Despite our decision to take a break from trying to conceive, I decided to call the doctor recommended by a couple of people (one of whom was treated by said doctor for infertility). I expected to have to wait to see her so I called last week to make an appointment. The receptionist said she was taking new patients but only for infertility. Pretty handy. Then she said they could see me Monday or Tuesday. A little faster than I'd expected, but I figured I might as well see her sooner rather than later.
I was under the impression that she was an M.D. who also was licensed for Traditional Chinese Medicine. It turns out that she is actually an M.D. in *China* and a licensed acupuncturist here. A little different than what I expected but not really a showstopper for me.
When I arrived at her office, I was given a form to fill out and they copied my insurance card (pretty standard fare). I met the doc, and we moved into a room where she asked me a bunch of questions about my medical history, how I felt my energy level and digestion were doing, info about my cycles (I brought all my temperature charts along), and asked if I had a lot of tension. After that she looked at my tongue (which she said looked pretty good) and took my pulse on both wrists.
Because I'm right near ovulation, she wanted to go ahead and do acupuncture today and also suggested I start taking baby aspirin to help speed up circulation, as she'd determined that I had some stagnation in my system (Traditional Chinese Medicine is all about keeping a balanced energy flow) but that it was mild. Also, I'm supposed to start taking some smelly herbs (they're supposed to arrive by mail in the next few days, also she didn't call them smelly but the lady that runs the front desk did. :)
This was my first experience with acupuncture and it went pretty well considering I'm not so fond of needles (or at least the kind used to take fluids *from* me, acupuncture needles are teeny in comparison). I laid down on the table and she put the needles in my lower legs, ankles, scalp, and a couple about 3 inches below my belly button. One of the belly button needles was attached to a machine that appeared to emit an electric pulse. She asked if I felt it and said it would help me to relax. It was definitely an odd sensation. She turned on some music and then left the room for 20-30 minutes. When she returned, she removed the needles, asked if I had any questions, and we were finished for today.
After leaving the office, I did notice that my neck and shoulders did seem to be less tense. I stopped by Costco for a bottle of baby aspirin. And the kicker? My insurance will cover up to 12 visits per year once my deductible is met.
