As if 176 needles aren't enough...

I went apple picking this morning with a friend and her son. I think it was just what I needed to get my mind off the upcoming IVF cycle. The only downside is that I promised Eddie an apple pie, so I guess I get to be Betty Crocker this afternoon.

I also went to my acupuncturist today. I started going twice a week last week and it has been a very positive experience. I see a girl named Chirstine Kleinschmidt and she appears to know what she is doing. I told her last week that I was having constant headaches, so she placed some extra needles on me and my headaches went away for two days. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I don't think so. Who'd a thunk that I'd ever get into actupuncture?!?!? Heck, if my dr. told me that walking on my hands and dying my hair bright purple would help this IVF cycle be a success, you can guarantee that I would dye my hair and be walking on my hands right now!!

Anyway, Christine said that she will go to the hospital on the day of my transfer and do a session right before and right after the transfer. Supposedly, the acupuncture helps to keep the uterus from having small contractions, which aids the embryos during implantation. Again, I don't know if it really works, but heck....why not give it a shot?

The acupuncture was very relaxing. She ended up putting a needle on my forehead, two on my neck, four in my ear and a whole bunch on my legs, feet, and arms. I was supposed to stay there for 30 minutes, but she felt that a few extra minutes would be good for me, so I laid there and practiced my relaxation techniques (like breathing, calming visulaization, etc). After the session was over, I felt like I had just awoken from a peaceful nap and I felt great. Too bad acupuncture is kind of pricey, or I might consider doing it more often.

Tomororw is my last day of taking 20 units of Lupron. (Thank you, God!!!) The injections didn't hurt in the beginning, but now they are really starting to sting so I'm getting really tense before each injection. Fortunately, I get to reduce my dosage to 10 units on Thursday. Unfortunately, I'll be adding two additional shots of Follistim and Repronex. For you IVF guru's out there, I'll be starting out with 150 iu of Follistim and 150 iu of Repronex.

That's all for now. I don't have anything IVF related tomorrow, so it should be a pretty slow day. Things will really start to kick into gear once I start my frequent ultrasounds and bloodwork on Monday next week.