So you have IC.  The pain is unrelentingly unbearable and you've been awake since 2 a.m. either peeing or writing in pain.  Your new pharmaceutical drugs are taking their time to let your body know if they are helping your IC or not.  You think to yourself: I cannot take this pain another day.  You turn on your computer and enter in: IC help, IC cure, and IC relief.  Your spirits lift as you find 101 hits for products, services, websites and organizations dedicated to helping you get your life back. 

The first website promises all of your IC pain and symptoms can be 100% cured with simple items found within your own home!  But these secret cure-alls can only be shared once you mail in your check for $49.99.  You feel a tinge as your hand reaches for your wallet. No, you caution yourself.  Let's do some more research.  The next website you find claims that marshmallow root tea will soothe and potentially cure you of any and all bladder pain!  But when you scroll down further you read that aloe vera has been helping thousands of people with their IC symptoms.  So for about $50 (not including shipping and handling) you could get a cure-all mailed to your home address within the week.  It's so hard to choose and you are so tired and the pain is so unbearable. The rest of your household is fast asleep.  You would give anything to get over IC and get your life back. 

I know all to well this scenario.  I spent money on D-maganese, marshmallow root tea, and buffered Vitamin C.  I will tell family and friends that I would spend any dollar amount to get over my IC (and tomorrow!).  Sadly, IC is an incredibly complex disease.  There is no simple pill or diet or treatment that provides an instant cure.  We are all as unique as the disease.  I caution you, dear readers, to not drain your piggy banks in searching for "miracle" cures on the internet.  And for all of you out there with products and websites just looking to make a quick buck from our pain and misery I have these words: there are enough "i's" in interstitial cystitis.  We are real people with real lives in oftentimes severe pain and financial stress.  Please treat us like you would your own mothers, wives, daughters, husbands and sons.  Your quick buck is our loss. Please don't add to the problem of IC, but become part of the solution of support.  And may those of us with IC gain awareness of possible scam websites and research all options before pulling out our credit cards.