Catherine's Story: Relief from Interstitial Cystitis

Catherine Medina is a fashion blogger in Utah who has been living with Interstitial Cystisis for 4 years. She writes the blog CatherineintheCity.com. She manages her daily symptoms with Charlotte's Web CBD oil, Desert Harvest Aloe Vera pills, and Azo, and her travel tips with IC. I don't know if she is healed though.

Here is her story: 

Interstitial Cystitis is a painful bladder disease. It has a variety of different symptoms and there is no cure. There are many different treatment options but very few of them actually work. It can be a nightmare trying to figure out what works for your body. I would always hear about a new treatment I had not tried, get my hopes up, and then be disappointed when it didn’t work.

I have been living with Interstitial Cystitis for about four years. Before I was diagnosed I went to the doctor eight times within one year thinking I had a bladder infection. The urine analysis always came back as negative but the doctors started me on antibiotics anyway.

A doctor looked at my chart and realized that I had been in a lot for a suspected bladder infection. She suggested I go to a specialist because she thought I might have Interstitial Cystitis. She was correct!

After being diagnosed I tried the hydrodistension procedure and it worked great the first time. I had no symptoms for about seven months. I then went and did it again and it didn’t work as good. I did it a third time and it did not work at all.

I feel like this disease gets smarter and starts to outsmart the treatments. This is why I mix up my remedies. I have found that it works great for me. I mostly deal with pain, burning, and fatigue.

Here are the remedies I have found to relieve the pain:

1. Charlotte’s Web CBD Oil 

I use the “plus” one and it works like a charm. I take it like I would take an Advil. If I feel pain coming on, I just put some under my tongue, swallow, and wait for it to kick it. After about an hour I have no symptoms. It is seriously the modern day snake oil that actually works!

2.Desert Harvest Super Strength Organic Aloe Vera Supplements 

This supplement provides a lot of relief as well. Sometimes I can feel the aloe vera working because my bladder has a cooling sensation. I also like the fact that it is a natural supplement and not harmful to my body.

3. AZO Maximum Strength Urinary Pain Relief 

This product is my last resort just because I used to take it almost every day and it is harsh on your liver. I still take it though if I have been using the other two methods too frequently. It definitely gets the job done.

4. Exercise!

I know this sounds a little strange because why would anyone want to work out when they are in pain, however it actually really helps me to get my body moving. Adding stretching in is also important. Yoga is great for IC!