Chinese Accupuncture

[Jazzbird]

Briss - I'm a great believer in that you know what is best for your body. If you feel the herbs are to blame; stop the treatment. I think with any treatment it is so important to be completely on board with it. If your heart isn't in it, you'll be constantly conflicted.

Your body is not in decline. It responds dynamically to its environment. I know fertility declines with age but it's usually gradual not so sudden.

Perhaps the natural cycles in Germany is the right option for you particularly if you feel time is so precious.

Sending you all my love Briss

Xxx

 

[somedayisnow]

Hi Briss and Jazzbird,

I'm not too worried about the spotting. It has stopped and reminded me of TMI the spotting that takes place when having sex soon after the end of your period.

Re: the dark spot on my shoulder above my collar bone. I've had a chronic stiff neck on my right side (same side as the dark spot) for the past year and a half. I've seen my doctor for it, got prescriptions for muscle relaxers, and even had physical therapy. Nothing has worked long term. The acu didn't put needles in my neck but she did put them in my head (scalp), hands, abdomen, ankles and feet. Throughout the session I did feel something "working" on the right side of my neck and I even commented on it to the acu. Is it possible that the treatment was also having an affect on my neck?

 

[Briss]

Jazzbird, what would you recommend for depleting yin?

 

[Jazzbird]

Someday - yes she might have been working on the channel that runs through the neck clearing it. Sometimes you can clear the channel by needling the ends of it. But I'm doubtful that it would have caused any skin discolouration at a different site on the body. Do ask her why she is needling certain areas though. I think it helps to understand.

Briss - lots and lots of rest. Meditation, yoga, walking in the forest - anything that relaxes you. Plenty of sleep. Avoid stress and overwork. But for me, I find herbs are super for restoring yin. The story of the yin deficient woman in Chinese medicine is that she is warned not to put on a red pair of shoes as it will make her dance and she won't be able to stop. She dances to her death in the end (happy little story!). But what it means is that when you have depleted your yin it's like you can't rest so it becomes an ever increasing problem. The one thing you need to get better is the one thing you cant do when you're yin deficient. Inability to rest and be quiet is a key symptom of yin deficiency.

 

[Briss]

Jazzbird, that's an interesting story, sad though. I am not sure I know how restless feels like, maybe I am lazy but I do like to do nothing. I know watching TV does not count as rest but it helps me keep my body still, otherwise I feel bored just sitting doing nothing. reading is like work for me cos I read a lot at work. I actually enjoy physical exercise but I find it hard to get myself to do it. but once I am in the middle of it I really love it. I love walking but my mind is never still when I walk. My mind can be quieted with massage and reflexology cos I focus on sensations and stop thinking. I could try going to bed earlier. I noticed that I tend to wake up in the middle of the night if I had a dream, when I was younger nothing could woke me up and I could easily sleep until noon whereas these days I am up before 9 even on weekends.

 

[Jazzbird]

Well I would just rest however you can. Computers and tv are said to burn yin. I think it's as much to do with the body and mind being quiet and active at the same time. My personal view is that when the body is still and the mind races this is a sign of yin deficiency. Yoga is good because it balances body and mind at the same time. I always think of yin deficiency as a restless mind. I can never just go with the flow - I'm always trying to research and control everything!

 

[Briss]

Jazzbird, do you have anything against having regular reflexology in early pregnancy and in TWW? I am asking cos it really helps me relax but I noticed I get uterine cramps after that. I have no idea whether this is at all related but just wanted to check

 

[Jazzbird]

I don't really know that much about reflexology other than there are points that might be massaged that are forbidden in pregnancy - like liv 3

 

[Irish_eyes]

Briss I did reflexology during IVF and I think I had a session just before transfer but not after.

 

[Briss]

Irish_eyes, thank you. was there a reason why you stopped after ET? I mean I know they recommend not doing anything in TWW after EM but was there anything specific about reflexology?

Jazzbird, I think liv 3 is not on feet and they usually concentrate on feet most of the time and just do little bit on the legs at the end.

 

[Irish_eyes]

Yes there was a specific reason and it was adviced by the reflexologist. I'll just check my journal around that time to see what I wrote and will get back to you.

 

[Irish_eyes]

I just read through my whole IVF journey there and I really forgot how an emotional process it really was, anyway, Briss my last note about reflexology was that I had one session before EC and had planned another before ET. I am not certain if I did the one before ET though.

Sorry I am not 100% sure why I didn't have a session during the TWW then and I know it was something my reflexologist had said. The only thing I can think of is that certain points focus on the reproductive area and maybe they don't want to risk anything but they just do it beforehand to prepare your body for treatment. I also know that you can have reflexology during pregnancy so maybe the reflexologist doesn't want to do it after EC in case you blame the treatment for the reason for not falling pregnant.

 

[Irish_eyes]

Today is 11dpo and I am spotting. Well I spotted at 7 & 9dpo after a BM like last month too. So AF is on her way again. I think the difference this month is Oing 2 days early and fingers crossed my LP is a bit longer. Spotting still there. I also will be having a 3 week break from acu as I did go last week but called in yesterday to book for this week but they are closed next week. But managed to get 2 weeks of herbs. I really did think he gave me the wrong. Herbs last time.

I have also noticed that my PMS is not as bad but maybe that because I am not at work this week for things to make me mad.

Blythe you had asked me if my acu doc was Chinese, yes he is.

Jazzbird - I know I don't know you too well and just want to say congratulations on your pregnancy. I also wondering if I could ask you a question about herbs. My acu doc has been giving me in tablet form Nuan Gong Yun Zi and Xiao Yao Wan. Last week instead of the Xiao Yao Wan he gave me Jin Kui Shen Qi and I asked are they the same herbs. He said yes but at that point I did not read the name on the bottle but when I read about them they are for erectile dysfunction etc. When I got the 2 weeks yesterday he gave me the Xiao Yao Wan again. Could that be right?

 

[Briss]

Irish_eyes, I am very sorry about the spotting, hopefully you can get a longer LP this cycle. Are you doing anything to try and extend it? I know Vitex has been greatly criticised but ladies seem to have some success when using it to extend LP phase.

thank you very much for checking re reflexology. I am sorry I indirectly made you go back and relive your IVF journey, it's just so hard. Some things just stay with you. Every time I pass a boots on my way home (virtually every day) I relive the whole nightmare with my chemical, all the excitement of getting to that boots buying hundreds of pregnancy tests hoping they will show my line going stronger only to be disappointed the very next morning.

I think reflexology is probably OK during pregnancy but maybe not the first 3 months?

anyway, I am just so happy Blythe recommended that foot massager (which I have been using every other day!), it's not as great as a reflexology session of course but it's very close!

I cant believe you were getting wrong herbs? is that possible? did you raise it with your doc

 

[Jazzbird]

Irish - unfortunately I'm not a herbalist and don't really know enough about your diagnosis or your acus treatment protocol to comment. I would just bring all the bottles in and tell him you'd like to understand more about each formula and what it does - especially why you were prescribed a different formula to usual one week. It could be that he felt your pulses and tongue presented a different pattern to usual ... It is strange that he said it's the same formula because it's clearly different with different actions. He should have a written record of what he prescribed and why.

 

[Irish_eyes]

Briss, don't apologise, I was the one that starting reading it and I just couldn't believe the mixed emotions I had during it. Even the whole relationship between my DH and I, the worry, the stress and there was me thinking I got through it ok. I do remember DH saying it was a dark time. One think I pick up on when I knew it failed was that I was planning on focusing on my running and was going to try and get to half marathon distance.....I ended up doing a marathon 9 months later!!! I don't do things in halves! I suppose it was something to take my mind off things like "oh I would have been xx weeks pregnant if it had of worked" type thing.

Jazzbird, thanks for your help. I find it a bit difficult holding a conversation with my acu doc and it could be down to a language barrier or just the fact I don't ask. He did the checking temp and tongue at my first consultation and 11 session later he hasn't given me an update on my progress. He recommended sessions twice a week until my periods are sorted, he said I had a yang deficiency. Did twice a week for 6 sessions and reduced to once a week because of funds. When I go into an appt he is going upstairs to the treatment before I can get the front door shut to the clinic and after my appt I pay and go. He does ask me now and again how my week is and that's it. Although I have a 3 week gap between my 11th and 12th session it am just going to ask him at my next appt if he could give me an update. He just told me one herb is for ovulation and the other for my period. I know I should look into another acupuncturist but now that I am going to this one regular he is now only charging £25 per session plus £16 for the herbs per week. And that's tough going for me at the moment.

Sorry if there is any errors in this post as I am on my phone which likes to make up words!!!

 

[Irish_eyes]

Briss, I have high prolactin so have to take Bromocriptine for it so can't take Vitex with that. I did buy it years ago and just as well I checked before taking it. Think they just both do the same thing. I did stop taking the Bromo for a good while through last year and the beginning of this year and my levels did shoot up a good bit. I go to the hospital annually to keep an eye on it and the last appt it went up from 118 pmol/L in May 2012 to somewhere in the 600s a year later. My consultant said it was good that I stopped taking the Bromo as I test to see if it sorted itself out but obviously not. I have only recently started taking it regularly again in the last lot of months so I am not sure how high it did go but I have my annual appt next week to test that. So it could be the reason my cycle and spotting is a bit messy but I have also started taking B50 complex this cycle. I uses to take B100 complex and along with that and a lower prolactin level my cycle were on average 29 days with a 13 day LP. So I suppose I should give all the tabs a while to kick in again.

So annoyed with myself for getting lazy with taking the Bromocriptine as I definitely won't have a chance getting pregnant without it.

 

[Irish_eyes]

Briss have you ever tried Reiki?

 

[Briss]

Irish, do you know why you have high prolactin levels? sounds very serious. I also noticed (but maybe it was just a coincidence) that after taking Vit B 100 complex for two cycles my pre AF spotting got better. I was also taking Chinese herbs and doing acu so hard to say which one of those helped or maybe it just resolved on its own.

I have not tried Reiki. I cant even get myself to do yoga regularly have you tried it?

 

[Irish_eyes]

Briss, it all started when I was about 21 when I came off the pill. I didn't have a period for 2 years but it didn't worry me, I was young and didn't care, more so happy days for not getting it. How naive was I?

Finally went to the doctors and and she did a blood test for my prolactin levels. It was high so I had to go back on the hour every hour so that she can get three blood samples as she said the prolactin can fluctuate. When I has to get this done my period miraculously showed up on its own but my prolactin turned out to be high every time so I was referred to the hospital for a CT scan. By this time I had met DH. They did the scan to see if there was a tumour on my pituary gland but thankfully (and I say thankfully now because then I did not realise how serious this was) there was no tumour. So they diagnosed me with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia - basically there is no cause.

So since then I have been attending the hospital on an annual basis. Back then when I first found out my levels were as high as 1800pmol/L. I can remember what the recommended level is but they were happy with 118 but in the 600s is definitely too high. When I went to my appts after the scan my consultant trying to explain to me about the Bromocriptine particularly since they knew I was getting married. I was quite frightened about it as all I heard was you can't take it when pregnant and I thought what was the point then if you can't get pregnant on it!!! Until a stand in consultant kindly explained it a bit better that I can take it up until I find out I am pregnant.

Since properly TTCing I look back on how naive I was about letting the absence period go for so long, the CT scan, taking the tablets. I now realise I could have been going under brain surgery to remove a tumour if they had of found one. Sure I also didn't realise that there is only a certain amount of days in your cycle that you are fertile until TTC.

Sorry that was long winded. Briss I also found that it was the B100s that helped with my pre AF spotting, so honestly I would say it was them rather than the herbs. I am going to continue with the B50s and when they are done might change to the 100s if there is not much change.

Reiki is really relaxing and quite spiritual. I loved it but haven't been back for a while especially since I am paying for acu. You would just do about 6 quick session and then it's up to you to go when you need it. Give it a go sometime. My Reiki practitioner, although she doesn't claimed to be a medium, was also able to tell me things she saw during my sessions, like my daddy, recommendations in what my body is lacking etc. It is definitely the most relaxing thing I have done.