IC Free Now

Recipe for Maple Cream

Serving size: 8 to 10

8 oz heavy whipping cream

1 rounded T 100% pure maple syrup

1 C blueberries

1/2 C sliced almonds

Pour 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream into a cold bowl. Whip on high speed until the cream starts to form peaks. Beat in 1T pure maple syrup.

Fold in by hand, using a spatula or wooden spoon, 1C blueberries and 1/2 C sliced almonds.

Serve cold with a drizzle of maple syrup on top.

Recipe for Cucumber Sesame Salad

Serving size: 2

1 stalk celery, sliced

1/2 to 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced (try an unusual variety for fun, Japanese are yummy)

1t toasted sesame oil

1/2 t sesame seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Wondering how to season a salad when lemon, vinegar, and mayo are out? Yeah, we were too! This salad is very tasty.

Simply toss the celery, cucumber, and oil together. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Recipe for Shitake, Broccoli Saute

Serving size: 1

1/2 C rice (brown, white, or basmati cooked according to package directions)

1 stalk broccoli chopped

3 fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed and diced

3/4 T butter (more or less, to taste)

2 dashes of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste (Nutmeg and black pepper appear in the "try it" column of the 2009 IC/PBS food list, so use sparingly.)

Start the rice first.

Bring water to cover broccoli and mushrooms to boil. Peel the tough outer skin of the broccoli and cut into bite size pieces. Boil the broccoli for 5 minutes, then add the diced shitake mushrooms for 5 minutes more, or until the broccoli is tender. Drain off the water.

Reduce heat to low and add butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Saute and serve hot.

Aloe Vera

Desert Harvest produces an IC safe form of aloe vera. I have read research that indicates that aloe vera has a positive affect on mast cells. It is important to take aloe vera in capsule form and avoid aloe juice as the juice is often preserved with citric acid. Desert Harvest has reviews and testimonials from IC patients who have improved their symptomology by taking aloe. Personally, I tried it years ago and am interested in trying it again. I remember thinking I had experienced a reduction in pain but at the time I was less well versed on the diet and perhaps now I would have even better success. Let us know your experiences if you have tried aloe.

Mission Statement

Dear Courageous Spirit,
Our mission is to end the pain of Interstitial Cystitis for every person who is afflicted with this disease.

The IC Sisters joined together to reduce our pain, to cope with our disease, and to increase our hope of living pain free. Our hearts reach out to every individual who is suffering as we have suffered. We want your pain to stop, too. We will share what we have learned in our 28 years of collective experience with IC. And we will provide a supportive environment while you discover what works for you.

Love, The IC Sisters

Meet the IC Sisters

Sister 1

I have been suffering with Interstitial Cystitis symptoms for about 22 years. I am currently 44 years old. In the eighties when my symptoms first started emerging I spent years seeing specialists, having tests done, being humiliated in a variety of medical settings and usually leaving the office in more pain than I was in when I came in. You might know some of these tests. Looking inside the bladder is a personal non-favorite. It seems I also remember being x-rayed while peeing into a bucket in a room full of technicians and interns. After five or so years with no answers, no diagnosis and no relief, I gave up. About 12 years later, I tried again and finally got my diagnosis. At this time, the options for treatment were dmso and Elmiron, I have done neither. I did, however, learn about the benefits of an acid-free diet, and I finally had a word to use in the world to amass more information. I am not pain free. I am not close to pain free. I have not had a remission in 15 years. I am, however, more in control of how I feel, and I am learning every day. The things I have learned have kept me sane and hopeful and I want to share them.

Sister 2

My interstitial cystitis symptoms began with peri-menopause. Even though I had a sister with IC, it took years(!) to figure out what was happening. I went to my primary care physician twice, certain that I had a urinary tract infection, but my urine samples came back normal. Then I went complaining of pelvic floor pain, but nothing was discovered to be wrong. What the hell?! Finally, I realized I had the same problem as my sister, and she was able to help me manage my symptoms. She helped me modify my diet so I experienced less pain. She also helped me alkalize my body and reduce sugar in my diet that could contribute to yeast build up in many of the body's systems.

Sister 1 has been an amazing resource for coping with this painful disease, and I know she can help you, too. Also, if you don't have your own Sister 1, I would suggest joining a support group, or starting one. Let's join together and rid the world of this painful disease!

How to Read Our Recipes

Since controlling our diets depends on knowing what the heck we are eating, you will find a lot of "back to basics" ideas among our recipes. What the heck is in microwave popcorn? What the heck is in a spice pack? What the heck is that list of chemicals as long as my arm on my bread bag? Most of it will hurt us. Here are the recipes we have tried that have put us back on the road to feeling normal.

Ingredients that appear in pink are "bladder soothing." Ingredients that appear in green are "bladder safe." Ingredients that appear in orange are "bladder safe for most," and should be considered "maybes." These designations come from the 2009 IC/PBS Food List published by The Interstitial Cystitis Network.