How soon do you know if it was food that caused a flare up?

[kjensen75]

Does it just take 5 minutes after you eat something to trigger a flare up? I am trying to rule out foods that could have caused this major flare up. I just read that toothpaste or a tooth whitener could do it? It is so strange that it is striking me most at night after work. Could it be allergies?

Does anyone know of a doctor who specializes in IC in Atlanta? My doctor is very good but I am not sure he has a passion for finding out the missing piece to this puzzle. It is the urgency that seems to be the most painful to me.

[Silverfern]

I've never had a reaction to food in 5 minutes....takes a bit longer than that to hit my bladder. However, if I inhale something strong like an overpowering perfume or some cleaning fluid then I get a bladder reaction very quickly..... extreme urgency with some burning. Actually I find most of my urgency is related to inhaled substances or a very dry vagina which seems to irritate my urethra.

Regarding the tooth whitener I'd be a bit suspicious of that, especially if it happens at the same time every day. I use calendula toothpaste (I'm very sensitive to peppermint and it's peppermint free) and have no bladder issues with that. I don't think I've heard of too many ICers being sensitive to toothpaste (but then again we're all so very different and anything's possible), but the whitening stuff is fairly potent and could well be a problem. Give it a miss for a couple of days and see how it goes. I know how difficult and frustrating it is when you're trying to track something down but it's so worth it in the end to keep perservering. Hope you can figure it out soon.

Hugs

[ICNDonna]

One of the things I have learned about pain is that we usually feel it more when we try to relax. That could explain why you feel worse in the evenings.

There can be many variables in how long after ingesting something the reaction happens. One way to find out what's a problem is to keep a food and drink diary for a few weeks, also including pain levels at various times during the day.

Donna

[kjensen75]

Maybe you are right because I stick to the IC diet. When I come home from work is when the flare up really starts. Would an alergist help? What do you mean about a dry vagina? How can I prevent that? I am desperate for help.

[Silverfern]

I think you'd know if it was vaginal dryness! It's a really uncomfortable feeling in the vagina almost like sandpaper rubbing together. Mine ebbs and flows....some days I don't notice it but others it's awful. Because the vagina and urethra are very close together, the urethra suffers from the lack of estrogen that causes vaginal dryness after menopause. There are vaginal estrogen creams that help with this problem, but I can't use them as they flare my bladder badly. I just use lubricant vaginally and it helps with the dryness and stops the vaginal walls rubbing together. Anyway, I'm sure you'd be really conscious of the dryness if you had it. It's not something you can overlook believe me! ;)

It does seem strange that the flare starts when you get home from work. Is it reasonably okay during the day when you're away from home? What about when you go out shopping, visiting, etc and you're away for a few hours? Maybe it's something in your home environment. I've had heaps of allergy testing done over the years but it's pretty useless I've found for enviromental allergens like I have. It might certainly be something worth looking into in your case though....you've got to try anything and everything sometimes!

Do you use room fresheners, have perfumed flowers in your house, toilet fresheners etc? What about perfumed toilet paper? Try and eliminate all strong smelling substances. Disinfectants and detergents can be really bad. Another thought is do you drink a lot of water quickly when you get home from work. That can cause horrible urgency for me if I do that.

I sure hope you can get to the bottom of this.

Hugs