What to Expect: During Your First Visit
Not knowing what to expect when seeing a new practitioner can be a big source of anxiety, especially if you’ve never gotten acupuncture before! I have a series of entries that will (hopefully!) answer a lot of questions you may have about what to expect before, during, and after your first acupuncture visit. This entry describes what happens during your first visit, from start to finish. For what to expect before your first appointment, read this entry.
You’ve filled out your patient forms. You’re on time for your appointment. You’re in loose-fitting clothing. Now what?
Getting to know you!
First, we’ll sit down and discuss the history behind the health concerns that brought you to the clinic. My goal during this time is to get a well-rounded picture of your health story, as well as understand how your day-to-day life is impacted by your symptoms. We have about 45 minutes to discuss things, so we can cover a lot of ground!
One thing you will discover quickly is I ask a LOT of questions so that I can get a full picture of your health story. I’m looking for patterns in your symptoms, how symptoms are connected to each other, how different body systems are connected to each other, how your environment is affecting your health…and on and on.
During your first visit, regardless of why you are visiting, there are certain topics I’ll always ask about. These include: your sleep, appetite and digestion, bowel movements, urination, head/body sensations, changes to hearing/vision, and menstruation (if applicable). Based on your answers, I’ll probably have follow-up questions!
Each of these categories gives us a part of the picture of your overall health. During follow-up visits, I’ll check in on each area – but if you notice a change in something we’ve talked about in the past, definitely bring it up in your next visit!
I’ll also ask to take your pulse and look at your tongue. Chinese medicine looks at how the pulse feels, not just the rate. I also look at how your tongue looks - the shape, color, what the coating looks like, etc. (That’s why it’s important not to scrape your tongue before your visit!). Then, I’ll use the information from your pulse and tongue to help finalize your diagnosis.
Your first treatment
Based on all your answers, I will develop a diagnosis and initial treatment plan for your first treatment. I’ll give you a brief overview of my plan for your treatment that day, including what techniques I will be using (acupuncture, gua sha/dermal friction, tui na/Chinese medical massage, cupping, etc.).
After we discuss your treatment, I’ll let you know which areas of the body I will need access to, such as your back, legs, arms, etc., and we’ll discuss how you should lay on the massage table (face up, face down, on your side), as well as your comfort level with either moving clothing or using a sheet for draping over your body to protect your privacy. Once everything is agreed on, I will step out of the room so that you can change clothes (if needed) and lie down on the massage table.
Once you’re ready, I’ll step back into the room and start your treatment. We can talk during this time if you’d like, or I may share some at-home care ideas or Chinese medicine theory. If you’d rather, we can be quiet too! If you’re getting acupuncture, I will insert the needles into specific areas of your body, and leave them inserted in these spots while you rest for about 20 minutes. While you’re resting, I will leave the room to add your treatment to your chart, but I will leave a pager with you to call me back to the room if you need anything. I will leave you with some quiet music playing and the lights lowered (unless you prefer something else). Falling asleep is absolutely okay!
While you’re resting, it’s recommended that you lay mostly still - no getting off the table or turning over! If you need to change positions or get up, please hit the pager so I can come and remove the needles first.
After about 20 minutes, I’ll come back into the room to remove the needles. If it applies to your case, I will finish any treatment techniques we haven’t done yet, like gua sha or cupping. Then I’ll step out of the room again while you get dressed and get ready to leave. I will wait for you at the front desk, and we’ll talk about at-home care, the timing of your next treatment, and schedule your next few appointments, then you’re done for the day!
Care at Home
Within a few days of your first visit, you’ll get a document in the patient portal with information on your Chinese medicine diagnosis and some practices to continue your care at home. This will be a summary of what we talked about during your visit, as well as any additional handouts that may be helpful for your specific treatment plan.
If you have questions after your treatment, you can contact me by email or through the patient portal messaging system. It’s important to use one of these methods so that our communications are HIPAA-compliant!