well...

[JillC]

I had my in office cysto today and the Dr. says I have both OAB abd IC.

I am a little worried about the diagnosis because the cysto was Normal, and the only test he did was fill my bladder up with water (until I had to really go) and then he made me sit on a portable potty and pee. I kinda hoped that he would do more to actually really diagnose me. I didnt have the hydro, or the potein test, infact he just wrote a RX for elmiron and this stuff that turns my pee blue for flare ups.

I dunno I guess I kinda expected more like the Elavil and antihistamine....I wonder how soon I will se results with just the elmiron KWIM?

I was a little bummed that he didnt want to do more "diagnostic" tests on me...I mean, how is he so sure what I have?

This DR came really recommended to...should I get a second opinion?


I forgot to add that the elmiron is only 2 times a day versus the 3 I have seen on here. I was also told to see a pelvic floor therapist? How does a PT help with IC?

[Berkshire Road]

Jill -- Physical Therapy is very often recommended for pelvic floor disfunction (PFD), a tightness and spasming of the pelvic floor muscles which often accompanies IC, and which can exacerbate IC symptoms. Quite a lot of people on the Boards here have had success with PT, and others have found that it was not helpful. In this way, it is pretty much the same as any IC treatment; it works well for some of us but not all of us.

My elmiron dosage is two pills twice a day. Doctors don't all agree on the exact dosage. If you are wondering why you weren't offered any other treatments at this time, you should ask the doctor that you saw. And if you don't feel able to ask this doctor questions, then I strongly suggest that you consider finding a doctor who does not make you so uncomfortable. Anyway, one reason why some doctors introduce treatments one at a time, is that it helps them see which medications are having an effect, and which are not. If you throw everything at it at one time, you may get improvement but you dont' always know exactly which drug or combination of treatments is helping you. So you could end up taking a bunch of unnecessary drugs. It's the same with invasive tests. They can be painful, and are always expensive, so some doctors prefer to make an initial diagnosis based on symptoms and on ruling out other diseases, and then see if IC meds help you. If they do, then you have IC. If not, they may want to do a cysto/hydro to see what's going on.

I don't know if this is what your doctor is thinking, though, the only person who can explain it to you is your doctor. Again, I would suggest that you call him and see if he's willing to go over his tentative long-term plans for your treatment (any long-term plans would be tentative, because no one knows how you will react to each treatment). If you can't get the doctor to listen to you, then find another doctor who will! They are out there.

I hope you feel better. Good luck to you!