No meeting in December

Dear all,

There will be no Calgary IC Group meeting in December. We hope you all have a great holiday season and we look forward to meeting old and new members in the new year. Our next meeting will be in January 2014

If you are interested in joining our group and/or have any questions, please email us any time!

Steven & Jeanette

info.iccalgary@gmail.com

IC meeting this Sunday - Nov 17th!

It's the time of the month again - 3rd Sunday of the month!

 

Calgary IC Group will be meeting this Sunday November 17th. We will meet at our usual location: Second Cup (2025 16th Avenue NW, Calgary) from 3 - 4 pm.

Everyone is welcome!

Jeanette & Stephen

October 20th - next IC meeting!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We hope you all had a great weekend

The Calgary IC Group will be meeting this Sunday October 20th. We will meet at our usual location: Second Cup (2025 16th Avenue NW, Calgary) from 3 - 4 pm.

We look forward to seeing everyone!

Jeanette & Stephen

It's that time again!

It's that time again - the 3rd Sunday of the month.

The Calgary IC Group is meeting this Sunday September 15th. We will meet at Second Cup (2025 16th Avenue NW, Calgary) from 3 - 4 pm.

We look forward to seeing everyone!

Jeanette & Stephen

IC-friendly potluck & conversation this Saturday August 10th!

Hello everyone!

We hope you had a nice long weekend!

This month the Calgary IC Group is doing something a bit different. Instead of our regular meeting on the 3rd Sunday of the month, we are having an IC friendly potluck this week!!

When: Saturday August 10th @ 3:30 pm
Where: Stephen's house (email us for the address: info.iccalgary@gmail.com).
Who: Everyone is welcome including spouses, siblings, children...

Please bring an IC friendly dish or drink to share.

If you are unsure of what is considered IC friendly, please take a look at the ICN food list or email us with questions:
http://www.ic-network.com/patient-resources/diet/diet-introduction/#icfoodlist

Please RSVP.

We hope to see many of you this Saturday!

Stephen & Jeanette
Volunteer Organizers

No meeting in July

There will not be a Calgary IC Group meeting in July. We will return again in August with our regular monthly meeting.

Until then, we hope you are all enjoying a nice summer.

A little relief for Interstitial Cystitis patients in Southern Alberta!

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I am very proud to announce that there is a new IC program that is going to be created in Calgary. I have managed to arrange through my employer, GLJ Petroleum Consultants, a $30,000 donation to the Pelvic Pain Clinic to create a new program. The focus of the program will be to improve information and resources available to newly diagnosed patients of IC in Southern Alberta.

Here is the link to the official story published by the Calgary Health Trust in their most recent newsletter:

http://www.thetrust.ca.ws048.alentus.com/your-impact/archived-stories/a-little-relief-for-chronic-pain/

I know when I was first handed my diagnosis I felt like I was cast adrift into an ocean. Left to my own devices to figure out what exactly having IC meant and what could I do to help myself. After being lost in a sea of confusing, and often conflicting advice from the internet, I slowly discovered that there were treatments and dietary options I could pursue to claim back some of my life. 

It is because of those sleepless nights in pain and despair that I took the initiative to try and help those that are just embarking on their journey with IC. I know I have not dealt with IC for very long but I am determined to reach out and do what little I can to help those who have been set newly adrift.

I know I can’t calm the ocean of those waves of IC pain for everyone but perhaps with the introduction of this new program I can help a few up into that life raft and let them know they are not alone and there are alternatives to a life filled with pain. It is this thought that has driven me to help create the Calgary IC group and pursue IC awareness and knowledge in my city. It is my greatest hope that I am able to save new IC patients even a few weeks of suffering by being able to connect them to quality information right from diagnosis. The best flare up is the one you didn’t have!

Who knows? Perhaps your employer might want to join mine and bring this program into fruition to where you are in the world too.

Stephen

It's the time of the month again!

The Calgary IC Group is meeting this Sunday June 16th at 3 pm at our usual Second Cup location in the NW. We hope you will join us!

Everyone is welcome!

An example of how a recipe can be modified to be IC friendly

Chicken in Red Thai Curry Sauce with Mango – slow cooker recipe

This recipe is from Canadian Living Slow Cooker Spring 2005

4 tsp mild Thai red curry paste **** see below*****

2 tbsp vegetable oil           

1 tbsp grated ginger root

2 large cloves garlic minced

½ tsp grated lemon rind *****see below****

¼ tsp salt

4 chicken breasts

1 can – 400 ml – coconut milk

1 mango ***see below****

3 tbsp flour

¼ cup finely shredded basil***see below****

1 – In resealable plastic bag, combine curry paste, 1 tbsp of the oil, ginger, garlic, lemon rind and salt.  Add chicken; seal and massage to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 12 hrs

2 – In large skillet, hear remaining oil over med – high heat; brown chicken all over.  Transfer to slow cooker. Pour coconut milk into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 5 hrs.

3 – Meanwhile, peel and pit mango; cut into matchstick – size pieces and set aside.

4 – Transfer chicken to platter. Whisk flour with 1/3 cup water; whisk into slow cooker.  Add mango.  Cover and cook on high for 15 min or until thicken. Sprinkle on basil.

Suggested IC modifications to the original recipe:

I just recently realized that the bought curry paste I have contains tomato but I have discovered curry powder recipes online that are easy to make and appear to contain IC friendly ingredients.  I also use half of the listed amount – still tastes yummy. 

The lemon rind I just omit completely. It would be used as a flavor enhancer, but I have never risked using it yet. 

I use fresh or frozen mango as it doesn’t make a difference in flavour.

I have always omitted the basil as I never remember to get it ahead of time.

I tried this recipe in the electric skillet without the curry and it was okay, but far better in the slow cooker.

Coconut milk cost is about $2/can and is found in the Asian aisle.

As for mixing in the flour I just leave the chicken in the slow cooker.

I rarely mixed the seasoning before hand and let it refrigerate for the 12 hours. Sometimes it is mixed and put in the crock immediately. 


** Please not that everyone's sensitivities to food may vary. 

Meeting this Sunday May 19th

As always, the Calgary IC Group will be meeting this Sunday on the third Sunday of the month - same place, same time.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Next meeting Sunday April 21st

It's soon that time of the month again. The Calgary IC Group will be meeting at Second Cup as usual (2025 16th Avenue NW, Calgary) from 3 - 4 pm.

Hope to meet someone new next Sunday!

Next Meeting Sunday March 17th

Hello everyone,

This month we will be meeting on Sunday March 17th from 3 - 4 pm at our usual location in the NW.

We look forward to seeing you then.

Everyone is welcome!

Next meeting - February 17!

The Calgary IC Group meets on the third Sunday of the month. Our next meeting will be February 17th, 2013 from 3-4 pm at Second Cup located on 2025 16th Avenue NW, Calgary.

We strive to create a friendly, supportive and informal place for individuals affected with IC to meet and share experiences.

As always, we look forward to meeting you!

Happy New Year - next meeting Sunday January 20th!

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a relaxing holiday season. As we begin the new year, we are excited to continue to build a community of support for people affected by IC in Calgary.

Our next meeting will be Sunday January 20th, 2013 from 3-4 pm at Second Cup located on 2025 16th Avenue NW, Calgary. It is a short walk from Lions Park train station and there is lots of free parking if you are driving.

Everyone is welcome - women, men, young and old. We look forward to meeting new members in 2013!