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Hi everyone,
I will be seeing Dr. B for the first time this Tuesday and am so excited to taking the step in getting my life back! I've just started List 1 foods to get a head start -- lol I'm really eager. I would be very interested in knowing how quickly mild to moderate ICers experienced relief through this treatment and also, what the accupuncture sessions were like (I'm local so I really want to do the accupuncture).
Thanks in advance and for all the insipiration posts.
how quickly you see results
Hello -
First, let me say welcome - 2nd, hopfeully this won't scare you, but my thought is that you're embarking on an unknown journey. Compared to a lot of people on this site, my IC, like yours, was pretty mild. Actually, I started on list 1 on my own and was pretty much eating all lists before I got to the Dr. a couple of months later. Now, after 8 months of treatment, it pretty much feels a bit warm down there most of the day, I pee every hour to two hours. It no longer hurts to have sex, and it rarely becomes more uncomfortable afterwards. I do have to maintain herbs to maintain this level of comfort - that is one sign that I am not cured. The other signs are things that I never even thought about when I started my journey - which are slowly getting better - the things that started long before my bladder put up all the red flags and ended my many years of denial. If you want all the gruesome details - you can track my blogs - I've taken up more than my fair share of space on this site. Probably because one of my biggest battles, and longest running problem of some sort of imbalance in my system, is anxiety. I think, if you're like a lot of us, coming here to fix your bladder is going to make you aware of just how many other things need to be addressed. You will truly find yourself on a physical, mental, and probably spiritual journey.
All my best
Thank you!
You're right, I'm having a hard time not "obsessing" with this and for the first time in my life, am having what could be anxiety attacks when I think about things too long (crushing, can't breathe sensation? Especially at night). I haven't been able to sleep through a night in months and have been relying on sleeping pills heavily the last month, when symptoms really flared and propelled me into the sea of doctors and IC. It sounds like you have had an amazing journey and I really appreciate your response.
I am dying to get a good night's sleep....
Sleep
Dear ?
For the first time in 8 months I haven't been able to sleep for the last two nights. If it doesn't sort itself out, I'm e-mailing Dr. B. From what I read on other blogs, this is all part of the whole package and that she's able to help with it. So, I too am dying to get a good night's sleep.
Hang in there - you're about to get some astounding help.
Welcome
Welcome... For me it took 1.5 years til my bladder was at very good point and could have sex ok.... there will still ancillaries like hair that needed to improve, and we still needed to do a lot of strengthening work on my overall system, but it was a godsend to get that far. (I don't know if I was a moderate patient or what... I had IC for 10? years prior with strong flares/UTIs then remissions, then before Matia it got very bad.) Acupuncture depends on the person. For me, I stopped after a while b/c it had no effect and a few times I felt it made me worse. In her dissertation I believe Matia says something on the order of while acupuncture can be hugely helpful for other conditions it isn't necessary to get well for the bladder.
Thanks for the welcome
It's very interesting to read about the different journeys everyone has experienced. I'm seeing a urologist today and Dr. B next week. I've started List 1 and stopped my birth control pills. I took a sleeping pill last night and a couple of Tylenol and I was able to sleep for 6 hours straight! Had to go to the bathroom and then another couple hours of sleep. It feels so much better today and though the pain is constantly there, it's better.
I know I'm not really supposed to take medicine but I don't know how it can be avoided when I really need to get through work, etc sometimes. I will try to take it sparingly. I'm looking forward to the accupuncture and really hope it works for me.