First Acupuncture Appointment

Ever since last August, I have been having terrible PMS that lasts for 2+ weeks. All that we can figure is that something must have gotten messed up with all of the blood loss, surgery, and hormonal changes. We finally decided to do something about it so I will be going to acupuncture treatments about once a week for a while. I'm not sure if anyone is interested in how it goes, but I am journaling about it anyway.

First Session (1/30/2009)...

My first session at the acupuncture clinic was about 2 hours. Wow, 2 hours. I was surprised, too, but we spent most of that time talking. Subsequent treatments will only be about an hour. I will be going once a week, on Fridays because that is when the supervisor who specializes in female issues (pms, fertility, menopause, etc.) is in.

Before going, I filled out an intake packet which asks detailed questions about my basic medical history, lifestyle, and detailed symptoms that I never even thought of as symptoms. By the time I finished filling out the packet, I felt like a wreck! I mean, I knew that the pms was annoying, and sometimes even severe, but reading through all of the different things that I had to check, both related and unrelated to the pms, I looked like I had been living a miserable unhealthy life. Overall, I am a pretty healthy person, really...no, seriously, I am! But looking at that packet, the doctor must have thought me a wreck (or at least so it seemed they would to me!)

But really those symptoms are things I have lived with for years and have just accepted as a normal part of life-- which there is nothing wrong with. It's just that it is not what the ideal of health in TCM looks like. And besides, I went to start feeling better (and to get a baby in me!), and the clinic needs to know all of what is going on in every aspect of my life to get an accurate diagnosis. TCM is not like normal Western medicine. Our normal doctors look at what is wrong, and fix that specific problem. It's a localized fix. TCM does a more global fix. They look at the whole person, the entirety of the situation, and work to bring it back into balance. Every little thing is a symptom of imbalance, and even if it doesn't seem related to what I originally went in to work on, it is still important to the overall treatment.

Anyway, back to the session. The practitioner (student) looked over my packet of infirmary and we talked. Honestly we must have talked for an hour. She asked me about things in the packet to get more information on what specifically is going on, and then asked me more general questions about my life and body. That woman now knows everything from the kinds of foods I eat to pains I get to medical history to info on my bowel movements. Yikes. Super personal. But again, they need to know everything to get the whole picture. And the conversation wasn't like an interrogation or anything, it was really casual and comfortable (who would have thought that talking poop would be comfortable???).

After we got through the conversation, the diagnostics began. She first took my blood pressure (which was higher than usually because I was so nervous--terrified of needles, believe it or not!) and then moved on to the more Chinese of the diagnostics. She looked at my tongue. Yes, my tongue. The tongue is super important in TCM because it correlates to the meridians (energy channels) that run through the body. Each portion of the tongue correlates to a different meridian system. Everything they see on a tongue is important-- from the color to shape to size to filmy covering. It's important to NOT brush your tongue before going for acupuncture. If you take off that film, then they can't get an accurate diagnosis from it. Here's a cool website that will give you a bit of an idea what they are looking for on your tongue: www.yinyanghouse.com/theory/chinese...

Next was the pulses. There are 3 locations for pulses on each wrist, and they are both deep and superficial, making 12 pulses. Listening to pulses is so complicated! I know that there are numerous things they are looking for, but what those things are is beyond me. I know it's important, and it's super impressive that they can do it, but if you want to know more about what they have found within you, just ask and they will happily explain.

After all of the diagnostics were done, the practitioner got me a cup of water (it's really dry out here in AZ and an hour of non-stop talking got me going dry mouthed!) and she went to consult with her supervisor. Eventually, the supervisor came in to double check my pulses, clarified some questions that my practitioner had, and they finished coming up with my treatment plan. They were so excited about it that I couldn't help but get excited myself!

The practitioner had me hop up onto the massage table. I closed my eyes and tightened every muscle in my body. Oh. My. Goodness. They were going to stick needles in me. I have had acupuncture before. I know mentally that this doesn't hurt and it's completely safe, but something about needles going into my skin just freaks me out. Irrational, but it still does. I reminded myself to breath, and she put in the first needle in my foot. No pain. Then she twisted it and really cool sensations flowed through my foot. After the first needle was in, I was fine for the rest. Every once in a while she would put one in a point that would have a quick tinge of pain, which would instantly disappear.

After all were in (about 13 or so, that I can remember), she did a bit of moxibustion over my abdomen. Moxibustion is an herb called mugwort which is burned over your body and it somehow helps the blood. She moved a warming thing over my abdomen (to help with the cramps, I think) and left me to "cook" for 20 minutes or so. They say that most people fall asleep at this time, I was just relaxed and day-dreamy, feeling the changing sensations within my body.

The practitioner returned, took at the needles, and gave me some herbs. I have one that I am taking only this week while my period is going (to help with the severity and clots) and the other I will take all month. Next Friday I will be getting a new herbal formula to also take the rest of the month. All in all, I am taking 10 pills, 3 times per day, for a total of 30 herbal pills a day. Luckily, they are small. Honestly, the pills are much easier to handle than the herbal teas that they could have put me on, which are kinda stinky and don't taste too great (and don't fit as conveniently into my purse for taking while away from home!).

The Results Thus Far...

I am now 2 full days into my period. Right after the treatment, the cramps diminished and I felt great for the first couple days after, until the dreaded red hit. I still had the harsh cramps and clots and heaviness for 2 days, but it wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. Now it's all winding down (I have 2 days of heavy-crampy-horribleness, then 4-5 days of much lighter, almost spotting, painless annoyance) and I am so ready for her to end. It seems to have helped at least somewhat so far.