I came to see Dr.Ryan Funk at Acubalance Wellness Centre in early September 2017 and I have to say I never thought I’d be here hugging my daughter. When I walked in with my husband, Ryan was warm, and kind and immediately put us at ease. He asked us some questions and drew up a treatment plan. I was sent home with some supplements and much-needed alterations to my poor diet. I am a fairly petite person so I never drew the connection that my food choices negatively affected my hormones. I thought as long as I’m not overweight, then it was not an issue. Needless to say, I quickly realized I was wrong. I followed Ryan’s advice and made the necessary changes and my cycles went from being every three weeks with intermittent spotting to being every 24/25 days with acupuncture treatments and diet changes.
Fast forward a few months and….I find out I was pregnant! Unfortunately, that happy moment lasted all but twelve hours until I visited my doctor. She informed me that due to the pain I was having, I could potentially have an ectopic pregnancy. I was sent to the hospital and quickly emailed Ryan as I cried and cried. He assured me that what ever it may be, we will work through it. I spent the day in the hospital with many tests only to be told that the gestational age of the fetus was too short to be able to see if the sac was in the uterus. I spent the next six weeks (it felt like six years), absolutely miserable. The support of my family and Ryan was what kept me grounded. I recall emailing Ryan at odd hours of the night as I tossed and turned with questions and I would wake up to a thoughtful reassuring emails not necessarily telling me everything was fine and dandy but that it will be ok. I looked forward to my acupuncture visits and they were my time of peace and serenity. I know it sounds silly that having needles in my skin was peaceful but it really was.
At six months pregnant I suffered what I can only describe as a horror story. I would wake up one night at 11:00 pm and find my self short of breath running outside to catch some fresh air feeling like I was dying. Yes, I literally felt like I was dying. Every time I would close my eyes I would jolt up uncontrollably into full panic. I spent the next three days with literally not an hour of sleep. This is by no means an exaggeration. As a result I developed anxiety during the day as well. It was a night mare, something out of a horror movie. I saw psychiatrists that thought that giving me sleeping pills would sedate me enough to sleep it out and be better. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I tried many sedatives, sleeping pills, anti anxiety and antidepressants all while in my last trimester because I had no other choice. The only one that got me through this was god and Ryan Funk.
I continued to attended my acupuncture appointments but they looked different to me all of a sudden. I became terrified of small spaces or spaces with no windows. I did not want to be alone at all. Ryan went above and beyond and treated me with so much compassion. When I would go to my appointments, Ryan would make sure that I had the biggest room they offered with the largest window. He would also allow me to have my brother or husband in the room for support. He became my confidant and helped me find answers to fears I had just by shining light on things. I have been to acupuncturist before but I have never had any of them give this kind of support.
Fast forward, and a few days before I went into labour I had had an acupuncture appointment that I sat through on my own! Something that was physically impossible the months before due to the extreme anxiety. This was a huge achievement of the progress that had been made.
After having my baby, Ryan followed up with me and made sure that I did not feel overwhelmed and offered his continued support. I am for ever grateful to Ryan because when you are going though your fertility journey you need someone there who is ready for the unexpected weather it be positive or negative. He is not a magician nor a sorcerer, he is a human being with a ton of knowledge, experience, patience and compassion. I look at my little girl now and although I still suffer from anxiety and panic and take medications, I am grateful because I never thought I would be sitting here hugging her.
Ryan got me through this and no words could show how grateful I am.