L (Florida, Usa) on 10/31/2013:
Black Cohosh for Interstitial Cystitis - Update
Following up on my previous post...good news! I took the Black Cohosh for 4 days, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and have not had to take any since! I am back to normal and that is a wonderful feeling. We are all unique and what works for one may not work for another, but this has been my Godsend. Blessings to all of you as you search for what works for you!
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L (Florida, Usa) on 10/26/2013:
Wanted to share my story in the hopes it will help someone else...in the past I have been prone to uti or bladder or kidney infections...a trip to the doctor and Cipro would usually take care of it. This time I felt as if an infection was coming on, but it never did. Had my urine tested twice and no bacteria. I felt the urge to pee constantly, and though it was not painful, it was VERY uncomfortable. All day, everyday, feeling like I had to pee even after I had just gone. Slight twinge or ache in either kidney but nothing painful or particularly noticeable. Had CT scan to rule out kidney stones; had bladder scope to rule out anything else. With those and the urinalysis coming back ok, urologist, for lack of coming up with any other diagnosis, said it must be IC. Said to watch my diet and avoid coffee and alcohol and look it up on-line to see what foods were ok to have, etc. Came to this site and read everything that's been posted on IC. Made my lists and decided to try things one at a time. I could live with this feeling but didn't want to as it is a terrible thing to always have to feel like you need to pee.
Nothing helped until I tried Black Cohosh. Bought it at a health food store. It also has Isoflavones. I got it at work on my lunch hour and figured I had nothing to lose. So I took one after my lunch, about 1pm, to see how it would react. The urgency was gone within 30 minutes. Then again about 4pm I took another one. I had a night of relief from this terrible feeling for the first time in three weeks. In retrospect I would not take any after noon going forward as I do believe it kept me up taking one so late in the day. Today I will take one in the morning and one at lunch. I don't know if this is my answer, but I do know that I felt normal for the first time yesterday afternoon. Will keep you posted.
