icnmgrjill
07-07-2008, 01:45 PM
(Reprint - May 2003)
Confession time! Okay, I did it. Last month, I slammed dunked my bladder and caused one of worst nights of my IC life. For the first time in years, I was awake all night long with a painful, throbbing bladder. Though my bladder has now settled down, the memory is still painful.
What did I do? Let me first say that my IC is pretty stable. I've really improved in the past ten years to the point that IC flares are pretty rare for me. I don't have pain or discomfort every day like I used to. But, I do know that if I eat too many of the wrong foods or sit in a car for a long period of time, my bladder will tell me about it. You'd think, after ten years, I'd learned my lesson. But, no, I didn't.
It began that fateful day at breakfast, when I was rushing and dropped into Juice Shack for a quick, nutritious pineapple juice smoothie. Normally, I can have a smoothie. Tropical fruits have rarely bothered my IC bladder (unlike orange juice) and had I not screwed up later that day, I probably wouldn't have felt this flare.
Then came my afternoon break when I gave in to a grande coffee Starbucks Frappucino. Coffee? Again, because my bladder is pretty stable, I can have a little coffee every now and then (once a week). I always ask that it be extra dilute and icy so that it's not too strong. But this time, my plan failed! Strike #2 against my now irritated bladder.
My third offense was at dinner, when I had a MacDougall veggie burrito. Again, this normally wouldn't have been problem had it not be smothered in spicy chili sauce. The pineapple juice & coffee had probably left my bladder red, raw and irritated. Like a fool, I had the audacity to pour chili sauce on top of that inflammation. Yowza!
The final straw happened later that evening when my period started. Think about it. The day before our menstrual cycle is often the worst, most vulnerable day of the month. Many female IC patients have flares at that time because the hormones are so irritating. Here I was on the worst day of the month, when my bladder was its most sensitive, I poured not one, not two, but a grand total of three strong acids on it. Arrghh!
I tell you this story not only to share that I also have IC and make my own mistakes, but to remind you all that diet is critical in IC. If you poured acid on healthy tissue every day, what would happen over time? It would likely breakdown. If you poured acid on your tender, vulnerable, sensitive IC bladder, what would happen? It would hurt like heck! If you poured acid on your IC bladder every day, what would happen? Well, it's not promising. That one cup of coffee in the morning could be setting yourself up for long term discomfort and will likely prevent healing.
The key to IC and the name of the game is to PROTECT your tender bladder, especially if you're in a flare. I wasn't in a flare and diet still brought me to my knees. Don't irritate your bladder further. Likely suspects are coffees (even decaf), teas, herbal teas and GREEN teas. Green tea can be very very acidic. We've just found two new low acid teas that might be worth trying and we also carry some low acid coffees in our store. But, just remember, that if you're in a flare, it's probably best to avoid both for now! Water is best, for truly, it's the only thing that you would and should pour on a wound or irritated skin, right?. Even multivitamins (Centrum, One A Day) can be irritating to the bladder! Good luck and please don't make the same mistake that I did. By watching your diet, you can avoid the flare that I just, so painfully, went through.
Confession time! Okay, I did it. Last month, I slammed dunked my bladder and caused one of worst nights of my IC life. For the first time in years, I was awake all night long with a painful, throbbing bladder. Though my bladder has now settled down, the memory is still painful.
What did I do? Let me first say that my IC is pretty stable. I've really improved in the past ten years to the point that IC flares are pretty rare for me. I don't have pain or discomfort every day like I used to. But, I do know that if I eat too many of the wrong foods or sit in a car for a long period of time, my bladder will tell me about it. You'd think, after ten years, I'd learned my lesson. But, no, I didn't.
It began that fateful day at breakfast, when I was rushing and dropped into Juice Shack for a quick, nutritious pineapple juice smoothie. Normally, I can have a smoothie. Tropical fruits have rarely bothered my IC bladder (unlike orange juice) and had I not screwed up later that day, I probably wouldn't have felt this flare.
Then came my afternoon break when I gave in to a grande coffee Starbucks Frappucino. Coffee? Again, because my bladder is pretty stable, I can have a little coffee every now and then (once a week). I always ask that it be extra dilute and icy so that it's not too strong. But this time, my plan failed! Strike #2 against my now irritated bladder.
My third offense was at dinner, when I had a MacDougall veggie burrito. Again, this normally wouldn't have been problem had it not be smothered in spicy chili sauce. The pineapple juice & coffee had probably left my bladder red, raw and irritated. Like a fool, I had the audacity to pour chili sauce on top of that inflammation. Yowza!
The final straw happened later that evening when my period started. Think about it. The day before our menstrual cycle is often the worst, most vulnerable day of the month. Many female IC patients have flares at that time because the hormones are so irritating. Here I was on the worst day of the month, when my bladder was its most sensitive, I poured not one, not two, but a grand total of three strong acids on it. Arrghh!
I tell you this story not only to share that I also have IC and make my own mistakes, but to remind you all that diet is critical in IC. If you poured acid on healthy tissue every day, what would happen over time? It would likely breakdown. If you poured acid on your tender, vulnerable, sensitive IC bladder, what would happen? It would hurt like heck! If you poured acid on your IC bladder every day, what would happen? Well, it's not promising. That one cup of coffee in the morning could be setting yourself up for long term discomfort and will likely prevent healing.
The key to IC and the name of the game is to PROTECT your tender bladder, especially if you're in a flare. I wasn't in a flare and diet still brought me to my knees. Don't irritate your bladder further. Likely suspects are coffees (even decaf), teas, herbal teas and GREEN teas. Green tea can be very very acidic. We've just found two new low acid teas that might be worth trying and we also carry some low acid coffees in our store. But, just remember, that if you're in a flare, it's probably best to avoid both for now! Water is best, for truly, it's the only thing that you would and should pour on a wound or irritated skin, right?. Even multivitamins (Centrum, One A Day) can be irritating to the bladder! Good luck and please don't make the same mistake that I did. By watching your diet, you can avoid the flare that I just, so painfully, went through.