Traditional Chinese Medicine

I am starting to feel schizophrenic with the way my mood fluctuates from day to day. Christmas eve was a hard day due to the bleeding, but things have once again been better since then. I realize when I write a post like that and then don't update for a few days, most of you probably think I am stuck in that same foul mood, which is not usually the case, thankfully.

Just to update, Phil and I came back to Lansing last night so I could have my labs drawn at Sparrow. My hcg levels had come down to 52.2, and while I was so hopeful they would be back to zero, I know it could have been worse (ie they could have still been much higher). I also had my follow-up appointment with the surgeon who did my D&C today, and she seemed to think all looked normal, including the hormone levels. According to her, the day of my surgery my hcg levels were still up around 77,000, so they really have come way down in the last 3 weeks (hence my lovely, hormonal mood swings, I'm sure). Still, they need to go back to below 5 for the whole thing to really be considered over, and even then it is usually another 4 weeks or so before you can get a normal period again. I will have more labs drawn in 2 weeks then to check to see if they have gone all the way down, and she did say that by then they should really be back to 0. That is what I'm praying for! She also said my uterus seems to be shrinking back down as it should be, and when she did the pelvic exam (is there anything worse for a woman to go through, seriously?) she said the cervix appeared to be closed back up as it should be. I'll spare the details of the rest of the exam, but the overall consensus seemed to be that all looked as it should be looking 3 weeks post-surgery. I will see her again in one month to look at if or not my cycles have started back up or not.

On a different note, I am now looking into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This is based on a book I am reading that was recommended to me by a friend who went through the full gamut of infertility treatments. It has proven to be a very interesting read and I am learning so much about the differences and connections between Western and Eastern Medicine. I love the idea of treating the whole self and not just a symptom, and I LOVE how confident the author is that there is no such thing as infertility; rather, it is almost always an imbalance (or multiple imbalances) in the body that can be cured or at least helped with a combination of lifestyle changes (dietary, etc.), herbal supplements, and acupuncture or acupressure. I'll admit I was very skeptical about all of this before reading the book, but it all really makes so much sense to me, and I guess it's hard to question something that has worked for so many people since ancient times (since long before Western medicine even existed). I also like how the author is both a Western doctor and a practitioner of Eastern medicine, so she does not propose that one is right and one is wrong. She talks about using both in conjunction and how if one can't give you answers, often the other can.

Anyway, I am taking the "It can't hurt" attitude to this all and am giving it a shot. Tomorrow I have my first acupuncture appointment and I'm really excited. I've read that this can cure (or at least help) so many ailments, including irregular cycles (that's me) and infertility (also possibly me). This acupuncturist is also licensed in Chinese herbal supplements, so I will be talking to her about that as well. And finally, I will continue to practice yoga, including fertility yoga (Yes, there is such a thing. I have the DVD's to prove it!), because again, it can't hurt. I guess it all just feels like something I can do to possibly help a situation I am otherwise totally helpless in. And I feel hopeful.

I will also continue praying. I have decided, even when I get angry and upset at God, even when I question if he's really even there and if he hears me, I will believe. And I do. I know he hears me and I will keep laying my requests before him, all the while trusting that his plan for me will be what's best for me, even when it isn't what I want at that time. So for now, it will be lots of praying and some traditional Chinese medicine for this girl. I'll update as I learn more, but if you are at all interested in the book I'm basing this on, please just let me know!