Help for my son

[Mam]

Hi All
My 27yr old son has just been diagnosed with IC after a year of being in and out of hospital (peeing blood - sorry dont know how to say that any other way)
Over that year he has lost 2 stone - he looks dreadful.
he goes to the toilet every 10-15 mins and is about to start a tablet called Elmiron - the Doctor tells him - he will loose his hair and loose some more weight - si this normal
Will he feel really ill on this tablet and should i try to get him to come home for a while - he is at uni
Also - he is bleeding from his back passage when he goes to the toilet - is this normal

Sorry to bug you but we live in England and its not very well documented over here
Is there any good books he can get - should he cahnge his diet.

Please help

[SharonA]

I am so sorry your son is going through this, but I am so proud of you for reaching out to try to help him. Your support will help him very much.

Please tell your son that he will not necessarily lose all his hair or even some of it. There are people here who say they have not had that happen to them and they have been on Elmiron for a long time.

It is hard to say if he will feel bad when he takes Elmiron. We are all so different and react differently to meds. If he complains that his stomach is upset after taking it, suggest that he empty the contents of the tablet into water and take it that way.

I am not sure about the bleeding. Can he go to his doctor to have that checked? I think that would be a good idea.

There are several books available about IC. He can find them listed on this site. He can order them from this site (just scroll to the top of this page and click on the link for the ICNShop) or try to find them at a bookstore.

Yes, he should take a look at the IC Diet. He can find it in the Patient Handbook. Just scroll to the top of this page and click on the link. Then search for the IC Diet there. The Handbook is an excellent source of a lot of information about IC and other things associated with it.

:welcome: to the ICN to both you and your son. :) :) :)

[irishnan3]

Mam:
It is so hard when our kids are away and they are sick.
IC is a very difficult condition to deal with and your support will mean the world to him. He really needs to see the doctor for the Rectal bleeding, I haven't heard of that being a condition of IC. He also needs to get on the IC diet, it help's most of us. Life changes with IC and it is wonderful to see that your reaching out for knowlege to help him. There should be more people like you. good Luck & God Bless:angel: