East v. West

East
On Wednesday evening, I attended a mixer hosted by a local acupunturist, Eve, who specializes in infertility. (Ann, who has been going to Eve for the past few couple of months, told me about the event but she was not able to attend herself.) So I (never the fearful little infertile) was off on my own. Upon my arrival, Eve gave me a tour of the facility, which includes a work-out room with personal trainers, tai chi/yoga/meditation room, acupuncture room, massage room, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. It can best be described as a wellness center.

Eve's plan had been to have women (and couples) dealing with infertility meet and connect with one another. Unfortunately, the turnout was very small (I was one of three attendees). We introduced ourselves, talked about our conditions and our plans going forward. Following the introductions, we practiced meditation techniques to reduce the impact of stress on our bodies and minds. Although it was kind of new agey to me, I enjoyed it. The other attendees, Cathy and Diane, seemed very nice. Cathy and I exchanged information and promised to keep in touch. She is going through an IVF cycle and is going in for her beta next Monday. She, like all of us, has suffered a great deal with IF and I am really hoping that next week brings her positive news.

Eve has a very different attitude about treatment than my current acupuncturist, Frank, whom I've been seeing since April. Frank is nice and new agey (picture a 60ish hippy type, complete with balding head and grey ponytail). He seems to think that the Chinese herbs are a great idea for me and has recommended them highly (he also sells them himself). Eve, on the other hand, is more of a "do-what-you-need-to-do, follow your heart, if you are interested in herbs, I'll recommend an herbalist" kind of person. She also seemed to know more about infertility. She spoke knowledgeably about IVF, and other treatments and the concerns that REs often have about herbs. Frank seems to have a more general knowledge of infertility treatment. Don't get me wrong, of course Frank knows what points correlate with which body parts/condition (and I think my cycles have even gotten longer recently -- going from 25-26 days to 28 days) but I am wondering if it would be better to switch to an acupuncturist with more specialized knowledge. Frank shares offices with his wife and he only does acupuncture, rather than fitness and other types of wellness like Eve. The other factors are that Eve is $10 more per session and farther from my home and office. I just don't know whether to change.

West
In other news, this morning David and I had our pre-op visit with Dr. NHB. I gave urine and blood samples. And then Dr. NHB went over exactly what he plans to do during my August 9th procedure:

1. hysteroscopy - checking uterus and tubes
2. d&c to remove any thickened or abnormal tissue, including endometriosis
3. possible myomectomy
4. possible salpingectomy, if hydrosalpinx is present or tube is otherwise seriously defective
5. laparascopy
6. removal of hemorragic cysts.

I think (hope) that covers it. He plans to do the least invasive procedure possible (says him), removing only what is absolutely necessary. I also signed the waivers, stating that I understand the possible risks of the procedure. Dr. NHB highligted punctures and infections as the primary risks with this type of procedure -- great, like I don't have enough to worry about.

Two weeks after the procedure, we'll go in for a post-op visit and Dr. NHB will give us his thoughts on how best to proceed. Dr. NHB is anti-IF treatment; so unless both tubes are damaged, he is unlikely to recommend that we return to the REs at Ginormous Fertility Clinic. David and I will then have to decide where to go from there. Of course, I am jumping ahead of myself. I just need to get through the next few weeks and then we'll see what's next.