I was 29-years-old and had just delivered my second son. Everything went fine. I was back to exercising and feeling great. Then eight weeks later I developed, my first ever, urinary tract infection. I was treated with antibiotics. The symptoms never went away. I had a constant urethral burning. A urine culture was done revealing e-coli and I was given more antibiotics. The symptoms persisted. Finally I was given injectable antibiotics with still no help. I was referred to another urologist who did a urodynamic study revealing that I couldn't hold much urine. I was therefore given the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis. I was placed on Elmiron and Elavil along with the IC diet. Nothing helped. I went to yet another urologist who did bladder instillations on me with Heparin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Gentamycin, Marcaine and Solu Cortef still no help. That urologist had me on so many pills. I think I counted around 30 a day! I was not getting better, in fact, I was getting worse. I started to developed true urinary tract infections again. They were growing e-coli and enterococcus. I was given more antibiotic, this time IV antibiotics and still nothing helped. By this time my symptoms had grown much worse. I was now having vaginal redness and irritation that seemed like yeast infections and along with the constant urethral burning my bladder started to burn as well. I also started to develop urgency to urinate. Over the course of a year I saw many consultants and several tests done. I tried myofascial release physical therapy also. I finally went to a doctor who performed a hydrodistention. This doctor thought I possibly had a diverticulum and saw the need to check things further. However, the hydrodistention revealed the dreaded IC and nothing else. This doctor wanted to put the InterStim device in me. I had the surgery actually scheduled but a few weeks prior to the date I was led, through my faith in God, to Matia Brizman of BOMA-med in California. I decided to give her treatment a good try and canceled the InterStim.

I have now been in treatment with her for almost 5 months. My symptoms are much improved. My urethral burning just comes and goes now instead of being constant. Most days if it does hurt it is a very low burn. My urgency is also off and on. In the next few months, as we progress with the treatment, I will be getting more help with the vaginal area as well. This was the best move I could have made. This treatment will allow me to move ahead instead of just covering it up. I am now thankful that the "western" methods of treating IC didn't work for me, because they would have been for a lifetime, just covering up the disease. Instead, I'm in the middle of a treatment that is working.