Patient to Patient is a compilation of our personal experiences (from both a patient and spouse perspective), extensive up-to-date medical research, and shared stories from IC patients across the country.

Customer Reviews:

2 of 2 found this review helpful:
Covers A Lot of Material, 2006-04-07
This review was written by Dawn R. Mahowald.

This book really covers a lot of useful material for someone with IC. Medical issues, diet suggestions, and information for spouses and family are all covered. I particularly liked the chapter on environmental and chemical sensitivities. There are many of us with IC who can and have made great strides in improving our condition by making a few well chosen changes to our environment. This and many other helpful ideas in this book also lead into one of the authors' main themes - taking charge of this disorder and regaining our confidence in ourselves.

Also close to my heart, as a yoga teacher for people with IC, was "Chapter 3 - Reclaiming Comfort in Your Body" and the illustration on the preceding page, "Pain Pattern of IC". Gaye and Andrew's approach of gentle, supported stretches and a "...conservative approach to exercise..." is a very helpful philosophy for anyone with IC or who is in the middle of a flare-up. It also points out that we don't necessarily have to suffer with secondary sources of pain if we pay attention to some of the little details of our body.


3 of 3 found this review helpful:
Clear and constructive, 2003-06-04
I have suffered with problems for many years now and having gone from one doctor to the next, needed someone who could clearly and in plain english give me some answers. This book does not promise miracle cures but sets out the issues in a manner which provides you with hope!

12 of 12 found this review helpful:
Very helpful resource, however...., 2002-06-22
I cannot improve on Jill Osbourne's review, and would say ditto or "Amen" to it. I have read the book, and return to it as a resource... and have referred it to others. I wish it had ended on its last sentence, a blessing, in chapter nine, namely:" I hope to send you off on your own successful marathon of living more happily, despite the presence of this chronic disease." However, chapter 10 finishes the book. It's titled: Collecting and sharing individual stories.It has vignettes of 6 persons with IC. Assuming readers of this specialized book are mostly those struggling with the physical and emotional pain of IC,I can't imagine why one would add a chapter which, if the reader weren't frightened and depressed already, would guarantee such a response. It's a stretch to find anything hopeful or helpful in the stories chosen, unless persons who continue to suffer what they're suffering are a model of human survival no matter what. As the 2nd to last sentence in chapter 9 is:"The support of other people cheering you on is essential." it is hard to understand ending up with chapter 10 which is in effect a Greek chorus, saying if you think it's bad now, it can and might become much worse. My suggestion is, definitely buy, keep and learn from the book.But whether you skip chapter 10 or not, consider reading two other books as follow up. Holistic nurse Amrit Willis's book titled: "Solving the Interstitial Cystitis Puzzle, My story of Discovery and Recovery" provides a hopeful approach to gaining control of the symptoms of this chronic disease that has worked for her, and many others for whom she has provided generous guidance.Additionally "Kitchen Table Wisdom" subtitled Stories That Heal by Rachel Remen, M.D.is extremely insightful for helping us respond to a chronic disease. Both books facilitate a sense of hope,meaning, and self empowerment.

16 of 19 found this review helpful:
A Self - Help Encyclopedia for IC patients!, 2001-05-25
At a time when IC information is now readily available in the marketplace, it is always a pleasure to highlight books that go above and beyond the call of duty in providing help and new resources to patients and families in need. Gaye & Andrew Sandler's "Patient to Patient: Managing IC and Related Conditions" is a new and exciting resource for couples & families living with IC. We were excited to see topics which hadn't been discussed so thoroughly or innovatively before.

The self help chapter offered the most useful discussions we've ever read on managing urgency & frequency. The pain management strategies were exceptional. Their discussion of sex, menopause & pregnancy is outstanding. This book will light the way for patients entering perimenopause. The hormone replacement discussion is the best I've ever seen in relation to IC. The chapter on pregnancy will become a bible for patients contemplating motherhood. From medication to physiology, prenatal vitamins to breastfeeding, this chapter is a much needed addition to the IC community. Bravo!

From the husbands perspective, the chapter on Living with IC - A Spouse's Perspective confronts issues that so many couples and families grapple with daily. From adjusting expectations to understanding how IC will change family dynamics on a day to day basis, this chapter will be read aloud, in bedrooms and kitchens, in many IC homes.