please answer this stress question

[leelee88]

I would like to have some feed back from all of you,
I am doing research on stress and how it affects our bodies,
As we all know stress can cause, high blood pressure, strokes, ulcers and many more things. I would like to know when you was dg with IC was your body under alot of stress? We all know theres a connection, but I would like to just see how much it really relates to us getting IC, your response would be appreciated:smile tee

[Briza]

Can't remember if I pm'd you my thoughts on this a while back. If not, let me know and I will pm you later today, if not today then probably not til Tues or Wed.

[kadi]

External stress? No, I'm a teacher, had been on summer break almost a month when my IC started.

For me, I think stopping the birth control pill I was on started the IC. For my mom, it was quitting her hormone replacement therapy.

[siriuspsyclist]

I had symptoms of IC for years. Dealable and ignorable. And then my partner got a life threatenning illness that had us driving eight hours at top speed while various parts of him swelled up and were covered with erythema. He took nearly a month to begin to recover. There were a number of very late nights where I was stayin up all night changing dressings every four hours and long scarey drives and long nights in the hospital.

I felt like every time his fever went back up my bladder would go into spasm. I was pouring cranberries in there and eating lots of tomatoes and not taking care of myself at all and WHAMMOO

serious trouble for me since then.

stress. lack of sleep.
ahh, remember to breathe! =kt

[Trishann]

Ronda, I don't think stress causes IC but I do think it can cause trigger points, which can aggravate it. I think just having IC is stressful, dealing with pain everyday, dealing with decisions not knowing what your bladder will do. The expectations of other people that is put upon you and you know you can't do it.
Some days you think you can bet this and then other days you get so tired of daily fighting the pain and issue that goes alone with it. You hold on because you try not go by your feelings because feelings changes all the time. You do learn alot about life going through this but it also bring alot of stress.

Learning to manage stress is hard when you are in pain constantly but somehow we do.

Hugs, Trishann

[icnmgrjill]

I wrote several term papers on stress in college and grad school. There is "distress"... obviously bad stress and "eustress" which is good stress. Dr. Theoharides has been researching the impact of stress on the bladder and has discovered that stress causes the release of a number of irritating chemicals in the bladder and gut which thus explains why we flare during periods of high stress. Could stress actually trigger IC... that's a great question.

I was under very high stress when my IC began as a child and then again as an adult. As a child, I had struggled with a stalker who later raped and murdered a neighbor. Three years of hell... that was because it was a kid my age who was mentally ill and recently died in prison as a three strike offender. As an adult, i was in a job that I just hated but hadn't had the courage to quit. ::sigh::

[leelee88]

Briza, I dont think you did..
But my memory is not to good lately.


And Jill, omg that would be awful having someone stalk you, that would surely put stress into your life..

Maybe IC is more triggered by a trama to our bodies which could be mental or physical..
I know I had mental and physical trama as a child, then as an adult I had lots of mental trama. But I was always able to deal with it, until last year, when I went through a divorce, then lost my home due to Hurricane Katrina, and the stress of not being able to provide a home and food for my kids was really devastating, luckily things got better, but I think my body took a big hit from the stress, because thats when my IC started..

Thanks for your replys:)

[SrMaggie]

I think I had little bouts of IC several years ago. I was in a stressful place in my life. I had come to terms with the fact that I had been sexually abused as a child, compounded by the death of my father, brother and sister within the first 5 years of my life. Things settle down for a bit. I took off a year to get my life back together. Now, I'm in a ministry that has been stressful. This year has been a dream - so far and I couldn't be happier. My IC is not nearly as painful as it has been in the past. The major onset, though came when I took the principal position in the school where I had been teaching. I've finally learned how to lessen the amount of stress to my body as well as to my psyche.
Hopefully, things will change for the better in June, when I change my ministry.

[MakinIT]

I was under BAD stress when DX'd. I'm a special ed teacher, working with severely disabled kiddos. (or I was) I was in constant pain from daily migraines so bad they floored me (like I saw colors, and I spun wildly, but then got slammed in the side of the head....daily....while teaching...FUN) Then a pain started in my pelvis. I had a hysto but they left an ovary b/c I was too young for early menopause. Apparently this Ovary was 10 mm and about to burst...rushed me in. It had burst, apparently, at least 3-4 times before but I think my head hurt so much I didn't really notice anything else. My husband and I were also not doing so well b/c he didn't and still doesn't, really grasp the concept of daily pain. Oh, the multiple breakages caused like a superglue effect on my bladder, vagina, bowels, urethra and ureters, plus all the arteries,venuoles and the microscopic stuff. it all to pulled apart. They figured injury cascaded to the IC but not sure.

As for now, I only get those migraines once a week. Things do get better. I just give myself a shot and put an ice pack on the back of my neck. night night.

Good night all...have to sleep.

[Briza]

Ronda
I'm going to pm you real quick because I won't be on the board for a couple of days. Won't be long and detailed but we can talk more about it later if you have any questions. I guess it was someone else I pm'd about it! Bad memory here, too.:bonk:

[petrie86]

I believe stress or trauma causes Ic. Well at least it did for me. I went through a tramatic experience between family problems. My uro and I think that that caused my IC!!

[kjd]

Rhonda
I had a paracite in my urinary tract system which was the cause of my IC. I dont think stress can be the cause of IC but I think it can make the symptoms to be worse and even make the pain more intense.
If you are under stress I think Pain seams harder to cope with which is why when you are relaxed pain seems to ease off
x

[waterflow]

Mine was caused by a medical test. My big stress started after the IC. I do know it sure doesn't help it any.

[leelee88]

Well thanks for all the replys, I guess IC has alot of differnat triggers..
Its such a strange disease:bonk:

[MakinIT]

Sometimes I think it is what came first, the Chicken or the egg, for some people. You get IC hence you get stress, hence you get PFD, hence you get more stress;;;;but I would agree some people were not stressed to begin with....

[Freckles]

I've always had a bum bladder from the time I can remember, but I do believe that my IC started as a result of a very bad stressful marriage. I grew up having bladder infections so I'm sure I may have gotten it anyway or I may have always had it and no one diagnosed it, but when I was married and my husband did not allow me to work and I was only allowed to stay home and take care of the kids and really have no life, ...... IC kicked in big time. I do think stress may not be the cause but I do think that it can kick start it and really make it unbearable. Going through a divorce right now and lost my job due to this disease so you can bet your butt I'm in a lot of pain right now.
Karen

[mary124]

I believe that mine came from having too many bladder infections after moving to Texas. (I was healthy when I lived in CA); After about 5 years when I had my first child by C-section that was when I really began having problems it wasn't until 1992 though after having 2 children that I was offically dx with IC.

[kahuna]

So glad to see that someone is researching this! I've seen 6 specialists and not one has asked the question!

In my case, I'd had a history of UTIs from 15-35. At 35 I was travelling in Wales. I was to catch a train from Cardiff to Tenby but due to an IRA bomb threat I was placed in the position of having to travel by bus for several hours across the country without a bathroom break. The pain of holding was indescribable. That was 7 years ago. Now I think back to the chronic UTIs that were resolved by a course of antibiotics as the good old days!

Jo ... Sydney
__________

Please answer this stress question
I would like to have some feed back from all of you,
I am doing research on stress and how it affects our bodies,
As we all know stress can cause, high blood pressure, strokes, ulcers and many more things. I would like to know when you was dg with IC was your body under alot of stress? We all know theres a connection, but I would like to just see how much it really relates to us getting IC, your response would be appreciated

[evanseri]

I don't remember if I was necessarily under extra stress when my IC first showed up (ten years ago), but I can certainly say that it is now my number one trigger. During times of low stress my IC is usually controled well with Elmiron and cytsoprotek. However when I experience periods of stress (like when I was studying for my nursing boards) I get terrible flairs that last until I can rid myself of the stressor. In fact I have just entered a flair because my stress level recently has been much higher then usual. Whenever I feel stress coming on I get out the old heating pad and pain meds cause I know that I am in for a big flair.
Merry Christmas to all,
Erin

[leelee88]

Thank all of you for replying to my question..

I have talked to alot of people about this..

If you all notice there seems to be three reasons IC is brought on..

1. MANY UTIs AND ANTIBOTICS

2. TRAMA- DUE TO SURGERY

3. SEVERE STRESS/ AND DEPRESSION

It seems that all of us has had one or the other...

If anyone believes there IC was triggered by something else please let me know...

I have only had one true UTI that I can remember, and Have had surgeries but IC was never brought on by them...

But, in the last 3 years I have had more stress and depression than most people have there whole lives, so I know thats what brought my IC on..


Also, How many people had frequency as a child?

[MakinIT]

Lordy...my hand was up more than down to go pee when I was a kid. and if they didn't let me go I went anyway. As a teacher, my policy was always anyone can go as long as I am not directly teaching (unless it's an emergency and I won't ask) and if it doesnt become aproblem. I think it is terrible to make little kids wait to go potty or even young adults in middle/high school. If a child has shown to be screwing around than that child should be handled accordingly but to make someone raise their hand and ask to go use the bathroom and have a person in charge say "no, you'll just have to wait" is one of the rude and demeaning policies schools have and makes the assumption that all children want to just sneak off and be irresponsible.

I had a problem with only 1 child in a middle school, in 10 years of teaching. Because I set it up as a responsibility and as a test of adulthood, and respect.

Ok..off my high horse...

Tracey

[Briza]

Lordy...my hand was up more than down to go pee when I was a kid. and if they didn't let me go I went anyway. As a teacher, my policy was always anyone can go as long as I am not directly teaching (unless it's an emergency and I won't ask) and if it doesnt become aproblem. I think it is terrible to make little kids wait to go potty or even young adults in middle/high school. If a child has shown to be screwing around than that child should be handled accordingly but to make someone raise their hand and ask to go use the bathroom and have a person in charge say "no, you'll just have to wait" is one of the rude and demeaning policies schools have and makes the assumption that all children want to just sneak off and be irresponsible.

I had a problem with only 1 child in a middle school, in 10 years of teaching. Because I set it up as a responsibility and as a test of adulthood, and respect.
Ok..off my high horse...
Tracey

I say you did good, Tracey. I try to do the same, especially in the direct teaching part, and if you treat them with respect and do allow them to go in just a minute or so after you finishing teaching something they shouldn't miss, then they do learn that respect and it will help them in the long run. Of course there are emergencies and some kids just have their bathroom schedules as everyone does, so each case handled consistently and indvidually does a world of good for the classroom environment.