How I Healed My IC

I went through a detailed overview of how I developed IC, my diagnosis, and treatments I have used in the previous posts. Here's the short overview: I started having IC symptoms in Nov. 2009. My most major symptom was pelvic pain. I was in extreme pain 24/7. Urgency, frequency, and painful sex were other symptoms. Some things like certain foods & beverages, sex, stress, pms, would make my symptoms worse. I was diagnosed with a potassium sensitivity test, and then a cystoscopy with hydrodistension a couple months later. When I was first diagnosed with IC, I was depressed, miserable, in extreme pain, alone, scared, lost, confused, helpless, hopeless...the list could go on and on. The pain was so overwhelming at times that I couldn't do anything but lie in bed. As a result, I had a very depressed, limited life. The doctors couldn't tell me anything or do anything for me. I went from doctor to urologist to specialist, and tried every drug, procedure and treatment they suggested. And all I got was more pain, more frustration, more disappointment, and more sadness. And I realize now that was because I was treating my problems the wrong way. What was wrong with me? No one knew. The doctors did not know the cause, so how could they possibly know the cure? You need to know the source of the problem to be able to stop it from occurring. I was trying to put a band-aid on my IC. But there was no band-aid big enough to fit this problem. I needed to figure out what was causing my IC so that I could fight it properly, from the inside out.

I was told that I would have IC for the rest of my life. I was told that I would have to live with it forever and just learn how to "manage" a life with IC. And living that kind of life was pure hell. I was constantly suffering in the prison that was my body. It was this point in my life that I decided to start looking at alternative methods to healing IC. I was tired of constantly being hurt, neglected, or let down by doctors. I was putting the responsibility of my health in someone else’s hands. Surprisingly, 70% of diseases are caused by lifestyle choices (Source: Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead documentary). I realized that I needed to look at my lifestyle. I needed to take my health into my own hands. It was time for me to stop, listen to my body, and find out what was really wrong with me so I could figure out what to do about it.

Not only did I have IC, but I was falling apart. On top of the countless IC symptoms, I had developed digestion issues: eosinophilic esophagitis, GERD (Acid Reflux), heartburn, bloating, etc. My immune system was weak, I was loosing weight fast because I couldn't eat anything and my allergies became extreme. I also developed a lactose intolerance. It was like my body was self-destructing. Sound familiar? This is so common with others who have IC. The similar symptoms may differ a bit, but overall, we experience some sort of weaken immune system, with digestion issues and low tolerances for things. IBS, fibromyalgia, etc. There must be some connection, right? It can't all be blamed on the bladder wall breaking down. What is causing it to break down? Plus, I've heard countless stories of IC patients removing their bladders and still experiencing IC symptoms. I believe a person with IC has a sick body, not a sick bladder. My whole body was breaking down. So it was time for me to stop looking at just my bladder and start looking at the bigger picture. Something was wrong inside of my body that was causing all of these problems. And I was determined to figure it out and stop the pain.

So, I started looking into alternative therapies and natural supplements. I started teaching myself about the body and I read countless books and articles. I started making small changes in my life. I wanted to rid myself of all the toxins in my body. I didn't know what was wrong with me, (I still don't know for certain, but I have a much better understanding), but I knew that I felt like I had a toxic body. It almost felt like there was acid boiling inside of me.

The logical first step for me was to remove all the chemicals and toxins from my body. So I switched to all natural products. I wanted everything that touched my body or went inside of me to be natural, organic, and chemical-free. Yeah, it might have been a little more expensive, but I made the sacrifice, because my health and happiness is worth it. I started taking probiotics to help with my digestive issues. I took CystaQ to help with my bladder. I started drinking caffeine-free herbal teas for the medicinal benefits: marshmallow root, peppermint, chamomile. I started doing yoga to calm my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pain. (Oh man, yoga is awesome! I love yoga. It helped me so much and still continues to do so to this day. It is a complete mind & body workout and great for detoxing & stress-relief.)

After doing all of these things, there was still a missing link. I felt better, but my pain was still there. It was then that I finally took a look at my diet and the connection of IC, nutrition, and chronic disease. I knew of the IC Diet and followed it pretty strictly. It seemed to help me somewhat, but I wasn't pain-free. I had always thought of myself as a healthy eater. I have been a vegetarian for 5 years now. And I never really used to eat junk food. I did a lot when I was younger, but only a little bit here and there now. I cut out coffee and soda a while back because I developed a low tolerance for caffeine. :( I used to drink coffee all the time (not soda as much, I was just never really into it), but then one day, it just made me sick, nauseous, and too jittery. It sucked, but I got over it. If it wasn't good for me, then good riddance, right? I still ate dairy. My diet mainly consisted of processed foods, quick dinners, dairy, sugars, and grains. Sometimes fruits and vegetables. Looking back, I see now that I wasn't a very healthy vegetarian. But I thought that was healthy! I wasn't educated in nutrition, and my health suffered.

That was the missing link. Once I learned about nutrition, I realized how important it really is. I was never taught these things, so how was I supposed to know? I grew up on the Standard American Diet (SAD) and so did everyone else I know. And they were fine and healthy, right? Besides the climbing obesity rates, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer, of course. I learned that you can prevent most of these conditions, including chronic diseases like IC, through a healthy diet. It seems so simple, and yet, it is a very hard thing to do correctly.

I discovered the acid-alkaline diet and learned that my problems were most likely due to acidosis in my body - eating too much sugars, grains, yeast, processed foods, preservatives, chemicals, and unnatural ingredients. There are acid vs alkaline foods and if you eat too much acidic foods and not enough alkaline foods, acidosis takes over your body, causing disease. Too much of the "bad" and little to none of the "good". It literally felt like acid was eating away my insides sometimes, so this theory made sense to me.

I also learned about yeast candida and the IC connection. My IC started when I got a UTI, treated it with antibiotics, then got a yeast infection. When that cleared up, my UTI symptoms were still present (but with no bacteria this time), hence I was diagnosed with IC. Your body is susceptible to yeast overgrowth when you take antibiotics, eat lots of sugar, yeast, and acidic foods, and/or take birth control pills. This yeast overgrowth can cause things like PMS, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. The yeast fighting program is pretty similar to how I approached my IC healing.

I discovered a woman online who made youtube videos of how she had cured herself of IC with natural methods. She taught me a lot. She healed her IC with a raw food diet. A raw food diet is basically a more extreme plant-based diet, in which you mainly eat uncooked vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Some may think of this as a little extreme, but it makes sense. When you cook foods, they loose a lot of nutrients. And I had such a sick body that needed all the nutrients it could get. So I loaded up on raw fruits and vegetables and nothing else, to nourish my body, detoxify, and regenerate. I was desperate to try anything. I was in so much pain that maybe I needed something extreme to heal me. Anyway, I jumped head-first into a raw food diet. And guess what? It worked.

I was already a vegetarian, so cutting out meat was easy. I cut out all beverages except for water and my caffeine-free herbal tea. I cut out all processed and packaged food - if it came in a box, can, or plastic, I wouldn't eat it. I had already cut out dairy a couple months ago due to my lactose intolerance, so that was easy. It sucked, but I learned how to adapt (you always do). The hard ones to cut out for me were sugar, grains, and bread! Man, how I loved my bread and sweets! So at this point, my diet mainly consisted of IC-safe vegetables and some fruits. I started small by making green smoothies every morning for breakfast. Then I'd have a big salad (no dressing) for lunch and some veggies and homemade dip (ie hummus) for dinner. I began to get more creative as time went on, making more extravagant and filling raw food dishes. My pain went away almost immediately. Within a couple of days, my chronic pain levels went from being a Level 7-9 to a Level 1-3. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. I was so accustomed to pain that feeling pain-free was so foreign to me!

So obviously, I continued on this diet, and I slowly began to notice all my other symptoms disappear too. Suddenly, I was happier, pain-free, more energetic than ever. My stomach was working better and my immune system was strengthening. My skin looked healthier, I was sleeping better, my mind felt clearer, and I was gaining weight (I didn't look like a sick skeleton anymore! For those who need to loose weight, this diet will also do that to you. It will balance you out to your healthy weight.) There were still some days when I would fall off the wagon and I would pay for it. But that's how I knew what I was doing was working. I could literally feel the difference in my body when I would eat something alkaline as opposed to when I would eat something acidic. I finally understood how to read my body and diagnose what could have caused a certain symptom. At this point, I still felt like I had IC, but I could feel myself healing and my body getting stronger.

I was feeling strong enough that I started adding new foods to my diet, testing them out to see if I had any reaction to them. There's really no set time you can start doing this, all I can say is that you'll know when you're ready. Take it slow. You need to allow your body time to heal first. I started by adding in fruits and vegetables that were not considered IC-safe. Oh, how delicious an apple tasted after not eating one for over a year! I tried so many new fruits & veggies, all with good luck. I wasn't afraid of food anymore! I had chocolate, spices, and even wine. :)

Now that I am feeling better, I am becoming more creative with my diet. I still try to focus on maintaining a raw food diet because that's when I feel the healthiest. I'm not sure if my problems would come back if I were to go back to my old ways, but I have no desire to find out. I am enjoying this newfound health! And I crave fresh fruits & veggies now. My taste buds have changed. I started off with the goal of healing and I got so much more. Happiness. Energy. Healthy skin. Healthy weight. Pain free. No more health issues.

I don't really like calling it a diet because that makes it sound restrictive. It is more like a lifestyle change. And I don't think simply changing my diet is what helped me. It was definitely a combination of things, shifting to a healthier lifestyle. Changing my diet really helped me detoxify my sick body and regenerate my cells. Your body has a natural ability to heal itself. When you fall and cut yourself, your skin generates a scab and slowly heals itself. If you provide your body with the right nutrients and stop poisoning it with acid things, it will heal itself on the inside, too. This is why eating healthy is so dang good for you. I also believe the herbs, supplements, yoga, and positive attitude really helped. And I made sure I got plenty of sunshine for Vitamin D, I eliminated negative people and stress from my life, drank lots of water, and took care of myself. I'm not a very religious person, but I stumbled upon this the other day, and found some good truth in it. God's 8 Law of Natural Health include: Nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance (self-control), air, rest, and trust (in yourself, a spiritual/higher power, and the nature of healing). You need to incorporate all the different levels to find true health.

A plant-based diet is essential to good health. I just watched a fantastic documentary called Forks Over Knives that taught me a lot about food, nutrition, and how bad nutrition causes so many different chronic illnesses. I strongly urge you to watch it. Many other people have overcome a variety of chronic diseases, including cancer, with a plant-based diet (this is proven in the movie). This just confirms my belief that food is medicine. Hippocrates was right.

“Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be food.”

Diet & nutrition is a powerful thing that does not get enough credit at all. I notice that when I eat more foods that are alive, I feel more alive. This is why I choose not to eat dead foods, like meat or dairy. I feel much better and healthier without them.

I just returned from a 3 week trip to Bali, Indonesia and Thailand. I was pretty nervous going into it, thinking that all of the crazy food was for sure going to send me into a terrible flare. But I was pleasantly surprised. I got really brave and sampled a lot of new dishes. I mostly stuck to fried rice or noodles, with veggies, tofu, or tempeh. I tried many different sauces, all kinds of fruit, and even oranges! I had the local beer, rice wine, and even vodka. And I experienced very minimal IC symptoms. So, I feel as if I can say now with certainty that I am IC-free. Because I can do all of the things I used to - eat, drink, have sex, and be merry - all without pain. I finally made it. I couldn't have done this a couple of months or a year ago. It took me a long time, a lot of work, and a lot of healing to get to this point. But I finally made it.

I wouldn't say I'm completely "cured". I feel myself experiencing minimal symptoms from time to time and I can usually figure out why and correct it. But I feel like I finally have control over something that used to rule my life. And I barely even notice it's there anymore.

So I encourage you to GET YOUR GREENS ON! It changed my life and many others. And it won't hurt to try. :) Research, read, watch videos, expand your knowledge, get down to the bottom of what is causing your IC. Is it lifestyle choices?

If you have any questions about anything at all, do not hesitate to contact me. I am here to help you in this healing journey. Also, come join our group on Facebook, Healing Interstitial Cystitis Naturally.