Newbie

[~kate]

Hello~ I have been lurking on here for a few weeks. A little background on me is that I have been getting UTI's since I was born. The tappered off when I was a child, flared back up when I was in high school, I had another year of calm, and for the past five years that have been out of control again. The urologists never found anything anotomically wrong with my urinary tract. Now where its starts to get fun, whenever I got a UTI, I would take the cipro and would feel better when my course of antibiotics was up. For the past few years, even after I am done with the antibiotics and the infection is gone I end up feeling awful for months. I still have burning and iritation, still getting up in the middle of the night, sex hurts, the whole routine. My urologist re-ran all of the tests, still found nothing and while I am crying on his table he tells me to just keep drinking water and that I just have a overactive and painful bladder. For the third time this year I have felt like I have a UTI, but low and behold they say it is just bladder inflamation and my primary doc gave me pyridum for pain and Detrol LA for the overactive portion and my doc said it was probably IC. That was the straw that broke the camels back for me. :mad: I made an appointment with my gyno next week to talk with him and see if he has any ideas for me since uro after uro has done nothing for me and I would like to get pregnant in the future although I am feeling frusturated with that too, but thats a whole other story:bonk: . I am not sure if there is a point to my post:hi: I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself!

[babygirlh1]

Hi Kate:welcome:

[Jen27]

Hello and Welcome! I know things can be a pain in the butt (wrong area, u know where i mean) But there are treatments and life does, thankfully, go on! Does ur uro plan on doing a cystoscopy to look for the IC and then take course of action? I hope you're feeling better soon! We all HATE being told "there's nothing we can do" or "it's probably this" or the WORST "it's all in your head".

Sounds like you have a Doc that atleast knows what IC is! Start there and you'll feel better. A big plus? You have Pyridium which is a great bladder numbing agent :-)

Jen

[traceann]

:hi: Kate and :welcome: to the ICN! I am glad you found us and finally decided to jump on in!! :smile tee

If they suspect IC, there are many treatments as Jen said that can make a huge difference in your symptoms! I do hope your gyno can get somewhere for you so you can begin to get treated and start to feel better quickly!!!!

Once again, welcome and I look forward to seeing you around the boards!!!

HUGS!

[L. Thomas]

:hi: :hi:
Welcome. This is the place for great ideas that have worked for others.

As for me, I think finding someone willing to listen and ready to search for ways to help you is the first step. I have no idea what you must feel. You are in a place I have never been.

My pcp, gyn and urogyn all work together and I must say I'm glad that they get along with each other as well as I get along with them.:pray: :pray:
________
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[~kate]

Yes, I have had cytoscopies, ultrasounds and one other thing I can't remember the name but it had to do with a catheter and filling then emptying my bladder. That one hurt like the dickens. I have no blockage or anatomical problems that they ever found, just some bladder inflammation. I am inflammed all over, I also have acid reflux from gasritis and arthritis. :confused:
I am hoping also that my gyno can help me next week and give me some more tips and things I can do besides drinking water. I have been staying away from soda, that bothers me more than anything and has for the past few years and I limit my alcohol intake. On the positive side, the doctor called me back for a second time yesterday and said the test results were read incorrectly and that I do in fact have a UTI this time.
Thank for your responses and support!

[Sarojini]

The catheter test you describe was probably the potassium sensitivity test, in which a dilute potassium chloride solution is put into the bladder. This irritates IC bladders, since the lining of such bladders are damaged, but theoretically it does not bother those with normal bladders. It is used as a diagnostic, and if you were positive (ie, it hurt like heck), it is likely you do have IC.

Just wanted to welcome you to the boards... I guess the others have suggested looking at the Patient Handbook section on treatments; maybe you could print parts out and bring them to your doc so that you can discuss where to go from there. There are many many treatments available, and you really do not need to be suffering! :grouphug: