Male with IC with some questions

[jpb1]

I had a cysto with hydro done 10 days ago and it revealed I have IC, with a small bladder capacity. I have no scarring or ulcer's but I have the typical glomerations. I've been on elmiron, hydroxyzine, and amitriptyline for about 7 months with no real improvements. Will DMSO treatments help and if so does anyone know the cost? Also, would the bladder retraining program increase my bladder capacity? Thanks for any suggestions...Jason

[gopher7895]

Hi and :welcome: I'm sorry to hear you haven't had much improvement in the last 7 months. That's frustrating and you're smart to look for other treatments since we all respond differently. I never had DMSO treatments but I've read posts from others who have done well with them. My doctor prefers rescue instillations and they've mad a huge difference to me. He uses a combination of heparin, sodium bicarb, lidocaine and Elmiron. I had them weekly for a few months and am now able to stretch them out to every 2 to 3 weeks. Sorry I don't know about bladder retraining but you've come to the right place for information. Hopefully someone will chime in with advice on that.

[VickiB]

Welcome to the ICN, Jason!

I have not tried DMSO either but I've read of others being helped by it. IC is funny in that what works for one person doesn't always work for the next. Sometimes it's trial & error with a number of treatments before one finds their silver bullet. (Or combination of bullets!) For myself, the three meds you're using did the trick though it took a good 8 months for things to really calm down.

Have you looked at the IC diet? That one step can make a huge difference.

Vicki