Customer Reviews

To Wake in Tears: Understanding Interstitial Cystitis

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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.

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.

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.

This book is probably one of the best investments into your health that you can make! Compared to the cost and the lack of effectiveness of traditional medical care when it comes to complicated and chronic conditions like IC, Katherine Simone's book is probably the smallest initial investment in your health that you can make that will pay the highest dividend.

I got the book soon after being diagnosed with IC (after many years of searching for answers, of course), and it was a real inspiration. I laughed; I cried, and I couldn't put it down! After all the depressing information about IC I was getting, this book was so encouraging. Suddenly, it seemed that it is possible to at least alleviate symptoms long term without harsh and barbaric treatments that are based on a superficial assumption that all bladder symptoms must be caused by the bladder only and that's the only organ that we're going to treat.

The author explores causes of IC from the whole body approach and its connection to other seemingly unrelated conditions. But unlike books written by traditional doctors, her explorations of IC causes are at a much deeper level built from the ground up without any presumptions. She doesn't insult her readers with self-evident and trivial suggestions like "Don't wear tight clothes." Her treatment suggestions are not aimed at just covering up bladder symptoms but are rather wholesome and are aimed at the underlying causes.

But, the fact that IC seems to be a part of a "bigger" picture within the body is now being echoed by studies of ICA and the Endometriosis Association (a portion of women with Endo have IC and vice versa). The fact that bladder surgery is a desperate, but not viable option is also echoed by ICA. However, try to be open-minded and non-judgmental when you read the book as it is going to be different from traditional medical advice. Some things will ring true and some may not. For instance, while the vast majority of ideas made a lot of sense to me, there is at least one treatment that is probably not for me. But, it's OK to disagree. This is the whole point, and Katherine Simone makes it clear throughout her book. You have to find what will work for you and not someone else. One approach does not fit all. But, one idea that I couldn't have agreed with more is that, at some point you realize that if you want to really get well, you have to take a proactive approach to your health.

It will be hard to find a book written with so much compassion and understanding. I really appreciated the author's candid narrative about her experiences. At some places, I felt that it was me she was talking about, so I would place the opened book in front of my husband's newspaper and say "Read this! I couldn't have said it better.'

In any case, what do you have to lose?! If you find that the holistic approach is not for you, fine, but now you at least know that alternatives do exists. And if you try to follow Katherine's path and it helps you even a little bit, well, then it would be priceless:)

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.

I saw some other reviews 2 or 3 years ago on how this book had helped other women so I bought it back in the spring of 2001. I had suffered from IC for 12 years. I didn't know what to do to get better - I wasn't improving from medications that I had been on from doctors and I was feeling very discouraged and scared. So, I read this book (along with Along the Healing Path, her 2nd book) and was amazed how much I could relate to Catherine's story and the hope I felt afterwards. I KNEW I had to try some of the things she did to heal. What is great about this book is most of everything she suggests is natural and non-invasive. I have always felt that our bodies should be able to heal without a bunch of drugs and surgery. I was noticing some improvements with my symptoms within a few weeks and I gradually kept getting better and better. It took me about 2 years for the last symptoms to finally go away. Everyone heals differently so it definitely requires patience and believing you will get well. Don't give up! This book also helped me heal the IBS symptoms that I was experiencing for a number of years too. I can't tell you how grateful I am to God for guiding me to Catherine's books. ...

How alone, frustrating, humiliated, and depressed does this disease (and doctors) make you feel, and just when you think there is no hope....There is "to wake to tears". I could have written the same story about all of my horrific experiences...and how wonderful to read someone have all the same experiences. What is sooo wonderful about this book is that it then gives you a multitude of choices to try to self-heal just when you seem dead-ended. Thank God for Cath sharing everything with all of us. I cannot thank her enough. I could not put the book down and i intend to try everything that she suggests, God knows there are no physicians that I have been to (URO, Gastro, Cardiol., Internists) who care enough to even suggest anything for me other than Elmiron and "no chocolate, coffee. And alcholic beverages"...(yeah like that would be enough to get my life back and the person I use to be!) Thank you Cath, You are truly angel sent from God!

Cath and her book came into my life at a most crucial time! I had been on medications from a urologist for a year and a half and was not showing improvement! I was suffering MANY side effects from the medication, but when I went to my dentist for routine check up, I knew that I had to do something. My gums had receded to a very dangerous point, and he feared that I could lose my teeth! The drying effects of the medication had taken their toll! That is when I made the decision to try alternative approach to this disease. This was just before the book was published, and Cath was very helpful in getting me started on a very GRADUAL course to self healing. When the book finally came, just days after being published, I used it as a Bible! I introduced vitamins and herbs gradually, and altered my diet. I am happy to report that this was last September and come next month, I will be medication free and mostly symptom free for one year! I do have flares, but when they come, I know how to handle them without experiencing the depression that came when I was on prescribed medication! Cath and her book have indeed been a lifesaver for me! P.S. Consequent dental visits have him astonished at my improvement! He reports my gums to be very healthy and we are working with the damage that cannot be reversed.

This book literally saved my life! Cath poured her heart and soul into this book so that others would know they are not alone. I'm finding which of the herbs will help me to get well. Sure hope Cath Simone writes another book soon!