Stress as a Factor - What's YOUR Opinion?

[futurehope]

It's a common thing nowadays to say that stress is a factor in almost anything, including IC.

But, if I look realistically, at my own medical history of IC, I notice many periods of stress in which I did NOT have a flare. And, of course, there are flares that DO seem related to stress.... or are they?

I'm really starting to wonder if "stress" is a convenient thing to blame many things on - you know what I mean?

I always think of all those people with horrible stress in their lives, and they don't get IC or the ailments that I have.

That's why I would like your opinion. Have you had stressful situations in which you did NOT have a flare (like me)? Just curious.

[Sarojini]

I know stress (among other things) can increase my IC symptoms sometimes. However, no one says stress CAUSES IC, just that it can aggravate the symptoms in some people. "Some" people is also key; we are all different, and hey, if stress is not a trigger for you, that is GREAT :D

[SharonA]

In the Summer of 2001, I went through a short period of very high stress. That is when my symptoms of IC came to the forefront and I went running to a uro. Stress did not cause my IC, but it certainly does aggravate my symptoms every single time that I am in a stressful situation.

[L. Thomas]

My urogyn feels that IC is an underlying disease that manifest itself when the bladder is tramatized. He treats literally 100 for IC and he says stress is a big factor (and also food).

[futurehope]

Yeah, stress is a big factor WHEN YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHEN OR WHY you are flaring. Wouldn't anybody be stressed with an ailment like this?

I don't doubt that in some people an obviously stressful situation allowed the weakest or most disease-prone part of their bodies to malfunction. Other people might have gotten depression, or ulcers, or irritable bowel, or zits, or a divorce, whatever....

I have followed the diet religiously and am still unable to figure out why sometimes I'm fine and why sometimes I'm in severe pain.

I had years when I was fine - didn't matter what I ate. Go figure?!

In my case, stress could be the chicken or the egg? I don't know if stress was before the IC, or the IC causes unending stress......

Maybe in some of us, it's a disease of nervous origen in that certain nerve fibers have neuropathy or something and that's part of the puzzle? I give up trying to figure out what I did to cause the flares. There is no obvious reason in my case.