Hello

[lilstrwberygal]

:hi: Hi my names Christina, I'm 20 and obviouslly have IC or else I wouldn't be here. It's really hard because most people I meet with IC are 40 and up and thats not the most comforting thing in the world. I'm a full time college student which is really hard with the IC because I have to get up during the lectures alot and miss ALOT of notes. I'm in the honors program so I have to keep up a 3.7 which is hard enough with out medical issues but with my god. If something doesn't change soon I don't think I'm going to be able to do it. It's so draining. Is anyone else my age and has this?

[statesboro]

I reckon I will be the first one to chime in and give you a welcome. Yep! I can say you have found a good place by coming on here. Besides, we will understand. I don't know how long you have had IC, but I would guess you have noticed many people don't understand. I have noticed some other college students have been on here lately, too. It seems that many 20 something year olds having been getting diagnosed recently. Oh! I don't think I would be able to handle college right now. Of course, I happen to be 42 now. I don't know if you are following the "IC diet" or not. I don't know what all you take now, either. I did notice you wanted to know if someone your age had it besides you. Ok, then. I can remember a 21y/o, a 22y/o,and a 23y/o coming on here with a recent diagnoses this year alone. Yep! You might find their posts on here in the same area. Ok, then. I know that some others will chime in. That will be all now.

[NancyB]

Dear Christina -

Welcome to the ICN.

There are a lot of people here that have been diagnosed recently who are your age. I am sure they will chime in and welcome you.

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. There are many people here that can help you.

Make sure and read as much information at the site as you can. You will learn alot so that you can help yourself.

If you haven't already, try the diet. It is usually the single most important thing one can do to help with symptoms.

Make sure you are drinking only spring water with nothing added. This site says that Evian is ok, but a lot of icers cannot drink that.

Above all, try and remember that you will more than likely find a treatment regimen that will work for you and make it easier to get on with your life.

Hope this information is helpful to you.

NancyB:)

[c2miracle]

Hello Christina! :welcome: There are alot of younger ICers on these boards. Most people do not go on everyday, so be patient and you will get responses that college students are dealing with right now. I will be 40 in a couple of weeks but what is going on inside our bodies can be very similar. I am not currently attending school, but I do work full-time and have two girls and a husband to take care of. We all learn to cope and some days are harder than others. I know how you feel when you are constantly going to the bathroom in class, that happens to me when I'm in a meeting, it gets embarrassing. :toilet:
Have you looked over the IC diet ? I'm still going thru trial and error when it comes to foods and meds. Drink lots of water and know that we are all here to support you :smile tee Think Positive :smile tee

[Rainwilds]

... Is anyone else my age and has this?

Hello there Christina!

I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with IC in October last year. However, I have had symptoms since I was about 17. I can imagine it must be very hard being at college. I eventually had to pull out after a year and a half because I couldn't cope anymore. I've seen many doctors and it is a tough road.

How long have you had symptoms? I'm not sure how all the college systems are in the USA (I'm from Australia), but if it is getting too much, could you possibly defer your studies for a time?

I know you must be feeling quite overwhemled at the moment but keep up hope. The people on here are so wonderful and helpful and you can learn a lot from them! I'd be lost if I couldn't come on here! It's the only place where people truly understand. People in your life will find it hard to understand you because they just can't see it and (probably) haven't been through it - (ESPECIALLY people your own age). The sooner I realised this, the easier it became ...

What medications are you currently taking?

Take care,
Ally

[bluetart]

Hi christina. I am 21 and was dx at 20. I am a full time student also. I finishing up my jr year. Yes school is very hard with IC, especaily when you have labs... four hour ones with no Bathroom......ahhhhhhhh. Luckily I was good at disapearing behind a tree. I pee before and after most classes. But right as i was dx my IC was very bad and I couldn't even make it through class, without getting up once and wanting to get up a seconed. My suggestion is if its a big class sit near the back close to the exit to sneak out. If its a small class and you have to leave Often you might want to tell your profesor, so they want think your a slacker. You don't need to tell them why you need to excuse yourself from class so often, just that you need to. There are alot of little things you can do like lighten your load, I did that an luckily after awhile myIC got better and I learned how to manage my time with my disease and now can take a heavey course load.. 18 credits. It may take time but its likely that you can find releif from IC with different medications and life style changes and will be able to handle college life better.

In the mean time. Make sure you search for a good doctor one that believes you. It can be hard being our age, some doctors won't take our needs seriously. Talk to your adivisor about whats going on. They may be able to suggest something helpful. Consider going to counseling, just to be able to talk about what your going through. I went once and it felt very good. Also if you need help get tutors to help you catch up, talk to the disabilitiy services, they may be able to aid and or guide you in the right direction. The honors program is hard, I can't maintain that GPA, but kudoes for you. Consider take some online courses, if you school has them avaible. I have some many more suggestions I could go all night. But most importantly don't push people away. You need support.

[curlycue]

You are at the #1 IC PLC to be. These women have so much knowledge that it is scarry sometimes. Any question that you might have that you might think to yourself "ohh they cant know that or this" guess again they know and if they dont they find out. Welcome dont be afraid we can help. You are not alone. God Bless you and your family.

[lilstrwberygal]

Right now I'm hydroxine 100 MG & Ambien 12.5 MG...I just stopped DMSO because theyw eren't working and I had tried a trigger point injection before that. I've been having these problems for about two years but only got dignosed a few month ago, I had some bad urologist before the one I'm with now.

[SharonA]

:welcome: to the ICN...:):):)

[debraski]

Like someone said previously..you can get accomidations for this disorder at school. It is a huge help and relief.....the teachers can work with you on our times away from school, time frames,,,etc. You just have to contact the "disability" department. names vary depending on school. I am looking at having to make a decision on if I can keep all my classes up now. i think.I feel I should say that i need to get this under some control or learn more....and maybe put i ofr an incomplete for a couple of classes and just work on a couple. Then I can work hard on those verses all my grades dropping. It sucks...especially midway of the semester. So check out disabilities. Communication is important.
Good Luck!

[targirl81]

Hi Lilstrwbrygal: Even though I wasn't diagnosed until I was 40, I am sure that I have had IC since I was probably your age. The good news for you is that you know now and can begin to deal with it. The first and foremost thing you need to do (in my humble opinion) is get associated with the best IC urologist in your area. I floundered around for years with urologists who really did not understand IC....let alone what to do for it. I got my urologist :angel: from these very message boards in the summer of 2005. I went into a MAJOR flare and nothing was helping :bonk:. I was having to pee every 5 minutes and really never losing the urge to pee. I was in terrible pain. After many doc visits, ER visits and even a hydro done at the hospital.....I found myself no better off. I started doing research on my own and I found this group. I live in North Carolina. My urologist is Dr. Robert Evans and he practices in the Greensboro area. He may be too far away for you to visit but you might be able to get a referral. I am also sure that you will get some referrals from other IC patients that live near to you.

Even though we all have various symptoms and need different treatments, I always like to read about other patients' particular situations...and what helped them. When I had my first visit with Dr. Evans, he explained that there are two sets of nerves in the bladder. One tells the bladder that it is full and one tells the bladder that it is in pain. My "pain nerve" is my big problem. He explained that none of the medicines for the "full nerve" would ever help me. Those includes meds like detrol and any other med that is supposed to help with the urge and frequency. I took every one they made before I saw Dr. Evans and they did absolutely nothing. Now I understand why. One of the other things I learned is that its common for other ailments to go hand-in-hand with IC. Its not uncommon to have CFD, fibromyalgia, migraines, IBS and PFD....to name a few. My "sister" disease is PFD or Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. This, along with my IC, causes terrible bladder spasms. The treatment that has absolutely turned my life around is a daily maintenance low-dose of valium. I also take hydrozyxine at night. I have pain meds on hand for flares. I can even go to a football game and not have to use the restroom.:woohoo: Three plus years ago that would have been unheard of. I just would not have gone to the game. Sorry for the long, long missive....but I wish I had known all these facts years ago. The main thing to remember is that is all starts with your doctor. That is the key. Not all doctors are created equal. If you are with a doctor and the treatment isn't working....ask him/her to try something else. I think you will be able to tell if your doctor knows much about IC. Don't give up. Feel free to email if you want to talk some more. My email is: targirl81@aol.com Hang in there!!!! Don't give up!!!!

[amylr]

Hey there,

Im actually 18 and was just told I have IC last week after a cystoscopy with hydrodistention, which didnt help the symptoms but hey, Ill take what I can get lol. Im a freshman in college and can certainly relate. Like you, Im a member of the colleges Honors Society. I cant really offer you any management tips, since I just learned about all of this myself, but if your school offers online classes, those can work out wonderfully. Im full time as well but only attend the campus three days a week since the rest of my courses are online.