join a pregnancy yoga group when i reach 12 wks. I think pma is what its all about your acu may annoy you but he is hopeful so you should be too
V Im glad you had your appointment, and yes it probably was too early to see anything last week fx for this friday, how many weeks are you now?
Briss, Yoga is safe when on af but i know what you mean about not fancying it! My worst was head stands!

afm Im good! Had my first early scan on sat measuring spot on and saw and heard little hb it was quite emoitional! Got away with no ms until today I feel pretty crappy and was sick at work but hey ho, i look at it this way, my hormones are working!!

 

[PinkPeony]

LOL! Yeah don't get me wrong - I really like my acu. He's a very sweet person but I wish he would stop with the predictions!! I don't think he realizes the magnitude of emotions involved in this. I think it's all just an effort to keep me positive. He goes - "I have a really good feeling about this cycle!" and I was like "you DO????.... HAHAHAHA!!" My FS is the same way. When I asked about the next cycle coming up she was like - "But maybe we won't need to worry about that!!" I don't know... maybe they have some perspective that I don't but honestly I find it all a little patronizing... and like they're not seeing how serious my situation is. Am I horrible?? LOL!

V: I'm keeping you in my thoughts hun and I feel pretty positive you'll get through this rough bit at the start and everything will be fine. Continue to keep calm and don't let the anxiety creep in.

Merri: thank you for thinking of me. So glad to hear things are going well for you.

Briss: I do yoga while AF is visiting. They say not to do inversions but I do anyway. My AF is never very heavy so I just don't feel like it should be a problem. Sorry AF got you. boo! Acupuncture moved my O day up by quite a bit too but my LP got longer. I used to Ov around day 17, now it's more like 12 or 13 every month.

 

[CaliDreaming]

Thanks Pink! LOL at you trying not to be like your acu. I like people who are positive and optimistic, but not if they have no reason to be so positive and optimistic or if they just say it to everyone. How are you supposed to trust him if he's always wrong???

Glad to see you are in better spirits! I bet the yoga is wonderful for that. I really need to get back to some sort of exercise too because I always feel more positive after a good workout.

vietmamsie, yeah that's normal not to see anything when you're in the early weeks. My OB/GYN would not even do a scan on me until I was 9 weeks along. I can't believe he questioned if you were pregnant. That's so rude!

I read the blog of an RE who felt that temping is not always a good way of pinpointing when you O, but can only be used to confirm that it happened. In his experience, a rise in temp can occur up to three days before O or three days after--that's if you take your temps under ideal conditions, at the same time, no colds, etc. If your doctor is not concerned then I think you have every reason to be hopeful!

Merri, it sucks to feel sick, but it must feel good to have a sign that your pregnancy is progressing as it should!

 

[PinkPeony]

Hey ladies... Been a while since we've chatted together. Thought I'd give an update. CD1 today... Took a break from the IUI thing this cycle but still gave it the ol' college try but with DH's counts it's pretty much impossible to conceive without assistance so I didn't expect much. Still gets me down of course. There's no avoiding it.
*Vent warning* Anyway you'll remember how my stupid acu said he had a good feeling about that cycle and I was like ok that's annoying but I'll let it slide. Well I went in again the next week and he goes - are you excited?? .... Ummm. Huh? I was like - NO! And he was like all surprised. I explained that I have gone through the same thing every month for 2 years I can't help but feel completely negative towards the whole thing. .... Ok so I've been sitting on that exchange for the past 2 weeks now and I can't help but feel like that's the last straw. I used enjoy talking to him bc he seemed to understand and sympathize but now I realize he's totally out to lunch and it just makes me feel shitty. I wish he'd just stick to acupuncture and keep the predictions and dumb comments to himself. So I think that's it for acupuncture. I might go to someone else if I notice my cycles go bonkers again but everyone else in my area is a lot more expensive. Next month I'm going on clomid to get more targets for DH's swimmers so maybe I'll just let medicine do it's thing.

Sorry for the long post... It's funny though that those of us who were big on acu from the start have ended up dropping it for one reason or another. Usually has something to do with the acupuncturist. Lol

 

[Briss]

Hi Pink, I am losing faith in my acu doc. she seems great but after 3 months I just do not see much progress. My acne was much better before I started acu and though she puts quite a few needles in my face and gives me special herbs my acne just keeps getting worse really. I cant blame it on acu I had it before but I was hoping it will balance things which should improve acne.

Also my ovaries became super sensitive most of the time. she always needles zigongs (points representing ovaries) which is really painful and I kind of always feel them now while before I would only know of their presence during O. is it a good sign or a bad sign? I have no idea.

maybe it's a language thing but she does not really explain what is wrong with me, I mean what kind of imbalance or deficiency I have. that would really help me understand.

I told her that my cycle became very short 24 days but she did not see it as a problem. I do cos that's not normal for me.

I still have 2-3 more weeks of acu and herbs but not sure if I want to continue.

 

[Blythe]

Hey ladies... Been a while since we've chatted together. Thought I'd give an update. CD1 today... Took a break from the IUI thing this cycle but still gave it the ol' college try but with DH's counts it's pretty much impossible to conceive without assistance so I didn't expect much. Still gets me down of course. There's no avoiding it.
*Vent warning* Anyway you'll remember how my stupid acu said he had a good feeling about that cycle and I was like ok that's annoying but I'll let it slide. Well I went in again the next week and he goes - are you excited?? .... Ummm. Huh? I was like - NO! And he was like all surprised. I explained that I have gone through the same thing every month for 2 years I can't help but feel completely negative towards the whole thing. .... Ok so I've been sitting on that exchange for the past 2 weeks now and I can't help but feel like that's the last straw. I used enjoy talking to him bc he seemed to understand and sympathize but now I realize he's totally out to lunch and it just makes me feel shitty. I wish he'd just stick to acupuncture and keep the predictions and dumb comments to himself. So I think that's it for acupuncture. I might go to someone else if I notice my cycles go bonkers again but everyone else in my area is a lot more expensive. Next month I'm going on clomid to get more targets for DH's swimmers so maybe I'll just let medicine do it's thing.

Sorry for the long post... It's funny though that those of us who were big on acu from the start have ended up dropping it for one reason or another. Usually has something to do with the acupuncturist. Lol

This makes me cross....im sorry about your acu guy. I think hes pretty unprofessional to be honest. In his mind he probably thinks hes filling you with positive energy etc etc....

The longer i deal with an inability to get pregnant the more convinced i am that no woman can understand it unless shes dealt with it and no man could possibly appreciate it....dont get me wrong men go through an awful time when they struggle to become a parent but i just think its a different kind of pain. My point is that this man has no place getting your hopes up like that. No medical professional should make comments of the kind he has made to you.

I am currently having another crack at acu and herbs and m determined to stick with this guy I'm seeing at the mo but i totally understand where you are at. I have been there before and in my case felt totally ripped off!!

 

[PinkPeony]

Thanks you guys.
Briss - my cycles used to be short like that but the acu seemed to help that. Now they're more like 25-28 days. It's one of the benefits that I can definitely see... I think I know what you mean about feeling your ovaries more too actually. I didn't make a connection to the acupuncture I just thought I was more aware of everything. Maybe give it more time and see if anything else changes... it was about 3 months before I saw a big difference.

Blythe - I think you're definitely right that he's just trying to get me to be more positive but it's just not where I'm at! ... am I EXCITED? Excited for a BFN?... to get AF once again? Um no. I think it's unprofessional too - I know better than to let him get my hopes up... at this point I'm just not wanting to go in and say AGAIN that - no you were wrong bud I'm still not effing preg. At first I kind of felt like I should cut him some slack. LIke I know I'm pretty touchy and I shouldn't expect anyone to really get it, but he treats lot's of women with fertility problems so I'd think he'd know how to deal with us and at this point whenever I"m getting myself into a situation that I know is going to make me feel worse I try to avoid it. I think the acupuncture has really helped me so that's a shame. I'd be really happy if he just acted totally neutral about things and just asked about my cycle and my tongue, stuck some needles in and left it at that.

 

[Blythe]

Pink.....do you think you can talk to your acu guy and explain that his comments, although well intended, do not help. You have invested a lot of your time and money with this guy and you should be able to give him some feedback. All professionals should be able to take feedback and work with their (paying) clients to work towards a treatment that is right for them...this includes the ever important bedside manners which are just as important as treatment itself. It might spur him on to go that extra mile for you.....

The reason i get vexed is because i get to a point and feel like they are going through the motions....virtually same points, same herbal prescription etc....my last guy never checked pulse, tongue after initial diagnosis. Im sticking with current one for time being as he has seen me really upset by this and he knows my previous experience with Chinese medicine was not a good one so i like to think he keeps that in the back of his mind when he is treating me!

 

[Briss]

Pink, I agree with blythe, I am sure he has good intentions but if this is annoying you so much he should know about it. The main thing is that you like him as a doc and whatever he is doing working for you – that's really important. would be a shame to lose a good doc just because he does not know when to shut up. I would just ask him politely to withhold his opinions unless he is absolutely sure that you are actually pregnant (by checking your pulse). You just want to know the facts if something is improving it's great but you prefer not to know whether he has a good/bad feeling about any particular cycle.

my experience is totally different, my previous doc was so negative about me, she was constantly on about how tired and worn out I am and cold as well and there is no way such body can sustain a pregnancy it was quite upsetting to hear actually even though I did not think my health was this bad

 

[CaliDreaming]

Pink, Good luck on the Clomid! I think that could be just the boost you need. I'm so glad you called your acu on his wrong predictions. And yeah, it is interesting how many of us who were gung ho on acu have now moved on. I do think that acu can help a lot of women, but it is not some miracle cure all for everyone. I believe that if it is going to help then it will happen within three months. If it takes longer, then it's a good idea to seek out help of an RE at the same time as the acu. I think for me, I was afraid to go to an RE, so I used acu as a way to put that off.

In my case, I stuck with acu for 6 months before seeking out help from a RE. After two failed Clomid cycles, I'm now I've been told I will need surgery! It would have been a waste of money for me to continue with acu alone with the problems it looks like I have. Plus, the failed predictions and diagnoses really made me feel depressed. I really wish I had not waited so long to go to a doctor.


Briss, that is so frustrating when you feel you can't communicate with your acu. I dropped my acu over that issue as well. That really sucks that you are not only not seeing improvements, but things are getting worse. Have you thought about seeing another acu?? I'm not sure whether feeling your ovaries is a good sign or not. It could be anything and that is what is so frustrating about TTC.


Blythe, I'm so glad you were able to find a good acu. I wish more of them understood the emotional side of TTC. My acu was good at placing the needles and the technical side of acu but she really knew nothing about infertility or even some of the basics behind TTC, and that was really frustrating. I felt like she was just spinning her wheels there for a while too and had no clue what was going on. I was going to continue to go, but the emotional part just got too hard on me.

 

[Briss]

I had two other acu docы before going to my current one who was recommended to me by a friend. I do not really know where I go from here, I can try some other clinic but a bit scared going to a random doc with no recommendation and being ripped off (happened to me before). I might even take a break for a few months and see if my cycle returns to normal on its own. My DH is due to repeat his test in Feb so I have a feeling we might be starting IUI/IVF in March depending on whether there is any improvement

 

[PinkPeony]

Thanks Cali!! I'm a little scared of the side effects but it's definitely worth a shot. Are you having a lap?

Briss & Blythe, I have been thinking the same thing that it would likely do some good to have a chat with him about it. I'm sure he'd be really recpetive. I'm going to sit with it for another week or so and see if I feel like going back. I think he probably realized he had said something wrong when he got my reaction - he seemed a bit flummoxed after but I doubt he understands exactly why I reacted that way.
Anyway... It's one of those things that's been on my mind the past couple weeks and it feels good to chat with you ladies about it.

 

[CaliDreaming]

Pink, I assume that I'll be having a lap. The nurse told me about it but didn't give me many details. I'm thinking they suspect endometriosis.