What a full day!

I'm just waking up from what must be a food & acupuncture fueled coma.

Yesterday was my first acupuncture appointment. I'm going a bit out of my way, but the acupuncturist I'm seeing came with very good references, and I feel sort of afloat when making these kinds of decisions. My time is fairly limited, so I can't go to lots of random places from the internet & hope to find someone that I like. So, I went to one recommended to me by a Nestie who now has a little one. I actually saw this Nestie yesterday & she sort of off-handedly mentioned the cycle she started seeing this acupuncturist was the one she got pg on. So we'll see!

At the acupuncture appointment I filled out as short questionnaire about my health, diet and exercise history, (which included questions about my mood & stress level). Mood: Moderate; Stress level 3 out of 10 (not too bad, right?). Diet: poor, and carb heavy (it was pointed out to me). Exercise: what? That's currently not really part of my life. So, besides the acupuncture, I'll be needing to make some diet changes & definitely start upping my cardio.

So, when I went in to the office we talked a little about the form I just filled out, then I took my shoes off & got on the the table (Sort of like a massage table). I did not have to remove any clothes, which going into it, I really didn't know. Thank god I didn't just assume that I would, because the acupuncturist would of had quite a surprise! Well, I didn't know anything about acupuncture; I thought she'd have to stick needles near my uterus or something. Um, no, it doesn't work that way!

The acupuncturist, Kim, had me relax on my back, and she inserted about four needles into my left ear, one on my head somewhere, one on my arm, a couple in some fingers, and a few in my foot. There might have been one some where else, too. At first I just felt a little tap, but my ears were sensitive & I could really feel the needles. I let her know & she adjusted & it was much better. The others I didn't feel as much. When she was done she left the room so I could relax for a half hour. At first my mind was racing. I even thought about work, which I never do. And then i was asleep. I had dreams & everything. I opened my eyes & wasn't sure where I was, it was a bit disconcerting! Then a moment later Kim opened the door & asked if I had fallen asleep. I had! Then she asked if I woke up wondering where I was. I did! So, at least I'm normal. She removed all the needles & asked me to relax a little more. But then I got antsy, so I sat there for about 90 seconds & then checked out.

All in all, it was a positive experience. I felt very relaxed afterward (almost stoned), it felt a bit like I do after a massage. So, I'll be going every week for the next couple months. We'll see what happens!

Jeez, this is going to be a long post... So, after my acupuncture I had a party to go to. A fantastic Nestie opened her home to us for a "Heritage GTG" - we each had to bring something tat represented our heritage. I could not think of anything that I could make that would be edible for Norwegian or Czech, so I brought some samosas in honor of my husband's Pakistani heritage.

Everything was so delicious, and the group of people there were so friendly. I love my local Nesties!

I came home, started watching a show about a women's prison & promptly fell asleep. A nice deep, food & acupuncture fueled sleep!

Oh, I also started Clomid on Friday! No side-effects, yet. Crap, now that I've written that I'm pretty doomed to get them, I think!

AF is here!

Dear lord, I can't believe I've resorted to talking about my period in cyberspace. Well, who cares - because she's here!!! I was on cycle day 34, which isn't unusual, but I hadn't been feeling any symptoms, which is weird for me. But my body just wanted me to freak out a little. Getting AF is super important because it means that on Friday I can start Clomid!

Ah, Clomid... I had such mixed emotions about you... I whined on thenest that I was sooo disappointed that my doctor had prescribed Clomid for me. I felt like there it was - I was an infertile, not capable of naturally producing my own offspring. The gals over on thenest were so supportive & it was then that I realized I was being a baby; that this was actually an opportunity for me & my dh, and instead of being mad at my body, I was actually excited. Woo hoo for Clomid!

Oh, here's the complete text of the e-mail my dr sent me prescribing Clomid:

Your labs indicate that you likely did not ovulate this cycle, and you most likely have polycystic ovarian syndrome. You are taking Metformin twice per day now. Let's have you increase it to three times per day. I'll also prescribe Clomid 50mg. You take one tablet a day on days #5-9 of each cycle. It's very simple. I'm leaving for vacation and will return on March 26. If you have any further questions, I can answer them when I return.

Getting started.

So, my dh is going away for a bit (one school week) so this gives me some time to work out some of my feelings about beginning infertility treatments. A little background: I've always had irregular cycles, and was on the pill for many years just to "regulate things." I don't remember anyone (doctors, nurse practitioners, etc. ) ever spending even a second to talk to me about what it all could mean - they just put me on the pill & figured that would fix my problems. I didn't know that I could potentially have problems down the road, & even when I went for a "pre-conception" appointment, my doctor just said to try for 6 months & then see him if I had any problems. 24 months later, and it looks like I'm finally getting somewhere. None of this is anyone's fault, but it is teaching me that I must be able to speak up for myself & know as much as I can in order to move along. Unfortunately I'm more of a "let's hope it all works out on it's own" kind of gal. I think I'm going to have to adjust that!