Posted by Jane Peters on Mar 16, 2009 in
Success Stories My problems with my bladder began in August of 2001. I woke up one morning with urgency, frequency, and pain, all which came on very quickly. I had never had a bladder infection, but assumed that that was most likely what it was. I went to my doctor, who tested me, found bacteria in my urine, and prescribed seven days of antibiotics. After a week, I still had the same symptoms, and went back, expecting him to find lingering bacteria. That wasn’t the case, however. The bacteria had been killed, yet I still had symptoms of an infection, so he sent me home with another ten days of a different kind of antibiotic, and referred me to a urologist, whom I was to see if I didn’t feel better within a week.
I did see that urologist, since I still felt terrible weeks later. I primarily had urgency & frequency – I had to go to the bathroom at least once an hour, and had spells during which I had to go every 10 minutes for several hours at a time. As time went on, I also began to have terrible pains shooting through the entire lower half of my body.
I then had a cystoscopy done under anesthesia at a hospital in my area, and they found nothing indicative of IC – just a little redness and irritation, which they determined was not the cause of all of my problems. I was put on suppressive antibiotics indefinitely, and given Detrol to relax the bladder muscles.
I then found Matia Brizman through a friend of mine. I set up my initial phone consultation with Matia, and she understood the symptoms that the other doctors did not. She asked tons of questions in order to really understand my story and figure out what the underlying problems were. I hung in through the numerous changes in herbs, and the changes in diet. At about the two year mark, I reached the point that I felt like I was back to leading a normal life, and can now say that I am about 99.9% healthy. I still take acidophilus, primarily to fight yeast. I am now back to, for the most part, eating a normal diet, although I am still careful to avoid a lot of sugar. I am thankful that I found Dr. Brizman at the time I did, or I might still be suffering with the same symptoms.
Posted by Jane Peters on Mar 9, 2009 in
Success Stories
14 months ago I made the trip to LA from the UK. I’d suffered from numerous UTI’s over the last 20 years and developed symptoms known as IC about 2 years ago.
I was in constant pain and tied to the bathroom. I rejected investigative procedures from urologists and decided to embark on Matia’s program.
The treatment process was far from easy. Months of yo-yoing up and down, a good day here, to then have a bad few. The anxiety of whether this would really work for me, or whether I was beyond Matias program. I was tempted at times to call my Dr and beg to be pumped full of painkillers. I kept a diary of good days (hours too!) and bad, to try and find a pattern. Any question Matia had for me, I could answer in great detail.
About 6 months ago I noticed when Matia asked me specific questions (urine flow/colour etc), I had to admit that I hadn’t taken note, and had actually forgotten.
Fast forward to my appointment last week and I spent most of it discussing how to deal with the pressures of my new job. There was little mention of IC.
I don’t often think of my bladder now. I ride horses for a living (having given it up due to IC), something not exactly suited to an IC sufferer! I am no longer a victim but someone who has taken back their life, and a much healthier one.
My advice is to stick to the diet religiously (it will save you from other more life threatening dis-eases in the process) and take the recommended pills/herbs seriously. Try (although hard) to remain positive that you will get better and remember that having been made aware of Dr Matia Brizman you are one of the lucky ones.
Anonymous-UK
Posted by Jane Peters on Mar 9, 2009 in
Success Stories Hello Matia.
My name is ________ and I am your patient _______’s husband. You and I exchanged
some emails a few months back.
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all of the great work you have done in helping _____
feel better. We know we still have a long way to go — but I cannot tell you how amazing it has been to see _____ getting better. Over the past few months, she has started to be her
old happy, normal self again — mainly because she is finally not in chronic pain constantly. She feels better, she looks healthier, she smiles again, and she sleeps through the night. The transformation has been amazing.
We really feel like we are blessed to have heard about you and been able to
get _____out to see you. We are blessed and lucky that there is someone in this world
who understands ____’s problem, and spends so much time trying to fix it. We were so
low when we found you. And after having 10-20 doctors around the country either tell us
we were crazy or recommend some experimental and invasive treatment, we were at our
wits end. You have made her life (and my life) so much better in the last seven months. We are very, very thankful for all that you do — you really have changed our lives for the better.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
If there is ever anything we can do to re-pay for this great gift you have given us, please
do not hesitate to let me know. You have given us so much and we are just so thankful.
Response after Dr. Brizman asked if she could post his letter:
Matia — of course you have my permission to do that. That would be great. We want
everyone to know how great you are. I know there are lots of women out there right now who were just like _____ was seven months ago — in pain and running out of hope. The more
people learn about you, the more people you can help.
You absolutely have our permission to post it. And if you ever want us to write a more
fulsome account of where we were before seeing you and how far we have come thanks
to you, we would love to do that too. _____ and I have already talked about writing out
the whole story once she is completely better. We want to do anything we can to spread
the word about how there is hope for women with this illness, and how there is an amazing doctor in California who can help.
Posted by Jane Peters on Mar 9, 2009 in
Success Stories When I first met with Matia, it was only after many visits to my urologist and several other “alternative” attempts to solve my bladder problem via books and info on the web. I had all the symptoms of CI… frequent, urgent needs to go to the bathroom, pelvic pain etc. It was like having a reoccurring bladder infection with no way to stop it. It seemed to happen around alcohol, but eventually I would “flare up” 3 or 4 times a month regardless of what I was doing. Sometimes these flares would last 5 – 7 days, and it was miserable. If you are reading this, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
In my opinion, Matia’s approach seems to be “fix the persons body, and the body will fix the specific problem.” It’s a lot of organic powders, and capsules, and in the beginning, a very strict diet. However, it works… not quickly (in most cases), but it works. When I first saw her, my problem had developed into mild IBS as well… however these symptoms stopped immediately with the diet and have never come back. My IC was a different matter. It has taken a couple of years to really get under control, and I still have to be responsible about what I eat/drink, but in that time it was always getting better. It happens so gradually, I remember after a year I was disappointed that I was not completely cured… yet realized how much better things were. IC was taking over my life… and within a year it was a mild inconvenience every so often…. The flare ups were much less annoying and didn’t last as long. Now I have occasional bouts of irritation, but it’s usually a direct result of my diet and never seems to linger for more then a day or two. Plus Matia is always a phone call or email away when you experience discomfort, and usually has a helpful adjustment to solve the short term problem.
It’s a humbling thing to have a “condition” nobody knows what to do about. A condition that effects your social life, sleep patterns, self esteem, anxiety level, ability to concentrate, ability to travel… and generally makes you miserable most of the day and night. My urologist is very well known, and had guided me through some other difficulties, but had no answers for me. I’m only thankful he had the wisdom to recommend Matia, who in a lot of ways, has helped me restore not only my health… but my life.
– S.
Posted by Jane Peters on Mar 9, 2009 in
Success Stories Hello my name is Nadia and I’m 32 yrs old and reside in Seattle. My IC journey of regaining my health began with Matia Brizman, May of 2007. I’m on my last leg of my treatment and continuing to get better, mind, body and spirit.
In the beginning of treatment, I was put on a strict but very health diet with a supplement regimen to restore my healthy balance and ease the pain of my bladder. Within the first month of my treatment, my bladder pain decreased by a good 75%. I was on the first part of the regimen for a good 5 months. It helped get me stable and comfortable into a new way of life of eating and taking care of my body.
Through the months, Matia would tweak my supplement and regimen to be tailored made just for me and to see where my bladder was at every turn. I was able to communicate with her via email if my symptoms seemed to flare up every now and then. She continued patiently and with so much understanding and wisdom in this whole health restoring process. I must say that this is a slow and steady process, getting my health back for me has been an eye opener and continues to show me what my body is saying through my bladder.
There are more good days which continue to get better than there are bad days. If you stick with the treatment plan and respect the process, this is a full proof, guarantee of healing in all areas of your internal organs and it manifests externally. You feel at peace and balanced more and more. If you are patient and remember that time heals all wounds through respecting your body and the physician who knows the path to a better you through her unique treatment plan, than know from someone in her care, that you will be a success story just like me.
I believe that Matia is a God send and without her many people would still be suffering from IC. If you are reading this, as her patient, she is kind, encouraging, supportive and very much a true healer.
Thank you Matia and there’s not enough words to say how much I’m blessed to have met you and continue to be in your care. God has truly given you a gift and perserverance to find more and more ways to heal peoples broken bladders and with hope through the testimonies of lives you touched, people will continue to come for that healing touch.
Sincerely,
Nadia R
Posted by Jane Peters on Oct 4, 2008 in
Success Stories CANADA
CATHERINE
It was a bright, sunshiny day at the lake. My husband and I were at a cottage for a week in August of 1997 and were enjoying our vacation. I felt like I was experiencing a urinary tract infection, but, it was mild, so I drank cranberry juice and soldiered on.
When the symptoms increased, I saw my doctor and had a urine culture and sensitivity done. It came back negative. He put me on a course of antibiotics anyway and I did seem to feel better. The symptoms recurred and more antibiotics were prescribed (I haven’t had them since..). I asked to be referred to a urologist and traveled 1 ½ hours to see him. He catheterized me to investigate and it was pure agony. Why he would do this when I told him how sore I was is beyond me. The ride home was a treat - not! He eventually sent a letter to my family doctor to say I had an ‘irritable bladder’. As this doctor did not look at me once during our conversation and he was deaf in one ear and couldn’t hear out of the other, I was less than impressed.
I asked my G.P. for a second chance with another urologist. Thankfully he agreed. Now, this man was wonderful. He told me right off that he thought it was interstitial cystitis, but, that the only way he could be sure was with a cystoscopy under a general anesthetic. I truly do hate anesthetics, but, wanted answers. I was booked and the procedure proved him correct. This was in April 1998.
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if the western medical profession had closer links to the eastern medical profession?
For that 8 months before diagnosis I suffered terribly with urethral spasms. It got to the point where if I dropped something on the floor, it was agony to bend over to pick it up. Ditto every time I sat down. The urologist gave me a prescription for Buscopam which helped the spasms, but, traveling in a car seemed to set them off. Isn’t that fun?
I was told that Rimso 50 treatments (DMSO) would help my symptoms. I wanted to believe the urologist. I had to believe him. I was desperate. What choice did I have? And so, crazy and maddening as it seems to be typing this, I endured a treatment once a month (sometimes more) for the next 5 years. Being catheterized, having the DMSO instilled in my bladder, and having to hold it there for an agonizing 20 minutes. Oh, I tried telling myself ‘at least it’s not chemo’ and ‘there are people worse off than I am’, but, deep down it was something that had me so upset I dreaded the impending appointments and likened them to a torture chamber.
One evening when I couldn’t start a stream and felt I was about to burst, and was in tears with the pain, my husband took me over to the Emergency Dept. (I phoned to say I was coming - they knew me from being there once a month) so I could be catheterized. It was a 10 on the scale of 1-10 in agony. Just as I arrived they brought in a man on a stretcher that had had a heart attack and he was their priority patient. When he was wheeled by me I thought to myself that he had passed away, but, knew they would try to do all they could. Meanwhile, I paced. I had taken another Buscopam on the way over and went into the washroom and turned the tap on and prayed that I could void, even just a little. I did and went out and told my husband we were going back home. A nurse was chasing me out into the parking lot to say they could help me now, the man was deceased. Bye, bye..
That night I searched the internet. I knew there had to be someone out there who could help me. I don’t know how I found Matia, call it fate, call it my stars all being lined up in a row.. whatever..my life changed from that day on. My first contact with Bomamed was with Jane. She was extremely helpful, insightful, and contacted two other Canadians asking them to e-mail me. One lady did and I was in touch with her to find out her story and we’ve gone back and forth.
What a wonderful woman Matia is! She’s so personable, patient, and caring. Talking to her, you just know that she understands how you are feeling and goes out of her way to help you. I felt like I had been saved! There would be life with IC!
I started on her diet. This program is not for the faint of heart, or to be entered into lightly. Your will power HAS to exceed your breaking point.
The next 6 months of herbs, phone consultations, and dieting was extremely difficult. No, more than extremely difficult. Added to that, I live in Canada and paying in U.S. dollars was expensive with the exchange. FedEx loves me. I paid U.S. FedEx and then had to turn around and pay FedEx Canada as well. I’m expecting a Christmas card from them this year!
It’s been so worth it. What Matia has done for me is give me my life back. I’m off the 4 times a day Buscopam. I haven’t had a DMSO treatment since December 24th, 2003 (Merry Christmas to me in 7 days!) It’s almost my one year anniversary. I haven’t consumed alcohol in about 1½ years, so that will not be part of my celebrations. I have had spasms twice in the past year. Ironically, the last episode was just last Saturday evening. It lasted for 10 hours and was quite bad. I had two Buscopam in that 10 hours and it eased it a bit. I’m hoping these do not rear their ugly head again. I don’t know what set them off, but they have left again.
I haven’t been a saint with my diet since Matia has told me she thinks I’m well on my way to recovery. I’ve been extremely fortunate. I’ve gone through her treatment program quite quickly and with excellent results, but have to take each day as a new beginning.
The only glitch in the cure process was a trip to Mexico in March of this year. Matia told me not to eat any of the vegetables offered at the hotel, even though it was a 5-Star hotel. That week sent me spiraling down into constipation hell. It took me a couple of months to get straightened out again. If I were to do it again, I think I’d rather tempt the fate of the IC gods, and eat the vegetables.
I’ve tried to keep my sense of humour the past 7 years. No one likes a moaner. I named my disease Icabod. It’s ‘icky’ and it’s in my ‘body’. My closest friends will ask me how Icabod is doing and it takes a bit of the sting out of the medical terminology. My husband has been a phenomenal support. I couldn’t have done it without him. He’s stuck by my diet and done it along with me as much as he could stand.
My urologist is very interested in my progress and I’ve told both he and my G.P. to have any of their IC patients call me. Sadly, none have. You have to be a believer…
“My name is Catherine, and I’m a chocoholic”. It’s really hard to stay away from it, even though I know that sugar is ‘white death’. And so, I take it day by day, trying to be strong and on track. I am so thankful to know that Matia is just an e-mail away with my enquiries and concerns. When she was born, God must have decided that he had a special mission for her life. I’m just glad that mine has crossed paths with hers. She’s an angel! Because of her research I have a long life to look forward to now, and I don’t have to dread anymore DMSO! Thank you Matia, from the bottom of my heart!
P.S. Losing the 25 lbs on your diet is a bonus!
GAYLA
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Heal My Body, by Gayla Sanders (Reprinted from an article in Soapboxgirls, and online magazine) - Toronto, Canada
I used to think I was a healthy person. Sure, I drank too much cola and smoked the occasional cigarette, but I had been a vegetarian since the age of sixteen, didn’t eat in fast food restaurants, rarely drank alcohol and generally believed that it was okay to indulge occasionally as long as it was in moderation.
From the age of twenty-three I’d noticed a few odd problems that were all dismissed by my doctor. I had chronic headaches, severe allergies that were getting progressively worse every year, extreme debilitating bouts of vertigo that came on just as mysteriously as they left, and strange rashes and breakouts on my stomach, arms and chest. At times I felt like a bit of a hypochondriac wondering if I was being overly critical about what could be “normal” occurrences due to the aging process. Doctors had no explanation for my problems, and passed them off as “nothing to worry about”. Twenty-three was also the year I stopped taking the birth control pill against my doctor’s advice that the pill was safe. My family physician was at a leading women’s hospital — how could she be wrong about women’s health? Yet I just ‘felt’ that something wasn’t right with my body and I determined that it was time to stop taking the hormones. Seven straight years of altering my body chemistry seemed long enough.
Several years passed, and while I felt that certain problems were increasing exponentially, I did what the doctors said and dismissed them. One day after five months at the most stressful and emotionally and spiritually draining job of my life I took a week’s vacation with my spouse. During the course of the trip mysterious problems developed that seemed to come from nowhere. I had the constant need to urinate, but when I got to a bathroom I couldn’t go. This caused endless problems during the trip since we were traveling around and wanted to see and do things where no bathroom was in sight. I also developed an extremely itchy rash on my legs, arms and stomach that I assumed had been caused by the sun, yet I had been very careful about my sun exposure and had worn a very high sun block.
Upon returning home I went to a new doctor recommended by a friend thinking it was merely a bladder infection (I’d never had one before) and that I just needed a doctor’s confirmation. The doctor did some tests, took my word for it and assigned me a week of antibiotics, which I took against my own better judgment. When the first course made no improvement and my symptoms worsened, I was prescribed a second round. By this time I was in agony. I had a sharp, dull pain in the lower left side of my abdomen, I had the constant need to urinate with no relief, and getting to and from work during a snowstorm was becoming a stress-inducing battle. I tried all the common herbal remedies for bladder infections — which only contributed to worsening my symptoms. I cut out coffee, pop, and all kinds of other junk foods and diuretics with no luck. A second round of antibiotics with no relief proved that something else was going on with my body and I needed to investigate further.
The next 6 months went by very slowly and painfully. I went through a variety of stressful tests until I was eventually recommended to an urologist. During this time, the tests also indicated I had cysts on my ovaries accounting for the sharp pain in my abdomen. After a three month, wait the urologist put me through another series of painful and invasive tests over the course of a few months. During that time, I did a lot of my own research, but without a doctor’s confirmation I just didn’t want to admit that it was as bad as it was. There aren’t a lot of bladder-related problems and I only had symptoms for one ailment — a disease called Interstitial Cystitis. With a name like that it had to be bad and I didn’t want to admit that at 26 years of age I might have a ‘disease’ that doctors knew nothing about and for which the symptoms could potentially be alleviated, but for which there was no cure.
The day I went in for my diagnosis was a memorable turning point. The urologist sat me down in his office and very coldly informed me that while I didn’t have all the symptoms — namely bleeding cysts in my bladder, my bladder capacity was about one third the size of a normal bladder and I probably had Interstitial Cystitis. His course of action was to begin with putting me on a two-month course of antibiotics ‘just to be sure’ there wasn’t any bacteria in my body despite the fact that I had been through extensive testing on several occasions. If that didn’t work he would follow up with a bladder distension (an invasive procedure in which they stretch your bladder with water) and a lifetime prescription of Elmiron® — a drug that alleviates some symptoms in approximately half the people who take it, and which, if it worked, I would be taking for the rest of my life. When I asked the urologist about the safety of taking a two month course of antibiotics his response was, “Don’t you want to get better?” despite the fact that I had already been determined to be infection free and antibiotics had only served to worsen my condition. When I asked about my reduced bladder capacity and what I could do to improve it (I was already dehydrating myself in order to avoid constant bathroom stops), his reply was that I should “drink less water”. Eventually he just got up, walked out without saying a word and never came back — leaving me sitting there wondering what had just happened. The doctor’s office never bothered to call me to schedule a follow-up appointment for any of the procedures he mentioned. They just wrote me off without saying a word.
That day, on my way home, I looked at the antibiotics prescription in my hand and decided that I couldn’t put my body… my life, in the hands of a doctor I didn’t like or even trust. I felt that it wasn’t asking too much that I be allowed to ask basic questions of the person in whom I was counting on to advise me regarding my health without being treated like a disobedient child. Since he was supposed to be the best, I felt it was time to explore other options — I turned to alternative health.
As soon as I got home I called around asking friends if they knew anyone who could recommend a naturopath. I had never considered an alternative health practitioner prior to this for financial reasons. Alternative health care just isn’t covered in my part of the world. However, I decided that paying for good treatment wasn’t a frivolous way to spend my money and it was time to give it a chance. In the end I chose a naturopathic doctor from the phone book who specialized in women’s health. When I first walked into her office I was a mess. I was psychologically and spiritually destroyed because I had also been grieving the very recent deaths of two extremely close friends. The dry winter heat had aggravated my already sensitive skin leaving me with a red, blotchy face. I looked physically toxic (my liver and kidneys were overloaded) and I was emotionally drained and tired from dealing with this disease. Yet that first appointment was amazing because for the first time I had hope that I was doing something about this and that I might get better. I asked questions and she answered them. She was friendly, articulate, compassionate, and most importantly she treated me as an equal and as an intelligent adult who had a right to be engaged in a dialogue regarding my own health. I was astounded. I had never experienced this with an MD.
I stayed with this naturopath for well over a year. Her help was vital in my healing but it wasn’t enough. She helped me gain a better understanding of why this had happened to me. She helped alleviate a lot of my secondary symptoms and lead me on the path to a better understanding what I needed to do to get better. However, in the end I realized that I had come as far as I could with her leading the way. She didn’t have an understanding of exactly what was wrong with me and what needed to be done to overcome it. And I was so sensitive to everything. I can understand how frustrating this disease can be for someone who is treating it. Sometimes the symptoms seem irrational and appear to happen for no reason. In one second I would turn from bad to worse. The biggest problem had manifested itself in the bladder, but that wasn’t where it started. My whole body was messed up.
January 2001 marked my second anniversary with I.C. I was really tired and distraught about what my next course of action was going to be. I was determined that this year I would get better. But I didn’t know what to do. I’d had allergy and sensitivity tests yet I knew I was still eating things that were making me react. I couldn’t travel down the street without prepping myself, let alone getting out of the city. I felt like a 27 year old stuck in the body of an 80 year-old woman. I was tired of turning down invitations to go on trips, visit friends who lived across town or stressing over simple things that most people take for granted such as sitting through a business meeting. I was tired of focusing on the pain in my bladder and organizing my day around my good times and bad times (I was always better in the late date than the morning). I was tired of keeping a mental map of what routes in the city were most ‘public bathroom friendly’. I had bathrooms systemically categorized and cross-referenced in my head according to quality (is the bathroom clean or disgusting?), accessibility (is the bathroom free or do I need to make a purchase?), quantity (will I have to wait in line or are there multiple stalls?) and location (how far is it to the next bathroom, is it on route to where I’m going?). Trivial information such as this became vital in keeping my sanity intact.
A friend alerted me to a book she was reading called “Eating Alive” by Dr. Jonn Matsen N.D. In basic terms his book follows the premise that disease starts with inefficient digestion. Over the last few years I had learned to pay attention to my body. I knew that my I.C symptoms were greatly influenced by what I ate, and I knew I had serious digestive problems. On my first trip to the family physician two years prior, I mentioned that everything I ate made me sick to my stomach and that I was bloated all the time regardless of what I ate or how much I ate. She insisted that I was a vegetarian and that I just “ate a lot of beans”, despite the fact that I had been a vegetarian for over 10 years and had never had this problem. I read Dr. Matsen’s book and his follow up “The Secrets to Good Health”. Both of these books do an excellent job of explaining how our entire body functions in coordination with our digestive processes. I followed the diet he lays out with my own modifications based on known sensitivities, and I started taking supplements to improve my liver health and to remove yeast and toxins from my body. After the first three months I felt a definite improvement in my physical well-being but I still had all kinds of I.C symptoms. Again I had reached a plateau where I felt I had come a long way but I needed some guidance to take me further.
At five months I found BOMA-MED from an interview with co-founder Matia Brizman D.Ac., L.Ac. about her practice and how she treats Interstitial Cystitis. I liked what she had to say about I.C., and how she thought people came to this disease. It followed along with my own theories, and made me feel assured that I could trust my care in her hands. She works from L.A. but because she takes long distance patients I was able to begin treatment. The first thing she did was alter my already limited diet significantly. I was shocked when she listed off the things I was still eating that were irritating to the I.C patient. Things that I knew to be healthy, and are to most people, were doing me more harm than good. Matia treats every patient uniquely, which is a relief since we are all different and came to I.C. in different ways.
I have been in treatment under Matia for seven months and I still have I.C. It took me 28 years to get to this stage, so I imagine it will take my body quite some time to improve. I know that I will be better eventually. The results in the last seven months have been astounding. Almost every single symptom is gone except for the bladder problems. They have basically left in the order they arrived. There was a time when I couldn’t lay flat or turn my head in a certain position or the world would frantically spin like a nightmare merry-go-round. That is completely gone. My allergies have also cleared up. In the past, the month of August was a write-off due to extreme allergy symptoms that left me weak and broken down. I went through this past August with almost no symptoms AT ALL! I can vacuum the rug without breaking out into a fit of sneezing, hacking and itching. My bladder has been a lot better. I went on a short trip in a car outside the city – something I never would have done before. I still have bad days, but I usually know now when something makes me sick whereas in the past it was a frustrating mystery. My sensitivity has decreased. I no longer react in a heartbeat.
It isn’t all sunshine and roses. I have to maintain incredible will power in order to keep to the diet. I am not allowed to eat anything sweet – sugar aggravates I.C. symptoms and that includes fruit and sweet veggies such as carrots or beets. The list of foods I can’t eat is much greater than the list of foods I can – making eating outside the home an impossible task. That combined with no alcohol makes socializing difficult. So much of our social world revolves around food and drink and the habits we form around them. Avoiding them within a social context is a test I try to avoid. Stress still sets me off so I have to be careful at all times to avoid stressful situations and force myself to take it easy and relax as often as possible. I am extremely sensitive to the sun and have to be careful to avoid too much exposure to it. My whole world revolves around my health right now. It comes first and foremost before everything – a self-consciousness that is necessary, but difficult to maintain.
As cheesy as it sounds, I can see the positive side to all of this although I’d rather not have gained my insights through such extreme experiences. I have obtained a knowledge of self and the workings of my body that few ever experience. I am hyper aware of my body and have come to trust my actions in doing what it needs. I have gained a hyper-sensitivity to smell that is both incredible and annoying simultaneously. Although I am still ill I feel I am actually in my physical prime and it is growing exponentially. I have been forced to concentrate on my physical self in a healthy way that is separate from vanity and appearance. Most importantly I will never make the same uninformed mistakes, and I will never be allowed to deny when something is wrong with my body because I’ve been through something that will always keep me focused and my actions regarding my body in check.
**The disclaimer part. I have only begun to scratch the surface regarding any of the topics discussed and I am not a certified health practitioner. These are merely my own personal experiences. It is important that if you have a health concern that you talk to a reliable, certified health practitioner.
U.K.
JENNY
Dear Jane,
I wrote to you a few months ago asking for advice on IC, not knowing where else to turn to. You very kindly replied immediately and answered all my queries regarding Matia. You also put me in touch with two other patients who live in the UK too, and am now in regular touch with.
This is really just an update to tell you how I’m doing. After broth culture tests sent to US came back positive, I contacted Matia and have now been treated by her for approx 6 weeks. I can only describe my rapid improvement as just short of a miracle. Whilst I have the odd ‘burn’ type feeling, most days I’m completely symptom free. I stick rigidly to the diet and medications, and feel life is worth living again. Perhaps I’ll have set backs, as I’ve been told, but my overall health is just so much better!
I wanted to send you my very sincerest thanks for taking the time to respond, and reassuring me that I was indeed doing the right thing in taking that first step.
I hope you are continuing your good health and keep reaching out to others - it brings hope where there was none, and is so much appreciated.
With very best wishes
ANONYMOUS
14 mths ago I made the trip to LA from the UK. I’d suffered from numerous UTI’s over the last 20 years and developed symptoms known as IC about 2 years ago.
I was in constant pain and tied to the bathroom. I rejected investigative procedures from urologists and decided to embark on Matia’s program.
The treatment process was far from easy. Months of yo-yoing up and down, a good day here, to then have a bad few. The anxiety of whether this would really work for me, or whether I was beyond Matias program. I was tempted at times to call my Dr and beg to be pumped full of painkillers. I kept a diary of good days (hours too!) and bad, to try and find a pattern. Any question Matia had for me, I could answer in great detail.
About 6 months ago I noticed when Matia asked me specific questions (urine flow/colour etc), I had to admit that I hadn’t taken note, and had actually forgotten.
Fast forward to my appointment last week and I spent most of it discussing how to deal with the pressures of my new job. There was little mention of IC.
I don’t often think of my bladder now. I ride horses for a living (having given it up due to IC), something not exactly suited to an IC sufferer! I am no longer a victim but someone who has taken back their life, and a much healthier one.
My advice is to stick to the diet religiously (it will save you from other more life threatening dis-eases in the process) and take the recommended pills/herbs seriously. Try (although hard) to remain positive that you will get better and remember that having been made aware of Dr Matia Brizman you are one of the lucky ones.
U.K. and BRUNEI
PAM
I have been a long distance patient of Matia’s for nearly two years.
Previously I had followed the usual Western medications and theories on IC the reasons for its development and supposed cures. However I knew deep down that the answer lay somewhere else and I began searching the Internet and reading as much as possible about IC. Through this searching I came across an interview Matia had given and her approach to IC.
Up until this stage in my life I had never really thought much about alternative medicine. In fact I never thought much about medicine at all. I have always been very healthy, a vegetarian for over 20 years and an aerobic instructor. However I had little faith in the medication I was taking and was desperate to get well. So the very next day I made the most important call in my life to Matia.
I was bowled over by her understanding of IC. The way I felt, the fear, the confusion and the isolation. Matia explained the treatment and the diet. She also gave me the address of Jane and Alison’s website. I was inspired when I read about patients who were symptom free and living life to the full. I was determined to be well. And so I embarked on my treatment with Matia.
I remember one of Matia’s first e-mails to me. Her words were “We will do this together”. She has been with me every step of the way. Even the times when I would doubt that I could be well again. “Hang in there, it will be alright” these were the words I read and reread.
It was a long road for me to travel but today I really feel I am there. I have very few days where I even think about my bladder. I am still fairly careful with my diet, but that really isn’t a hardship. I eat very healthily and am slowly introducing new foods. This year I have traveled extensively, something I wouldn’t have believed possible a few years ago.
For anyone contemplating treatment as a long-distance patient can I dispel any doubts you may have. I was living in Borneo when I first started treatment with Matia (I have only just returned to the U.K.). Matia and I used to joke I would win the long distance award.
I hope my story gives hope to those of you who are suffering from this awful disease.
You too can get to where I am today.
Tags: Overseas, Success Stories