To Wake in Tears: Understanding Interstitial Cystitis

I have never read such an uplifting and breakthrough approach to healing from Interstitial Cystitis before. Catherine has recovered from severe IC, Fibromyalgia, IBS, and Vulvodynia and has not suffered from any symptoms for several years now. She makes it clear that IC is a result of a "toxic body" and we have to remove the toxins (mercury fillings in our teeth, food allergies, yeast overgrowth, etc) in order to fully heal our bodies. I was not comfortable with current medical treatments offered and was so grateful to find a book that shows how to recover from IC naturally & without painful & dangerous treatments. I have been doing the natural things she suggests and my IC symptoms are improving so much - I've had IC for 11 years and in just a couple months since I read the book, I am already noticing a lot of relief. If you have IC, you owe it to yourself to read it. I find myself smiling with tears of joy now.... life doesn't have to be filled with chronic physical pain. We can recover from IC for good & Cath shows us the way. Thank you Catherine for writing To Wake In Tears & Along the Healing Path.

I have suffered with IC for over 10 years and this book gave me both comfort and HOPE, things I have yet to find from any doctor. It was great to get validation that I wasn't alone in having disastrously BAD responses to the various "treatments" that the doctors gave me. She confirmed what I suspected, that the doctors really didn't know the answers to how best to treat IC. Yet they insist on using harsh treatments that are the only things they know. Worse, we are rarely told about the risks of these procedures. Now I know I'm not alone in suffering bad reactions to what I had been assured by my doctors to be completely safe. The decision to take those chances should have been MINE. It was wrong to withold the truth, which many people claim is necessary to avoid "scaring" people. Cathy's book proves that it is possible to tell the truth while providing hope to the IC patient. She really stresses how important it is for the patient to be informed and to make her own decisions. How I wish I'd had this book back when I was first showed symptoms of IC. I could have made informed decisions and possibly avoided the numerous mistakes that have cost me my health. While conventional medicine has given up on me, Cathy's book offers me help and I have indeed found some relief using some of the many practical suggestions detailed in this unique book. I haven't found this kind of practical and informed treatment information from any other source. This book, in my view, is priceless. I wish that all the doctors who see patients with IC would read this book. It would give them a better understanding of the true suffering that this disease causes and also how painful their offered treatments can be. Doctors and patients need to stop and think about the risks and benefits of ALL possible treatments. This book is a great start.

To Wake In Tears has something for all IC patients to gain. Even if all that the author tried to help herself does not work for you, there will be something in the book that will make your life a little bit easier, less painful and definitely more in control of your life. If you do not come away after reading this book with some positive things to try for your IC, you either 1. don't have IC, or 2. Your mind is closed to any new ideas about treating the entire body instead of just your bladder. Every urologist should be giving this book out to their newly diagnosed patients to let them see that there is help for them and their world need not be over just because they have IC. I applaud the writer so very much for taking the time to bring this book to the public.

As I read this book I began to sob. I can't count the number of days I woke in tears. This disease is so devastating, the pain and the other physical problems it causes makes life miserable. I have dealt with this disease all of my adult life,20yrs and this is the first book to honestly account for the physical and emotional suffering that IC can cause. I asked my family to read the book. Hoping it will help them understand me.This book has no platitudes written by those who do not understand. Catherine stays away from inane advice "put on a happy face" "chant happy thoughts", or "watch a funny movie", which makes the nonparticipent guilty of not wanting to be well. True IC victims know that a good belly laugh hurts terribly. Catherine courageously recounts her exploration of Western Medicine and Alternative Medicine-making no judgements, just writing of her experience. She opens the door to discussion of all treatments that are available. Her book is a tribute to all who open mindedly search for something to help (some reason to hope). The ever present disclaimer- "of course you must see your dr before embarking on any treatments" can be ridiculous since AMA drs make many mistakes as Catherine detailed. AMA drs don't know the cause or a definative treatment of IC, yet we should always seek their advice before beginning any treatment? Thank you Catherine for having the guts to open your life to us, and write of your healing. I think every one has a different path toward health, but if we don't know what's available we are stiffled. Thank you Catherine you've given me some hope.

As the editor of a newsletter which provides information for people suffering from the torment of interstitial cystitis, I try to read EVERYTHING that comes out about IC. This book is an absolute must-have for anyone with IC searching for hope and for real advice on what they can do to improve their health. You simply can't find this information anywhere else. This book offers detailed help on alternative solutions to a disease that conventional medicine can't cure and often can't help. Simone refused to accept the sentence of "incurable" and fought her way back to health. In this book, she bravely shares what she did to help her IC. In a world where people hesitate to say anything due to liability, Simone accepts the risks and flat out tells us what worked for her. Nor does she claim, as some do, that what worked for her will work for everybody. Instead she openly offers the information for the reader to evaluate.When I reviewed this book for my newsletter, I solicited comments from people who had read the book. The consensus was 100% by ICers that this is ONE GREAT BOOK. I just could not find a single person who had IC who didn't find something to help them in this book. And that includes myself, a long-time IC sufferer who has not responded well to conventional treatments. This book has given me new hope and new ways to take back my life.This book is also great for doctors who treat people with IC, family and friends of people with IC, and employers. Nobody can read this book without coming out with a better understanding and deep respect for those of us who have this terrible disease.