How much pain does the Potassium Sensitivity test cause?

[Blubonnet]

I'm going in next tuesday for a Potassium Sensitivity test,and was wondering how much pain does this cause? Will I be able to drive myself home or do I need my husband to drive? I've also wondered how reliable this test is after reading some of the other post's. The doctor who thinks I have IC is a Chronic Pelvic Pain Doctor, and he gave me the list of foods to avoid. It has helped somewhat, but I need to be more strict with it. Thanks for any help you can give me. I'm soooo thankful for this website! p.s. I also have Fibromyalgia, IBS, High Blood pressure, Asthma, and last but not least, going thru menopause! Yay for me. NOT:rolleyes: Oh, forgot Depression. Go figure.

[GriffsMommy]

It was uncomfortable. I'm not sure I would even call it painful. They do put a rescue instillation in your bladder afterwards that is meant to sooth it and it did take away pretty much all of the discomfort. There seems to be some debate among dr's how reliable it is though so I really don't have an answer for that.

[Claredale]

If you do react to it (I hope you don't), it will hurt for a few seconds, then they the nurse/doctor puts something in to calm your "mad" bladderd down. I drove myself (I didn't know I was having the test done), I was having spasms, but I was definitely okay to drive. I went home and spent the evening with my heating pad and HGTV.

I know that there is a wide range of the opinions on whether it is reliable, but my doctor felt it was quite reliable. She did the hydro/cysto next to see what stage I was in and found that I was in the severe stage.

Hugs for you!
Tracey

[Annie2]

Hi, Blubonnet, and :welcome: to the ICN! I'm glad you found us! You'll find a wonderful group of caring and supportive people and a treasure trove of helpful information here.

You might want to check out the Patient Handbook on this site. The link to it is at the top of the page. It is full of very useful information about all aspects of IC....diagnosis, possible meds and treatments, self-help tips, diet information, etc. Trying to read through and take it all in at once can be rather overwhelming, so pace yourself. Read awhile then take some time to digest what you've learned before proceeding. Another very helpful book is The Interstitial Cystitis Survivial Guide by Robert Moldwin, MD. It is available here in the ICN Shop and can also be found at other Internet retail stores and sometimes is found in local bookstores.

Following the diet is probably the biggest self-help tool we have. It drastically reduces symptoms for the majority of us. It's not easy to give up lots of favorite foods, but it's worth it in the long run. It takes a few weeks of carefully following before most of us see big results because it takes time for the bladder to calm down after being irritated by foods from a normal diet. Once that happens, however, you can start trying new foods and finding your own personal triggers and tolerances. When you learn what your triggers are your diet will expand again. The hardest part is the beginning. There are lots of helpful tips in the Patient Handbook and posts on the IC Diet Board that will help you.

I was diagnosed with the Potassium Sensitivity Test. It really wasn't that bad. It only takes a few minutes and you'll be on your way. You should be able to drive yourself. However, it's always nice to have someone along for moral support. During the test, two solutions are instilled by catheter into your bladder. One is just sterile water and that is used to determine how you feel with a non-irritating solution in your bladder. Then the potassium choloride solution is instilled and you verbally rate the pain you feel. As soon as you react to it, the solution will be drained and a soothing & numbing agent solution will be instilled to stop the reaction and calm your bladder. The pain can be very uncomfortable, but it only lasts a minute or so. For me, anyway, the rescue solution put in afterwards calmed things right down and the nasty pain was over quickly. After the procedure I felt a little sore from being catheterized, but it was just that...sore, not pain, and didn't last long. My hubby was free and able to go with me when I had it done. I appreciated his moral support, but I would have been just fine if he had not been able to go with me.

There is no 100% accurate test for IC. Neither of the two tests commonly used are extremely accurate. More and more doctors now diagnose with symptoms alone along with tests to rule out other possible causes for symptoms. Some doctors still use cystoscopy with hydrodistention (a scope into the bladder and stretching the bladder with fluid to look for bleeding and/or ulceration) which has to be done in a hospital setting under anaesthesia. This test, in some people, does provide, for reasons not clearly understood, some therapeutic value. However, many doctor now no longer use this test for diagnosis and save this for a possible treatment option for those who do not respond to meds and less invasive treatments. Those doctors who still feel some testing, even though not 100% accurate, is helpful are turning more now towards the Potassium Sensitivity Test because it is quick, easy, can me done in a doctor's office, does not require anaesthesia, is therefore far less invasive with fewer risks, is less expensive and requires little to no recooperation period for the patient.

I noticed you are in Arizona. My sister lives just north of Tucson (and has been pushing hard for us to move there). Did I earlier see you are from Ohio and spent time in TX? I am in the Dayton, OH area. We're retired now, will be putting our home on the market in the spring and, hopefully, if we can get the house sold quickly, will be moving to Georgetown, TX next summer. Small world!

Again, glad you found us. Welcome to the ICN Family!

[Blubonnet]

Thanks for all the info. It's comforting to know I have a place to come and learn and share information! I'm so glad the Potassium Test won't be as bad as I thought. But I still worry because last April when I had my papsmear test, my doc also did a biopsy. I could hardly drive home! I was in severe pain for days and cried alot. I let him know about it,and he said that wasn't normal (no crap!) I just hope this new doc will be able to help me. I'm no stranger to pain, I've had Fibromyalgia for around 13/14 yrs. It's just a new pain I could have done without! I'm convinced my body hates me!:lmao:
Hi Annie2, I was born and raised right in Dayton! My mom still lives there, my dad passed away last Dec.:( I've also lived in Columbus and Westerville,Ohio. I've lived in Ft.Worth and Houston,Texas (loved both),and Boise,Idaho,and near Ogden,Utah,and Sacramento and Yorba Linda,Ca., and now south of Mesa/Apache Junction, way southwest of Phoenix.
I've got relatives all over southern Ohio and Kentucky. My daughter now lives in northern Ohio. My oldest son lives in eastern Idaho,going to school. And most of my in-laws are in Idaho. Even though I do love Arizona, I'd rather be in Texas.But I don't miss the bugs there. I also loved Boise and SoCal. Since I got Fibromyalgia 13/14 yrs. ago, its hard for me to enjoy all the places I've lived. I may even have relatives in the same town you live in! It is a small world! Thanks again for the help and warm welcome!:)

[Annie2]

Blubonnet,

My sis is in Marana, about 90 miles from Mesa. Whenever we visit, we always seem to, for one reason or another, end up making a trip Mesa.

My hubby (orig. from NH) started his career in Sacramento and ended up retiring from Wright-Patt 2 yrs ago. It seems our paths have crossed in several places. I, too, grew up in the Dayton area (Oakwood and Kettering) and taught in the Dayton area for many years. We're in the Centerville/Wash.Twp. area now. Always thought we'd end up in FL, but fell for the beautiful Hill Country of Texas and are anxious to move there as soon as we can sell the house here (waiting until late winter-early spring to put it on the market in hopes the market might improve just a little).

There are quite a few of us from the Dayton area here on the ICN Boards. We keep threatening to all get together for brunch, but it keeps getting postponed. Hope to get something organized later this fall. Do you ever get back to this area to visit your mother? If so, you'll have to let us know and we'll see if we can get a gang of ICNers together.

Good luck on your PST Tuesday. Please let us know how things go! This is one fantastic group of very understanding and supportive people. We truly care about one another, are here to help one another and often think of ourselves as a "cyber-family".

I am truly sorry you had reason to find us, but am glad to welcome you. We'll be here for you, will do our best to answer any questions you have and help in whatever way we can.

:grouphug:

[born2swim]

Honestly, it didn't hurt, but pain isn't one of my main symptoms (urgency and frequency is). I just had the horrible urge to go as soon as the KCl was put in. Instantaneous urge. They flushed it with lidocaine, bicarb, and saline after. Driving was fine, but I was certainly irritated for a few hours after.

Hope this helped!