Sorry I have not been writing this last couple of days but, between my birthday and fighting flu symptoms which of course adds to my I.C. I have not been able to do it. I promise to continue with my story as soon as possible so hopefully you will bear with me while I get back on track.

My story starts in 2005. I was having many UTI’s and also heartburn and upset stomach so I was first diagnosed with IBS but, the UTI’s still kept happening. My doctor finally set me up with an appointment for a scope with Dr. Curtis Nickel’s who diagnosed my I.C. and he has been my doctor and life saver since then. At first I was given instillation’s of DMSO which along with Pyridium (unfortunately it was taken off the Canadian Market) was helpful. I was then put on Amitriptyline but didn’t not do well on it with the side effects. The very first book I bought was Along the Healing Path by Catherine M. Simone and learned a lot about natural healing and remedies. I bought herb’s from the Health Store (Mashmallow Root, Comfrey Leaf, Slippery Elm and Linden Blossom) and I used mixes of these to make soothing teas which where and still are very good at easing “Flares” they are one of my main go to’s.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.