Shrinking bladder???

[lutznancy]

Hello all, this is my first time posting. I'm newly diagnosed. I had a cystoscopy while asleep and my urologist said that my bladder could only hold 700 cc when the normal bladder should hold 1,000 cc while asleep. He says my bladder has shrunk and I need to treat my IC so it won't shrink anymore. I'm going with "rescue instillation" as I don't want to take Elmiron orally. I read somewhere that the bladder does not "shrink." Anyone got a thought on this???

[Sarojini]

Bladders can and do shrink due to scarring and fibrosis from the continuous inflammation IC causes. When I had a cysto/hydro done three years ago, my under-anesthesia capacity was 600cc, and it is probably worse now since my IC progressed since then (but now seems stable :) ).

You will find that many people who answer this post will report bladder capacities less than normal -- some have capacities that are as small as 80cc, but those are very rare, extreme cases of IC.

[lutznancy]

Wow, thanks so much for your thoughts. I guess that thing I read about bladders not shrinking was wrong. I had a hard time accepting that I have this IC thing....now, I'm not in denial anymore, and this site is wonderful!! When I went through menopause, I subscribed to a wonderful newsletter out of Canada and it saved my life during those years. I'm so grateful to have found another bunch of friends here to help me weather this storm!

[leelee88]

:welcome: Just wanted to welcome you to the boards....:smile tee

[lutznancy]

Thanks so much! I'm soooo glad to be here.

[tigger_gal]

:hi: :welcome: its ni:welcome: ce to meet you.. welcome to our home. You will find a wealth of info with in these pages.

My bladder holds 200 cc's awake, and I retain 70 cc's.

[lutznancy]

Thanks! How do I put up my personal info on here like you did???

[ICKIRSTI]

I had the same problem forever. What attaches underneath these postings here, is called your Signature. So just go to Quick Links on the upper right corner of the I.C. options bar, and click on Edit Signature. Edit Profile is for personal information. Welcome, Welcome and warmest of regards to you!:smile tee
In addition: I'm one of the unlucky shrunken bladder cases. My first testing showed my capacity to be no more than 250 cc's and I was just diagnosed in October. So heaven help me if it does get worse. Just know, that keeping in contact on here, you will never be alone!