no pain meds for IC...why not?

[ophelia33]

Hi, I just got back from my uro's office and it's been two months w/ her and I decided to ask for pain meds today. The answer: NO. I just stood there feeling like an addict as I was told by her nurse that she wouldn't give 'narcotics'. She told me to take pyridium. What?! She said she would ask my uro and did and came back and the answer was still "no". She said my uro NEVER gives 'narcotics' for pain. What?! Why is this disease called PAINFUL bladder syndrome then!

I'm doing instills weekly, back on elmiron (last dr. told me to stop it for no reason) for two months now, take urelle and pyridium as needed and I'm back on psych meds for depression (I wonder why?!).

I'm SICK of feeling like there's a fire in my pelvis all the time. I'm SICK of feeling like a walking UTI.

The uro's nurse told me to follow the diet. I COULD JUST SCREAM! That's all I do is follow the diet. It can be impossible to follow the diet ALL the time. If I cheat I'm in pain. Honestly, I feel my life is ruined anyways.

I hate my life, I hate IC and I hate pain.

So much for understanding drs.

Ophelia

P.S. I was told at uro's office that 'narcotics' don't help w/ pain. Why are people on pain meds then? I just want to die.

[OrlandoP]

Your uro sounds like a chump with that last quote. Tell him to give me a call, I'll be happy to clear things up for him :lmao:

What about a pain management center? That was the only step forward I've had, other than a clear diagnosis.

[amaranthe]

I dont understand it either. But, I am so sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, many Uros are like yours. Obviously, he/she is incredibly misinformed if he/she thinks "pain meds dont help with IC". I personally take them and would be unable to have any quality of life without them, and I am not alone in this.

I think Orlando gave you good advice to ask for a referral to a Pain Mgmt Dr. I see one and that is where I get my pain meds. I thank God for him! I was thinking some pretty dark thoughts before I got to them, due to the unremitting pain. Mercifully, they helped me on the very first visit by putting me on round the clock Morphine and by giving me break thru meds to take when the pain cuts thru them. I have a new life now, a fullfilling one, even though I am still disabled and still have some rough days. At least now I am not having to suffer without end. It is unbelievably and inexcusably cruel to expect someone to suffer that way! It still angers and saddens me that there are so many Drs. like yours.

I hope that he/she will give you a referral, but if not, then please ask your PCP or Gyn. If you still have no luck, then it is time to go "Dr. shopping" until you find one that will. (I would start with referrals from other IC patients in your area who have their pain managed and are pleased with their Drs.

I wish you the very best of luck. May God be with you and ease your suffering! :pray:

Most sincerely,
Amaranthe

[mary124]

I think that is the best thing- going to a pain management doc. I know that the PCP that I go to would prescribe pain meds on a "short term basis" and that the Uro that I go to will only do so for surgeries. In fact, my uro told me to go to the PM doc and told me a good one to go to...of course i only seen the doctor once in 5 yrs because "I'm a high risk patient" and apparently since I can't have some meds or procedures done he put me with his PA which I like but she also informed me that "she doesn't understand IC" but will give me my medications because of what she read and what i told her she knows its painful.

[vm]

I'd get information about a pain management clinic, too. Interesting that the uro said narcotics don't help pain (IC?). Makes me wonder how many IC patients he has worked with and how up to date he is on the treatment of IC, in general....:confused: I understand caution around narcotics - but to claim they don't help pain?

[jenjen05]

I'm in the same boat as you kinda. My uro gives 20 5/500 Vicodin's every month. Which basically gives me 10 days worth of sleep every month.

Most Uros don't want to give narcotics. It's just the way it is. Because you will need them or want them for the rest of your life. They want to try and find another way to manage your pain first. Ask about a muscle relaxer like Soma or Flexeril. Also ask about Valium Vaginal Suppositories. You're more likely to get those then narcotics. They aren't pain relief, but they help a lot. Trust me.

As far as pain management goes, everyone's always telling me to do that too. My uro refused to give me a referral to go and said that if I did end up going because I got a referral from somewhere else to not bother coming back to her. Was told that by another urologist as well. Most Uro's have a very firm stance on very little or no narcotics. I talked to my primary care doctor and she also refused me pain medication. I didn't even want any for during the day, just a little at night so I can sleep. But no dice. She said she agreed with my urologist about narcotics for IC and said I needed to learn to live with the hand I've been dealt. Yep.

But do try asking your urologist for a referral to pain management. You might actually try your primary care first, from what I understand most people find them more sympathetic. The danger there is that most likely your PC will then notify your Uro that he/she is giving you a referral to pain management and your Uro may tell you he/she will not see you if you do it. It's happened to a few girls on here I know of.

I know how stuck you are because I am too. Like I said, ask for Soma or Flexeril and Vallium suppositories. They do work well for most people. But if you want pain drugs, don't stop till you get them. I know I'm not.

Don't give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have a chronic, painful, debilitating disease! If you want some relief, you deserve it!

P.S. Your uro's office is full of it. Seriously. From personal experience, 10mg of Vicodin gets rid of 40% of my pain. 15mg of oxycodone will get rid of 60% of my pain. 60mg of oxycodone and I'm pain free for four hours. Ask anyone on here... narcotics work. Even some non-narcotics work. Maybe try asking your doctor if you can try Tramadol. It's a controlled substance but its mode of bioavailability is different then most pain killers. Keep in mind Tramadol doesn't work for everyone. Works for my friend, Jen. Didn't work for me. I recommend looking it up. Do your research and become informed on narcotics and non-narcotic pain relievers.

[ophelia33]

Thanks everyone who replied. I would like to see a pain management person but w/ the reaction I got from my uro's office, quite frankly I'm afraid to ask. I don't want to be told not to come back. She's probably the most qualified IC dr. w/in an hour of me. My family dr. didn't even believe me when I told him I had IC. He told me to see a uro. Where did he think I got a diagnosis from? Granted my gyno diagnosed me, but I have been w/ a uro before seeing the new family doc.

Basically all I was looking for was something to help w/ flares. I even asked my uro's office for something prn just stronger than ibuprofen b/c that doesn't do anything. It was my uro's nurse that railroaded me w/ the 'narcotics' thing. I did try oxycodone and hydrocodone (sp?) for menstrual cramps once and it did work. A tylenol 3 or something would ease the pain a little. I don't think I'm asking for the world here.

I'm going to have to figure something out. I mean what the heck do I do if I'm out somewhere and there are no IC safe foods? That was basically the reason I wanted pain meds. For those times. So much for my quality of life.

I'll have to see if I can get someone to refer me somewhere for something.

Jenjen, what do the valium suppositories do for you? Do they just relax the bladder? Also, what does Soma or Flexeril do? Uro never mentioned them and I hear a lot of people use them too. I could never get valium for terrible anxiety, I can't imagine anyone wanting to give me them for my bladder. Never know though.

many hugs and wishing we all find pain relief,
Ophelia:hi:

P.S. I'll keep trying, although I don't like to feel like an addict for a real issue.
P.S.S. w/o a doubt, my drs. in this area know each other and my uro would find out for sure if I saw a pain management person w/o her consent.

[jenjen05]

Okay, Ill try to describe the Valium suppository effect as best I can.

Make a fist. Then very, very slowly open it up. That's what my whole pelvic area feels like about 20 minutes into inserting it. I keep my pelvis elevated with a pillow so none leaks out. You absorb the majority of the medication within an hour. It definitely just relaxes everything. Cut down on my trips to the bathroom at night on the nights I do sleep. And I find that if I use one during the day a couple hours after I wake up, my symptoms are a lot less worse as the evening progresses than they normally are. This is something I'd really recommend you ask about. It's a fairly new idea from what I understand, but it works well. I too have severe anxiety and no one would ever give me Valium or Xanax orally. My Uro is up on all the latest research and had other patients she'd tried on the suppositories and they worked for them as well. Like I said, not really a pain relief - but it can definitely keep it from getting worse, at least for me. But it does decrease frequency and the amount of times you get up at night. Because your taking it as a suppository directly next to the bladder, it really only has local effects and very little makes it into your blood stream to effect your brain. Or this is what I'm told.

Flexeril- A great drug. Most ICer's seem to need at least 10mg to get any effect. A muscle relaxant and usually makes you sleepy. Problem with Flexeril is most say if they take it before bed when they wake up in the morning they feel hungover. Or depressed. I believe this is because it is structurally related to tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline (AKA Elavil, another drug that works for a lot of ICer's). Flexeril did nothing but leave me hungover. Didn't feel sleepy, didn't have any muscle effect. Everyone's different though.

Soma (Carisoprodol)- A better drug. Probably the best and most popular muscle relaxant amongst ICer's. Soma in some states is a schedule CIV drug (like my state, FL) and has definite abuse potential. Mostly because it is a potentiator of hydrocodone aka Vicodin/Lortab/Norco etc. This is VERY true for me. In other words it increases the effect of the hydrocodone... for me this means SLEEP. For others taking a high dose, trying to get high or a "soma coma" it means a intense euphoria similar to heroin. Please keep in mind that Soma is a CNS (central nervous system) depressant, meaning if you combine it with another CNS depressant your chances of going into respiratory or cardiac arrest skyrocket. Always consult your pharmacist or doctor before you take Soma at the same time as any other drug. In a low enough dose you'd be fine, but depending on your body weight and what your mixing and any tolerances you may have you could end up killing yourself instead of getting the pain relief you want. For me Soma relaxes me and relaxes my bladder. I can literally feel my bladder sigh with relief. You won't know what I mean till you try it :-)

It's scary how educated I am about all this now... I recommend going on Wikipedia and reading articles about these drugs and also going to drugs.com and put any pills you get into the interactions checker and make sure nothing comes up or if it does make sure you talk to your doctor about it before taking them all together.

When you go to your doctor, tell them you have been doing research and educating yourself about this disease. This is how I would approach your doctor: I understand you don't want to give me pain medication, but what are my other options then? I've been researching on the internet and becoming more informed about this disease and I've read a lot of people have success with muscle relaxers and vaginal valium suppositories. Would you be willing to let me try those?"

Ask the Uro for a referral to pain management. I mean, based on what you said I bet you'll be turned down, but its worth a shot. You deserve a good quality of life.

What places do you go that you can't find IC safe foods? I can find something almost anywhere I go. Maybe if you name a few restaurants I can help you.... feel free to PM me anytime!

Wishing you pain free and happy days ahead :pray:

[ophelia33]

Hi, that is great med education. (I have that kind of med knowledge w/ psych meds--scary--huh?!lol) And good advice on how to approach my dr.

As far as where I can't find IC safe foods, it is usually when I'm at someone elses house. For example, at my mom's the only IC safe food she has is plain pasta. yummy snack. I have severe allergy to nuts and a lot of would be IC safe foods have 'nut warning' labels on them. Also allergic to shellfish and lactose intolerant.

I have trouble at the movie theater too b/c they only sell dasani water and that gives me problems. In the winter I can pack my coat w/ food/beverages, but my purse isn't big enough and I don't wear a coat in the summer.

The mall is a problem if they don't sell plain fritos or plain lays chips which the mall near me doesn't. Food court is a nightmare.

Restaurant eating is the pits as even plain chicken ends up w/ seasoning. I end up w/ baked potato or baked sweet potato--depressing when watching someone else dig in to their 'meal'.

I'm writing down those meds to ask at my next uro appointment which isn't even scheduled yet. Go figure--have to go threw the nurse and she says to wait to schedule appointment. At this point, I want a new uro b/c I feel like the darn nurse is my uro. Only problem is there aren't really 'qualified' IC specialists in my area besides current dr.

Thanks a lot for the great info and thorough reply, lots of hugs,
Ophelia:hi:

[ICNDonna]

If your urologist is not willing to refer you to a pain management specialist, my suggestion would be to get a second opinion from a different urologist. It might be that antispasmodics would help with your pain --- most uros are willing to order those. The one I take is hyoscyamine (when needed) and it helps. Also, some doctors are willing to order Ultram when they won't order any other pain med.

I would steer clear of ibuprofen for a while --- it definitely causes me to flare and I feel good the majority of the time.

Donna

[ophelia33]

If your urologist is not willing to refer you to a pain management specialist, my suggestion would be to get a second opinion from a different urologist. It might be that antispasmodics would help with your pain --- most uros are willing to order those. The one I take is hyoscyamine (when needed) and it helps. Also, some doctors are willing to order Ultram when they won't order any other pain med.

I would steer clear of ibuprofen for a while --- it definitely causes me to flare and I feel good the majority of the time.

Donna

Hi, Donna,
Thanks for the reply. I have a question. Lately, I've been having pain w/o frequency/urgency or at least not an increase in frequency/urgency. I know it is bladder pain. Is an antispasmodic going to help with that type of pain? Or will an antispasmodic only help w/ pain associated w/ freq/urg. I hope that made sense.

I currently have a call into my psychotherapist to help me figure out where to go w/ this dr. mess as I don't really want to cut myself off at the knees trying to help myself out of this pain.

thanks and hugs,
Ophelia:hi:

P.S. I tooked up ultram and it said to use caution w/ people w/ psychiatric disorders or people on psych meds so I suppose that eliminates me, since I fall into that category. I'm no dr. tho so I will still ask if I can.

P.S.S. The other uro's office in my county doesn't even believe IC is real. I went there for a second opinion 2 years ago and they just wanted to give me OAB meds.

[kadi]

Hi Ophelia,
This has been my experience:
Getting pain medication won't necessarily solve the IC diet problem. I have found that my Darvocet isn't enough if I provoke my bladder with unsafe foods. Also no one really knows if continuing to eat trigger foods causes the IC to worsen over time. Because of those things, I stick with the IC diet and use Prelief for restaurant versions of the IC friendly things I make at home. Even having home instillations & Darvocet available is not sufficient to risk stopping the diet even for one meal. The Darvocet & an instillation will help if I've had a food "accident" & flare, but it won't completely take away the pain and when it wears off, not good.

I'm sorry, I see your frustration with the diet,but if you're out in public & eat something that triggers a flare, the pain medications may make it unsafe to be driving. Most of what IC patients have to take to manage pain should not be used while driving a car. And if there's an accident & you have to state your medications, you've got a real problem.
(I was rear-ended in my twenties--long before IC-- & I had to state every single medication I'd taken in the 24 hours prior to the accident - and my car wasn't even in motion, it was completely the other drivers fault for slamming into me.)

Here's how I manage away from home eating:
Pancake house or diner, Country Waffles: eggs, toast, hashbrowns
Subway: turkey or roast beef 6" sandwich w/lettuce, bell pepper, carrots, Classic lays chips or Sunchips original, or Fritos
Fresh Choice or Sweet Tomatoes: Baked potato or plain pasta, salad with lots of veggies & hard boiled egg, ranch dressing on the side to dip my fork in before bites of salad & Prelief!
Fuddruckers or Mels or In&Out Burger, or Carrows: Plain hamburger with lettuce, fries, glass of milk or vanilla milkshake if made with real milk & ice cream, not the goo they pour from a carton
Movie theater? I got a bigger summer bag & put my own Safeway Organic Microwave popcorn in it or Fritos & a bottle of water.
Starbucks: Vanilla bean frappucino, Tazo Refresh hot tea, Steamed milk, classic glazed donut, plain croissant, cinnamon swirl coffee cake, snickerdoodle

I choose the movie theaters that have one of the above options fairly close by, even if it's not right next to it. I also sometimes just go to the movies & do Starbucks instead of a full meal. Sometimes I go out with accomodating friends who don't mind going to one of those restaurants, & sometimes I invite them to my house so we can cook together. I'm also a big fan of brown bag picnics & we bring our own lunches. And I don't always eat when I see friends, sometimes we just go to the park & walk, play miniature golf, watch a video, do crafts. If I'm going to someone's house who usually doesn't have IC friendly food, I bake something we can eat together.

Just giving you options. I won't lie to you, I hate the IC diet, even if I seem gung-ho about it here. I live in an area of the country where every other restaurant is some delicious Asian, Indian, Mexican family run business and only ate at those kind of restaurants before IC. I'm also a teacher & really hate the limits the IC diet puts on accepting food from my students & coworkers who are from all over the world and love to bring in their dishes. The social aspect of "losing" so many foods really is depressing.

But, I want to keep working full time, keep my commitments, and be as painfree as I can on my own, so I stick with it. My doctors know this and generally support what I ask for, which is in the treatment plan under my name. It did take about 2 years to put it all together because of my allergies & wanting to add only one medication at a time. My IC is, I think, more severe than I usually admit to myself even. Most patients once they get an effective treatment plan, can eat more than I can.

Hang in there, try to think creatively, ok?

[Braedley]

my 1st 2 uros told me the same thing - it's "mild IC", you don't require medications, and I would never prescribe them for you...

my GP said you need to be able to function and have quality of life, here are some to try...I only take Elavil & Pyridium (Pyridium ONLY for serious flare ups once/month or so), tylenol arthritis for long term pain management (and prescription free!)...

[ophelia33]

Hi Ophelia,
This has been my experience:
Getting pain medication won't necessarily solve the IC diet problem. I have found that my Darvocet isn't enough if I provoke my bladder with unsafe foods. Also no one really knows if continuing to eat trigger foods causes the IC to worsen over time. Because of those things, I stick with the IC diet and use Prelief for restaurant versions of the IC friendly things I make at home. Even having home instillations & Darvocet available is not sufficient to risk stopping the diet even for one meal. The Darvocet & an instillation will help if I've had a food "accident" & flare, but it won't completely take away the pain and when it wears off, not good.

I'm sorry, I see your frustration with the diet,but if you're out in public & eat something that triggers a flare, the pain medications may make it unsafe to be driving. Most of what IC patients have to take to manage pain should not be used while driving a car. And if there's an accident & you have to state your medications, you've got a real problem.
(I was rear-ended in my twenties--long before IC-- & I had to state every single medication I'd taken in the 24 hours prior to the accident - and my car wasn't even in motion, it was completely the other drivers fault for slamming into me.)

Here's how I manage away from home eating:
Pancake house or diner, Country Waffles: eggs, toast, hashbrowns
Subway: turkey or roast beef 6" sandwich w/lettuce, bell pepper, carrots, Classic lays chips or Sunchips original, or Fritos
Fresh Choice or Sweet Tomatoes: Baked potato or plain pasta, salad with lots of veggies & hard boiled egg, ranch dressing on the side to dip my fork in before bites of salad & Prelief!
Fuddruckers or Mels or In&Out Burger, or Carrows: Plain hamburger with lettuce, fries, glass of milk or vanilla milkshake if made with real milk & ice cream, not the goo they pour from a carton
Movie theater? I got a bigger summer bag & put my own Safeway Organic Microwave popcorn in it or Fritos & a bottle of water.
Starbucks: Vanilla bean frappucino, Tazo Refresh hot tea, Steamed milk, classic glazed donut, plain croissant, cinnamon swirl coffee cake, snickerdoodle

I choose the movie theaters that have one of the above options fairly close by, even if it's not right next to it. I also sometimes just go to the movies & do Starbucks instead of a full meal. Sometimes I go out with accomodating friends who don't mind going to one of those restaurants, & sometimes I invite them to my house so we can cook together. I'm also a big fan of brown bag picnics & we bring our own lunches. And I don't always eat when I see friends, sometimes we just go to the park & walk, play miniature golf, watch a video, do crafts. If I'm going to someone's house who usually doesn't have IC friendly food, I bake something we can eat together.

Just giving you options. I won't lie to you, I hate the IC diet, even if I seem gung-ho about it here. I live in an area of the country where every other restaurant is some delicious Asian, Indian, Mexican family run business and only ate at those kind of restaurants before IC. I'm also a teacher & really hate the limits the IC diet puts on accepting food from my students & coworkers who are from all over the world and love to bring in their dishes. The social aspect of "losing" so many foods really is depressing.

But, I want to keep working full time, keep my commitments, and be as painfree as I can on my own, so I stick with it. My doctors know this and generally support what I ask for, which is in the treatment plan under my name. It did take about 2 years to put it all together because of my allergies & wanting to add only one medication at a time. My IC is, I think, more severe than I usually admit to myself even. Most patients once they get an effective treatment plan, can eat more than I can.

Hang in there, try to think creatively, ok?

Hi, Kadi, thanks for the reply. I'm know you're trying to help. I'm truly not trying to be difficult here. I'm not looking for a way out of the IC diet. I cannot eat all those foods you have listed.

I'm trying to not take what you said the wrong way but I almost get the feeling you are telling me to just suck it up when pain management should be a part of my overall wellness. I don't have anything scripted to me for pain management for IC. The five Darvocet I get a month are for menstrual cramps and when I find the right continuous use birth control pill I will no longer get them anymore.

I'm in a flare at the moment. I tried Prelief last night before pineapple. Prelief did NOT work. I also cannot take prelief w/in 4 hours of my thyroid med b/c it binds to it. Not a huge deal if the Prelief worked. I'm still in pain from the pineapple.

As far as not driving on meds. I have been on many meds that come w/ the driving warning on them and currently my psych meds come w/ a warning for driving on them. If I don't drive, I can't get to my appointments. I have adjusted well enough to be able to drive as safely as possible on my meds.

I am not looking for a way out of the IC diet. I feel guilty enough straying from it and I get lectured on it three times a week from my uro's nurse and my physical therapist. I have cried to my mom and to my psychotherapist begging for tips to help me stick to the IC diet. I am stuck and have been stuck w/ the same foods for months now. I can't 'safely' eat anything from the 'may be okay' list. I'm not looking for a pain med to help me eat off the IC diet. I do want a pain med for this very instance where I'm in pain b/c a stupid food challenge w/ pineapple and Prelief is now laying me in bed all day.

I worked for 20 years before being side-lined w/ severe depression. Severe enough to be approved for disability the first time. I can tell people first hand how depressing disability is and how solitary. My goal is not to remain on disability forever. I do want to work and I am trying every treatment there is for IC including the diet and physical therapy.

I deserve no less than everyone else w/ pain issues. I have waited 2 months now waiting for other treatments to work and I'm in more pain than when my symptoms came roaring back 2 months ago.

I don't mean to sound rude and I'm sure you meant every word w/ the best of intentions. I am currently in pain and am very sensitive to it and other difficulties at the moment. I just am truly tired of convincing people I have real pain. I have sucked it up, sat with it, dealt with it long enough and now I'd like some relief and well...if I don't try to get help, well, nothing is gained.

thanks for your reply and as always hugs,
Ophelia:hi:

[Danielle22]

Wow. I just started crying cause i know what you are going threw! But my Dr did give me narcotics! And i got addicted! But this pain is just so horrible. i have been told to try the preleif. but i dont know. worth trying i guess. Im currently doing the diet thing and its controling my life! bad. i have no energy and i snap at everyone around me!! i wish there was something someone would do for this!!

[ophelia33]

Wow. I just started crying cause i know what you are going threw! But my Dr did give me narcotics! And i got addicted! But this pain is just so horrible. i have been told to try the preleif. but i dont know. worth trying i guess. Im currently doing the diet thing and its controling my life! bad. i have no energy and i snap at everyone around me!! i wish there was something someone would do for this!!

Hi, Danielle,
I'm sorry you're hurting too. I too went through the no energy thing and snapping at everyone. Honestly, I'm still snappy. That's why I went back on psych meds. I was so unGodly irritable I couldn't even stand myself. I went through the period of not even watching TV b/c every 2nd to 3rd commercial had food on it. I still hate to watch TV. The diet has and does control my life. It is bad, I know it. I don't know if it's just me or what but I don't seem to be able to expand my diet if you even want to refer to what I eat as a diet.

Even my okay food of plain chicken, potatoes, yams, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, pears (so sick of pears) gives me issues. Other food just seems to give me more 'issues'. If you try Prelief, only try a small amount of food. I tried a couple pineapple chunks and 3 tablets of Prelief but still ended up in a lot of pain. Please do try though. We need a variety of nutrients, not just from the same foods.

Try as best you can to be creative w/ the foods you can eat as well as eating out as Kadi mentioned. I just don't want to see you get into the depressive rut that I ended up in as I just avoided going out b/c there was nothing to eat.

Hang in there Danielle. I know it is hard. A lot of people have found a lot of help. I'm still in the searching process. I can say that I feel what you're going through. I cry for all of us many times and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

hugs and hugs,
Ophelia:hi:

[kadi]

Ophelia,
I'm definitely not telling you to suck it up. I wouldn't spend so much time volunteering on the boards if that were my intention. Many of us need pain medication and I would be very upset not to have mine available for evenings & flares.

It did seem a bit like the food was the main reason you were asking for pain meds. I'm sympathetic that you want to try new things, but I do think it might be a bit gentler on your body and mind to only eat out of the "usually ok" category for one to two months without exceptions or tests. And then slowly test the "sometimes ok" foods. Just leave the "usually not ok" foods alone until you have had a nice long rest (like several months after the "sometimes ok" tests) without symptoms. And that's the last thing I'll say on it. I know you don't need any more people lecturing you.

If you're wondering if I really understand... yes, I think so. I've had too many nights trying to sleep on the toilet because there was just no point in going back to bed.
And fairly or unfairly, my doctors did not prescribe pain medication to me until they were satisfied I was consistently on the diet, had tried a cysto/hydro, bladder retraining, instillations & oral medications first. It made for a very crummy year, but built the case for the Darvocet.

I am sympathetic & I do want to help. If I come across tough, it's probably because I had to become tough to deal with all of this for myself. It's never intended to be hurtful. I think you sound so much like me my first year with IC, sometimes I remember too much what it was like to fight so hard... Please keep trying. I know you will have better days.

[kadi]

PS. I hate pears. If I never see another one, it will be too soon.

[ophelia33]

Hi, Kadi,
I do want to apologize. I do know you are trying to help. And you do help. I know a little about your situation and I imagine that you did have to be tough to deal w/ all you did.

When I'm in the pain I was in yesterday, I don't like who I am. I get very sensitive and snappy. I just don't like the person I become. The pain is still here today but it has lessened. I will still have a talk w/ my uro regarding pain management.

I have switched to canned pears in an effort to change up my fruit group! I went from fresh to canned...it feels different so I'm going w/ it. I cleared out the whole canned lite pears section from my grocery store. They didn't stock much, but canned food lasts forever--seems like.

I will say that I thank you for your input/feedback and for caring. I am able to see where you are coming from. I am sorry I was ultra sensitive.

many hugs,
Ophelia:hi:

[reesper]

Wow. I need to watch my mouth with this one. These kinds of stories really anger me. If I was in the sort of pain that I was in last fall and a doctor told me that I swear that I would be clawing his face off. It's a really sad world when doctors are so paranoid of drug seekers that they'll deny a person in legitimate and severe pain any significant pain relief. I really hate doctors some of the time and I've lost almost all the respect I've had for them through my experiences with bladder and urethral pain.

If the pain is keeping you up at night, or if it is making you severely depressed or suicidal then feel free to tell him. Anything to get it through his thick skull that you need pain medication.