A Fertility Success Story with Acupuncture
We love hearing your stories: what you have overcome, how you have grown and healed, and how these experiences have shaped you. Here is one patient’s success story with fertility. We are grateful to her for sharing!
I want to share my story and thank Lisa Abernathy and Blue Heron Acupuncture and Apothecary for changing my life (literally and you’ll see how!). I started coming to Blue Heron about four years ago. My then fiancé, now husband, started to suffer from severe headaches and our friend recommended we come in. We received a consult and Lisa explained how acupuncture worked and how she thought she could help. To be honest, my husband wasn’t convinced, but I was! So I started coming in to help with stress and to seek all-over improved health. As it turned out, my husband needed glasses, so that was that and he wasn’t going to come in! ☺
Immediately, I began to see a difference in the quality of my life. I would leave my then monthly sessions feeling relaxed, yet focused and more prepared to face my daily stressors. Of course, it helped that Lisa would gently ask: “Do you think you can try and get more sleep?” ☺ She kept me honest with myself and appropriately challenged me to take better care of myself in a non-judgmental way. And I did start taking better care of myself- what I ate, drank, my sleep patterns, how intensely I worked out, and my emotional health. I then thought about asking Lisa if she thought she could help with my bladder issues. I had been on a prescription for years, had to see the urologist regularly, and even had a small procedure done. I honestly cannot remember how long it took (but I think was only a few months), but I was able to completely get off the medicine and handle everything with diet and lifestyle. I can remember that I introduced the concept to my urologist that acupuncture helped cure me and he said: “Whatever works, I’m happy for you.” I’m not sure if he believed it, but he was supportive nonetheless which was nice! I’m happy to say that now, almost fours later, I don’t even have regular checkups with him and the medicine is just a memory!
Fast forward to two years ago, my husband and I had been married for a year now and we just experienced a miscarriage. I was 37 at the time and desperate to be able to conceive again and have a child. So we went the “traditional” route. We saw the specialists and had a number of tests done. I started on some hormone treatments and then we went through three failed IUIs. We were devastated. After the third one, we decided we need a break to think through everything. We also decided to start the adoption process. As this was all going on, I continued to see Lisa to help with the stress and anxiety of it all and my treatments helped immensely. Then I borrowed a book off the shelf in the Blue Heron lobby, “The Infertility Cure”, and I broached the subject with Lisa about how much she thought she could help. She said she could. We agreed that it would be best if I came more regularly and she suggested some herbs to take on a regular basis. I went home that night and discussed the idea with my husband. He was skeptical, but willing to try anything at this point, so we made the commitment and investment.
I saw Lisa every week on a Saturday for about five months. It sometimes was hard when we had family in town or I wanted to hang around the house or the neighborhood pool instead on a Saturday, but we were committed. It then quickly became a routine almost and I looked forward to going every weekend. As before, I always felt more relaxed after a session. Lisa was invested, too, and I felt her encouragement, support, and commitment the whole time. But month after month, I continued to not be pregnant. During this, my husband and I were still in the throes of the adoption process and were considering IVF the following January and were very anxious about it all. Well, five months later, on an unexpected Saturday in December, I had a positive pregnancy test. I had an appointment scheduled with Lisa that day and she was the first person I told! She exclaimed with joy and I had tears in my eyes (as I do right now as I am writing this!).
I continued to see Lisa regularly during the entire pregnancy, at first to “hold” and then to help with the alleviation of symptoms. She was amazing and shared in the joy with me at every visit. She also helped so much with all the various pregnancy symptoms along the way to include my severe sciatic nerve pain, heartburn, back pain, nausea, and so on, in addition to helping with my anxiety and worry throughout the whole pregnancy. I came in for appointments up until my 38th week and I had to cancel the last appointment I had scheduled as my son was born two weeks early.
So I am now 39 and my son is 11 weeks old as I finally write this. I honestly believe this was all possible because of the Blue Heron team and I cannot express my sincere appreciation to them, and specifically Lisa, enough! They care about their clients, their work, and they know their stuff. I trust them implicitly and my husband and I are forever thankful for their critical part in our journey that would not have been possible without them!