Recently diagnosed

[tlstrong]

Hello to everyone!
I am a newbie. I want to begin by saying, "thank goodness I am not alone." I started to believe the pain was all in my head. I think my dr was beginning to believe I was nuts too!!!
I have lived with bladder pain since I was 7. I have taken so many different antibiotics which seemed to irritate me more so as I got older. My last urologist put me through a lot of tests which were very painful, tried several meds and finally told me that there was nothing wrong with me and take uristat everyday for the rest of my life!!!!
I did some research and found this site. I also found a dr that specializes in IC. I called her office crying and begging for their help. It was 4 days later and a 2 hour drive (well worth it) that someone finally understood what I was going through and went home with a diagnosis.
I've been on Elmiron for 4 mos. and haven't felt this good.....EVER! I do have my bad days 1 week before my period. The bathroom trips are less frequent, the burning has subsided but not completely gone.
I was wondering if anyone gets some relief from hot baths? I take a shower in the morning but in the evening I have to bathe in hot water or it'll be a long night.
Well thanks for listening and I'm looking forward to getting to know everybody here.

Tracy

[SharonA]

Hi and :welcome: to the gang. Glad you found us.

I am not one for sitting in a bathtub so I cannot give you and answer to your question. I know there are some here who do take baths. One thing I do want to warn you, though. Some have found that they cannot use oils, herbs, salts or other things you might add to the bathwater. It makes sense when you think about it. There is a direct line to the bladder that is in contact with these things for as long as the bath lasts.

Heat can help with the discomfort of IC. Many of us use heating pads when our symptoms are flaring.

I'm so glad to hear that you are getting help with Elmiron. Finding what meds/treatments work for us can be very difficult.

Have you checked out the IC Diet, yet? If not, take a look at it. You can find it in a couple of places. Click on the link at the top of this page for the Main Page or the Patient Handbook. Many here have found a lot of relief once they discovered if/what foods or drinks trigger flares. I, for one, cannot have a lot of citrus foods or drinks at any one time. Maybe a bite or two of an orange or a couple of sips of orange juice. Some have problems with coffee. The list varies for each person.

Again, I want to say how happy I am that you found us. I hope we can be of help to you. :) :) :)

[Sarojini]

:welcome:

Yes, many of us use hot baths or heating pads...glad you've found that self-help strategy on your own. :)

Please check out the Handbook Sharon mentioned to you -- it's full of more little tricks you can use to help yourself out.

And, I'm so glad to hear that Elmiron is helping you so much!!!

[VickiB]

Hi Tracy, glad to have you join us!

You're not alone in being driven to that "maybe it is all in my head!" thought either! Good to hear you finally have a diagnosis and a doctor who is treating you now.

I, too, find refuge in the bathtub during bad flares. I don't know if it's the heat or the soothing feeling of the water itself, but it always takes the pain down a couple of notches for me.

Vicki

[ihurttoo]

Hello! I just want to add my :welcome: to the others. I am glad you found us too. I know that I too thought I was the only one suffering with this until I found this site. My drs also acted like I was the only one in the world with this. Even now, it still makes me angry just thinking about it. The worst part is that they are still practicing even now, and probobly will treat some other woman the same way this very day! Thank God for this site so that now we all know that we are NOT the only ones dealing with this terrible disease and that there are options out there that can help us live normal lives.

I am so glad that Elmiron is helping you. I tried it for 4 years, but it only helped a little, and that was only for the 1st year. After that, it was no longer effective for me. But, thankfully, I have found other things to help me now. I hope that the relief lasts for you, as it has for so many others.

To answer your question, yes, heat and hot baths help me alot too. I think it is because so many of us also suffer from Pelvic Floor Dysfuction (presumably from having off and on bladder spasms which cause the other muscles to tighten up and become hypersensitive to pain.) The heat seems to relax those muscles. I am glad it helps you too.

Again, welcome to the ICN. If there is ever anything I can help you with, please feel free to PM me anytime. Hugs, Amy