Newly Diagnosed

[Ash11]

Hi all! :)

I was diagnosed with mild IC on 9/29/09 after a cystoscopy with hydrodistension. Although I've urinated frequently since I was a little girl, I've never had any other symptoms until I got my first UTI in August 2008. After that, I had two more UTI's within the year, and after each infection, I had about six-ten weeks of constantly feeling like I had to use the restroom. I was miserable, and my wonderful gynocologist finally referred me to a urologist who suspected IC. I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis (after lots of wondering if I was crazy!), but now I'm struggling to adapt to my new diet and IC lifestyle. It seems foreign to me to order a pizza with only veggies and no sauce when I've been eating tomatoes my whole life with no symptoms whatsoever...but I'm trying really hard!

Lucky for me, my husband (of two and a half years :)) is wonderful and supportive, and actually found this website for me one day at work. It's been so helpful to read others' posts - especially the recipes! The cooking part has been the biggest adjustment.

I'm just trying to remember that while I'm frustrated in the immediate present, God sees the big picture of my life, and in some way this will bring Him glory. :) Looking forward to having some support in this journey!

[KarenAnne]

:welcome: Hi! I felt the same as you when my IC started in Aug. 08 out of the blue. I had trouble at first with cooking also. I swear I used tomato sauce in everything I cooked. I got two of the cookbooks on this site & that helped. I think I'm actually cooking more healthy now & I hope it works out for you too. Best wishes & feel better soon! Karen

[123456]

I just got diagnosed this week and realized NOTHING in my home is IC friendly. So, now I have to adjust everything. Tonight all I have left is a turkey burger with a tiny bit of the new olive oil mayo. I might make peanut butter cookies later to make up for this. My poor daughter has been living off off PB&J b/c I had the cysto/hydro this week and have been out of it.

[Ash11]

I know it! Hardly anything I ate was IC friendly. My poor husband (although he is trying so hard!) is a really picky eater and he just doesn't like some of the things that I'm aloud to eat, like pinto beans, squash, etc. We're trying to find a healthy balance between things he will actually eat, and things I can eat. It's only the two of us right now, so there is no sense in cooking two meals! :) I am planning to order the cookbook, and hopefully that will help out. I'm not very creative in the kitchen, so I will definitely need help making this thing work!

[VickiB]

Yep, same here! I loved my tomato based foods, anything pickled, fruit juices, etc, and the IC diet required a total menu makeover. My first trip to the grocery store (armed with the diet list) had me fighting back tears when I realized they put vinegar and/or citric acid in darn near everything I liked to eat!

It does get better though! After a while I no longer missed my old diet. I order my pizzas with a white sauce & it's surprisingly good. I substitute my own homemade salad dressing (cottage cheese based) for the Italian I used to use, and my family actually prefers that as well. Go figure!

Vicki