Hi Guys-

I just want to say "Hello" and introduce myself.  My name is Shauna, and I have been visiting this site daily for several months since my IC diagnosis in July 2012.  I actually just finished writing a soul-baring introduction with several extremely wordy, in-depth questions, but it got deleted as I tried to post it, so for now, I'll keep it short and sweet until I can figure out if this will go through or not. 

Upon diagnosis, my uro referred me to the "other" IC website, which I found thoroughly depressing, and it sent me even deeper into the abyss of grief, mourning and panic that I already felt over this incredibly crappy illness.  Luckily (?!), my computer was suddenly denied access to their server after several attempts at doing a search on Matia's treatments....Censorship?  I don't know, but needless to say, it felt like a non-coincidence, and I never looked back.  This site, and the wonderful people here,have been my main support throughout this time. 

My husband and I are seriously considering heading out to LA to begin treatment this spring.  I feel certain that healing is possible this way.

Just a few quick q's before signing off....

1)  Could anybody explain the difference between remission, punky but manageable neutral, and flare?   Eg:  Is there any territory between the two? 

My IC started out *horribly* with 6 weeks of literal 24/7 pain beyond description, 30-40x/day frequency, sickening clitoral buzzing like a high-pitched vibrator that made me nauseous with anxiety, and visible blood in my urine.  After beginning the diet list 1 foods, and (I sheepishly admit) adding acidophilus and bifido factor, (sadly without ANY die-off fanfare) as well as adding eleuthero for immune boosting, and, upon the advice of a local acupuncturist , pre-packaged Liu Wei di Huang Wan, I started to improve a lot, lot, lot.   I have been in a decent place now since mid-October, but am far from fine, still have lots of sharp bladder pains, clitoral twinges, burning vulva, but there are times when I feel ok, too, and am able to actually have fun.  My frequency is down to 7-8 times a day, but that is only because I refuse to give in knowing that it's all a mindgame...Often my bladder itself feels like it wants to come out, not unlike the urge to push out your baby when the time comes.....I feel like giving into the urge to push it out as though some relief could be obtained by doing this...Does this resonate with anyone? 

I guess my question is this:   Given that the onset was so dramaticaly horrible, should I consider this a period of comparative remission despite daily mild/moderate pain?  Or.... Is this just a continuation, albeit much milder, of the same event?  I don't really know what difference it makes, but I am such an information junkie that I'd feel better if I could at least get a handle on the semantics of the illness that has taken over my life....

A second question is this:   I have noticed that a lot of the people who seem to have made such amazing progress started with a baseline lifestyle that was kind of typical and had lots of room for improvement. There is so much talk about imbalance, but I never felt even slightly imbalanced before this sickness came out and kicked me in the head, or the crotch, so to speak.  I am happily married, homeschool my 3 incredibly nice, fun boys, have a strong sense of community, did yoga 4x/week, and eat 100% whole, organic foods. Has anyone had equally dramatic progress in treatment despite already living a really clean lifestyle?  I just feel like foodwise, there isn't really that much to tweak, besides cutting out my beloved Thai foods....Btw, any word why Thai is so verboten?  I know coconut and sugar are nyet, but barring these, what about fish sauce and lemon grass?  My husband is Cambodian, and we really lean that direction in cooking/eating, so it would be *really* reassuring to know that there is fish sauce in my future...Odd, I know, but totally a major point of loss for me.... :(

Once again, this has turned ridiculously long, but I have saved up so much over these months, and cannot wait to become a part of such a caring, articulate, well-informed, and actually really fun people who totally understand what it feels like to deal with this day in and day out, (especially the fear of symptom progression/relapse....)

I'm afraid this is only the tip of the iceburg in terms of questions, but it'll have to do for now.....Take care~ Shauna