Any suggestions... ?

[tonmaa]

Hello,

My wife has an IC (about 2-3 months now) and she has been suffering pain since it stared. I'm trying to find out ways to help here, so that's why I'm writing here. Anyway her uro was pretty weird and just said eat what you want and that's it. She's tried to use that diet, but it's quite hard for her.

Anyway, what would be the "easiest" way to start fight with the pain? Should she just take the pain-killers and make it stop and find new solutions to make her feel better? She's meeting her new uro next week or so, so I'll hope he could suggest some threatments.

And if the pain is the hardest problem, what would you suggest for threatments to try? And the pain is hardest at night (about 11-02) and she's taking some sleeping pills.

And we're living in Finland, so all these meds mentioned here in forum might be a challenge to get :)

Anyway.. kinda messy message, but I hope u got the point :)

Thanks a lot!

[ICNDonna]

My suggestions (and they are only suggestions) is that it's important to get the pain under control, which may take some pain killers. And diet is also very important. The Patient Handbook at http://www.ic-network.com/handbook has diet information. My suggestion is that she stick with the "usually okay" things until she feels better before adding any of the possibly problematic foods and drinks.

It's important that she get enough water to drink. I know it can seem like it causes more frequency, but it will help dilute the urine so it won't be so irritating.

The information in our International Drug Glossary at http://www.ic-network.com/glossary/ might help you; Finland isn't listed, however.

I hope she feels better very soon.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[verdicries]

hi,
first off, welcome! :welcome: second, you are a great husband for helping your wife like this. i agree w/donna, you have to get pain under control...i'm glad your wife is going to a new uro, the 1st one sounded useless. but please don't have your wife just take dozens of painkillers to dull the pain as it doesn't take away the condition. the diet is a MUST to try, i know it's hard...but it will help, sometimes better than painkillers which have side effects. try natural remedies as well, like msm, aloe, etc.

good luck w/the new uro, and pls let us know how she does.

oh yeah...AND DRINK A LOT OF WATER! :) really, it DOES help. you need to stay hydrated and keep the urine dilute!

tracy

[kadi]

Welcome!
Just adding in my agreement that the diet is essential. 86% of IC patients are helped by diet, which is better than the success rate of any of the IC medications. Diet alone may not be enough to manage it altogether, but in my case, the medications won't work without also following the diet.

I'm so glad that you're wanting to help your wife. The diet is very hard to follow without family support because most people have never heard of our condition & are surprised by how strict the diet is.

Please encourage your wife to come online & meet us. Also to check out the Patient Handbook which has lots of self-help suggestions. http://www.ic-network.com/handbook/

For sleep at night, many patients are helped by Amitriptyline, called Elavil here in the US. It reduces pain, frequency of urination, and helps with sleep. It's one of the most commonly prescribed medications for IC. Even a low dose can sometimes make a big difference.

Again, wishing you welcome & hoping that next week's doctor's appointment brings better days soon!

[SharonA]

:welcome: It is terrific that you are trying to help your wife. Please listen to these other posts and use the link Donna gave you for the diet. Your wife and you need to know what foods/drinks might cause her problems. I am not very diet sensitive but I do have things that can cause me to flare. Citrus...like lemon, orange, grapefruit, etc. give me the worst problems.

I hope your wife's new uro will be able to help her. Do you usually go with her for her doctor appointments? If not, may I suggest you go this time. She might bennifet with your being there. You can talk about what you have read on this site about meds/treatments. Plus, it might help the doctor understand better what your wife is experiencing.

I hope your wife begins to feel better very soon and can find meds/treatments that will help her. :)

[tonmaa]

Thanks for your answers. I'll ask if it's ok me to meet her uro as well.
And about the drugs, couldn't find elavil or anything called amitriptyline from google (finland), so don't know if there such a medicine here. Thou wife's last uro said that it's possible to get a special permission to use eg. elmiron, so maybe it's possible to ask a permission for elavil as well.

My wife visited forum once, but she's having a hard time to read anything about this disease at the moment, but I'll try to "kick" her a bit :)

But about the pain, it seems that at the evening pain "grows" just before going to bed and while the bladder is empty, the pain is hardest. so it's like 3-4hours and bladder is full again and there's no pain anymore, but after she visit toilet, it begins again. But what I've read, it usually is just the opposite way...? Or have I misunderstood something.

But, I hope she'll be next to write here about this.. :)

[jubejube]

Hi Tonmaa and welcome to the forum...
You are such a great hubby to be here and trying to help your wife out as much as possible... I have to say that supporting your wife will be so helpful to her in the long run... having family and friends who support you when you are diagnosed and dealing with IC is very important to your well being, and those of us who are fortunate to have that support are very grateful...
I understand the fear that your wife is dealing with very much, but have found the IC network to be a saving grace in dealing with the depression and fear I had after being diagnosed with IC. When she feels she can log onto this site, it will be so beneficial for her, just to vent, ask questions and to meet so many wonderful men and women who are dealing with the same thing she is.
I agree with the suggestion to follow the IC diet... it helped me a lot, even though sometimes its hard to follow.. But it is worth it in the long run and she may find that some of the things on the list, she can actually have - it is merely just a trial and error basis.
I would also suggest taking TUMS (antacids) daily if she has burning. My uro suggested this to me, and it did help the burning a lot. Also agree with DRINK LOTS OF WATER... this helps me tons, and im always in more pain if im dehydrated. I cant comment on frequency or urgency, but im sure you will get a ton of great suggestions from the amazing people the site.
I hope your wife starts to feel better very soon!
Take Care

jube

[SharonA]

Another thought...You will often read about how important it is for your wife to drink plenty of water. The reason for this is to keep her urine diluted as much as possible. She may have to drink bottled water if your tap water has chemicals added to it, like chlorine, etc. If she needs to drink bottled water, make sure it is natural spring water without anything added to it. Check the label on the bottles.

There is an OTC (over the counter) product that many of us use. This is Prelief. We find it in some of our drug stores here in the US. You can also order it off this web site. Look to the upper left of this page where is reads "OUR SPONSORS". You will find it there. Click on the link and you will see all about it.

I take Prelief whenever I am in doubt if something is going to bother my bladder. I always take 2 tablets if I am going to have a very small amount of tomatoes in any form. I also take it with my one cup of caffeinated coffee in the mornings. I can get away with doing that, but I can't have more than that one cup.

I am sure all this sounds very complicated, but it does get easier and will begin to make sense to you and your wife over time. We have all been where the two of you find yourselves right now. Feel free to post any questions. That is why we are here.

[mary124]

Tonmaa-
thats where a lot of my pain is- after going to the bathroom, most times its tolerable, but there are times, especially at night that I have to take something for pain; so no, your wife is not alone here in this.
Everyone has given you great advise- have your wife follow the diet, I'm not as diet sensitive as most-just have to watch the citcus stuff; and a few other things. Elmiron if you can get it that would be great, of course, it doesn't work for everyone, but I have been on it since its been out here and thats been since 1997. Water, Water and More Water, I keep water by my bedside at night and I always have water with me at work. (I keep a gallon jug filled- when its near empty, I bring another one from home).
Try and have your wife come on aboard. We would love to have her (and you too!!) Good luck at the new Uro appointment next week. Hopefully you will have better luck with this one that the other one.