The other big news of the week is that I found out that my blood work came back as normal. I was relieved to hear that, but then they mentioned having my husband tested for various genetic disorders. As you probably know, the entire reason we are doing IVF is because he has a low sperm count, low motility, and low morphology. The doctors have said all along that it's most likely because of his spinal cord injury, but now they want to ensure there's not another underlying genetic issue. In some men with this issue, it means they don't have good sperm and if there's not good sperm, it could prevent successful pregnancy. My instincts tell me that there's nothing wrong with him, other than the spinal cord injury, but I think we may get the testing done anyway. We found out that we get discounted testing through our insurance so it will probably cost us $100-$300 out of pocket. Amazingly, we still haven't reached our deductible yet, but we're spending so much on this already that a couple hundred bucks doesn't seem like a big deal anymore.:)
I also had my first acupuncture session this week. The acupuncturist wants me to see him weekly and he said he can even come to the fertility center the day of the egg retrieval to do a treatment there and he can also come on the day of transfer. I'm not sure how we would coordinate that, but I guess we'll worry about that when the time comes. The acupuncturist claims that acupuncture is supposed to give you a 40% higher chance of successful pregnancy than IVF without acupuncture. I'm not sure if that's true, but I think those kind of odds make it worthwhile to try.
The session itself was interesting. He said each week he will treat a different area of my body. This week he put probably 10-15 tiny needles in my back and then l had to lie on a heated mattress for a half hour. I didn't really like lying there with nothing to do, probably because I'm a typical busy American not used to such things, but I'm hoping next week I can relax a little, since I'll know what to expect. After the treatment was over, I noticed that all the tension in my back was gone and I felt tingly for awhile. As most of you probably know, my back is always tense so it felt great to have some relief. I'm looking forward to my next session to see how the treatment will affect different areas of my body.
This next week is my last full week of work for the year. I will also be working the 22nd and 23rd, but then I'll have 1 1/2 weeks off.:) I need this break so badly. It sounds relaxing to not have to do anything, other than injections and doctor appointments. It sounds weird, even to me, when I say things like that. I think it's just that I'm so relieved that I don't have to do injections while starting a new job, like I did last time. That took such a toll on my physical and mental well-being and I can't imagine doing that again. This time around I've been completely tight-lipped about it at work and that feels more natural to me.
I also had my first acupuncture session this week. The acupuncturist wants me to see him weekly and he said he can even come to the fertility center the day of the egg retrieval to do a treatment there and he can also come on the day of transfer. I'm not sure how we would coordinate that, but I guess we'll worry about that when the time comes. The acupuncturist claims that acupuncture is supposed to give you a 40% higher chance of successful pregnancy than IVF without acupuncture. I'm not sure if that's true, but I think those kind of odds make it worthwhile to try.
The session itself was interesting. He said each week he will treat a different area of my body. This week he put probably 10-15 tiny needles in my back and then l had to lie on a heated mattress for a half hour. I didn't really like lying there with nothing to do, probably because I'm a typical busy American not used to such things, but I'm hoping next week I can relax a little, since I'll know what to expect. After the treatment was over, I noticed that all the tension in my back was gone and I felt tingly for awhile. As most of you probably know, my back is always tense so it felt great to have some relief. I'm looking forward to my next session to see how the treatment will affect different areas of my body.
This next week is my last full week of work for the year. I will also be working the 22nd and 23rd, but then I'll have 1 1/2 weeks off.:) I need this break so badly. It sounds relaxing to not have to do anything, other than injections and doctor appointments. It sounds weird, even to me, when I say things like that. I think it's just that I'm so relieved that I don't have to do injections while starting a new job, like I did last time. That took such a toll on my physical and mental well-being and I can't imagine doing that again. This time around I've been completely tight-lipped about it at work and that feels more natural to me.
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