Anyone from Alabama

[Chips]

Recently, I have been diagnosed with IC, but I have noticed there are no support groups around.
Email me...I could use a Pal.

Dedra - from AL

[Silverfox]

Hi Dedra,

Hey, I live in Auburn and would love to be an IC pal. I sent you a pm.

Take care, hope to get an email back.

Best Wishes Silverfox

[gwennyx99]

Hi,
I live in the Huntsville area and have IC. Nice to know there are some others in the state.

[ALYSSA'S_GRANDMA#1]

hi Glad to know some people are on the board from ALABAMA :) . I live in Enterprise Al. Have you heard of Enterprise? HOPE TO TALK TO YOU ALL SOON.YOU CAN E-MAIL ME IF YOU LIKE:
beltran@veriqik.com
angel take care,love Brenda angel

[Silverfox]

Hello Dedra,

Thanks for the e-mail. I will send you a pm.

Your Alabama pal Silverfox hi

[Chips]

Hi all,

Some of you have not heard from me for awhile. That has been because I had surgery on Feb. 27 (laproscopy). The doctors found that I definitely had IC, endometriosis, and pelvic congestion. It has been loads of fun. NOT! During surgery, the dr. did a hydrodistention which helped in the bathroom area some. I only go every two hours now intead every 15 - 20 minutes.

I currently have a bladder infection that will not go away and the antibiotics I am on have created a yeast infection in my throat and mouth. What a ride.

I really hate not feeling well and my work doesn't understand why I am out on occasion even though I have my proper paperwork filled out to protect me.

Continue to pray for me. I go in tomorrow to have my first bladder instillation and to talk to my dr.

Please give me support. I really need it. I feel alone.

Thanks.

Dedra (a.k.a. - chips)

[ad8123]

Hello Dedra
I am from Florida not Alabama but when i read you rpost I had to reply. I think that maybe we all feel alone. My mother who has a kidney disease called Neuphrites (sp) has lived with pain and fatigue her whole life (she became ill as a child and had to stay out of school for a whole year) she told me that really she thinks that no one really cares about your suffering except maybe for your family (mom, dad, maybe a sibling). I agree with her, it is hard for others to care and many times they do not want to. Pain is an isolating thing but here in this message board the people do care because they know the pain the fatigue the isolation and despair. So eventhough you feel alone, you are not and even if your family is not understanding (my husband is a buthead, he does not care at all) everyone here is. So email me anytime, or private message or what ever. I hope you feel better soon, good luck and fast recovery.

Angela
From Florida

[CLECKLER8]

Hi I'm From Clanton Alabama, I Have Ic Dig. For Almost A Year Now Been Sick For 10 Years. I Am Having Interstim Placement Wednesday Th 13th Of September I Need All Prayers Please.

[Cricketmk3]

Hey, I live in Jacksonville, AL. Home of Jacksonville State University. I would love an email pal and anyone can email me @ Cricketmk3@cs.com.

[csocain]

Add me to the list of Alabama ICers. I'm in Montgomery. Would love to hear from any or all of you anytime. It's nice to know there are others with IC in Alabama. For a while I thought I was one among very few! Will be praying for each of you. Blessings to you and yours.

[monica78]

Hey, I live in Albertville, AL. It is so good to see all of you on this board!
I hope you are all doing well with your IC. I do agree with the pain isolation topic.
I have a wonderful family support system. But I also choose to suffer in silence most
of the time. Most of my co-workers do not understand how I feel and really don't
appear to try. I just wish they would. I know that we all feel alone soooo much.
I am so glad I can talk to you guys!

[Chips]

Welcome all...glad to have fellow Alabamians aboard and other supporters. IC has hit me hard since my chicken pox earlier in the year. It is just hard to maintain. I try to stay focused and positive. God has delivered me from so much and I am blessed to be walking, talking, and breathing. I know God has plans for me...and this is not going to rule my outlook on life.

I am at a stand still with my IC because the instillations have not been working. My dr. will not suggest anything else. There are not that many dr.'s near me that work with IC patients. I am trying to hang in there. It is hard at times.

That is it for now. Feel free to drop me a line.

Dedra
dedra_c@charter.net

[bpbennett]

Hello! I am not from AL but I live maybe 5 minutes from the border in north GA!

[Chips]

Hi Brandi,

Glad you are here. We IC-ers need to stick together. I feel ok today. A little tired but not hurting as much.

You do not live too far away. Of course, I do not travel a whole lot due to my IC.

What are your hobbies?

Dedra

[blueemerald72]

Hey everyone, I live just NW of Huntsville in Ardmore. It's nice to know I'm not the only one here.

[dedrac]

Hi Tammie...Welcome aboard.

Dedra

[blueemerald72]

Hi Dedra, thanks. I am sorry you are going through such a hard time. I know what that's like. My dr is also in birmingham. That seems to be the only place in AL to get treatment for IC. Gimme a yell anytime. I am so glad i found this board, I really thought I was the only person in the state with this mysterious "IC" condition. Everyone I would talk to at the dr office was from out of state. Anyway, thanks for the welcome :)

[DENISE31]

I Am So Glad To Hear That There Is More People In Alabama With Ic. I Live In Boaz Alabama. I Would To Love To Hear From Any Of Ya'll Any Time. I Have A Good Family Support But It Is Still Hard Sometimes For Them To Understand. I Will Be Praying For All Of Us

[angelaharrell]

Hello from Dothan. I'm an ICer for about 15 years, been diagnosed for 7.

Although I have great Doctors, a cure or even relief seems like the elusive Pot of Gold. I educate myself about IC on the internet, books, & by chatting with other ICers.

In September my husband and I reached a major decision in our lives. I quit my job to stay home & hopefully get better. At least now I can go to the bathroom my normal 15 times a day without feeling guilty or embarrassed. I can actually nap in the day if I had a rough night. I don't know how I made it as long as I did. I spent alot of weekends laying in bed from pure exhaustion, only to get up & go back to work again on Monday. IC robs your life of so much.

But I look forward to spending more time at home and spending more time on getting better.

[Suzytoo]

Hi, I am also from Alabama. Muscle Shoals. Your right, people just don't understand how bad ic can be. It takes over your life and robs you of your joy. I have a doctor here,but he really seems to be into the prostate thing and doesn't seem to care to much about ic. I'm not even really sure if that is what I have. If any of you gals know of a good doctor in the Birmingham or Huntsville area please give me some names if they have helped you. I could travel that far. I'm praying for us all. Please holler back . Thanks, Suzy

[csocain]

Hey, Suzy, glad to hear from you. Although I live in Montgomery, I hear that there are some good doctors at UAB in Birmingham. Dr. Lloyd is one, I believe. Someone told me that there is an IC clinic connected with UAB. Dr. Lloyd may be in charge of it. Just a thought and something you might want to check into. I'll sure be praying that you find just the right doctor for you and that you get some relief. Please feel free to pm me anytime. It's always great to have someone who understands what we as ICers are going through. Blessings of hope and grace to you. Hope to hear from you.

[angelaharrell]

Suzy,

I live in Dothan and drive to UAB to see Dr. Loyd. He is great and is very informed on IC! He is the only uro that has ever talked to me about my symptoms & questioned past treatments and is willing to try ANYTHING that might help. He has given me info on the IC diet and directed me to this website so that I could also educate myself. Like I said, he is wonderful. I've been seeing him for about 4 years and my only complaint is the 4 hour drive.

Here's his contact info:

Dr. Keith Lloyd, MD
2000 6th Avenue South 5th floor
Birmingham,AL 1-800-333-6543

Best of Luck, feel free to ask me any questions!

[Suzytoo]

Thanks Carolyn and Angel, I'll give him a call . Hope it's not too hard to find. I'm hoping he can do a cysto on me and maybe give me some answers. I'm just not satisfied that this is what I have. Has he done any kind of procedures on you guys and if so how did that turn out. Thanks so much. Suzy

[csocain]

Hey, Suzy. Wish I could help you with more info about Dr. Lloyd, but Angela can give you more info than I can. You may want to pm her. My own urologist did a cysto and hydrodistension that gave him the IC diagnosis. We went straight to treatments after the diagnosis. The c/h wasn't too bad. Just took a few days to fully recover. Praying that you will find out for sure what your problems are. Blessings of hope and grace to you.

[angelaharrell]

Hi Suzy,

While Dr. Lloyd did not do my interstim implant, he is constantly readjusting & working with me in regards to the implant. He is a very patient man because that thing is more trouble than it's worth sometimes.

He did a cystoscope & DMSO treatment for me on 3 occassions. I'm not gonna sugar coat it for you, it hurts! However, he puts me in the hospital to do the DMSO treatments so there is pain control. Without pain medicine, I don't think I could tolerate the procedure.

He is very informed on IC, comes in a sits down & has this lengthy quesionaire that he fills out about you and then recommends treatment options after he examines you.

My advice to you is to write down what tests you've had, get copies of those results, & copies of your medical history for your first visit. He'll ask you alot of questions and sometimes it's hard to recall everything during your visit, so be prepared.

He is a specialist on IC and he offers so many different treatment options, some traditional, some experimental. Women from all over this country use Dr. Lloyd. I trust this man to the fullest extent. I've had 4 uro's since having bladder pain and he's the one that I refer newly diagnosed ICers to. I have a uro nearby for checkups & flares, but I travel twice to three times a year to see Dr. Lloyd.

I had a hard time finding UAB the first time, because I'm not familiar with Birmingham. That was several years ago, but now what they will do for you is when you call to make your appointment, they will send you info about UAB with a map and a list of hotels nearby, some of the hotels even offer shuttle services.

Good luck Suzy, please let me know how everything goes.

[Cricketmk3]

As I posted earlier, I live in Jacksonville, AL. I have a wonderful uro less than a mile from my house...Dr. Rosen. Check him out at www.rosenurology.com, click on "Bladder Control Program Info" and see that he recognizes IC as a "chronic, painful bladder condition". He diganosed me instantly and has been successfully treating me for two years. I think he's great.