Dear Dr. Stoll,
I've been doing the skilled relaxation for about two months, although probably just one month of consistently doing it correctly. I know it sounds strange, maybe I just worry too much, but it just seems like it's almost too good to be true that I just need to keep doing this and I'll get better. I sit down twice a day for 20 minutes and do a breathing technique. I've also started some visualization. My temp usually starts at around 70 and ends up around 90. I guess I'm just looking for some kind of reassurance that if I keep this up, within a few months or so, I'll start to feel some kind of relief. I'm leaving the country in a month to go backpacking in Thailand and I just want to feel confident that I know what needs to be done and I'm doing it. I started antibiotics about a week ago (which appeal to the mainstream part of my brain) and so far my symptoms feel much worse. Would it be normal if the antibiotics were helping for my symptoms to feel worse in the beginning? If someone did only skilled relaxation, would it be normal for their symptoms to be worse initially? Thank You.
Nathan
Follow Ups:
Re: IC
Posted by Vicki on October 28, 1998 at 11:50:47:
In Reply to: IC posted by NV on October 27, 1998 at 23:15:17:
Nathan, do you have the accompanying pain with your IC in addition to the frequency issue? I only have the frequency issue, but have been doing very well with the skilled relaxation. This is my seventh week. I have had very dramatic results. Walt's comments to me have seemed to indicate to me I might be doing a little better than the average guy this early in the game. I'm not sure it helps to let you know it is working for me when you aren't feeling the same relief, but wanted to pass the news along. Worry and anxiety really promote the problem as well as over responding to the need to use the bathroom. It really dominated my life and was seriously depressing me until I made myself just quit using the bathroom all the time. The first two weeks were hell, my bladder just screamed at me, but since using the bathroom didn't solve the continued feeling that Ineeded to urinate I figured I was inconveniencing myself unnecessarily. After two weeks of forcing myself to wait progressively longer and longer times to use the bathroom I finally got some real relief. It doesn't sound like much but I could easily go 1/2 hour with no sensation and usually hold on fairly comfortably for an hour and a half. Two hours sometimes.
I have been wondering if this self imposed control has made it easier for me to assimilate the skilled relaxation into my life. I got used to suppressing the symptoms by way of control and am not clearing them up thru another form of control/release. If that makes any sense.
You might want to try treating the IC as just a major annoyance and distract yourself with other things. It's mind over body but if you can do it before your trip you'll feel more in control and I think once you feel like you have some hold over it you can more easily incorporate the benefits of skilled relaxation. Hope this helps.
Follow Ups:
Re: IC
Posted by NV on October 28, 1998 at 16:10:53:
In Reply to: Re: IC posted by Vicki on October 28, 1998 at 11:50:47:
Vicki,
Thanks for the comments. No, I have never had any pain or burning or anything like that. I just always feel like I have to use the bathroom. It's been atleast two years since I can remember not having that sensation. But I think you are right. It is mind over matter, maybe I just need to learn to be a little more patient especially since I've only been doing the relaxation correctly for maybe a month. I just want to get over this so bad. I'm sure that you can relate, it seems to affect every part of my life. Thank you for your input.
Follow Ups:
Re: IC
Posted by Vicki on October 28, 1998 at 16:27:08:
In Reply to: Re: IC posted by NV on October 28, 1998 at 16:10:53:
Nathan, I have had this problem since I was 4 years old and am how 47. At its worst I was in the bathroom up to 60 times a day. I was miserable. It got somewhat better when the regular medical profession but me on anti spasmotics so I wouldn't notice the need so much and could do some "retraining". The pills made me sick but I stuck to them for 2 mos.
I did the retraining on my own with no medication when I realized I was going downhill again (I was over responding due to stress) and I was starting to feel that need all the time again. I just could not go back to that even though what I had going at the time wasn't all that great.
Do try to pace yourself and just ignore it. I set an alarm and wouldn't let myself into the bathroom for at least l hour. As you can imagine it was a real hand wringer at times. But I gradually got it up to 2 hours by the end of the two weeks. After awhile I quit timing it and just forced myself to be cognizant of whether or not I really had to make a trip or not. Any kind of anxiety and I was back to square one for awhile. The more you think about it the more it drives you nuts.
All of this is a question of control to some degree. Discipline to do the skilled relaxation, discipline to eat right, avoid the things you no irritate it, etc. etc. but it pays off. It will get better. I can tell it's caused by tension now and I can actually feel that muscle squeezing the urethra sometimes. Hang in there. You're on the right track.
Re: IC
Posted by Walt Stoll on October 29, 1998 at 11:51:31:
In Reply to: IC posted by NV on October 27, 1998 at 23:15:17:
Congratulations, Nathan, for at least getting started!
NOW, you need to remember that the resolution of this is going to take 6-12 months IF you have checked out your technique with biofeedback--to be certain you are not wasting your time--AND practice it at least twice a day for 20 minutes.
It sounds like you have one one month under your belt IF you checked out your breathing technique to be sure it is producing the "relaxation response".
This, alone, will resolve IC. That does not mean that you might not have flareups while you are getting rid of the cause. After a couple of months, your flareups will start being fewer and further between as well as not lasting so long or being as serious.
That does not mean that you should not treat flareups just as you did before. Practicing an effective skilled relaxation technique CANNOT make you feel worse.
Whatever you did in the past when you went to Thialand, before ever hearing that this was curable via skilled relaxation, is what you should do this time. It is much too early to have solved this.
Walt
Walt