Some IC News

First I have to get something out of the way, Brrrrrrrrr . . . . . .! Snow is especially beautiful as it sparkles and shines in the sunlight, but I am going to be so happy to have the warm weather back again!

This blog is going to cover some "newsy" things, and I'm going to talk about some health-related things which I've personally had much success with so far! To start, we had our first Interstitial Cystitis (IC) awareness event this past weekend, a health fair at one of the local malls. Despite the fact that the media was warning everyone to stay home because of the weather, which included heavy snowfall, there were still many who braved the weather. So, here's our stats: For those who came to our booth, we found that 83% had never heard of IC. Of the 17% who had heard of IC, a third of those were already diagnosed, and the others were either in the nursing profession or had friends with IC. Of all the people who took the PUF questionnaire, 50% had scores (and accompanying symptoms) which suggested that they get further testing for IC, with 67% of those being very symptomatic. WOW! Although our sampling size was small, it did show a correlation with the medical research which suggests that a higher number of individuals have IC than previously thought.

It's SO important to have even mild symptoms checked out, as early diagnosis and treatment leads to a much more favorable prognosis! Historically it took years and several doctors for IC to finally be diagnosed. By then the IC may have been more advanced and more difficult to treat. So PLEASE, even though no one wants to hear they might have this chronic condition, it may save you years of suffering by learning early that you might have a bladder that is susceptible to becoming problematic over time.

We are all VERY excited as this week our local CBS affiliate will be interviewing a member of our support group as she tells her personal story of living with IC. We are hoping this brings much needed awareness to our community. It is our hope that as this awareness continues, we can raise more money for research and ultimately find an answer that will bring relief to this (at times) very painful condition.

Okay, some personal news. As I mentioned in my last blog, I've committed to a program of study in holistic nutrition. It's been fascinating so far to learn about the biology of food and how it works once we put it into our bodies (really!). So much of what we eat and how we eat in our "normal" American diets is really not in the best interest of our bodies (but I'll save that for another blog). I started on an alkaline diet about a month ago, after reading about the unhealthy high acidic diets that we eat. And guess what? Acidic foods are what IC'ers are told to avoid eating! Hmmmm, coincidence? I doubt it. So I thought, food is an easy way to try to improve the health of my bladder without putting any harsh chemicals, or unknown herbs into my body. What can it hurt to try as long as I'm make sure that I'm getting ALL the nutrition my body needs? Well, a month later, I'm here to report that I'm feeling GREAT! I have had NO symptoms related to my bladder in relation to what I eat, and the occasional twinge of pain that I get is correlated with physical activity. Exercising or lack of rest does continue to bring on some mild pain which lasts for a few hours, but I have noticed that even that pain is less intense. I'm hopeful that after a few months, this will also improve. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for staying with me -- this has been a long post. I hope you too can experience wellness. Continue to pursue it, learn what works for others, research healthy living and be open to new (and valid) ways of living healthy!