To Wake in Tears: Understanding Interstitial Cystitis [Paperback]

As an IC sufferer this book is an invaluable reference book. The down to earth way the book is written is excellent and it is an excellent place to start research into this debilitating disease. It gave me hope that there is a way out of the hell that is IC.

This is an invaluable book for all those plagued by this painful disease. The author suffered immense pain and discomfort for three years and in my view it was a tremendous feat to fight her way back to total health and write three books on this disease - interstitial cystitis - in order to help us others to regain our health, too.

I have learnt much from this book that I'm sure I would never have discovered elsewhere. Who could have known that "pelvic pain", as the author terms it, had anything to do with interstitial cystitis? - I personally was planning to consult a chiropractor to help me with the complaint, and would have done so had I had the means to do so. She also talks a lot about gum problems, which apparently are also connected to IC and I have also been plagued by these. And I found out that the vaginal burning I have had that the doctor dismissed as non-existent because she couldn't see it has to do with vulvodynia, which often accompanies interstitial cystitis. Information is a wonderful thing!

But the No. 1 lifesaver for us IC sufferers is marshmallow root tea. A cup of this should be drunk with every meal, and it will soothe and heal the bladder. It is a miracle tea, in my view. After a night where I couldn't even think of lying down to try and sleep, I went out immediately the shops opened and was so lucky to find the tea in one of the local health food shops.

The book begins with a detailed description of the nightmare of pain experienced by the author. I'm grateful it never got that bad for me. But the worst the author experienced was at the hands of the doctors and the medical system as a whole: they didn't accept that she was ill and suffering since they couldn't find any bacteria, and she couldn't get anything for the pain because "there's nothing really wrong with you". They told her it was an emotional problem. And their invasive medical procedures vastly increased her pain.

It may be noted that Catherine's symptoms first occurred subsequent to an operation to remove a cyst.

IC is a chronic inflammation of the bladder wall. Symptoms include "extreme urinary frequency, urgency and pain". It may be practically impossible to empty the bladder. There is no known cure for the disease.

Catherine's story is distressing and depressing, even more so for the reader who is herself in pain. But it is invaluable to hear C`s whole story in order to understand the nature and extent of the various symptoms, so that we better can understand our own symptoms.

She was/is lucky to have a loving, understanding and supportive husband. Not everyone has.

Catherine discusses the various possible causes of IC. It is generally regarded as an auto-immune disorder by all those doctors who at all accept that the disease actually exists. And this certainly makes sense in my case, since I have an impressive array of other auto-immune disorders, in fact only auto-immune disorders. However, according to C theories exist that it is a connective tissue disease or an allergic reaction. There are also various other theories. A systemic Candida infection may be involved.

C's basic conclusion is that IC is not just a bladder disease.

C reviews the various (painful) medical treatments, though she does not include the full IC diet, the basics of which are "no alcohol, nothing spicy, no caffeine, no chocolate, no carbonated beverages, no citrus, no MSG, no artificial sweeteners ..., nothing acidic like tomatoes, vinegar or lemon juice". I never take most of this, anyway, since my diet was already reduced before I got IC, or at least before I realized it was IC.

After reading C's suggestions I also cut out tomatoes, vinegar and lemon juice (for me, beginning to eat goat's cheese seemed absolutely to trigger a worsening of the complaint, so obviously I cut out this too). The spices I include in my main meals did not affect my condition for the worse - on the contrary I felt they helped. And C does stress that we must listen to our body and learn from experience, since we are all different as regards what foods we can or cannot tolerate.

For example, I add a large pinch of cayenne pepper to my meals. Other sources confirm that this can be of help to IC patients.

C stresses that homeopathic drops can be exceedingly harmful to IC sufferers, who are extremely sensitive. And it is true that I had had complete control over my IC such that I had no bother with it at all, until a therapist prescribed me homeopathic drops for my bladder problems due to MS. Then my IC really got bad, and though I quickly stopped taking the drops, I never got rid of these severe IC symptoms, until, that is, I found marshmallow root tea, and also further restricted my diet.

An important detail mentioned in the book is that a Dr. Fugazzatto, by using an advanced culturing technique, found bacteria in the urine of IC patients (whereas the distinguishing characteristic of IC is generally stated to be the absence of such in the urine/bladder).

This book is filled with exciting facts and theories about the factors involved in IC. Chapters include "Alternatives you can try at home", "Physical coping tips", "Emotional coping tips" and "Taking your power back". This is definitely an essential book on how to overcome IC.

Now I'm focusing on getting hold of the author's other two books on the subject, especially the third one about the mind/body/spirit connection. In the meantime I absolutely feel that my IC symptoms are under control and I am being healed.