Knowing that this is our last IUI we decided to give ourselves the best shot possible and try anything. Don’t get me wrong it’s not like we haven’t been trying. I’ve avoided caffeine for a year and a half, forgone daiquiris and sangria’s, skipped hot baths and hot tubs, and added a handful of supplements and vitamins. About the only thing I haven’t done is acupuncture.

A quick search on my insurance provider’s website found that acupuncture is covered up to 20 sessions a year for chronic conditions only. Go figure infertiltiy doesn’t qualify. Nonetheless paying out of pocket is something we’ve grown accustom to and $75 per treatment seems peanuts compared to the thousands for other treatments we’ve endured.

I found a little Chinese lady with a lot of positive reviews and decided to give it a whirl. Willingly being stuck with needles doesn’t initially seem like my picture of relaxation, but I’ll try anything once. Acupuncture is surprisingly not painful. The needles you don’t even feel, and the actueal time spent with my lady is maybe five minutes. After strategically placing needles within my abdomen, feet, hands, arms and in-between my eyes I’m left for 40 minutes.

I take this time to pray and meditate. One of my favorite things to do is breath in an whisper “Come Holy Spirit” and then exhale deeply with all the fear and anxiety. As I lay unable to move very much and I converse with God. Sometimes I beg, other times I get angry but mostly I just am open to hearing from Him. It’s not as clear as Samuel’s encounter but I hear Him nonetheless. I relax and have peace come over me. The “peace that passes understanding”, that is what I feel more often than not.

I have, to date, had six acupuncture appointments (two per week). I’m not sure I feel any different but as we vamp up for this last IUI in the coming week I remain optimistic yet again. I must be insane because twelve failed rounds of Clomid and two failed IUIs we are doing this again.