Do you have to have frequency?

[sugarcookie30]

are the main symptoms of IC frequency and urgency? and painful urination?

also in reference to the ic diet, how soon after eating these foods do flairs occur? and what do they feel like?

thanks

[leelee88]

I can't speak for others but I can say that I have frequency 20 to 30 times a day without meds. With meds about 7 to 10 times a day. Flaring it goes back up to 20 or 30 sometimes more.

And I have urgency and when I have to go, if I wait to long I have severe stabbing pains.

I also have everyday pain associated with IC, It is somewhat under control now with my medicines but if I was not on any meds, I would be die in pain.

And the IC diet, If I eat something I should'nt have I know usually about an hour later, But I have flared the next day due to foods. And that feels like cramping pain and burning in the bladder.

[SharonA]

Even though I have my symptoms pretty well controlled with meds and diet, I do flare occasionally. When I do, my frequency goes up from my normal of around 12 times a day. I do not have painful urination unless I have a UTI.

When I flare, I feel a burning sensation in my bladder. If food/drink is the reason for the flare (I also flare because of stress), it will sometimes begin an hour or so after eating or drinking something I should not have. It can also take several hours before I feel a flare coming on. If the flare is caused by a stressful situation, it comes on very quickly.

[sugarcookie30]

Well I have burning after urination and some pressure on the abdomin but NO urgency or frequency. Can you just have pain with IC?

[Michelle in KC]

When I was first DX, I only had pain after intercourse. No frequency, urgency or anything. I went from gyn to gyn and never had anything answered. It was a fluke that I happened to try a new gyn that told me he wanted me to see a uro and well, the rest is history.

I can flare sometimes right after eating a bad food (like 30 miutes or so) or it can be a day or so later. I am NOT good at sticking to the IC diet unless I know something major is coming up. <she types as she's sipping a XL pumpkin pie cappuccino from the local Exxon>

It's different for all of us. I can almost always handle my caffiene. I can't handle chili, salsa, most mexican food unless I make it myself, or pork. There's also other things i can't eat. I miss bacon. Oh, man and I REALLY miss oranges!!!

I find a steady flow of water and occasional pain meds keep me on a bearable level of pain. I break my pain meds in 1/2 so they are not as strong and I can function.

Hope this info helps somewhat.
Michelle.

[mbhbarb]

sugarcookie,

Yes, you can have IC without urgency or frequency. When I have a bad flare, sometimes urgency and frequency are increased, but those are not the biggest part of my problem. Mostly, for me, it is pain, swelling, and pressure. It is only when I have severe swelling that I have urgency; at those times it feels as if my bladder is going to fall right out of my body and every little movement jars it which then compels me to visit the restroom. However, this happens rarely.

Like others, I can usually identify food and/or stress as the underlying cause of my bladder pain. If I eat the wrong thing I will know in an hour or so. Same for a seriously stressful situation. Once in awhile I don't know what is causing the pain, or even where exactly the pain is, but I have other medical issues that also trigger pelvic pain so it could well be unrelated to IC directly.

IC involves a lot of symptoms. You can have a few of them or many, and at different severity. What finally convinced me that I really did have IC was how much the diet helped with my symptoms.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

barb

[llwd]

My main problem is pain and pressure. Only when the IC is more severe, do I have frequency and urgency.

I'm still experimenting with what makes the IC flare. Over the weekend, I had spaghetti. I had been avoiding tomato sauce since I got diagnosed because I suspected it might make the IC worse. Within a few hours, my bladder felt like it was on fire. Now, I know that tomato sauce is a major irritant.

Lori

[icbop]

I have no urgency or frequency, just pain. I think part of the problem with IC is no one really knows what IC is and if it is more than one thing. my first uro just called it unexplained pelvic pain. THe second did a cytstoscopy and saw the glowerulations but there is some issue over that means anything or not. It's all very frustrating, but you do get somewhat 'used' to having an unexplained disease.

[runningemiles]

I mostly have problems w/ pain and pressure and then when it gets really bad the urgency gets worse......so I do think there is no "certain" symptoms to identify IC that is why it is so confusing. Everyone is different.