Newly diagnosed

[Curly]

Hello.

I am new here and new to IC. I have been reading the chats and not writing so here goes. I am 25 and I live in Georgia. I am getting married in September!!! My life was perfect and I was blessed in every way possible until I got a UTI 2 months ago. I was treated with 4 different antibiotics until my urine showed no infection but I still had all the symptoms. My uro is sure I have IC and is going to do a cysto w/hydro later this month. I do not have much pain. I just feel like I have to go to the bathroom all the time even when I just went. And I have some stinging and occ. burning. I am very scared and upset over this. I just want my life back to normal. How am I supposed to enjoy my honeymoon???? Am I going to be in misery my whole life? I am currently on Elavil 10 mg, Detrol 4 mg every other day, macrodantin ( because I have frquent UTIs), the diet, and prelief. I want to try elmiron but my uro wants to wait until after my cysto. Anyway, that is my story in brief. Any suggestions or encouragements would be appreciated. Thanks.................

[patricia1]

Hi Curly and :welcome: . I hope things go well with your cysto and hyrdo and that you will not have IC, but if you do, please no that your life will not be over. It can be totally overwhelming in the beg. but eventually you will learn what works with your IC and what does not and that you can have a somewhat normal life, or what can be consider normal with IC. I have had it for almost 10 yrs now and it took me a long, long time to come to this conculsion. I believe had been diagnosed sooner my greiving and grief over not knowing what was wrong and doing something about it would have come sooner. Hopefully if you do get your diagnose you will have been caught very early and treatments can put you on the fast road to recovery. One word of caution, most on here still have daily problems with their IC, but others have found a treatment that works for them and the dont find the need to be here as often. Although I have daily problems with mine, I come here because I want to offer support and kindness to the others who are new to this disease and to show them, you can have a happy life, marriage and children even in dealing with IC. I control my life, not my IC. :grouphug:

[Curly]

Thanks for your quick repsonse. So you do still have daily problems?
Is normal life with IC happy? It just seems there is no way to still be happy with so many ailments. I am not a strong person and it seems like so much. I'm sorry I am just having a bad day and throwing myself a pity party. But I have never had a health problem and now this.

[patricia1]

It is very, very understandable. I went through this and so has others, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I went through alot with my IC and it has made me stronger in the end. I lost a marriage because of it, but I gained my soul mate who has been there since my diagnose and treatments, we have been happily married for 5 yrs now. I did have my kids prior to IC, in fact I think my sons c-section birth is what caused my IC, my kids are happy even though mom has this disease and they know about it. But it takes time and greiving is normal. So dont feel bad about that. Not saying that once you find a treatment plan that works for you, you still might not have really bad days, cause you will but you will get over this hump.

And yes I still deal with my IC daily. I am one that has not been helped by most treatments and meds, and remember there are more of us that are helped and do not have daily problems, I am just not the norm.....But I still love my life and would not trade if for anything. I mean yes my c-section caused my IC, but with out it there was a chance that either my son or me would not be here, I would do it over in a minute. :)

[kelly McC]

hello and welcome,
http://www.ic-network.com/handbook/ check out the handbook if you haven't yet !
Congrats on the wedding . You should have more answers after your cysto/hydro.
Hope your feeling better,
Kelly