Just Diagnosed

[ryanwashere]

Hi, my names Ryan, I am 19 and I just got diagnosed with mild IC. I had to have the cystoscopy to diagnose it, which went well, yet not the most pleasent thing. I have been living with urinary problems for 10 months which seems like forever but I know others have gone way longer. I had been treated for everything imaginable, from UTI to prostatitis. No method of treatment seemed to work. Eventually all of this had an impact on me emotional and I had to find treatment for social anxiety related to the urinary problems. It has been a tough road these past months, but in a way I am glad that I found a diagnoses even though it is IC which isn't curable. I at least know there are ways to live with it, and people, like on this network, to use as a support group.

[ICNDonna]

:welcome: to the IC Network! I'm glad you found us. I'm sorry that you have IC, but hope you will find treatment options that work well for you. Have you found the Patient Handbook? The link is at the top of this page. I encourage you to read the diet section first --- and begin an IC diet today. Some ICers find that single step is the key to living a normal life.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[vm]

:welcome: Glad you found us, Ryan, and I hope to see you around. :)

[Kara Isabel]

Hi Ryan and :welcome:

There is a wealth of information here! And lots of people to answer any questions you may have or concerns. I was diagnosed in December and have been encompassed with educating myself with this disease and treatments available! I'm thankful for many people here on the boards that really HELPED me and steered me the right directions and to the right doctors in my area! :D

Have you started the elimination diet? Some flares can be controlled or eliminated just by restricting offending foods from our diets.

I hope you find the right medicine and treatment to help heal your bladder! Are you taking any medicine? You could always ask your doc for an anti-anxiety medicine to help you through this.

Hope to see you around the boards! :grouphug:

[SharonA]

Hello Ryan and :welcome: I am glad ryanwashere and that you posted. I agree...it is good to have a name for your symptoms. That way, you can begin to find the things that will help.

Speaking of helping...have you looked at the IC diet yet? Most people here have problems with certain foods/drinks. If you go to the top of this page, you will find links to either the ICN Main Page and the Patient Handbook. Both of these links will point you in the direction of the diet. You will also fine very good information about the different meds/treatments that are available for IC.

Again, :welcome: to the ICN. :) :) :)

P.S. Looks like Donna, Kim and Kara beat me to the punch.

[VickiB]

Hi Ryan, and welcome!

It is rough getting that IC diagnosis! I think for most of us, the roughest part is the very beginning, -where you are right now! I want you to know that there is life with IC and most of us find treatments, tricks, etc, that make our lives so much better than when we first began this journey. You'll get there!

Welcome to ICN!

Vicki

[traceann]

:hi: Ryan and welcome to the boards!! I think we can all relate to the feeling you get when you finally know that there is a name for what you are having to deal with, it may not make it go away, but it's a relief to know. As the others have suggested, the diet is an excellent tool for managing symptoms. I know it helped me tons!!!

Once again, :welcome: and hope to see you around!!!

[ryanwashere]

The next day, after I got diagnosed my mother and I went through the patient handbook and started planning the diet. I started on it right away so that I can start finding foods that trigger it and eliminate them. It is going to be a long process of elimination, with what I can have and not have. It is depressing at times, but I know that after I do this hopefully I can only eliminate the things that trigger it on not everything that is said to maybe cause problems with IC patients. Thank you for all your warm welcomes, it is nice to have a place to talk about this with others going through the same thing.

[Silverfern]

:welcome: Ryan

Glad to hear you're being very proactive in trying to help yourself as much as you can. I hope you find the diet helpful.....most of us do to one degree or another. It's amazing sometimes, how just one single thing you eat or drink can cause so much anguish and when you eliminate it, how much relief you get. I hope that's what works for you.

Great to have you on board!

Hugs

[traceann]

I too am glad to hear you are giving it all a fair chance! Silverfern is right, it's amazing how one thing can cause you so much trouble, lol. I do hope you have the luck with the diet that I did, it was one of my biggest IC management tools! ;)

[ElenaM87]

Hey Ryan.. although I feel awful that you have to go through this, I'm happy to find someone around my age going through the same thing. I'm 18 and was very recently diagnosed, and have also been dealing with urinary problems my whole life. It really is a long and rough road, but having a diagnosis and being able to do something about it makes life a little easier. It feels like you're the only one in the world going through this at times right? But then you find a place like this and I personally feel like that's half the treatment.

Feel better!
All my love and support,
Elena