Stella1609
10-20-2004, 12:33 PM
I wasn't sure what was going to happen since this follow-up was based on trying Detrol and I had to stop it after three days due to side affects. They did a voided urine sample but the dipstick showed blood cells, so they had to do a cathed sample. My blooder started to spasm while she was doing it and it hurt SOO bad! Kudos to all of you who can cath yourselves!!!
Anyways, I was a lot more together this time; I had written out notes on all of my symptoms and I had kept some records of my frequency so I could show him something solid. He took a lot of time to go over what I brought, and even asked me some questions about it. He doesn't like to do hydros just because it only helps about 50% of the time and it can initially cause so many more problems, and he doesn't do PST tests at all because of associated pain (he said even some people without IC can hurt from it). So, he said he felt pretty comfortable diagnosing me just based on my symptoms since they are fairly classic.
He spent a lot of time discussing treatment methods with me and stressed that a lot of things don't work for a lot of people, and that there's a lot of trial and error involved (I knew a lot about this since I just finished reading The IC Survival Guide, but it was nice to hear it from my doctor). I got the impression that he prefers instillations, but he pretty much let me decide where I would like to start as far as treatments. I really don't want to do the instillations, especially after today's cath experience :yikes: , so we are trying a different anticholinerginic (Sanctura) that is absorbed differently and so hopefully won't have the same side affects as Detrol and low doses of diazepam (because I probably have some related PFD and he thinks it will also help with the pain).
He was really open and said to keep doing the diet and the research, and if I found something he hadn't mentioned, to definitely bring it to his attention. He also mentioned an IC seminar he had attended recently, so I feel really confident about his willingness to learn more and dedication to helping IC patients!
Yikes, I didn't mean to make this so long :). Anyways, I'm feeling pretty confident about things right now, and I want to encourage anybody else who is in the diagnosis process to MAKE A LIST for your doctor!!! I think it really helped in my case since I know I put things on the list that I forgot to tell him in the first office visit.
{{{{BIG HUGS******** for everybody and thanks so much for your support!!! I wouldn't have had the courage to be so pro-active about this without you guys :).
Laura
Anyways, I was a lot more together this time; I had written out notes on all of my symptoms and I had kept some records of my frequency so I could show him something solid. He took a lot of time to go over what I brought, and even asked me some questions about it. He doesn't like to do hydros just because it only helps about 50% of the time and it can initially cause so many more problems, and he doesn't do PST tests at all because of associated pain (he said even some people without IC can hurt from it). So, he said he felt pretty comfortable diagnosing me just based on my symptoms since they are fairly classic.
He spent a lot of time discussing treatment methods with me and stressed that a lot of things don't work for a lot of people, and that there's a lot of trial and error involved (I knew a lot about this since I just finished reading The IC Survival Guide, but it was nice to hear it from my doctor). I got the impression that he prefers instillations, but he pretty much let me decide where I would like to start as far as treatments. I really don't want to do the instillations, especially after today's cath experience :yikes: , so we are trying a different anticholinerginic (Sanctura) that is absorbed differently and so hopefully won't have the same side affects as Detrol and low doses of diazepam (because I probably have some related PFD and he thinks it will also help with the pain).
He was really open and said to keep doing the diet and the research, and if I found something he hadn't mentioned, to definitely bring it to his attention. He also mentioned an IC seminar he had attended recently, so I feel really confident about his willingness to learn more and dedication to helping IC patients!
Yikes, I didn't mean to make this so long :). Anyways, I'm feeling pretty confident about things right now, and I want to encourage anybody else who is in the diagnosis process to MAKE A LIST for your doctor!!! I think it really helped in my case since I know I put things on the list that I forgot to tell him in the first office visit.
{{{{BIG HUGS******** for everybody and thanks so much for your support!!! I wouldn't have had the courage to be so pro-active about this without you guys :).
Laura