The year was 1990 ...we were in Hilton Head on vacation with friends. One day while sitting on the beach I instantly felt pain like I had not experienced before. The pain was so intense, I honestly thought I was not going to make it back to the room. I immediately went to the emergency room...the diagnosis.....massive bladder infection. At that point, my life took on changes that would have far reaching effects.

Upon returning home, I was in the urologist office at the least once a month if not more. I was always in constant pain and was literally living on antibiotics. I tried to talk with him but his theory was the antibiotic would eventually work. I had enough Cipro in me that had there been an Anthrax scare back then I could have probably "rolled" in it and still been safe.

Finally after approximately 6 years of this fiasco, I decided to switch doctors. My new urologist immediately ran a series of test to make sure there were no tumors, etc., that could be the root of the problem, and then it was back to Cipro. He finally diagnosed me with IC, which I had no idea what it was. I was started on Elmiron, and about 5 other medications to combat this "illness." I immediately came home and got on the Internet, reading anything and everything I could find about my new found problem. I actually began to have a "good" day every now and then, but they were few and far between. As a last resort, my urologist did bladder infusions....how fun those were! About this same time I read about Matia but decided not to pursue it, but rather go with the "conventional" medicine.

My biggest mistake was not calling Matia immediately, because after the pain of the infusions subsided, I still was dealing with the pain from the IC. After much thought, I took the big step and called her. Immediately I had a sense of "calm" that I had not felt in years. She assured me that if I was willing to "commit" to her, she felt confident that she could help me. (At this point, I think I would have walked on cut glass if it would have eased my pain). She sent the needed forms to be filled out and thus my journey with her began. She explained that diet was so important (which had never been explained to me before). This was a HUGE commitment on my part because I LOVE sweets and fruit. I had problems with the first batch of herbs that she sent. I broke out in gigantic welts all over my body. We stopped all treatment and waited for these to subside. Here again she reassured me that we would get to the bottom of the problem. We then started out again on different herbs and to put it simply, "what a difference a day makes." I am so much better. Now my good days are many and my not so good are few. I still have flares from time to time but we address them as they occur. I have all of the confidence in the world that together we are making this work. Hope is a wonderful thing to have and I get that from her. I have been working with here about 5 months now. I know I will still have some "bumps" along the road and it is going to take time but I know that together we will conquer this horrible thing called IC.

I encourage any of you who are reading this website and are not currently working with Matia to "take the leap," ......she is but a phone call away. For me it was the call that changed my life....it will be for you too.