IC and its symptoms are such an enormous spectrum of experiences. You can feel physical die off you can feel emotional die off in a thousands of variations and ways and its all connected. I think its that we are in general trained to see the body as compartamentalized into individual units. Over here is the emotions- psychological  and over here is the physical and while they are elements or aspects to our health they are deeply interconnected and influenced by the changes of our biological body and our mental outlook has an effect on our body as well. I am still amazed at the influence this condition has on my health both mental/emotional/physical. I think the answer to your question is - yes. and it is both IC related on a biological level- your hormones are affected, its also emotionally challenging and draining to deal with this condition in a world that pretty much effectively denies that you are sick, its the dynamic of sludge and yeast and microbes actually dieing off and consider that these microbes and toxins are allllll over your body- in some cases the nervous system and lymph and so on- and when they die - it hurts- it feels really bad and stress from pain can lead ot anxiety and anxiety and depression can go hand and hand... I think it is NORMAL and okay and kind of understandable that sometimes you just have bad days where you feel tired and sad. I think the body when its cleansing in a deep way also processes ( I can attest to this first hand as an ex- massage therpist) emotions too- long buried feelings of hurt that maybe we never dealt with or any traumas that kind of thing can literally get on an energetic level get "stuck" in our bodies and when we do a cleanse the body/mind/heart is like- yup! time to dump this baggage, fear, negativity etc etc... as well. and it does. We have a day or a week or a month where we feel profoundly sad or challenged or scared and then like a storm it passes. The loss of control over my body - the randomness of the feelings that come up whether physical or emotional is insane. But I try to embrace it all- and think- okay. my body as a whole entitiy- mind body heart knows what it is doing. On days like you describe- ( hugs!) i just do my best to nurture my injured spirit and lay low- conserve energy- take refuge in a place in my soul knowing that it will pass. It can be uncomfortable in a different way than bladder pain- and I notice that on those days too- my bladder feels much better but my emotions feel all inflamed? Its truly interesting that happens! Sometimes its good to reach out and get support and do things to ease the suffering on that level- whatever might nurture your spirit and sometimes its good to just rest and give yourself and break and know that it will be over soon and get back into bed for a nap  or watch a funny movie or a favorite movie. I'm learning to not resist it- and to not be afraid of it- if any emotional die off happens. ALOT of us deal with the same things you describe- so its not your imagination. Either way it will lessen in intensity and one day stop happening all together. Do your best. Love yourself a little more on those days. Know that when they happen it is actually irrefutable proof that it IS working to have those experiences you describe. Thanks for sharing Tawni - it truly a great question to consider and I hope you feel better soon. I know sometimes these grey winter days aren't helping me either!  - Mary

Hi Tawni,
I'd just like to say that I'm so sorry you're going through this. I'm glad you posted, and you don't need to apologize that you aren't "happy go lucky." Just yesterday I was feeling totally at the end of my emotional rope -- Truthfully I still I still am. I thought about posting, and wondered if it would just be too heavy, but seeing your post, I know that this is part of the reason for this forum. If we can't share on here, where can we? There aren't a lot of people who can understand this the way other patients can, right?
At any rate, I think this could be emotional die off. Many people on this board, including Matia, have said in the past that yeast and toxins affect your emotions very strongly. Further to that, I'd like to suggest that sometimes when things start to look up, even just a little bit (as in your bladder feels a bit better), coping skills can decrease significantly.
Psychologically, it is taxing to put up a front all the time -- go to work, be social, maintain relationships, be supportive to those we love -- all the while holding it together with a chronic illness. This can apply to more than just IC, of course. I think it is a human coping mechanism to have a 'get down to it' attitude when things are really bad. Then, when physically you've improved enough its almost as if your emotions kick into high gear and scream "HEY! YOU CAN'T IGNORE ME ANYMORE!"
It's the same reason why people who lose someone can often get through the funeral process and all the nitty gritty must do tasks, and it isn't until after their loss will hit them. I know its not a direct comparison, but I really believe that, especially if you're the kind of person who always tries to have the "right attitude," that when dealing with something for a long time, we all have the moment when we acknowledge how hard this whole thing is, and how much we wish it were different.
Woah... ok long post.
I guess my point is that it is very likely that you're experiencing die off. And to add to that it is very likely that in addition to the die off, you may just be at a point in the healing process that your emotions are forcing themselves to the forefront. It sucks, it's not fun, it's not easy, but try to cut yourself some slack and see if you can ride it out. Focus on yourself for a while (if you can) and let yourself just be.
Also, if it really bothers you, you could talk to Matia, she may be able to adjust your protocol. I know I was on Siberian Ginseng for a while and it made me feel a little less emotionally bogged down.
Hope my long rant helps. You can contact me by e-mail if you wanted to talk further.

You say, "It can be uncomfortable in a different way than bladder pain- and I notice that on those days too- my bladder feels much better but my emotions feel all inflamed? Its truly interesting that happens!"I have noticed that too!  I was wondering if I was imagining it.  Yesterday I was SSOOO angry all day and felt like I could be locked up..but I had a GREAT bladder day..Weird.