Have several questions

[ellienor]

My pain started 6 weeks ago, the day after I drank a strong herbal tea for making me sleep.
THe tea upset my stomach alot over night, and the bladder pain came at 2 pm the next day. I figured i had bacteria, so the doctor called me in macrodantin.
I took one of those, and 2 cranberry tablets that night, and in the morning symptoms were gone!
My urine at that point did test positive for bacteria.. but a bacteria that was resistant to macrodantin.
By the time i found this out, my symptoms were gone again.
Then they returned 4 days later. I wonder if macrodantin could have damaged the bladder?
I have tested clear urine 3 times now, and the uro doctor looked into my bladder and says it looks perfectly normal, no inflamation.
Is this normal for IC?

So, my inflamation is in the lining that he cant see?
I have made my symptoms disappear 3 times now with cranberry tablets, however I have a very sensitive stomach and simply cannot take them.
Does this make sense either? THe doctor says it does not make sense that the cranberry would help me.

He wants me to have the potasuim test, but I refuse after the pain I had for 3 days after the camera probe.
I had more pain after I ate some strong mint ice cream last week. The pain came 3 hours later.
Is that how long it takes for the food to reach the bladder?
thanks
eg

[Sarojini]

Did your doctor look at your bladder in his office with a cystoscope while you were awake? The reason I ask is, often even IC bladders look normal during an in-office cystoscopy. It is only after a cystoscopy with hydrodistention (where you are anesthetized in a hospital operating room, and the doctor fills your bladder to a capacity beyond what you could endure awake) that the classic signs of IC appear -- pinpoint bleeding, possibly Hunner's ulcers, etc.

You may want to look at our Patient Handbook at http://www.ic-network.com/handbook. This has lots of info on diagnosis, treatment, and self-help for IC. It also includes the IC Diet, which eliminates foods known to irritate the bladder... and I hate to say it, but cranberry is one of the WORST offenders for most IC patients.

If you do decide to have the potassium test (a new way to test for IC instead of doing the hydrodistention) usually as soon as you hurt they will drain the solution from your bladder and then instill an anesthetic so that your pain should be reduced.

Good luck with whatever you decide :) :grouphug: