More Needles

Yes, I am voluntarily adding extra needle sticks to the IVF process.  As it turns out, acupuncture has been proven in multiple studies to improve the chances of having a baby with IVF.  I first heard about it through my fertility doctor.  At the beginning when started talking acupuncture, I thought he was a bit of a whackjob. Then, he started discussing facts and figures from a more scientific viewpoint.  That's when I started drinking the acupuncture Kool-Aid.

Turns out, Dr. Magarelli has published multiple articles about acupuncture in a journal called Fertility and Sterility.  It's the go-to place for reputable studies on the subject.  He said, "I'm the perfect person to study acupuncture because I don't believe in it."  Years ago, an acupuncturist approached Dr. Magarelli suggesting that she could improve the results of his IVF treatments.  He thought it was a load, but he was new to the area and in no position to turn down friends in the professional community.  They tried it, and it worked.  Then, they tried it some more and it still worked.  Finally, they began to do research on the subject and were continuously surprised by the findings.  Actually, he was surprised.  She probably believed in it from the start.  They don't know the mechanism for it yet, but they're trying to study that now.  On a side note, he eventually married that acupuncturist.  I think that's fun.

Acupuncture is supposed to help lessen miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, create more take home babies, offset side effects of IVF medication and decrease stress.  It's also supposed to help during the pregnancy and delivery.  I will have nine treatments prior to the egg retrieval (more on that as we get closer) and then I will have treatments throughout the pregnancy.  I've scheduled my first appointment for tomorrow after all of my testing.  I will most certainly need some stress relief after all of that poking and prodding.  Hopefully it does the trick.

Speaking of stress, I'm probably going to need a bit more stress relief than normal.  Today, after several hours at the Internal Medicine Vet (I was surprised they existed, too), my little Phoebe kitty was diagnosed with tracheal lymphoma.  I noticed when we got home from vacation she was not breathing well, so I took her in thinking we needed some antibiotics.  Turns out, she had a mass in her throat that was impeding her ability to breathe.  The prognosis is pretty grim.  We will start her on medication to decrease the tumor (chemotherapy for cats), but it only puts the cancer into remission.  At some point, it will rear its ugly head and her symptoms will surface again.  When that happens, we will lose her.

Anyone who knows me well knows how wonderful Phoebe is and how crazy about her I am.  I can't tell you how many self-professed cat haters have admitted she's the only cat they've ever liked.  At night, I sleep with her like a teddy bear and can hardly rest without her purr in my ear.  I plan to spend however long I have left with her loving her like crazy.  I'm devastated that she likely won't be around to know our children.  She's so good with the kiddos.