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I have been reading the success stories and I am fearful because it seems a lot of them say they are still having symptom after a few years. There are some that say the bladder is better, but not many. I am not through reading all of them yet, but I expected to hear more "healed bladder" successes.
Please tell me you know someone or ARE someone who is almost bladder symptom free after a while in treatment.
I am going to see Matia in October and with the amount of money it will cost over thee next few years, I am nervous about committing to something that"might" work.
I also know once someone feels better, they are moving on and not generally coming to this site, I guess I just expected more healed stories under success stories....
Melsvensen
You may notice that many of the success stories are quite old and it seems that several patients never went back and gave a an update on if they overcame their symptoms utlimately. I know after over a decade of treating IC patients Matia knows alot and had helped many people reach that state of being symptom free. I do think you hit the nail of the head- once people are better they move on or maybe they feel that to relive the agony of their treatment through printing is just not something they feel like doing. IC is very personal matter to some people. That is my best guess on why there are not more. A very small population of her patients use ICAMA regularly too. Thanks!Mary
Melseven
When I was first thinking about starting treatment with Matia. I read over the chat site as well as the success stories. There are several recovered patients who post comments from time to time. I even contacted a few of them because I was concerned that my case of IC might be to severe for Matia. One women said, "When I first started treatment with Matia, the pain was so bad that I wanted to die. Now I have me life back." There have even been patients who were willing to talk on the phone with me although I didn't take them up on the offer."I remember writing a post on starting kids on a few months ago. One woman emailed me several times with great recipes. Then I asked her what food list she was on. She replied that she hadn't had IC symptoms in five years LOL.I will send you a more specific note personally:D
Hope!
Wow. That gives me sooooooooooooo much hope! I sit here today as I FAILED again with the diet...and after not eating all the stuff for almost a month, I now have a heachache, feel like I got hit by a bus because from dairy and sugar...I am concenred I wont be able to do it, the diet I mean. But when I hear stories of recevery it motivated me to put down the yucky food! If others can do it, there must be a way.
its not worth it!
One way I was able to quit the junk was to finally make the association between the pain and the offending food. I began to see the sugar as a big part of the problem. I would feel a sugar craving and it would literally tick me off-My determination to follow the diet narrowed into an iron will. I've never chalelnged myself before. Cookies and chocolate were always a part of my life. But I don't really think about them or feel tortured by them! It came to be especially once you start the diet -that thegratitification for the lusty food was never never never worth the pain. every time. I began to realize this and once you continue to eat healthy and stick with the diet the cravings lose their intensity til they are replaced with healthy cravings. I think sometimes food can be a thing we reach to for comfort and to releive stress.If that is the case and its really common- I would arm yourself with something else to do that is good for your body instead. I sometimes atecrap when stressed so I would do yoga or drink spring water or eat somethng allowed. when you have a sugar craving maybe eat a little protein? Remember its you or the yeast! You are stronger! It took me two years to get up the nerve to do the diet because I had been on so many restrictions before that with naturpaths. But I did it. It is second nature now. You can do it. I was making it so much harder for myself and making it a bigger deal than it is. It was challenging at first primarily because I was such a bad and inexperienced cook but by no means impossible. I want to get better 100% so I just never cheated. I'm not going to drag this out! food tastes good now- your food experience is going transform immensly! Affirmation... "I am so grateful I exclusively eat food that heals and nourishes heals my body." I am grateful I feel so strong in my convictions to support my health." It is so interesting that Ic can take us into a deeper insightful place regarding how we feel and use food on personal, familial and greater cultural level! You can do this! We just have to change how we treat and think about food and also realize that our cravings possibly tem fromt eh yeast that are crying out to be fed! I felt like my body was being hijacked! Changing our ideas about eating That can be a challenge too hard part but then again that is something you can definately handle and happens as a natural result of embracing the diet and treatment. It just happens and its really cool! Mary
Hi, I am an old timer. 6
Hi, I am an old timer. 6 years ago I started treatment with Matia and I have been symptom free from my bladder for many years. I had a flair last year because I was using coconut oil, but it cleared up after I stopped using the oil. I know how worried you can be in the beginning, but I can not say enough great things about my treatment with Matia!!!!!She gave me my life back and that's a fact! You are making the right choice, don't worry. There is no other treatment out there that I know of that has this kind of success, and believe me I was desperate in the beginning. I will have to tell you , that how well you succeed depends a great deal with following everything that Matia says. There is lots of support here for you as you go. You will be better! In the beginning I was in so much pain all the time, urgency, frequency, the works! I can tell you that today I do not think about my bladder at all !
Jeanne
After 2 years of treatment I
After 2 years of treatment I was completely symptom free for a while, and strong and healthy enough to get preganant and have a baby. I relapsed because of my own bad habbits. I guess I didn't learn enough the first time around.
Idea
Put up a calendar in a place you'll always see it, put on it something like "My Goal: I Commit to 3 Months No Cheating," then put an X in each day to keep you motivated. By the time the 3 months comes, esp if you get on Matia's regimen, the intense cravings will be gone (it takes a while of stopping the sugars 100% to stop the cravings, which you know isn't even your true desire but the yeast screaming to be fed). You might even consider making a picture of dessert food and an equals sign and the word "pain" surrounded by something that represents pain (maybe a scary 'yeast monster' - hah!). I teach goal setting and the strongest way to prime your brain is visually with images.
Great suggestions
I need to remember it will take a WHILE for the cravings to go away completely. I cave at 3 weeks because I get taken back by such a strong craving, I stop having them a week in, and then they come on full force..and I am caught off guard. For me, when I give myself a constant flow of sugar..my bladder symptoms get better, I hardly go at all! As soon as I stop eating sugar..all fire breaks out in my bladder and urethra, about 25 hours after I have not had it, and then it just continues one big flare..until I eat it again, and this lasts weeks until I give in. That is why it is so hard, I know it will bring me short term relief. Its the oddest thing, I see it as the yeast/bacteria being fed, and when they get hungry and have nothing to feed on, they come out and get pissed and make hell for me until I give in..They are smart little guys..
cravings
It may take you less time than you think to overcome the sugar cravings- you are not on the herbs or formulas yet which for me helped combat the yeast and weaken them. Mary
It may be very hard for you
It may be very hard for you to imagine now, but I have to tell you that after about 2 months without sugar the smell of it started to make me NAUSEOUS! And it still does! Since that day all the desert looks to me as if it was made of plastic or something. You know these plastic fruit and veggies that are made for decoration? This is what cakes and candy look to me now ;). And I was not just addicted to sweets, I could easily eat 5 or more slices of cake at a time or a box of cookies, it was insane. And now I crave a slice of yeast free bread with avocado and Applegate farms turkey.
Hang in there, it is totally worth it and dedinitely achievable.
I keep failing...But you give hope.
Every day for the past 5 days I have had sugar now, I mean a serious binge, after going 25 days without it. I now have a sore throat, feel anxious, irritable, and insane really..I am a complete addict! But I have only peed 4 times today! I hate how I get releif from bladder pain, it encourges me to eat it... I NEED TO DO THIS.......AHHHHHHHH! I have to start RIGHTR NOW. Your stories give me so much hope, if you can do it, I can...I need to do this NOW. Sorry for being so dramatiic, I just cant bleeive I am still struggling with this..I have been trying ot do this for 8 months. Thanks for putting up with me
Mel, If your going to cheat
Mel,
If your going to cheat get some agave sweeter and some agave based things in your house so that when you are cheeting they are better choices. Check the gental products guide and you should be able to find some of these things at your local health food store. :)
Nicole
Thanks Nicole. I do have agave in my cabinet, I will remember that.. I hope to not cheat again. I am back on the diet, day 2 and going strong..so far. One day at a time!