flaring and supposed to go on vacation!!!

[Mom23]

I'm not really sure what to do here. I have been flaring for a week - that time of the month - but it has been worse than usual and isn't going away. We are supposed to go on vacation in a few days - long car trip!!! I called to Dr. to ask for a rescue instill. (never had one but sounds like an idea). I know this won't last long enough to get me through. Other ideas?????? I have the usual pain pills, ice pack - those help but I can't go through a vacation doped up with an ice pack between my legs....can I???? There has to be another idea...doesn't there????

[kadi]

Plan for frequent stops to use the restroom & to stretch?, stick on heating pads?, pillow to sit on in the car?, folded scarf or small towel to place under the seatbelt?, prelief to take with restaurant meals?, bottled water?, pyridium?
Basically try to reclaim comfort any way you can!
I hope that you feel better & that your trip is a good one,

[ICNDonna]

Small pillows to sit on, prop against your back, and adjust so you can change positions in the car. Also, wearing loose, comfortable clothing is a must.

Donna

[Mrs. Peel]

Long, deep breaths. I'll bet being nervous about getting ready to go and handling the flare is contributing. Maybe a relaxation audio, but not in the car while someone's driving!

[TexasHoney]

I really can't give you any better advice than the other ladies have. I hope you start feeling better by the time you start on your trip.

Good Luck

[kadi]

Hi Dawn,
If you get a chance, post again how it went, ok? Especially if anything was really helpful to you, so you can give another IC-er your tips:)
Bon voyage! Or is it happy trails(!) since you're on land?

[mary124]

Ditto to what everyone else has said.
Plenty of stops to go to the restroom. My husband kids me when we go to Houston (we live in Austin) and its about 3 hours give or take. We know every gas station/restuarant along Hwy 71/IH 10!.
Good luck, have fun and enjoy.

[Mom23]

We are back from our trip. Posting how it went.

I had a bladder rescue (my first) about 5 days before we left. It helped with pain but not with pressure and frequency. I was pretty miserable on the trip up but used ice packs, took pain pills and reclined, kept the seat belt off my belly and stopped to go pretty often. About a day after we got there I felt much better. (about a week after the bladder rescue - anyone had this???) I felt almost normal the rest of the trip and even all the way home in the car. Isn't that wonderful!!! I also drank only Evian water the whole time - wonder what that has to do with it??? I drink tap water at home - it is supposed to be alkaline but I wonder sometimes.

So, that is how I did. I don't know if that will help anyone, but there it is.

[Mrs. Peel]

I'm so happy for you that it went well! Thanks for providing hope for the rest of us.

I was also drinking tap water because it's alkaline here, until I realized that it is also highly clorinated. I guess it's OK if you have a well.

Once again, congratulations on a successful trip!

[kadi]

Glad to hear you had a nice trip!! Hopefully you will feel better & better on the instillations:) They've been great for me & are now a mainstay of my treatment plan...

[KarenAnne]

Dawn, I'm so happy you had a nice trip. It sounded like a rough start but it turned out well. I use the Brita pitcher for my home tap water & take bottled Deerpark with me. Maybe the water did make a difference.

[Rocklandgal]

Hi,
I know that you are back from your trip already, but I wanted to put my two cents in! First, Evian is the only water that I have found so far that works for me. When I feel something coming on, I guzzle it! Another thing for the future maybe. Just so you may feel more secure and maybe relieve a bit of stress (a big cause of IC pain), maybe while in the car you could try an adult pad. You probably won't even use it, but it is good to know that it is there if you really, really need it! Sometimes we can't always make it to the next bathroom, even though we know where it is. It would be one less worry. Just an idea.
Karen