I have been suffering from Interstitial Cystitis for as long as I can remember. Even as a child I had to urinate a lot. I thought this was normal because my mother and sister frequently use the restroom. At fifteen I was diagnosed with Mononucleosis and recurrent Strep infections and was prescribed antibiotics. From this point on I took antibiotics almost constantly for about 3 years. This led to many yeast infections and other problems. At this point the urgency and frequency of my urinating became worse. This was very difficult in high school where people are apt to make fun of you for much less. I was tested for bladder infections, which occasionally came back positive, and so I took more antibiotics.

Each year my bladder became worse. Nonetheless, I thought this was normal, or I just had a small bladder. I went to quite a few urologists who either thought the condition was in my head or wanted to follow up with many invasive tests. I was finally diagnosed at 26 years old with IC after having a cystosocopy performed in 1996. My bladder was perforated during the procedure and I was catheterized for the following two weeks. I believe this procedure may have made me worse because prior to this I didn't have pain with IC and afterwards I did.

In addition to IC I have had problems with headaches and digestion. Both problems were so bad that I basically survived by taking Tylenol, various other pain medications, Tums, and Pepcid. For a while I could not eat a meal without following it with some form of antacid.

I was also trying every possible procedure and medication that Western medicine had to offer for IC, including the old favorites DMSO, Elavil, Detrol, Elmiron and many others. I was basically living off antibiotics and these medicines. I also had yeast infections all of the time. To further complicate matters I had been taking birth control pills on and off for about 15 years.

All of these medications just seemed to be making me worse. So at the end of 2000 I began searching for alternatives. I tried quite a few things including herbs and aloe. However, I was trying everything on my own and didn't really know what herbs worked and which ones may be harmful. I also decided to get off of the birth controls pills, as I wanted to avoid contaminating my body any further.

I searched the Internet constantly for information regarding alternative treatments for IC. This is when I found a message by Jane Peters regarding Matia. I called Matia a few days later. I was skeptical, and felt that I needed to do some more research. I also spoke to Jane a few more times and she persuaded me to give this a try. After coming to the conclusion that I'd tried everything I could do on my own, I began working with Matia in January 2001.

Matia is one of the kindest, most understanding people I have ever met. She seems to have the patience of a saint, which is definitely needed with this condition. She has spent countless hours discussing my symptoms with me. It was so nice to finally have a doctor who would talk to me. I have been taking Matia's herbs and following her recommended diet for about a year now. I did cheat on the diet for the first few months, but do follow it correctly now.

Today, I am better in many ways, but I have a long way to go. I rarely, if ever have a headache or stomachache and my digestion is so much better. I still have urgency and frequent urination, however, the abdominal pain I began having after the cystoscopy in 1996 has almost completely gone away. I also, have more energy and look physically better than I used to. There are other things that have gotten better too, but I will not bore you with the graphic details. I believe that I have a long way to go. However, this is the first time in my life that I have hope, and the belief, that I will continue to improve. I am looking forward to the day that I don't have to sit on the aisle at a movie theater, travel without worrying where the next restroom stop is located, and eat some of the foods I love again.