Scary

[theoutlaw77]

Well, after my LONG and very FRUSTRATING struggle to find someone to help me, I think that I am FINALLY going to get some help! I found a dr (a gyn actually) in my area who treats IC! He wants to start instillations next week! am so excited that I am finally going to get some relief (hopefully!)

But, he wants to do the potassium test before my first treatment. I am VERY scared about this!! Does it hurt? How long does it take? How effective is it in determining IC? Does anyone NOT have a reaction and still have IC? Any input would be great....

Also, he wants me to start on Elmiron. Any input on this would also be helpful. Anyone know if it is ok to use with birth control pills? What if I want to get pregnant again- will it take longer to conceive? Did anyone have any horrible side effects?

Hope to hear from you soon! Everyone has been so great so far! Thanks!

[Sarojini]

I take Elmiron with birth control pills with no adverse effects. As for getting pregnant, I have no idea, but often you are asked to stop Elmiron during pregnancy as the effects on the unborn fetus are not well established. However, I have never had a child so I do not know.

As for the potassium test, I've never had one but others here have. I'm sure they'll come along and be able to tell you more soon :)

[traceann]

I take Elmiron, but not birthcontrol pills,lol. I didn't have any horrible side effects from the Elmiron that I originally thought I might. I had diarrhea maybe the in the first day or two, but it went away. Every now and then I get a headache, or a mildy upset stomach. Nothing too bad though, I have been taking it since Nov of last year. Hope this helps a little, oh yeah, I also haven't had the potassium test done either! :)

Hugs,
Tracey :) OOh, and congrats on finding a decent doc, that's half the battle!!!!

[Stephanie2004]

The PST only took a few minutes. The nurse instilled two different solutions and the idea was to leave each one in for five minutes, then rate the level of pain on a worksheet. The first one didn't hurt at all (apart from the catheder going in), the second one began burning and stinging instantly, so she took it out right away instead of waiting the whole five minutes. Then she put in a rescue treatment to soothe the bladder down. The whole test took maybe ten minutes.

I didn't feel bad at all right afterwards. Later, the test caused a bit of a flare-up and my urethra burned like crazy whenever I urinated for a day or two. All in all, the whole thing was pretty humane.

[Stephanie2004]

(Sorry about the spelling of "catheter." With all the news from the Vatican, I think the word "cathedral" was lurking in the back of my mind and influencing my spelling.)