I Once was Blind, But Now, IC

I think that it is important to say to anyone who has been just diagnosed with IC and is now desperately searching for help that there is definitely hope. You have come to the right place and I assure you that Matia Brizman can and will help you.

I was diagnosed with IC on February 14th (Valentine’s Day) of 2003, almost a year ago. At that point I was in so much pain and under so much emotional duress that I was actually hoping to be diagnosed with IC. I wanted an end to all of this agony. It had been almost seven moths since the initial onset of pain and as many of you know often diagnosing IC can be a long and torturous journey. The pain began for me as what seemed to be a normal cystitis or bladder infection brought on by sexual intercourse with a new partner. Seemed normal enough. Stupidly I had antibiotics at home and began treating my self-diagnosed infection. The antibiotics provided no relief and in fact seemed to be aggravating the pain and making the frequency and feelings of urgency get worse. I had constant burning, and a terrible pinching pain that was absolutely unbearable. My pain was so bad that it eventually led me to the emergency room in New York where I was living at the time. In the ER I was tested officially for a bladder infection or a UTI both of which came out negative, a result that is apparently very typical of IC. They switched my antibiotics and then began testing me for STDs, none of which I had.

During the next six months I saw over seven doctors everything from urologists, gynecologists, neurologists, and even two old school Chinese doctors. I had been poked, prodded, and in the case of one of the Chinese doctors, even stepped on to increase circulation to my bladder. I tried everything. I had been told that is was possibly MS or even endometriosis, both of which terrified me in their impact on my future. I spent every waking hour consumed with fear. Fear of what it might be and even more afraid that there seemed to be no end to the pain in sight.

I was fortunate in that the IC did not interfere with my sleeping which was my only reprieve. The pain for me would begin every morning after my first urination and would not abate again until I was once again asleep. I ran the gamut in medications and tried antibiotics, anti-depressants, nerve drugs, etc… My symptoms were constantly changing and at one point even included tingling in my hands and feel and severe pain in my back. Trying to track my ever changing pain made doctors look at me like I was crazy; which truly I was beginning to feel like. In fact many said that I was experiencing a psychosomatic pain brought on by stress. Matia is the first doctor to really understand that the pain from IC is very real!! It takes over your life both physically and emotionally.

By February, I had done so much of my own research that I was now convinced that I had either IC or endometriosis. My family, who now at 26 years old, I was living with, was also at their wits end. My dad( a doctor) too was crazed by this puzzling ailment. So on February 14th I convinced two doctors in San Diego where my dad used to practice to do both a cystoscopy and a laparoscopy and finally get to the bottom of this. I was sure that they would find something, they were certain that nothing was there.

“Ha” I thought when I finally awoke. “I was RIGHT!” They had found the tiny tears in my bladder, which though a mild case, was an indication that I did in fact have IC. Oh what a relief I could now cure it. Well the news that I was then faced with was devastating. “There is no cure” my doctor said, “only treatments”. Oh God, I was so depressed. Here I was twenty-six years old, single, on Valentine’s Day thinking that I now had a life ahead of me full of treatments that may or may not alleviate my pain. I was destined to a life alone without sex. All I could think of was how unfair. One day you are fine and healthy and now my whole life was different. Nothing about this seemed like good news.

I myself refused all conventional treatment, feeling in my gut that there must be some alternative. Something that comes on that suddenly must have a way of being reversed and cured. In truth I have always had some mistrust of traditional medicine and at this point 7 months and 8 doctors later I really was not feeling much faith.

The Internet for months had been where I spent most of my waking hours investigating and researching my pain that now I turned to it once again. I typed in “recovery and IC” and only one place and one name appeared. It led me to this website where I found stories so similar to mine. Unlike the other stories that I came across on the Internet all of these stories were success stories.

I called immediately and began the next stage of my journey, recovering my health. The moment I met Matia I felt assured that I was in the right place. She asked me everything about my medical, emotional, sexual, history. I finally felt heard. I began to understand why I got IC. IC happens differently in each person, which is why it is such a difficult disorder for traditional medicine to diagnose and treat since you must treat the individual and their set of symptoms. My IC was triggered by an herbal supplement, Lysine that I took in excess for several years. Whatever it is that began your particular bout of IC I assure you that Matia will unravel the puzzle.

After my initial visit with Matia I began to feel relief within a week and for me within six months I was symptom free and have now been that way for almost four months. Symptom free!!

I can now say that in many ways IC was a huge gift to my life. It opened my eyes to how I was treating my body and has forced me to take a closer look at my emotions and health. Matia has not just treated my IC but has helped to make me healthier in every aspect of my life. I also have to thank IC for the other changes that came about as a result of my diagnosis. I have moved closer to my family and am now in my first really healthy relationship of my life. This Valentines Day will certainly be a lot different.