Question about frequency

[IWin]

My main symptoms are frequency and urgency......sometimes I have to pee 2 or three times an hour for an hour or two, then I'm fine for 4 or 5 hours, then maybe later in the day I'll have to go 2 or 3 times in an hour, again.

I have been diagnosed with IC by two different doctors, and I also have some mild pelvic floor dysfunction.

Does anyone else just have a couple of episodes of frequency mixed in with some "normalcy" during the day?

Why could my bladder be so unhappy for a few hours, then seem to go to sleep for a while?

[ICLori]

That sounds like me - my bladder is fine for a few hours, then I eat or drink something it doesn't like or take a medicine it doesn't like, and it acts up for an hour or two or three.

I think that happens to quite a few of us, really. IC is such a spectrum disease, meaning that it covers everything from someone who just has a flare or two a year to someone who is in excruciating pain 24/7. It sounds like you are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes of the disease.

Have you tried the IC diet yet, in the patient handbook? Many IC'ers find their bladders are much more comfortable when they eliminate foods that are known to irritate many IC bladders.

Blessings,
Lori

[ICNDonna]

It does sound like you may be eating or drinking something that could be a problem. You might try keeping a careful diary, indicating everything you ingest, including water, and activities, including times. You may be able to track down the irritant that way.

Donna

[IWin]

Thanks Lori and Donna. I do follow the IC diet pretty carefully. Sometimes I can trace it to what I ate/drank, but not always. I was on Elmiron, but my doctor wanted me to discontinue it a few months ago, because I was doing so well on it.

I got to where I only went to the bathroom 8 - 10 times a day. It's now back up to 12 - 13 times a day, which is still a huge improvement over the 16 - 20 I used to do.

It just seems like if I can get a really full bladder (for me) at one time of the day, why can't I do it all the time.

[ladyhawk]

That is exactly like my symtoms!! I really need to keep a diary of my eating/drinking habits and pinpoint what is the cause! It is really baffling to me how I can cruise through a day feeling great and then it will creep up on me and flare for a few hours....I thought I was the only one!

Gail

[poetgirl]

Yes, I definitely experience episodes of frequency mixed in with some "normalcy" during the day. Sometimes I know what caused it; other times, who knows. What I find most annoying is if I get disrupted in the middle of the night for some reason (usually my b/f snoring...lol) then my bladder immediately kicks up and I have to urinate several times before I can fall back asleep properly.

[ladyhawk]

A LOT of the time I will wake up feeling like I have go every 5 minutes for the first hour or two and then it levels off for most of the day and the towards bedtime it starts in again...strange!

Gail