:(

[jthmdepp]

So I'm guessing no one around my age has been on the forum lately? :(

[Hollydoll85]

Hey! It does seem like nobody posts much in this area. If you ever want to talk, feel free to pm me.

[Ashelliak]

How old are you? I am 21 :woohoo:

[Hollydoll85]

I'll be 21 in May.

[talksick]

Hi guys I'm 23. :)

[cindysd18]

I am 25 if anyone wants to pm me. I live in Florida and am waiting to see if I get accepted into grad school. What college year are all of you that have posted in?

[jthmdepp]

I'm a freshman in college

[treehugger]

just popping in to say, I exist ;) and I just turned 22 on the 26th of march.

[talksick]

I'm a first year grad student. Will get my MA this summer and my EDS in two more years. (My major is School Psychology).
Kim

[NurseKate]

:grouphug: Hi everyone, this is my first time posting. I am 21 and 2 weeks away from completing my 3rd year of nursing school (Only 1 more to go!). I am writing because I am having a really bad flare up today, I was dumb and ate a slice of cheese pizza yesterday and the tomato sauce really irritated my bladder. I should know better, my diet is almost 100% what causes me to pain, urgency and frequency. I've been up since 3am and haven't been able to sleep longer than 1.5 hr at a time before having to get up to try to pee. I'm thinking I might have a UTI as well because I am usually lucky and don't find I have pain with my IC.
I should be honest though I havent actually been diagnosised with IC yet but my mom has had IC for over 10 years and so I know the symptoms and suspect I'm following in her foot steps. It scares me to think that my life will have to be modified. Sometimes I really hate being 21 and not being able to plan my day unless a toilet is around! Does anyone else feel this way? My bladder has felt full all day, so I decided to put my nursing skills to good use and catheterized myself! Well I tell you, WOWIE it was painful to stick that catheter up there! I'll be much more gentle with my patients now because I know what they are feeling.
I wish more of you were posting, its important to talk to people who understand what its like to tell your boyfriend and friends you can't go clubbing because your peeing every 20 minutes! All my friends are out tonight and I'm feeling isolated and kinda sad. My boyfriend, he's been so supportive but there is only so much he can say and do before I feel like I'm holding him back.
Hopefully my IC flare will be gone tomorrow and life can be back to normal a lil bit. Thank goodness for B & O Supps..... I wouldn't have gotten through a minute of today without them!

Thanks for listening to me vent, Feel free to do the same with me :)

Katy

[TabbiH]

Finishing my 15th (no, it's not a typo) year of college. I've taken professional student to a whole new level, but hopefully will be finishing my PhD next spring. So if anyone has questions about navigating the college system, please ask!

[daisymay8844]

I am 21 will be 22 this summer. I am graduating in May from college. I currently live in Georgia. It is hard to have IC and try to maintain a social life. I feel for you NurseKate. I have been there and still cannot go out sometimes. I feel like sometime I am missing out on college life. But with support of great friends and family it can make a world of difference.

[Sarilou99]

I'm 24 (25 in May) and feel for ya TabbiH. I started college back in 99 and graduate in May, then start my Masters Degree in August. I must say that IC makes it difficult to attend classes, but I'm determinded to get my PhD.
Hope everyone else is well.

[dansfever]

I'm 21 (22 on the 13th this month). I started college when I was 16. haven'tgone about 1 1/2 years. Would like to go back but I have a hard time with school sometimes. I was homeschooled no social life. I feel like a really idiot right now.

Veronica

I have dyslexia so school and that don't agree with each other.

[Kiyoka]

Hey, I'm 23..in my senior year of college. If you ever want to talk, PM me...i will do my best to look and write more.

Kiyoka

[Stasia]

Hey, I'm 18, 19 May 26th. Guess I’m the youngest here. I’m a freshman in college. This has been the most depressing thing to happen to me in my life so far. I feel like I can't do anything with out planning if there will be a toilet nearby. I live in the dorm, but live in a suite which I'm so grateful for since my bathroom is literally ten feet away from my desk. I go around 25-30 times a day. Its so frustrating. My roommate is being supportive and I know I complain way to much but its so annoying have the feeling of having to go pee every split second. its like I sit down to go pee and then I go, ha, but the second I stand up, I feel the urge to go again, like I didn't even do anything!! Ah!!!! I hate it! I don’t know what to do. I think about it constantly, of course how can’t you when your bladder is constantly reminding you you need to go, and then I get my stomach all in knots and lay awake at night thinking I have to deal with this for my whole life.

But I guess I’m lucky in that I don’t have extreme burning most of the time. Just usually after peeing sometimes which sometimes fades to a dull pain. I noticed that during midterms I had my stomach all messed up with nerves and it caused this to go berserk. But during spring break while I was in Las Vegas it disappeared completely. For one glorious week it was gone. Then went back to school and BAM! Back with a vengeance. I don’t remember it being like this before. The constant urgent feeling of having to pee all the time. I am going to see the school doctor and check for and bladder infection since I get those easily also.

Thanks for listening to me rant. I found this site a few weeks ago, but I found even thinking about this stuff made me more depressed and angry. But I was laying in bed unable to sleep and decided to come on here and take a look. I found this college thread and had to post. I thought I was the only one my age. Thank you.

[Kiyoka]

hello stasia! Welcome to the ic board! I totally understand how you feel. If you ever need someone to talk to PM me, or email me. I am still trying to figure out how to control my ic, but i would love to help you anytime. I am a senior in college.

Kiyoka

[YoungDancer]

I'm in my early 20s. I took a break from college after two years. I was going into early childhood education and took dance. Because of IC pain (and one other tiny issue) I haven't been able to go back to college yet. It's taken out a whole year of my life to pain.

Sadly I am unable to dance right now because my IC flares when I get active. It makes me so sad cause I love to dance & miss it. :(

But things cannot be bad forever, right. Maybe now that my bad HMO doctor knows it's IC from the lastest test I'll get a med that can help me feel better. :) What meds are you all on?

[Stasia]

I'm not on any. I haven't really seen anyone since I've been away at school. This summer I am going to see my doctor and we are goign to see what is up. I'm thinking my IC flares are caused by stress. I think back and in less stressful times its not bad. But right now at the end of the semester or close to it, its bad. It sucks that I have the stress of getting good grades and this on top of it. Anyway I want to try an herbal approach before I go with medication. I think things can be solved just as good without expensive medication. I mean there had to have been IC in the 1700's right? There wasn't any pharmaceutical companies back then. I don't know. I'm almost at the point where I'll take anything to make it stop. If you guys are familiar with Lord of the Rings I feel like Smeagol when he is crying "It burns us!" That is how I make a joke out of this. I'm a Lord of the Rings nut so to me any way of bring it up is good.

I'm still not down with the lingo here. Whats HMO?

[MeganAnne]

Hi! :)

I'm 24 and graduated college in 03 (wow - time flies!). I'm thinking about applying for grad school, but I've got to admit, I'm a bit scared! I did well in college (pre-ic, which I got just after graduating... what a present!) and am afraid I won't be able to sit through classes, let alone survive tests. Any success stories?

[TabbiH]

If I get around to finishing my dissertation, I'll get my PhD next year, so it's probably a success story. Grad school actually has an easier schedule, depending on your major, because they expect you to do a lot of independent work. All my classes were either 1 1/2 hours twice a week, or 3 hours once a week. In a three hour class, we always took a break midway through. I missed one day of school because of the hydrodistension, but otherwise have been able to schedule all my appointments either before/after classes or on days when I didn't have any classes. My school even has off-campus library access, meaning I can get "restricted" material from home instead of having to be in the library or connected to the network directly.

Hope that helps.

[MeganAnne]

That is true... one the classes are done, you have a flexible schedule. I'd probably have to take a break even during the 1.5 hour classes. Darn bladder!

What are you studying?

[TabbiH]

I'm majoring in music history. Unusual, but I like it. Except for reading all those microfilms.

[MeganAnne]

Music history? That's neat! Sounds like an interesting topic. If I go back, I think it will be in Anthropology... that's what my BA is in. Sometimes though, I think I'd like a job that's not in academia... like a massage therapist or just something that's not so intense. But, that's the IC side of me talking. I would have never said that before IC!

[dipietrom]

hey everyone, im 21 and I have had IC for all 4 years of my undergrate.

I graduate on August 19th with my BS in Business Management, and 2 days later I start Grad school to get my MBA in accounting.

I find that if I have stuff to do I am less likely to sit around and feel sick. somedays I feel like crap but I know i need to go to class, and it motivates me to get off the coach, change my sweatpants, pop a pill and go to class.

of course i come home and sleep, but hey, who doesn't?

if anyone wants to talk about college with IC, let me know. (oh im also 1 of 3 girls in my major with mostly male teachers, so i know what its like to have teachers think its a "girl thing")

[magnolia86]

Hey everyone, I'm 19 years old, diagnosed about two months ago... still trying to understand this whole thing. Recently, been getting reallllllly frustrated with it. I have a consultation with my uro today and I hope that will go well, I'm desperate for any kind of help at this point. I just finished my freshman year at school, wasn't bad, although I think next year is going to be more challenging (thanks to mr. IC!). I do really miss being able to go out with my friends, have a good time, drink a little, you know typical college things. Is it wrong to miss it? I don't know. Then theres the whole abiding by the diet thing... I feel too young to deal with this, I have my whole life ahead of me and its already marred with IC. I have big plans, and I really don't want it to get in the way... thats the last thing we all need. Like what do you tell someone when you go out to eat, and can't order anything on the menu? Especially in date situations or even casual friends? Do you really want to explain to them in detail your current bladder condition? NO! I don't know... its just all these things are making me think, WOW... this sucks!! But I need to remain positive, I know that, but I'm just venting, sorry! But you guys know exactly what I mean, so THANK YOU! So feel free to PM me, or just hit me up whenever you need to talk... We gotta be here for each other!

[dipietrom]

Ive found that most restuarants will make stuff plain for you, tell them you have allergies, or a stomach condition. as for your date or friends, i usually say the same...im allergic to this or i can't digest certain things well, or acids make me feel sick.

if your really uncomfortable, say you have allergies or your a vegan. vegan works well!

[kennedy]

Hey Magnolia, :pray:

I know exactly what you mean. When my IC symptoms came on, I was 21 and just started my junior year of college. I went out drinking all the time and did what ever I wanted! I mean, 21, no attachments, life was a party!! Then, all of the sudden I had fevers of 103 from horrible UTI's and I crawled to and from the bed and bathroom in pain. After months of this, I had to quit school with only a year left. I thought that my lifestyle had done it (and who knows, regretfully it may be a factor). Well, they told me it was IC.

So..OMG... how am I going to tell my friends that I can't drink???? Or my boyfriend that our sex life is going to change???? For a while, I was so embarassed that I didn't tell anyone and lived through the pain I caused myself.

But, you SO get over THAT. I am 24 now and have friends and a husband who are supportive of me and my condition. They understand what IC is and are willing to learn new things about it all the time. These are the kind of people you want to surround yourself with, people who care.

I am sorry that you feel like you are missing out, but that will change in time. But regardless, we are here for you!!!

Hope you are well and doing well in school!!
Kennedy

[A.J.]

Hi all. I'm 20, going into my junior year of college in the fall for criminal justice...(wow, I can't believe I'm a junior already and I've survived lol)...I'm going through a horrible flare right now and I'm trying all these new supplements and Diflucan that my doctor has me on, and nothing seems to be working. I just feel like complaining right now cause I feel so crappy. But it's great to hear what everyone's trying to accomplish. It's even more difficult for IC'ers, and yet we're all such strong people with huge goals. I'm proud to know such wonderful ladies (and gentlemen). If anyone ever wants to PM me, feel free. I'm in Denver by the way...planning on getting out of here ASAP to start my career in California (my home)!

[lovely330]

Does anyone else find it really hard to follow the diet? I was diagnosed about a month ago and I did ok with the diet for like 2 weeks. Now I just can't find the motivation to follow it. All I want are the things that I'm not supposed to have!!! any suggestions?

[kennedy]

Hi Lovely330,

Haha, I think the question is "Doesn't everybody find the diet hard to follow, sometimes?". It's like anything, when someone tells you that u can't have it, u only want it more!

I try to think of it as a "lifestyle change" rather than diet, so I don't really feel like I'm restricted. I'm "choosing" not to eat and drink that stuff. It's really a load of psychological crap, but it helps me, haha.

Maybe, when u feel like u really want a no-no item, think of the flare that comes with it and then maybe u wont want it?? That makes me think twice!! Almost always anyways......

Don't stress.... the craving will pass!!
Good Luck!!

Kennedy

[lovely330]

hopefully i will learn my lesson! my bladder is hurting today and i'm peeing like crazy!! i have GOT to stay away from chocolate!!!

[icmandy]

hello all...i'm a 22 yr old senior (5th year, but only 8th semester. go figure). i graduate in december with a BA in English:Creative Writing.

any ideas on how to spice up the diet? i've followed it fairly closely for 2 years....and now i hate to eat. any ideas?

and for those who are craving sugar - it'll pass. i started making cakes for friends and family every time i had a sugar craving. by the time i had made the cake, made the icing, then iced the cake, i was sick of sweet stuff (the smell would gag me). then you get your sweet fix, and your friends/family get a sweet treat.

i know, it's corny. but it worked for me :)