acupuncture

today i had my first treatment of acupuncture to try to rectify the digestive problems that i have. all in all the appointment took about 1 and a half hours. it was very interesting, here is how it went down..

i arrived and had a little interview of sorts, she asked me what my problem was and i went on at length about the heartburn, choking, vomiting and "loose stool". i also asked her if there was anything she could do to help stimulate weight loss. she wrote it all down. then she asked me to take off my shoes, socks and pants and lay down on my back on her table. then she came in and took my pulse and looked at my tongue. she took my pulse on both my wrists but told me that it was the pulse on my right hand wrist that mattered for my digestion as that is the side of the body that deals with digestion. after she checked those things she told me she was going to put some needles in my ears to curb any sort of cravings i might experience and to subdue hunger feelings. i wonder if there are place she can stick needles to combat boredom, cause that is my problem i think. :)

anyway.. all the needles she put in my body were pretty symmetrical, meaning when she put three needles in my left ear, she put three in my right ear. i would say in total she put between 40 and 50 needles in my ears, my stomach, the veins around my elbow, and the veins around both my knees. none of it really hurt, there were a couple of areas that were a little uncomfortable though. like my ears. she put them to my skin then it felt like she tapped them in with a little plastic hammer. after they were all in she seemed to wiggle them around a little, almost like massaging them in.

then i had to stay still for 30 minutes. then a nurse came in and removed the needles, that might have hurt a little more than they did going in, but only slightly. i had a tiny spot of blood on my left arm that bled through to my shirt and it looks like it will be slightly bruised.

i am to go back twice a week for a little while, then i will go once a week. i should know that its working when i start having some solid BMs.

wooo who! i'll let you know if i feel any different or better.

here are some of the pictures from the NYE party. good times.







here are the rest of the pics from NYE...