IC Disease

I have been dieting since August and I first started with the Nutrisystem program.  I spent $600 and lost 10 pounds in two months.  That program got to be too expensive so I had to give it up.  I switched to the Alli weight loss program since I have family members who are having success with that method and I have lost 7 pounds in a few weeks.  Wow - what a difference!  I am eating 600 calories more a day than I was on Nutrisystem, have more of a variety of food to eat, and I am losing weight much faster. 

The only down side to Alli is that you can experience side effects, or “treatment effects”, if you eat too much fat.  Other than that it seems to be a pretty simple plan to follow. 

Here’s the recap from this weeks posts on Fighting Fatigue.   If you know anyone who has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, please send them to my website!  I have almost three years worth of information there on these illnesses. 

The CDC Gets Is Still Playing Games With ME/CFS Research Money

What’s the old saying?  A leopard never changes its spots?  Read about how the CDC is still pulling the same crap with ME/CFS research money as they did 10 years ago.

Fibromyalgia and IBS Around the Web

This post includes all of the latest information available around the web on Fibromyalgia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Blood Test & Virus Diagnosis for CFS Coming Soon

Exciting news for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients!  Research is getting closer and closer to developing a blood test that will effectively diagnose CFS. 

My Headaches/Migraines Are Back Stronger Than Ever

I have suffered from daily chronic headaches for years and they are getting worse. 

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Mood Disorders In Women

Vitamin D Deficiency and its effects have been in the news a lot lately and more research is showing how it affects women’s health and mood disorders in women.

Please go back and read Part 1 and Part 2 on naturopathic treatments for IC Disease.  Always check with your physician before trying any of naturopathic (or any other) treatments.  For homeopathy treatments, you will need to visit a trained homeopathic practitioner who is able to prescribe the proper treatment for your particular health issues/IC issues.

According to the Urology Channel:

The standard dosage for acute symptom relief is 3 pellets of 30C every 4 hours until symptoms resolve. Lower potencies, such as 6X, 6C, 30X, may be given every 2 to 4 hours. If the right remedy is chosen, symptoms should improve shortly after the second dose. If there is no improvement after 3 doses, a different remedy is given.

Some other remedies that may be helpful in treating IC Disease include:

• Apis mellifica - This is used to treat stinging pain that is worse with heat.
• Cantharis - This is used to treat the urgency and burning with urination that is common in IC.
• Staphysagria - Used to treat UTIs that are the result of intercourse.
• Sarsaparilla - Used to treat the burning after urination.

Please check with your physician or urologist before trying any herbal medicines in treating your IC Disease or for any other health issue.

Herbal medicines usually do not have side effects when used appropriately and at recommended doses.  It is possible for some people to  have headaches or an upset stomach when they take the recommended dose of herbal medicine.  The following herbs have been used to treat IC Disease:

• Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)
• Buchu (Barosma betulina)
• Marshmallow root (Althea officinalis)
• Usnea (Usnea barbata)
• Corn silk (Zea mays)
• Cleavers (Galium aparine)
• Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

According to this website:

With Gotu kols (Centella asiatica) take 30 mg standardized extract triterpenes 3 times a day. It enhances the integrity of connective tissue by stimulating production of glycosaminoglycans, which are an integral component of the protective mucous layer in the bladder.

Buchu is considered to be a antiseptic and “soothing” diuretic for the bladder and urinary tract.

Marshmallow root is also soothing for an irritated bladder. Marshmallow root is used to make into a tea. You can read my post about marshmallow root HERE.

Usnea has soothing and antiseptic properties.

Corn silk has soothing and diuretic properties.

Cleavers has traditionally been used as tonic for the urinary tract.

Horsetail is an astringent and mild diuretic that has tissue-healing properties.

I have discussed many treatment regimens for IC Disease on this blog but I have never covered any information on naturopathic treatments.  I personally have never tried any naturopathic treatments, nor have I talked to my urologist about these types of treatments so the information I provide in this series is strictly what I have found through research.  So as you have heard me say repeatedly on here - NEVER TRY ANY TREATMENT WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING A PHYSICIAN!

The first naturopathic treatment I read about was specific supplements.  These include:

• Calcium citrate
• Bromelain

Calcium citrate is supposed to alkalinizes urine, causing less irritation to the bladder and causing less burning upon urination.  Bromelain provides anti-inflammatory action and IC patients don’t want to take it with food.

Part 2 tomorrow will cover herbal treatments.

I love great breakfast foods and stuffed French toast is absolutely delicious!  I will be preparing this recipe for me as well as my family.  Enjoy!  The recipe below will serve six people.

Stuffed French Toast

• 12 slices of bread (you can remove the crusts if you prefer)
• One dozen eggs
• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla or use another flavor if you desire

Cube bread and set aside. Mix eggs, milk, cream cheese and vanilla together in a bowl. Grease a 9X13 inch pan and then line it with the following:

Add 1 layer of bread cubes, spread evenly; 1/2 of the liquid mixture, and pour evenly. Add the rest of the bread cubes, spread evenly; add the rest of the liquid mixture, spread evenly.

Refrigerate overnight. The next morning take it out and let it warm to room temperature (very important). Then bake in a 375 oven for 45 minutes.

I will be starting a new weekly post on here that recaps the posts I have written for my main website, Fighting Fatigue.  I do the same thing on Fighting Fatigue for this site and it has become a great tool for gaining exposure to this site so I hope to do the same with my other website.  Enjoy reading these posts about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia!

How Are YOU Functioning This Time of Year with CFS & FM? Share Your Winter/Holiday Tips!

Read tips by my readers on how they make it through the holidays while being sick.

Heavy Metal Detox in Fibromyalgia

Read about a heavy metal detox is used to treat Fibromyalgia.

Working With Chronic Illness by Rosalind Joffe

Read advice by author and website owner Rosalind Joffe on working and parenting while chronically ill.

Ten Discoveries About the Biology of ME/CFS

Read about the interesting discoveries research has made in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I was honored to be asked to participate in the Working With Chronic Illness Blog Book Tour by Rosalind Joffe for her new book,  Women, Work & Autoimmune Disease:  Keep Working, Girlfriend! on my Fighting Fatigue website. 

Rosalind Joffe is the president of cicoach.com, a resource for professionals who live with chronic illness and a chronic illness career coach. Her blog is Working with Chronic Illness.com.

For the blog book tour, I asked Rosalind to write a guest post on women who are chronically ill while raising a family and working. She gave some great advice on what has worked over the years with her family and I wanted to share her guest post with all of you. You can click the link below to read Rosalind’s post on Fighting Fatigue and you can click HERE to read other posts on other blogs that are on her book tour.

Fighting Fatigue:  Guest Blogger Post:  Working with Chronic Illness by Rosalind Joffe

The University of Iowa will be recruiting patients for several IC Disease studies to determine if Interstitial Cystitis is a whole body condition.  Researchers will be trying to determine whether or not there are subtypes of Interstitial Cystitis and they will also be looking at systems of inflammatory regulation.

One of the main researchers on the study, Dr. Kreder, says that what they are referring to in this study by “subtypes” is by researching IC patients who also have other chronic conditions - Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The studies will also include researching:

• Pain mapping IC Disease
• Examining the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis, which helps regulate temperature, the immune system, mood, sexuality, and energy, as well as reactions to stress and injury
• Examining brain pathways that may govern painful syndromes
• Examining how certain bladder factors may predispose someone to IC Disease

I guess my life wouldn’t be “my life” if it didn’t always involve seeing some sort of doctor.  Today I had to go see the podiatrist, which is the first time I have been there in three years.  I had tarsal tunnel surgery done five years ago and then again three years ago on my left foot.  Ever since my second surgery I have been doing well with my left foot but now I’m having problems with my right foot.  I have a hammer toe that has started to really cause me a lot of pain and numbness.  It has increasingly been getting worse over the past several years and I will probably have to have it operated on.  Yuck. 

I inherited bad feet from my mother, who had to have several hammer toes surgically fixed.  When hammer toes are operated on, the doctor breaks the toes, straightens them out, and puts pins in them.  That sounds so painful! 

Today the podiatrist gave me a shot of cortizone in my toe to help with all of the inflammation and he gave me a splint that I have to wear while working.  I go back in 8 weeks to see what will happen next.