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Wow, I thought I had things under control then all hell broke loose. I had not had major problems in over a year, but 2 weeks ago that changed. I started having bladder burning which is odd because I usually suffer from vulvodynia. I went to get checked out and my urine culture came back positive for bacteria. Matia said that is was probaby not a UTI and to continue with my protocol, but the burning intensified. She changed my protocol to ear formula and goldenseal which has worked somewhat. My bladder now feels weak and uncomfortable but not burning. I also ordered Chuan Xin Lian and Dianthus but I have not used it. Matia said to use it only if things did not get better. I am still not pain free and would like to use the herbs but Matia is on vacation and has not answered my emails yet. Have any of you used these Chinese herbs for a UTI? Have you had success. It is so scary to have a relapse. I have to believe that things will get better, but I also have to remember that this disease is never really cured. I always have to be on my guard. It is so wonderful to not have any pain...I will never take this for granted again. Again, if anyone has used the Chuan Xin Lian and Dianthus, please let me know if they worked for a UTI and how long it took. Also, how do you all handle a relapse? esalinas
Yes I have with great results
In the very beginning of my treatment I had several UTI's. Some were die off and some were true UTI"S . It was hard to tell the difference at first. When I had a true UTI may body (not just my bladder) felt bad. I had body aches and felt tired. When my kidneys started to hurt I knew it was more than die off. This is what she put me on for a UTI4 ba zheng san (Dianthus Formula)5 chuan Xin lian 4 times a day for 5 to 7 days I was very scared to try these. To my great relief my bladder tolerated them fine. Everyone is different. I hope this helps and that Matia will get back to you soon. Feel free to email me if you have more questions. I check my email tonight before going to bed. Good luck. Tammy
Willing to try
Thanks Tammy, I will try these tonight. Trying new things is very scary and it is great to hear from someone who has had experience. Have a great night. esalinas
the chuan xin lian--is that a
the chuan xin lian--is that a brand name? is this a special formula with a number as well? I hope I am making senseicnot4me
Plum Flower brand
I am able to get this one at my local Chinese herb store. This is the one Matia recommended.
I ordered the chuan xin lian
I ordered the chuan xin lian from Matia's office. The name brand is Plum Flower Brand. esalinas
How are you doing?
Hope the UTI herbs are treating you OK.
Much Better
I finally tried the Chinese herbs and they worked like a dream. I had constant burning and the treatment of ear formula and goldenseal were just not working for me. I was afraid nothing would work since I think I have very bad bacteria living inside of me. I had a hysterectomy in Feb. 2007 and picked up a bladder infection that took one month to "clear up". I took antibiotics and had two painful shots in the span of one month because this bacteria was resistant to everything. I thought it was gone but 2 months later I got what I thought was another UTI but it was diagnosed as IC. I went to a urologist who told me that hospital bacteria was very hard to get rid of. I was in constant pain for almost two months when it finally went away it was because I had taken another month of antibiotics. Of course, I was never the same and I have been seeing Matia ever since. The buring bladder was a reminder of the beginning of HELL and I was scared nothing would take it away. Thank God, the herbs started working. The only problem is that I seem to be retaining pee. I hope this gets better, but for right now I am very HAPPY! Thanks for all of your advice. You were a great help and put me at ease about taking something new. Thank you, Thank you.........esalinas
Great news!
I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. You never know how someone will tolerate new herbs. I'm glad they are treating you well. I also hope that Matia will get in touch with you soon and guide you the rest of the way. Tammy
esalinas
That is so fabulous that you are now much better from the herbs. When that horrid pain from the beginning comes back it is so scary. So did Matia think you had a UTI or was it just intense die-off/reaction? And did your urine test show a high bacteria count (100,000+ is the threshold for infection) or just some bacteria?, b/c many with IC show bacteria in urine but there's really no infection.
UTI test
I had a test for a UTI at the doctor's office and it came back negative, but the doctor sent a sample out for a culture test which came back positive. The culture is suppose to be more accurate. I told Matia but she felt it was not a true UTI. She recommended that I take goldenseal and ear formula, but that did not work. I kept feeling an intense burning in my bladder. I kept insisting that I had an infection and she told me to take the Chinese herbs which ended up working. I have learned to trust my instincts. I went to the doctor because I felt I had something other than IC. When she confirmed that I did have enough bacteria for an infection I knew that I was right in listening to my body. At this point, the burning has gone away but some vag. irritation has begun. I do not know how long I should take the herbs since Matia did not give me a time limit. I will find out when she returns from vacation. Of course I have to remind myself that things will get better. I had been doing so well I thought I had beaten IC, but this was truly a wake up call. Thank God for Matia and this site. Thanks, esalinas
Well I don't know if it's
Well I don't know if it's that you haven't beaten IC / that it relapsed, it more sounds like it was just an infection that temporarily created a snafu. Your post is helpful to many in reminding us even when we get better to stay vigilant and not be naive to potential issues that could arise. And yes, what you bring up about trusting your body -- sooo important. So glad you're doing better.
Esalinas
Just wondering- is it possible to be doing well for loooong time and then out of nowhere have a dieoff bout- that presents like an infection? I also know that even though we can be much much better - our immune systems can be kind oweak to things like UTI's so we need to be extra careful about the potential infections that can happen - causes of such infections- etc. I have had so many times when I was feeling better-not for more than a few weeks and you'v ebeen doing well for much much longer than that- and than Wham my body decides its "safe" to yet throw off more yeast in a nasty little die off phaor we get sick . I recall hearing that often that infections can get "stuffed" places in the body- I wonder if you had an older suppressed infection that was just ready to come out? I once had something super strange happen a long time ago- my naturapath treated me for this insane kidney pain and identified the culprit as some kind of paracite infection I took a seris of homeopthic tinctures to treat this my symtoms got worse quickly and then better and it went away like it was never there. Knowing that my immune system was weak from the IC imbalence breweing in my body it makes sense to me that I would have had an attack like that. I hope all is well and you are feeling much better- recovered fully. Your posts have always encouraged me since I suffer from VV too! Thanks! Mary
Honeybee
Hi honeybee,I do believe that I have some bad bacteria living inside of me just waiting to wreak havoc on my body at whim. The herbs that Matia recommended were great this time around and I hope to continue to do well. Do not give up hope. I have never missed a day of work because if IC, but this time around I almost did. I felt very discouraged, but then I realized that not only have I not missed any work due to IC, but I have not missed any days period. My body feels so much better, yet I have to remember that this diet is a lifetime committment. Stay strong. You will get better. esalinas
Speaking exactly to Honeybee's question!!
Just read this in The Healing Crisis book (recommended on this site) and immediately thought of you guys & this post. From the book....
"Typically, when a person who is on a cleansing program reexperiences an illness, the first thought is that he or she 'caught' another infection. Often, the treatment is blamed for weakening the body to such a point that sickness occurred. Keep in mind that this infection is not a new one, but a purging of an old one. The person's body is becoming stronger and is throwing off all remnants of the microbe or chemicals (drugs, poisons, toxins) that caused the illness. The infection will be short lived. Suppressing the illness with drugs, however, would drive the bacteria or toxins back into the tissues where they were before.... If an infection resurfaces, it is best treated with natural, user-friendly medications such as herbs."
from another passage: "If a viral or bacterial infection results from a healing crisis, it is because the infection is being pulled out of the tissues. This means you have been exposed to it before and your immune system has already made antibodies that will eventually overpower and completely eradicate the infectious agents. Drugs won't help...............The reasons the crisis has arisen is because the body has become strong enough to throw off the toxins, remove them from the tissues, and elimination organs have become strong enough to handle the removal."