does anyone get so bloated it hurts?

[naenae2505]

Hi my name is Renee and I got diagnosed with IC about 6mos ago. I have only had symptoms of IC after the birth of my last child in Sept of 2003. I too went to the doctors and got diagnosed with numerous uti's until they finally did the hyperdistention and found that I had IC. I really don't have much pain but I do have huge urgency and frequency issues especiallly around my period. The worst part of it for me is bloating!! I can swell at least by 2 pounds and feel horrible for weeks.. does anyone else have this problem and what can i do for this. It makes me so irratible and depressed on top of going to the bathroom 30 times a day.

thanks so much! :bonk:

[ICNDonna]

:welcome: to the IC Network!

I have a tendency to retain fluids. About the only thing I can do to help this is to restrict the amount of salt in my diet and drink lots of water.

Donna

[naenae2505]

:help: Thank you so much for your quick reply. I really hate this IC issue. It really has made me really depressed. What really works.. I am trying different meds and right now I am taking Elmiron and Atarax . my Elmiron is 100mg and I take two 25mg of Atrax a night.. but it doesnt seem to work.. How long before Elmiron works? Any other suggestions for the bloating?

[jrowley]

I get bloated alot that is when I feel most uncomfortable. Usually just with a tight feeling and on occasion with more of a feeling of gas pain. It's also when I feel more like having to go to the bathroom alot and I usually just tinkle. I haven't found a whole lot that helps with it. Sometimes I use the heat pad and that helps a little but I usually let it ride it's course. But it is a very uncomfortable feeling.

[hisjenn]

i was so miserable last night... i am recently diagnosed with IC, but have not yet had my followup from the cystoscopy and hydrodistention, so i am still not on any medinces and am living with the excrutiating pain

i went to an IC support group meeting last night. My Dr's office started one, and last night was the very first meeting and i didn't want to miss it. i knew i was going to have to drive, so i didn't take any pain medicine at all after lunch time.

got to the meeting, and by the time i had sat there for about 15 minutes, i was just in tears, i was in so much pain. i had started yesterday, which intensifies my symptoms by 100... i was bloated and could feel the tightness in my belly growing over the 1 hour meeting... was up, going to the bathroom 4 times in the hour... and i was just miserable... ready to call my husband and ask him to come and get me because i knew i couldn't drive.

there just happened to be a friend that was brought along with another one of the ladies, that was a massage therapist. she spoke about this technique called Myofascial Release.

anyway... she asked me to stay afterward so that she could maybe help to relieve the pain just a bit. well, it worked! i could instantly feel the bloating and the pressure easing, and by the time the 30 minutes was up, i could actually walk and felt like driving.

it's the first thing i have found that actually relieves the pressure and the bloating. i was so amazed, and actually, my Dr's office is considering speaking to the lady that did the session with me, about doing some contracting work for the office now.

If anyone has the resources for this, it was an amazing experience and i was so impressed that i will be seeing her again next month. it's very non-invasive, and she doesn't massage, like if you were going to get deep tissue massage, it's more like accupressure, without the pushing on certain spots. it was amazing!

if i could mail out this therapist, i would send one to each of you, because it was just that amazing.

~jenn~

[Portia17]

hi jenn
wow i read your message just in time.

I am going to my pain mgmt doctor tomorrow as my pain never goes away and they have massage therapy there and I am going to tell her about your great experience

thanks

[cybersis]

My stomach bloating use to be one of my worst symptoms. When I really started getting serious about following the diet and eliminating the most bothersome of foods, I have found the bloating has all but been eliminated. I still get bloating around my period but as suggested I limit my salt and increase my water. The only time I get really bad bloating is when I am flaring, like right now. The Elmiron is really working for me and I have been on it since November of 2004, so five months now.

[naenae2505]

this is renee again... and thank you so much for all the replys... i think that having something like this is amazing to talk to people that actually understand how horrible it is to be controlled by your bladder. I think that some of you are right... I don't follow the diet at all. I drink so much coffee and diet coke that i am suprised my ic isnt worse. I am in a huge flare right now and have been for about 3 weeks now and it is killing me. I just dont get this condition. don't know how i got it but i have to live with it.

the massage thing seems amazing... can any massage therapist help??? I can deal with the going to the bathroom 30 times a day...well not really but if i could take this damn bloat away i would feel so much better. :bow:

does anyone else have anymore things they do to help relieve there symptoms?? any advice would help... i am going nuts... :bonk:

thank you all for the support and advice...

[Amyinagony]

During flares and before getting treatment...I remember feeling the bloat feeling. It felt as though my bladder was about to burst and had the feeling like I had a big ole heavy bowling ball sitting inside my bladder (when I layed down), it was AWFUL!!!!
One time, I was in SO much pain, had taken some pain meds, went to bed, must have fallen asleep and woke up SCREAMING at my dog (who weighs amost 75lbs) telling him to stop jumping on my stomach. My hubby ran into the bedroom, asking me what was wrong and why I was yelling at the dog, telling me the dog had been in the living room with him all afternoon. Talk about being looped on the drugs???...but that's how bad the pain was.
I hope you can find some relief.

[naenae2505]

what can you do to stop it.. i have been in a flare since march 11th!!!

[Sarojini]

As for myofascial release, it's special training, so you need to find a massage therapist or a physical therapist who specializes in it. It is often part of the protocol for physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). By pressing on certain trigger points they can get your muscles to "release" -- in fact, some physical therapists will also often do an internal massage as well (vaginal, etc) in order to get to deeper points. It can be painful but it also helps... had it done as part of my PT for PFD.

As for the bloating, I dunno... I try to restrict salt and drink a lot to flush things out like Donna, but as far as I know there's not much you can do about it which is not very encouraging. :( Sorry about that... but you're not alone. Many of us suffer through this. :(

[Tunia]

Renee - Just a thought...you might want to try eliminating the Diet Coke for a while to see if that helps relieve some of your pain. I've found I can no longer tolerate anything heavily carbonated, such as any type of soda. The most I can manage is a low-carbonation seltzer (NOT tonic water!). Sodas will put me into an immediate flare. Until just recently, I've tolerated coffee pretty well but think that's now changing also, so am trying to have coffee-free days, although I love the stuff.

Hope you feel better soon!

[trytosmile]

My bloating is terrible. I have it everyday. I've gained up to 7 lbs overnight of just "bloat". It is a horrible feeling. I have a section in my closet called "IC" clothes...lol

What helps, for me really nothing. I do light exercises but feel I can't over do it or pain starts. Good ole heating pad helps and trying to relax. Relax, I haven't quite figured that one out yet. You feel like crap, how can you relax.
Give me a pill and go to sleep. :woohoo:

[ICNDonna]

One thing that I absolutely know will put me in a horrible flare is coke --- and diet coke is worse than regular. Another sure flare-maker for me is coffee, unless it's low acid and decaffeinated. My suggestion to help you get out of your flare is to stop drinking both --- and please --- give the IC diet a chance. It's at http://www.ic-network.com/handbook Some ICers find that single step helps more than any other treatments.

Warm encouraging hugs,
Donna

[Kelli]

I agree 100% with Donna. Pop and coffee send me into a flare almost as fast as I can drink the stuff and it lasts for DAYS!!!!! Pretty much anything caffinated is out for me. I drink water and lots of it. Once in awhile I can drink juice but not very often. Diet Coke also containes aspartme which for some people causes flares. But, I know some who can tolerate it in moderation. Also, like Donna mentioned, cut your salt intake. That in itself will cause water retention. Try the IC diet, you may find through process of elimination that there are some things on the list that others cannot have, you can. And visa versa. IC is a strange thing, not any two people are the same and what works for some doesn't for others. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and have just now figured out what is in and what is out for me. Being newly diagnosed is hard and VERY confusing. It will take some time, but you will get things sorted out and know what works for you and what doesn't. Just remember to go through the handbook, it's very helpful and has a ton of information, and to keep posting here if you have any questions or just need someone to talk to.


HUGSSSSSSS

Kelli

[hisjenn]

sodas are very high in sodium as well, which will cause you to retain more water and can be a cause for bloating as well.

as sarojini said, the massage is a special training, and the session i had was not internal, was only external. but was so worth it!!